Parking Dos and Don’ts
Dings. Dents, Scratches. Stains. Fading. Parking anywhere but inside your garage can be rough on the exterior of your car.
But you can’t spend your whole life at home. How do you drive out into the world and worry less about what parking will do to the look and future resale value of your vehicle?
Park farther away
Finding that spot right next to the entrance can feel great in the moment, but it can expose you to all sorts of trouble. Every car is jockeying for those close spots, and you will also have more pedestrians and carts squeezing into the narrow spaces between vehicles.
Your best bet is to park farther away and take a nice long walk to the entrance. It will put extra steps on your Fitbit and keep your car from getting banged into by all that car and foot traffic.
Avoid Danger Zones
There are definitely better and worse places to park, and we want to outline a few of the most harmful to your car’s exterior:
- Trees—It makes sense when you think of it. What lives in trees? Birds. Aside from chirping and flitting about, birds spend a fair amount of time pooping. If your car is parked under a tree, you increase the chances of getting bombed. Bird droppings are acidic and, left unwashed, can damage your paint. There are also sap, seeds, branches, fruit, and other potentially damaging items falling from trees, so avoid parking under them.
- Playgrounds and athletic fields—Balls flying. Kids running and riding bikes. Parking right next to playgrounds and athletic fields can bring you closer to the action, which is not necessarily a good thing. Park as far away as possible to avoid the hassle and cost of having a foul ball dent in your hood.
- Parking Garages—Set your sights higher when it comes to parking structures. The top floors, with the farthest walks, are always less crowded and cleaner. You’d think you expose your car to more bird poop on the top floor, but birds often nest in parking lot rafters and can make just as much of a mess of your car on lower floors.
- Intersections and 4-way stops—Accidents happen, and intersections are the most typical place for a car to get smashed. Don’t make it easy for a distracted driver to plow into your car. Try to find a place where cars aren’t so likely to run into you.
Think before you park
We want your car to look beautiful and hold onto its value, which is why we urge you to think before you park. If your car is damaged, bring it into the pros at Cline Collision Center. We are ASE-certified, have OEM certification from Infiniti, Nissan, Fiat/Chrysler (FCA), Honda/Acura, Ford, Hyundai, and Kia, and have earned Gold Class status from I-CAR. For top-quality workmanship and customer service, including help with navigating insurance challenges, call 707-591-9909 or contact us online today!