Preventing Scratches When Parking on the Side of the Road in Residential Areas: 10 Protective Tips
February 10, 2012 09:21 China Auto Consumption Network Comments (0) Font Size: T|T
1. If you're visiting friends or relatives and parking in a mid-to-high-end residential area, it's not too bad, but be careful in lower-end areas. There, people with unbalanced mindsets who resent wealth and poverty are more common, making it easier to fall victim to vandalism. In contrast, in mid-to-high-end areas, everyone blends in, and the property management is stricter, so there's less risk of your car being scratched. In lower-end areas, it's best to park within the sight of security guards at the gatehouse. Give them cigarettes, say some nice words, and ask them for extra care to reduce the risk. Another method is to park next to a better car than yours, transferring the risk to someone else.
2. If you're parking outdoors, be cautious about parking near high-rise balconies and windows. Some people have bad habits and may throw objects from heights, such as spitting, cigarette butts, various fruit pits, and used batteries. The glass of a car parked below my building was shattered by a rotten peach thrown from the 11th floor. A friend’s black Qida had its hood dented by a used battery thrown from the 15th floor. Even more terrifying is during typhoons when flower pots on balconies might not be secured properly and could fall, leading to unimaginable consequences.
3. Do not randomly occupy others' fixed parking spaces or block their access routes. That makes you particularly vulnerable to retaliation. Paint scratches, tire punctures, deflation, and broken windows can all happen.
4. Don't park vehicles randomly on the side of the road. Random roadside parking will result in traffic police issuing violation tickets. Not only does each fine cost 200 yuan, but the adhesive marks left by the ticket are enough to make you wash your car for half a day, possibly even damaging the glass. (The adhesive is especially strong.) Additionally, your car might be forcibly towed away. Automatic transmission cars have rules for towing. For example, they must be placed in neutral gear (N), towed at a speed of no more than 50 km/h for up to 50 kilometers (to prevent damage to the planetary gears), or all four wheels must be lifted while towing. However, if your vehicle obstructs traffic and is towed without much care, it could potentially damage your automatic transmission.
5. Be careful that your car isn’t damaged by other people opening their doors! Choosing an empty parking space requires attention. Many underground parking spots are between two columns with several positions. The worst position is in the middle. Because you have cars on both sides, the probability of someone accidentally opening their door and damaging your door is the highest. The leftmost and rightmost parking spaces are better, with the leftmost being preferable. Since there’s no car on the left side of your car, the right side of your car is the driver's side door. Drivers generally understand to open doors carefully to avoid mutual damage. However, passengers who don’t drive often lack this awareness.
6. When parking two cars side by side, the horizontal distance matters. One way is to stay as far apart as possible, ensuring that even when the doors are fully opened, they won’t touch. This is very safe, with a distance of 1.2 meters or more. If you can't stay far apart, simply keep close, maintaining a distance of less than 60 centimeters. Because when parked closely, the boarding and alighting positions are tighter, resulting in smaller movements, which actually prevents issues. The most dangerous distance is around 1 meter. At 1 meter, the door can reach the other car, and when it hits, it’s almost at the maximum opening angle. At that point, it has the highest linear speed and impact force, almost certainly denting the car or damaging the paint.
7. In summer, be cautious about parking near air conditioner outdoor unit water outlets. Air conditioner water can leave stains on the car paint that are hard to clean, possibly requiring polishing or sanding wax to remove.
8. Be mindful when parking under trees. Some trees drop fruits during certain seasons, which break upon hitting the ground or the car, leaving juice that resembles phlegm. Under trees, bird droppings are more common, which are highly corrosive and can leave scars on the car paint if not handled promptly.
9. On New Year's Eve, Lantern Festival, and days when welcoming the God of Wealth involves fireworks, try to park in underground garages if possible, or at least find a relatively safe spot. Fireworks can definitely damage paint and glass. Moreover, the yellow sulfur stains are quite difficult to clean.
10. Avoid keeping cash or valuable items on the dashboard to prevent having your window smashed for just a few dollars.