Dink Paranoia

I'm anal in that department as well, and my wife thinks I'm nuts.

When I am alone I park far from cars, but with the wife I cannot do that.

My wife also thought I was nuts but over time, she has come to see the light and also trys to avoid the potential for door nicks.

This is not a disease, it is taking pride in what you own and wanting to keep it looking it's best since that is what gives you pleasure.
 
Nothing wrong with parking your car out in BFE. No dings and more walking, both good things.
 
1. Wrap your car in bubble wrap when you park.

2. Place a big sign on your car that says not to park next to you and hope that nobody does.

3. Make your car a garage queen and dont drive it.

4. Wait for an automaker to come out with a car that has impact resistant plastic body panels like what the early Saturns had.

The first three suggestions are impractical and the fourth one? Who knows how long thatll be. So there isnt much you can do to prevent dings and dents. Just think how exotic car owners must agonize when it comes to parking their car.

Put some thought into where you park and it sounds like you already do.

Side molding strips help a little but not a lot. For some reason, Mazda does not offer moldings as an accessory. Most auto makers do offer them.

The CX-5 doesnt have a front bumper so its vulnerable from the front to expensive damage. A new grille probably costs well over $1,000. The rear bumper doesnt look too strong. Some people buy an aftermarket rear bumper protector called Bumper Bully. I dont know how effective it is.

I park in the outer fringes of parking lots where most people dont want to park and I take end spots. It doesnt eliminate dings. It just helps decrease the probability of getting them.

There are two types of people who park next to you when you park in the outer fringes of lots. One parks next to you because they think youre as considerate and careful as they are and the other wants to irk you because you have a nicer car than they do.

Whatever you do, do not park diagonally and take up two spaces. You can piss someone off if the parking lot becomes crowded and someone needs that second parking space that you took up.

It appears that Mazda is making the CX-5 safer for people by adding lots of accident avoidance technology but making them more susceptible to damage by not having a front bumper and side moldings. Its not just Mazda though. Other auto makers are doing the same thing.

I once parked my car on a street in which my car was the only one parked on one side of the street. I was sitting in my car with the engine off waiting for someone. A lady drives up and parks her car a few inches right behind me. Just out of curiosity, I got out of my car and politely asked her why she parked so close behind me when the whole side of the street was empty except for my car. Well she got out of her car and walked away in a big huff without saying a word. I must have really rattled her nerves. (LOL).
 
I really like the bumper bully,
what irks me is when people drive around with them on!!! like wtf?
It's like they care about their car, but they don't care how it looks...??
haha

I always put it back in my trunk when i'm done.

The rear bumper doesn*t look too strong. Some people buy an aftermarket rear bumper protector called Bumper Bully. I don*t know how effective it is.

(LOL).
 
I get my 1st ding within 3 days of buying it. Mall parking lot with no choices of open areas.
Had it for 1 year now and that is the only one thanks God.
 
I took mine to NYC to a Yankees game a few months back. Parked in the Bronx and was worried the entire game about someone scratching a door or bumper while trying to park. Thankfully I came out of the game and all was good. However, my girl asked me to give her friend a ride home. We didn't have enough room so she had to ride all the way in the back. Then when she climbed out she put a big ol' scratch on the top of the bumper with her high heel!!! Never would have thought her first scratch/ding would come from a damn shoe. (bang)(bang)
 
After 25,000 miles and 19 months of ownership, the only ding/scratch on my car is from where I let a shopping cart nudge up against the rear bumper in the parking lot of the grocery store. Not a mark or paint chip anywhere else on the vehicle, and I did it myself. No one else I can blame!
 
I read: Dual Income No Kids and wonder what that has to do with paranoia.

My 2018 has Soul Red Crystal. even with clear bra on the most susceptible surfaces, I still have several chips. I think that is easing me in to accepting my inevitable first door ding.

Hopefully it won't be as obvious as they were on my previous black car.
 
I took mine to NYC to a Yankees game a few months back. Parked in the Bronx and was worried the entire game about someone scratching a door or bumper while trying to park. Thankfully I came out of the game and all was good. However, my girl asked me to give her friend a ride home. We didn't have enough room so she had to ride all the way in the back. Then when she climbed out she put a big ol' scratch on the top of the bumper with her high heel!!! Never would have thought her first scratch/ding would come from a damn shoe. (bang)(bang)

I that sucks! I have clear gaurd applied to the top if the rear bumper in addition to the usual problem areas. Door edges and door handle cups are other areas I had clear guard applied.
 
What I hate is the beat up pick up truck that decides to park right next to you.

Having said that, the only scratches I've gotten in six months have been self inflicted, learning to get in and out of my tight garage - sure wish I had those auto folding mirrors!
 
The clear guard is the plastic film that is also used to protect the nose of the car. The product my installer uses is called premiun shield.
 
I had an old car and I didn't care about getting dinks. I parked anywhere. I am courteous and I have never dinked anyone elses's car. But now I have dink paranoia. I park far away in parking lots, I try to park next to a non parking spot so only one side is in danger, I go to stores on off hours. Right now I don't have a single dink but it will happen, it always does. There are so many careless people out there with giant doors and whipping them open. Do any of you guys have this disease too? Did anyone get a dink?

I have the disease - even now after 3 years I park in a paranoia fashion lol. I don't have any dings in my doors but I have a couple dings in the hood. Impossible to avoid those unless I just don't drive the car.
 
the funny thing is.
I try to park my car a little far away or a few spaces away,
I ALWAYS seem to find another car parked RIGHT next to me, even when there's plethora of spots on the lot...wtf is that?? haha
Ill give you my theory on that. If youre going to be parked a while, the other spots could fill up and you dont know who is going to park next to you (big trucks, giant rusty 80s Cadillacs, minivans with kids who arent careful with doors, etc.). So if you see one or two nicer cars, you park next to or between them because you think, having nice cars they dont want dinged themselves, they will also be a lot more careful when opening doors and driving away, leaving your car at lower risk.
 
Ill give you my theory on that. If youre going to be parked a while, the other spots could fill up and you dont know who is going to park next to you (big trucks, giant rusty 80s Cadillacs, minivans with kids who arent careful with doors, etc.). So if you see one or two nicer cars, you park next to or between them because you think, having nice cars they dont want dinged themselves, they will also be a lot more careful when opening doors and driving away, leaving your car at lower risk.

Gotta give that theory an 11.
 
minivans with kids who arent careful with doors

I'm the same way. If I pull into a parking space and see signs of kids in the back seat of the car I park next to (toys, car seats, etc.), I move to a different spot. I just envision a bunch of kids throwing the car door open, or a stressed out mom trying to strap a bunch of rug rats into car seats and not paying attention.
 
I agree and I don't think it's paranoia, it's just using common sense which unfortunately appears to be a rarity (in the UK at any rate).
 
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Well crap, driving to the dealer today to get CarPlay installed on my week-old CX-5, I'm on the highway from Boulder to Longmont doing about 45 mph when I hear a loud BUMP. Looking in the rear view mirror, I see a 2'-long piece of 2x4 board careening off. When I inspect, there's a 2"-long horizontal dent in the center of the drivers door of my car that has less than 400 miles on it! Grrrr.

Fortunately, using Google-fu, I find a superb paintless dent repair in Longmont (Big Bear, highly recommended!) who had it fixed in about an hour. Unless you know where to look and get real close, you can't tell anything happened.
 
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