Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate the need for car door protection on the city streets. What happened to the courtesy between one new Yorker to another. Why do taxi riders slam cab doors into adjacent vehicles when entering and exiting the taxi cab. Surely there must be some explanation for this reckless behavior. Funny that I should get a door ding in my door, the same day that I get a flyer on my windshield stating, “car door ding repair 15% off for new customers.” Is this some sort of conspiracy by dent repair companies to invigorate sales or just pure bad luck? This is not the first time a taxi door dinged my car door. I have car door dings and dents on both sides of my car, with a hint of taxi yellow paint the only clue that a taxi door was involved. I have since been more careful to park away from the entrance of buildings. I have also purchased a car door protector for added car door protection.
Posts Tagged ‘Car Door Protection’
Car Door Protection on the Streets of New York City…
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009How do I remove a car door ding and dents – Any good car door protectors out there?
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009Car door dings and dents can be a real pain to remove. Do not try and remove the dings yourself, since you may cause more damage. Many body shops are equipped to remove car door dings and dents. Also, some specialty businesses have emerged that only do car paint protection and car door ding and dent removal. Car door dings and dents are removed by placing pressure behind the dent. This is no easy task and may require removing your door panels. Lots of companies that do car door ding and dent removal. I called my local dealer for some names. I am sick of having to fix my door dings every month and need some advice on car door protectors.
With some creativity and a few bucks you can create your very own car door protector.
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009I got sick and tired of spending money on car door protection, and decided to rig my very own car door protector. In this bad economy you need to do whatever you can do to save some money. With a little patience you can make your own car door guard for half what you would pay otherwise. Step (1) Go to your local target and purchase some pool noodle floats and string. (2) If you want to protect the entire side of your vehicle, place the pool noodle along the side and cut it to fit the doors. (3) Run the string through one end of the noodle. To keep the string from sliding back into the noodle run the string through a small hole (you make the hole) in the top of the noodle and make a large knot to keep it from sliding back. (4) Create a loop on one end that can slide over your side mirror housing. Tie the back end of the string to the rear door handle. Its simple and there you have it, car door protection for under $20.
My commuter lot is horrible when it comes to car door dings and dents. What is the best car door guard?
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009I have been parking in commuter lots since I began working in New York City. The good thing about commuter lots is that the parking is free, but the spaces are narrow and parking is limited. After my junky car broke down, I purchased a new car for reliability. Little did I know that my commuter lot was the main cause of my car door dings and dents. My junky car had so many car door dings and dents that it was impossible to tell when a new ding appeared. I read the blog articles on this site about car door protection, and then looked at the various car door protectors available in stores and online. Although my car has factory car door guards installed, I have noticed that the door guards are positioned to low to offer any real car door protection. As someone else mentioned above, I tried removable magnetic car door guards and did not like the exposed magnets. Consequently, I decided to purchase the door shox after seeing the product in the commuter lot. Thus far, I Have been using the door shox standard kit for 2 weeks and find it meets my needs perfectly. Now I can ding other people’s doors while mine are safe (LOL).
Car door protection in the Parking Garage?
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009Parking in New York City is like parking in a war zone. There are road hazards, bad drivers and rude people. I used to be one of those people who always parked in the street to save money. After getting my car dinged by taxi cab doors once, twice, three times….I decided to try a parking lot. How bad could a parking garage be? After all You pay money to park, so you expect that they will care for your car. Needless to say, after two weeks of parking at the garage I noticed my first door ding, the size of a quarter. I brought this to the attendant’s attention only to be told that I drove in with the door ding. I was really pissed by the attendant’s arrogance. I had a word with the parking garage manger the next day and he told me they would pay for the dent removal, but future incidents would be my problem. He explained that car dings were unavoidable since the cars are constantly being moved about and he did not know when the ding occurred or who was driving the car. The manager told me about door shox and recommended the product. He actually showed me a vehicle that was parked there with the product attached. I was A bit skeptical at first, but I purchased a set of valet door shox to try. Nicely engineered product!
Tips and tricks to prevent car door dings and car door dents?
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009Car door ding prevention is all about finding the right parking spot. While I follow my parking rules instinctively, I have racked my brains and put my rules on paper. My rationale is that this could benefit some people, and prevent car door dings.
1) Always park away from other cars when possible. A short walk to the mall or store will do you good.
2) Try to park in the end cap parking spots. End cap parking spots are usually wider and you can park closer to one side. When parking in an end cap spot you only need to worry about one side of the vehicle.
3) avoid parking next to large cars (i.e. Buick lesabre circa 1970’s –1990) because they take up more space and have big heavy doors. Avoid parking next to old and neglected cars that look like rust buckets. Avoid parking next to minivans with a bumper sticker that says “soccer mom”. the driver of these vehicles classes, do not care about their vehicle’s appearance. More likely than not they will plant a few car door dings on your delicate car door paint and never look back.
4) If possible park next to small cars (i.e. Honda or Toyota) or expensive cars (i.e. BMW or Mercedes).
5) Use car door protection whenever you park.
While there is no guaranteed full proof way to prevent car door dings and dents, a little common sense and caution will keep your car door ding free and looking great
What are some of the various car door protectors available?
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009Ever since experiencing my first door ding, I have always been something of a car door ding guru. Back in the 1980’s when I was in high school there were not many options available. There were a few magnetic car door protectors on the market, but none of them were any good. These door guards had magnetic strips glued to the backside and they were rough on the paint finish. I have tried every other car door protector since, and in this blog I will give you my thoughts and opinions.
There are various kinds of car door guards and car door protectors available. Some door guards are the stick-on type, which may include car door moldings or car door guards, both OEM and aftermarket. The stick-on car door guards are the most popular because you attach them only once and then forget they are there. These color matched rubber car door protectors are usually the color of the vehicle, so they blend nicely and look like part of the vehicle. This is my favorite car door guard and my best pick overall. You can also get matching car door edge guards. These car door protectors are sold for $4 per foot, plus installation. Another car door guard I tried was a suction cup car door protector. This car door protector had a three suction cups attached to a rubber mat body. Looked great, but it would not stay on for long– whatever I tried it would fall off after a few minutes. Additionally, there was no security feature, so it could be easily stolen off the vehicle. After turning my back for 5 minutes the car door guard was on the floor. The last category of car door protection I tested included several magnetic style car door protectors. Magnetic car door protectors are great because they will easily grab onto the vehicle’s steel panels. The problem with magnetic car door guards is that exposed magnets can scratch the delicate finish of your car. Even nylon magnets can scratch, especially if they accidentally slide or move on the surface. Some companies have realized the problems with exposed magnets and wrapped the magnets with fabric or a nylon covering. Good idea in theory, but the problem is that these materials often make the product more slippery and more prone to slide or move. I thought magnetic door guards were totally out of the picture, until I tried door shox. The door shox magnets are covered with an anti slip silicone/rubber with circular ribs to reduce the contact surface area. The magnets are cleverly located at three points so the product is flexible. Overall, I am happy with this car door protector…Cheers.
Importance of Car Door Protection
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009Parking nowadays is just as dangerous as driving. Whether you park in the shopping mall or the street, dings and dents to your car door is a big problem. Each year thousands of cars are damaged in parking garages and parking lots, resulting in millions of dollars in damages. This problem is so prevalent that businesses were started to specifically remove car door dings and dents. Body shops and ding repair shop businesses are booming, as more people are repairing their car doors from the unsightly car dings. To the rescue are a slew of car door protection products such as car door guards and car door protectors that can help save your car door. As cars become sleeker and more sculpted, many car manufacturers are foregoing the bulky car door guards altogether. Without car door protection, the car door is a sitting target and can be easily damaged when an adjacent door makes contact with the metal surface. Sometimes this contact results in a ding and even worse a deep scratch. A ding can usually be repaired at a body shop. However, a deep scratch or scrape will be more permanent, and difficult to cover up. Some car manufacturers offer OEM car door guards as an option or an aftermarket accessory. While these products help reduce the incidence of car door dings and dents they are usually mounted to low for maximum effectiveness or are to skinny to offer much protection.