Will this always happen?
 

So walked out to hop in the whip to head to work and the roofers who had been working on my house are all standing around it. I am obviously completely used to that sort of attention by now so I stroll up and greet them amiably. Boss man asks me if I've "seen" my car... my blood ran cold and my eyes went red. One of the dudes tagged my driver-side front quarterpanel with a truck door.... AWESOME. 5-days in my ownership, 7 days in the state, less than a fortnight in the country and the American trucks are already bullying my car. FML. At least Bossman said he'd pay for it to get fixed... So I took it into the body/paint shop with the best reviews around and they write up an estimate. E-mail the roofing company and they immediately call the shop and give them their credit card for the work. Taking it in on Monday --I'll post a photo of the finished repair and I'd love to hear about the percievable quality of the work! Pardon my links to the pics. I don't know how to get a .jpg URL through google docs/drive (anyone have suggestions for that BTW?)

Black BRZ

The Black one is mine... This was the day I brought it home...

Dinged Up!

This is the ding that it recieved. Post-repair photo when it's done.

***Update***
Got it back from the body shop after a few days. They did a great job, paint matches perfectly in all the different lights I've had access to. Here is a G-docs link to the repair pic:

Job's Done!

P.S. What is a good way to keep those rotors clean? I wipe them down but it seems to come back... Is this just Oregon's effect on things?



Cheers,
Nate

Fortunately not too bad.

Luckily, yes. The body/paint shop said that there is only a very small chance that the bumper/hood/door will need to be blended --whatever that means.

Paint blend: when they repaint the panels surrounding the repair so that the color of the repair matches/doesn't look as off.

Thank you for reminding me why I hunt for the right spots. They have to be far away that it inconveniences people to park there, but not so far as to draw the attention to it from people thinking they parked to avoid cars. These people then proceed to fuck with your vehicle.

I also always try to find a spot with a curb to one side, be it left or right, and hug that curb. That leaves maximum space between my car and the only other car that can park on the other side.

[ ][ ][ this Xcurb
[ ][ ][is myXcurb
[ ][ ][spot Xcurb

I do this same thing with my current ride. At work there is a metric eff ton of free spaces so I'm the asshole that takes up two spots. However I do it where hardly anyone parks so it's not like I'm inconveniencing anyone.

That's awesome that they owned up to it and are paying for the repair.

I've only had one issue with a door ding on my BRZ (it was pretty minor) and it seems most people actively avoid parking close to my car.

Not for me, I can park a mile away and people still park next to me. Even when parking lot is half empty.
:sigh:

They'll park right next to me but they usually park a little closer to the opposite line to give a little extra space between my car and theirs.

TO be honest i actually hunt for parking spaces that meet the following criteria.
1. Against a curb (that way it eliminates one side available for door dings)
2. A spot between to small cars (never park between trucks/jeeps/SUVs)
3. A spot not covered by trees (Sap ruins paint)
4. A deserted spot far from the doors but not near traffic.

I see an advantage to parking next to your car even when you're parked far from the rest. For one thing I know you want to protect your car and I want to protect your car too. Secondly, if you feel that way about your car I feel justified in thinking you will think the same way about my car and be sure not to harm it.

That thinkiing makes it a win-win for both of us.
:burnrubber:

This is the logic I use too. Mutual protection from the rest of the yahoos in the parking lot who can't reverse into a spot, or can't stay within the parking lines.

Me:
1. Always parallel park and find the first spot. Even if I have to walk a mile, its good for your health. I always think that parallel parking require more skills so no first timer, at least even if the other guy hit me, he will only hit the rear bumper. Plus, your doors are safe from stupid people that just bang their doors.

2. If there are no parallel spots available, say you are in a mall, then find place between pillars.

3. If you arrived in a parking floor that almost full, then proceed to another level which will be empty. Park as far you can from the lift/entrance.

4. Find the corner spot where at least only 1 side is exposed to other car next to you.

5. Still no good spot available? Find a higher price car to park next to. Last time I parked next to a GTR in a mall. LOL.

What about the roofing? did it turn out well?