Using your bumper to park...

[bluesierra]

What's everyone thoughts when it's the wife/ other half doing it?

Our driveway is only just long enough to fit both cars on, so one has to gently roll the second one (Toyota) up to the rear bumper of the front one (Audi). The Toyota's automatic, and the drive has a slight uphill slope as you roll in, so it can be a little tricky. One evening I was just outside the front door and watched as the wife drove up, gently rolled up towards the back of the Audi, then seemingly floored it and rammed the Toyota into the bumper of the Audi, leaving a perfect indentation of the number plate that's still there to this day.

[DoubleD]

Fairly shocking that some on here think it's acceptable to touch someone else's car while parking.

[Hoofy]

Adz The Rat said:

I managed this on holiday, was quite proud of it.

Did you spend the whole holiday parking in that spot?

[chrisb92]

Not parking, but my car was parked on the side of a wide road last week and some absolute smacked my mirror off. I can't even begin to imagine how someone can be so st at driving. I was so angry and as a result Audi wanted £445* for a new one. What a that person is and I wish them an awful Christmas. I spent 45 minutes checking every single mirror for cars parked in the next few roads to see if it was any of them! It annoys me so much that I have paid for his incompetent driving.

• I went somewhere else and got it done for £280.

[phil_cardiff]

jamieduff1981 said:

2 Specific key points got my back up.

1) Your first post on topic, opening with the words "I'd do it ...". No, you shouldn't willingly do it.
2) I detest anyone who tries to down-play their wrong doings unto others. Cars will become 2nd hand etc. Only when knobs crash in to them. You may be happy with the defeatist view that your car will tend towards entropy, but you're on Pistonheads. Many of us consider our cars our pride and joy and work hard for them. It is accepted that cars age, but it's not acceptable to accelerate that aging by crashing in to them.

Do what you want with whatever heap you drive. Treat everyone elses' car be it a £300,000 Ferrari or a £300 Fiesta as though they'll go apest on you if you hit it.

It's not only possible but quite likely that your idea of no damage differs from other peoples'. It's highly unlikely that the kind of person who thinks it's ok to 2nd-handify cars with friendly taps will have very high standards (or even the ability to notice damage).

Given the hostility towards you on this thread about what could happen if caught bumping someones' car, maybe you could extrapolate that and consider how the situation might pan out in person. Referring back to point 1 above, you stated that you'd do it. Not that you did it once by mistake and luckily got away with it - you said "I'd do it". If it's my car you're eyeing up as a parking aid, just fking don't.

Thanks for clarifying. In my initial post I should have provided more detail. I should have said 'I'd do it, if I had to'. And I admit to having done so once. In that instance I didn't actually want to touch bumpers but I knew I was bloody close and that it could happen. The rest of the time I park considerately. I dare say a few people on PH have misjudged distance when reversing a few times, perhaps a few of those who are apoplectic on this thread...

I'd just like to make it clear to the great and good of PH that I don't routinely execute Tony Pond style handbrake turns into tiny spaces, knocking bumpers and headlights into the air, then get out slinging flowers at the enraged owner and talking about cars getting 2nd hand. Of course if I touched a car I'd apologise for making a mistake. And if I'd caused damage I'd pay for it.

The 2nd hand comment relates to your view that people should go apest if someone even so much as breathes on their car. No they shouldn't. If you go full on apest because someone takes a risk and touches your car (without causing damage) then you're being a bit silly aren't you?

[strain]

Left work for lunch one day to see a golf parked on my front bumper, I always parked in the very first space which was horizontal whilst all others were vertical, in front of 'my space' was a slip road to a neighbouring business park - not busy.

Wasn't too happy so wen't to reception to see if they knew who's car it was, as I was blocked in from behind as per usual. She suggested trying a certain company and attended with me, what can only be described as shamoo with 5 chins came out 'Oh sorry have I blocked you in', No, you've actually crashed into my car they're touching, why didnt you park in one of the very many empty spaces and walk the 100 yards to the door

She jumped in her car and drove away to the other business park, I was expecting her to turn around and come back, 5 minutes later she still hadn't come back, never apologised and never saw the fat bh again.

Good job it had done 140k and I wasn't that precious




Edit - you can see my front wheel parked on the white line of the space so the car behind me had extra room to open doors, shes parked on yellow zig zags

[JimbobVFR]

EnthusiastOwned said:

I'd argue it's impossible to touch bumper to bumper without at least scuffing the lacquer.

I'd also be fuming and wouldn't do it myself except by accident, however the above to me says bumpers are not fit for purpose, a proper bumper, maybe made out of shiny chrome with rubber over riders would be perfect for the job.

[xjay1337]

strain said:

, what can only be described as shamoo with 5 chins came out [/pic]

Lol!

[SlimJim16v]

I only do it when un-parking, where some twunt has parked so close I have no alternative.

[WJNB]

Fill up an empty windscreen de-icer container with paint stripper, it's use will greatly helps in getting your own back. Keep in boot alongside real windscreen de-icer but DON'T get them mixed up.
This also works wonders when applied at 3am in the morning on those blasted cars that dealers working from home park outside your house. A phone call to the taxman helps too - sorry off topic a bit there.

[Motorrad]

EnthusiastOwned said:

Looks like I'm not alone. Thanks chaps.

What is peoples thoughts on the aftermath/retaliation

You don't need to retaliate.


People who do it are useless, talentless, antisocial wkers.

You're better than them and in any case there's nothing you can do about it without going to the gutter where these dheads abode.

Just move onwards and upwards.

[DoubleD]

Motorrad said:

EnthusiastOwned said:

Looks like I'm not alone. Thanks chaps.

What is peoples thoughts on the aftermath/retaliation

You don't need to retaliate.


People who do it are useless, talentless, antisocial wkers.

You're better than them and in any case there's nothing you can do about it without going to the gutter where 6these dheads abode.

Just move onwards and upwards.

Well said. No excuse for vandalism

[Mr2Mike]

untakenname said:

Miss my old car with it's towbar, had plenty of marks on it where people just drove into it.

My current car has no tow bar so I'm thinking of mounting one of these on it but not sure of the legalities?

Very much illegal under the "Good Taste Act 2016".

[Ki3r]

C.A.R. said:

Touch parking is part of the fun of owning a Shed. However, the strict rules are that you can touch park against things like bollards, walls, people in wheelchairs etc. - not other cars. That's just out of order.

I laughed a little too much at that! Wont be able to look at my brother without thinking of someone reversing into him ha.

I've bumped into walls in my car a few times, and again in the works van into another works van in the yard. I wouldn't dream of doing it to another car though).

[GOG440]

EnthusiastOwned said:

Looks like I'm not alone. Thanks chaps.

What is peoples thoughts on the aftermath/retaliation? What would you have done/do? I wish I was a bigger man to chalk it up as one of those things and move on in life, but if i'm honest i'm not; I hate when someone inconveniences me or has little thought for their benefit. It eats at me.

2 small pieces of gravel from the roadsurface dropped into the valve caps will give them a nice pair of flat tyres.
If you are really lucky it might well give them another nice flat after they have blown their tyres up.


So I have been told anyway.

[RoadRunner220]

I can't believe people are actually condoning this sort of behaviour, it's having an accident on purpose !!!

If you can't park your car without having an RTA you need your licence removing immediately.

[Slow]

RoadRunner220 said:

!!

If you can't park your car without having an RTA you need your licence removing immediately.

Everyone makes mistakes or misjudges the size of the bumper in their maybe new/hired/borrowed car. If you purposfully crash then yes I agree.

[surveyor]

I've done it accidentally... When I worked in Bristol, spaces were few and far between, and not really Laguna size. Got very good at reverse parking, but did very occasionally get it wrong... Never at damage speed though.

[grumbledoak]

I often park my car at the far end of the car park to avoid door "dings", but I am genuinely stunned and slightly amused at what appears to be real anger over bumpers touching. Obviously "ramming speed" isn't acceptable, but they are called "bumpers" for a reason.

No wonder the Mediterraneans live longer.

[V8Matthew]

Cars don't have bumpers anymore - for aesthetic reasons they have brittle plastic mouldings which ironically look terrible when they've experienced the smallest of impacts.