Using your bumper to park...

[gtidriver]

A few years ago i had a discussion with a girl about how her less than 1 year old Astra vxr was so badly damaged, every panel was scraped and dented, she replied that it was the result of parking in car parks. She had done all the damage herself and it didnt bother her that she had damaged other peoples property with her car as its "only a car" i asked her if she would go mad if i came around her house and st on her living room carpet, as its "only a carpet".
Oh if you are going to damage someones car by opening the door into it DONT leave your car next to it. Someone did this to me in Belgium, and i lost my temper. £450 repair bill to my car door that had only been repainted 3weeks before, not happy.

[americancrx]

But it's so fun when you shunt a car at the top of the hill and have it roll all the way into the junction at the bottom! If it goes into traffic on a boulevard it's like the opening break in a game of 8-ball pool.

[williamp]

WJNB said:

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.

I hope you are not serious

[TheDrBrian]

And this is why I always park miles away from the entrance as the people who would do something like this are unlikely to want to walk very far.

[brrapp]

I did this once about 35 years ago,or to be more precise, I used my bumper to 'unpark' my way out of a tight situation.
I was driving my dad's Austin 1800 'Landcrab'. I parked in a public car park, nose to a wall and after a while, when I returned to the car , a Volvo 144 was parked tight behind me almost bumper to bumper so there was no way for me to get out without the Volvo moving. As I had my dad's old banger (with traditional chrome bumpers) and the Volvo had big tough rubber coated bumpers (reputed to be indestructible), I gently reversed into him and pushed him back about 6 feet, enough to get out. Unfortunately Id forgotten about my tow ball. When I pulled away, something seemed to be stopping me and being young and foolish, I just put my foot down. After a bit of revving and with a strange squeal of tortured steel, I suddenly shot forward and when I looked back his bumper was lying in the road behind me, my towbar had slipped underneath it as I reversed and caught a firm hold of it as I pulled away.
To my shame, I have to admit that at the time I felt he deserved what he got so just drove away without stopping. OOPS.

[anonymous-user]

The preserve of morons tbh and why I always leave the tow bar on. Tends to leave a really nice dent/hole, should they wish to play bumper cars. Better still most sensors won't pick it up.

[chrisb92]

yonex said:

The preserve of morons tbh and why I always leave the tow bar on. Tends to leave a really nice dent/hole, should they wish to play bumper cars. Better still most sensors won't pick it up.

Leaving a tow bar on so that people's sensors wont pick it up whilst parking so that you can dent there car makes you a bit of a tt.

[LandRoverManiac]

At a regular customer's place there is a ... special person who seems to be very protective of a particular parking space. The space isn't marked as being reserved for his clapped out Kia Sedona with different coloured body-panels - but he seems to think it is.

I once foolishly parked next to (not IN) the space and came out after work to see his Kia's front bumper in contact with the towbar on my Disco (it had a cover on - otherwise it would-ve been metal-to-metal) - this wasn't helped by another parked car which had left only 12 inches in front for me to rock back and forth until I could extract myself. To top it off, said owner of KIA refused to move his vehicle and stood there watching me as I spent the next 5 minutes trying to get out of the parking space. Every time I've gone past he's done the same to whichever car is parked adjacent to 'his' space. He then complains later on to the guy I'm doing work for - saying that he'll report any contractors to the police for parking 'dangerously'.

What could I do in such a case; he's a nutcase who couldn't be reasoned with - so I just chalked it down to experience and parked 50 yards away from the 'reserved spot' whenever I go back. There's people like that born every minute - the best way is to avoid them like the plague. Eventually they'll cross swords with a weapons-grade nutter even worse than they are and that will be that. (Mr Sedona had his tyres slashed and a few windows broken a couple of months later - possibly due to him undertaking his parking routine on precisely such a nutter.)

[untakenname]

You shouldn't have to rely on parking sensors not to damage someone else's vehicle, most tow hooks only protude 10cm if that proud from the body so it shouldn't impact on a competent driver.

I've just bought an OEM looking extended length tow-eye, should protect my rear bumper pretty well now.

[MarshPhantom]

chrisb92 said:

yonex said:

The preserve of morons tbh and why I always leave the tow bar on. Tends to leave a really nice dent/hole, should they wish to play bumper cars. Better still most sensors won't pick it up.

Leaving a tow bar on so that people's sensors wont pick it up whilst parking so that you can dent there car makes you a bit of a tt.

Agreed. We can only assume Yonex has never damaged anyone else's car with his big old tow bar.

[MarshPhantom]

untakenname said:

You shouldn't have to rely on parking sensors not to damage someone else's vehicle, most tow hooks only protude 10cm if that proud from the body so it shouldn't impact on a competent driver.

I've just bought an OEM looking extended length tow-eye, should protect my rear bumper pretty well now.

Never had a car with parking sensors, never used my bumper to park. Why do you and Yonex want to protect your rears, I'd thought it's the front being reversed into that's the problem, and you two are part of the problem.

[OldGermanHeaps]

R8Steve said:

dmitsi said:

R8Steve said:

dmitsi said:

I do it but only ever with the rear of my car as I can see the front so know when to stop. Also I've got a towbar so don't scuff my bumper.

What about the other persons bumper or does it not matter that theirs might be scuffed as long as yours isn't?

That's what towbars are for isn't it? If they don't want their bumper scuffed they should fit them and bull bars.

No, that's what reversing sensors are for. Towbars are for towing.

How do reversing sensors prevent some other tt hitting your bumper when you are parked?

[catso]

EnthusiastOwned said:

What is peoples thoughts on the aftermath/retaliation?

Rip their head off and st down the neck?...

[jamieduff1981]

MarshPhantom said:

chrisb92 said:

yonex said:

The preserve of morons tbh and why I always leave the tow bar on. Tends to leave a really nice dent/hole, should they wish to play bumper cars. Better still most sensors won't pick it up.

Leaving a tow bar on so that people's sensors wont pick it up whilst parking so that you can dent there car makes you a bit of a tt.

Agreed. We can only assume Yonex has never damaged anyone else's car with his big old tow bar.

Rather them than me. The tow bar on my pickup is non-removable and itself bolted to a big steel square hollow section supported by two big steel plates bolted to the chassis. All OE fit.

If you don't want your bumper damaged by someone's tow bar, don't crash in to the tow bar. Anyone selecting a space to park in should already have looked in it for hazards. A car having a tow bar attached needs to be taken in to account by the person parking, who should keep that in mind listening to parking sensors. It's no different to people crashing in to the steel footstep sometimes found under the rear doors of old Ford Transit minibuses.

Parking sensors don't always pick up bollards either. Damaging your bumper crashing in to a bollard your parking sensors didn't pick up doesn't make the council tts for putting it there.

If Yonex put some magic invisible tow bar there for people to hit you might have a point, but it's clearly visible. If someone hits it, they're the tt.

[chrisb92]

untakenname said:

You shouldn't have to rely on parking sensors not to damage someone else's vehicle, most tow hooks only protude 10cm if that proud from the body so it shouldn't impact on a competent driver.

I've just bought an OEM looking extended length tow-eye, should protect my rear bumper pretty well now.

What's your issue with relying on sensors? When parking in a tight space it's very helpful and you can get closer to the cars without hitting them. I would never hit someone else's car whilst parking and I rely on my sensors to tell me when I'm close. If you leave a solid metal tow bar protruding 10cm out the back I could easily hit that. Will be more observant when parking from now on to check for tts trying this trick. Not cool.

[jamieduff1981]

chrisb92 said:

untakenname said:

You shouldn't have to rely on parking sensors not to damage someone else's vehicle, most tow hooks only protude 10cm if that proud from the body so it shouldn't impact on a competent driver.

I've just bought an OEM looking extended length tow-eye, should protect my rear bumper pretty well now.

What's your issue with relying on sensors? When parking in a tight space it's very helpful and you can get closer to the cars without hitting them. I would never hit someone else's car whilst parking and I rely on my sensors to tell me when I'm close. If you leave a solid metal tow bar protruding 10cm out the back I could easily hit that. Will be more observant when parking from now on to check for tts trying this trick. Not cool.

I'd suggest not closing up so much with your parking sensors that they sound continuously. The owner of the other car might need to get in to their boot, which will be hard if you've left 3 inches from their back bumper.

[surveyor]

jamieduff1981 said:

chrisb92 said:

untakenname said:

You shouldn't have to rely on parking sensors not to damage someone else's vehicle, most tow hooks only protude 10cm if that proud from the body so it shouldn't impact on a competent driver.

I've just bought an OEM looking extended length tow-eye, should protect my rear bumper pretty well now.

What's your issue with relying on sensors? When parking in a tight space it's very helpful and you can get closer to the cars without hitting them. I would never hit someone else's car whilst parking and I rely on my sensors to tell me when I'm close. If you leave a solid metal tow bar protruding 10cm out the back I could easily hit that. Will be more observant when parking from now on to check for tts trying this trick. Not cool.

I'd suggest not closing up so much with your parking sensors that they sound continuously. The owner of the other car might need to get in to their boot, which will be hard if you've left 3 inches from their back bumper.

Depends on the car. Some models will leave you with a foot when sounding continuously. Useless.

[jamieduff1981]

surveyor said:

jamieduff1981 said:

chrisb92 said:

untakenname said:

You shouldn't have to rely on parking sensors not to damage someone else's vehicle, most tow hooks only protude 10cm if that proud from the body so it shouldn't impact on a competent driver.

I've just bought an OEM looking extended length tow-eye, should protect my rear bumper pretty well now.

What's your issue with relying on sensors? When parking in a tight space it's very helpful and you can get closer to the cars without hitting them. I would never hit someone else's car whilst parking and I rely on my sensors to tell me when I'm close. If you leave a solid metal tow bar protruding 10cm out the back I could easily hit that. Will be more observant when parking from now on to check for tts trying this trick. Not cool.

I'd suggest not closing up so much with your parking sensors that they sound continuously. The owner of the other car might need to get in to their boot, which will be hard if you've left 3 inches from their back bumper.

Depends on the car. Some models will leave you with a foot when sounding continuously. Useless.

Not very insightful, granted, but anyone who continues reversing after they've started sounding continuously isn't using their parking sensors any more - from that point on they've decided to guesstimate how close they are.

[Hoofy]

surveyor said:

jamieduff1981 said:

chrisb92 said:

untakenname said:

You shouldn't have to rely on parking sensors not to damage someone else's vehicle, most tow hooks only protude 10cm if that proud from the body so it shouldn't impact on a competent driver.

I've just bought an OEM looking extended length tow-eye, should protect my rear bumper pretty well now.

What's your issue with relying on sensors? When parking in a tight space it's very helpful and you can get closer to the cars without hitting them. I would never hit someone else's car whilst parking and I rely on my sensors to tell me when I'm close. If you leave a solid metal tow bar protruding 10cm out the back I could easily hit that. Will be more observant when parking from now on to check for tts trying this trick. Not cool.

I'd suggest not closing up so much with your parking sensors that they sound continuously. The owner of the other car might need to get in to their boot, which will be hard if you've left 3 inches from their back bumper.

Depends on the car. Some models will leave you with a foot when sounding continuously. Useless.

Yep! Also, I might actually move forwards after everything is lined up so there is still space for both parties. (Thinking of parallel parking.)

[chrisb92]

jamieduff1981 said:

I'd suggest not closing up so much with your parking sensors that they sound continuously. The owner of the other car might need to get in to their boot, which will be hard if you've left 3 inches from their back bumper.

Ever parallel parked before? Never have to drive closely to the cars in front or behind in order to park? BEFORE straightening up and parking in between the two leaving ample space for boot opening. Don't try and school me on how to park, you've tried patronising me before due to my age, and here we go again.

Never said anything about tow bars that are non removable OR people having tow bars. What I said was if you leave a tow bar on with the intention of catching people out who may have missed it when parking, then you're a bit of a tt. I stand by that.