It seems that more & more manufacturers are not fitting these rubber mouldings for the side panels of new vehicles, leaving them totally exposed to damage from inconsiderates, especially in supermaket car parks.
Does anyone know of a supplier to source these trims, as if your car gets damaged, the cost of dent removal and re-painting is far from cheap. ?
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If a rear door is opened onto your car, more often than not these side protection strips are useless as they sit a lot lower than the corner of the offending rear door.
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Defensive parking is required.
Do not
1) Park near supermarket shop door
2) Park next to MPV, 4x4, transit van, old banger
3) Park remote corner of car park.
4) Park on an end space (reduces damage chances by 50%)
5) Park in your drive - to one side to allow bikes, prams etc past
Retro fitting rubbing strips may not achieve desired effect as it may look odd, profile of door may not allow rubbing strips in a suitable place...........
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..or you could buy a car, put it in your garage and never take it out!
All of our little cars - Ibiza, Colt and Jazz (Jazz are optional and are wide and thick) have these strips and all of them have suffered car park damage.
A few years ago I managed to dent the door of our then brand-new Clio by allowing the door skin to do nothing more than touch the corner of a wall - the strip didn't even prevent that. They are absolutely useless, except for cosmetic purposes.
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There are long tubular foam pads, held in place by magnets and a cable held inside the locked door. Door Defenders IIRC. Only used when the car is parked. Look horrible but probably do a superb job.
Not forgetting the bumpers, which also get a lot of abuse. In NY this summer I noticed a lot of cars sporting what looked like large black rubber floor mats, held in place over both front and rear bumpers by retaining straps. I spotted one old dog of a Pontiac Sunbird with 4 rubber mats slung over each end, but what I found really surprising was how most of the cars disfigured in this way were SUVs. I imagine municipal regulations and fear of litigation have finally killed off the dreaded bull bars.
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Defensive parking is required.
That's exactly what I do.
In addition to Falkirk Bairn's suggestions, don't park in a slot next to a vehicle which is parked closer to the vacant slot than it should be.
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ALSO,,,DON'T PARK NEXT TO ANY CAR WITH BABY SEATS..
little ones always wang the doors open...
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door rubbing strips,. my wifes v40 and my impreza estate have them.
the impreza saloon that i really wanted doesn't come with them fitted...
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we had them fitted to an ibiza from new (pre-kids) cost £120 there thick rubber and just held on with double sided tape.when we traded the car in, they where suprised that the sides where dent free, and said the strips had done a good job, and they where going to remove them as the car looks nicer without them....ho hum.....just give it 6 months and it'll be all dented down the sides....
the volvo also has plastic wheel arch covers and black plastic rubbing strips on the front and back bumper....yeh yeh,,,it doesn't look pretty but then again looks better than touching up super market trolley scratches.....
why is it that some people reverse into supermarket parking spaces,,,it then means they have to pull the trolly down between parked cars....huff. over...
paul.
v40 (w reg)
impreza gx (03 reg)
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Defensive parking is required.
Don't forget to avoid three door cars, usually the doors are so long to allow access to the rear seats that they need loads of space to open them and squeeze in.
Pug 206 was the worst offender, the door stops were set so badly that the door swung violently out at almost exactly the right distance to bang the car next to you.
If you see a three door coupled with baby seat in the back then don't park there even if it's the last space left in the car park!!
Best trick if you have rubbing strips is to park next to exactly the same model of car as your own, that way their rubbing strips will be at same height as yours and with any luck they'll gently bump off each other. :)
However, isn't this all a bit obsessive over mere cosmetics? I admit I do all that myself, but it's got to be a little OCD...
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All these defensive measures!
I am really surprised some of you don't wrap the car in bubble wrap and leave it in a big yellow storage depot and take it out once a year to check its ok.
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Don't be daft AE!
All that bubble wrap might mark the paint...
;)
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I am really surprised some of you don't wrap the car in bubble wrap and leave it in a big yellow storage depot and take it out once a year to check its ok.
1) I buy may cars new/ a few months old with my own money.
2)Keep them for 5+ years
3) Try to keep the car in tip top order - wash regularly (the car that is), polish, service on time, treat the car well in terms of driving -.................
Benefits
More reliable car
Improves value / ease of selling privately when I move on to a newer car.
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& spend 15 minutes sorting out a place in the car park,
spend one hour in Tescobury worrying about what's happening to your car.
Life is too short to worry about small car park dents.
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I had this problem with one of my current cars - it's got 'colour coded' bumpers, and I tend to nudge up to objects. I know I shouldn't, but my early cars had chrome-plated lumps of steel at each end.
LIDL were selling self adhesive chrome trim. I put it along the bumper where it would protect it. It looks quite tidy, and also now makes the car unique in any camera evidence.
Car paint shops used to sell this sort of stuff by the yard. You can probably get something suitable to stick on the side to help protect it.
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