LittleGreenAvocado
New member
I have OCD and I get anxious whenever I see cars park next to my car. Are there any mods that will protect the 4runner from door dings and dents?
People Parking Next to Me
- Thread starter LittleGreenAvocado
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Get it out on the trail right away and get the first "dings" on it yourself. Then you just won't give a crap. I had my first scratch on day 2 from rubbing a tree. Had a smile from ear to ear. I didn't buy it to wash it and stare at it in "pristine condition" for the next 5 years. I've got several scratches and one minor ding on it now....all caused by trail use. I LOVE IT!
LittleGreenAvocado
New member
No Im just obsessed with being neat and tidy. :biggrin2:
Dexter Morgan
New member
Park as far away as possible, then once you get to that spot, move another 30 spots further away.
If you do not want to to the above, then measure spots by how much room there is on either side. Don't try to cram into a spot. If you have to ask yourself, then move on. It's easy to identify a "tasty" spot.
Park next to shopping cart corrals as you instantly reduce your ding probability by 50% since other cars can only park on one side. These corrals often leave a "space and a quarter", so you can hug a bit closer to the corral to help mitigate off side dents.
Then, when you realize that you can only mitigate, not eliminate, these types of instances, just stick to the above basic principle's and stop worrying. It WILL eventually happen.
harkco
New member
In that case - as someone else mentioned - sliders will help, but do yourself a favor and just enjoy your vehicle.
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Lexusbstrdchild
New member
I am with you Avocado. I understand it will happen, but it still pisses me off. People have no respect for your property. Even if its a pile of crap car next to me I wouldn't swing my door into it with my pile of crap car. It's just the principle. I already had someone back into my front bumper, break the license plate frame, and bent the plate into the bumper. That's the reason I leave my ball in the hitch year round. If they hit the back at least it will eff their car up.
Intruder
New member
Yeah, rear doors that have the curve for the back wheel wells will go over a slider and a brodozer will be tall enough too. The best part of sliders is watching someone hit one with their door. I watched a lady in a white Audi Q7 put a crease in her driver's side door when she parked next to me at a Starbucks and flung the door open. I laughed pretty damn hard at that one.
Oddly I don't sweat the dings I put in it on the trail, but the ones from parking lots piss me off just on the principle of people not having any regard for someone else's property.
MAXISTYLES
New member
50% Method
I usually try to park with one side of my vehicle on the end spot. If possible I would rather expose my driver side to the parking spot since I think more people drive alone so there won't be any doors oppening next to my truck. OCD? Me? Nooooo.
I usually try to park with one side of my vehicle on the end spot. If possible I would rather expose my driver side to the parking spot since I think more people drive alone so there won't be any doors oppening next to my truck. OCD? Me? Nooooo.
Dent defense
In 1972 I bought an IHC Scout II, which had really wimpy front bumpers (I had a step bumper on the back, so it held up fine). After about 3 times of having some idiot back into my truck and cause major fender repair each time, I replaced the stock front bumper with a heavy duty winch bumper, which stuck out front about 16 inches. Did not even bother to put a winch in it. End of other vehicles running into mine, because if they had, they would have self-destructed...
If the T4r has the same problem, I will use the same solution. Loved the Scout II - if they still made them, I would still have one. I put about 250k on my two. When I traded the '72 for a '77, I kept the the winch bumper and put it on the new truck.
Doors on the other hand are probably best protected by skids or steps which stick out far enough to catch a door edge. Worked great on my F-150 which I just traded in on my 2015 TE.
In 1972 I bought an IHC Scout II, which had really wimpy front bumpers (I had a step bumper on the back, so it held up fine). After about 3 times of having some idiot back into my truck and cause major fender repair each time, I replaced the stock front bumper with a heavy duty winch bumper, which stuck out front about 16 inches. Did not even bother to put a winch in it. End of other vehicles running into mine, because if they had, they would have self-destructed...
If the T4r has the same problem, I will use the same solution. Loved the Scout II - if they still made them, I would still have one. I put about 250k on my two. When I traded the '72 for a '77, I kept the the winch bumper and put it on the new truck.
Doors on the other hand are probably best protected by skids or steps which stick out far enough to catch a door edge. Worked great on my F-150 which I just traded in on my 2015 TE.
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T4R2014
Elite Member
Dents piss me off no matter if they happen in a parking lot or a trail. However, if they happen on the trail you can at least suck it up and say sh!t happens when you pay for the PDR because in the end you are responsible. The parking lot is another story. It highlights what I believe to be an example of decay in society where nobody has respect for others. I am the type of guy to jam a lone shopping cart against a curb even if my car isn't the one at risk of being dented.
Totally NSFW but sums up my feelings toward this.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pC9SIDllpGk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Totally NSFW but sums up my feelings toward this.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pC9SIDllpGk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
ShannyBananny
New member
Parking lot dings piss me off too. Our first brand new car was a 2013 Camry. Within the first six months, I had a cracked windshield, two dings and was rear ended. When we got rid of it after owning it a year, it also had a large scrape on the rear bumper where someone backed into it. For some reason, it had a huge target on it.
I am very careful about where I park (within reason). I know that shit happens but I don't want a repeat of that cursed Camry.
I am very careful about where I park (within reason). I know that shit happens but I don't want a repeat of that cursed Camry.
Kennyr44
New member
i had a 1974 Scout 11 for 15 years. loved it. It had low miles cause it was never my main driver.It rusted out bad. I would come out of my house and find pieces of the fenders laying on the driveway. i moved to a nicer neighborhood and decided not to take it. Still got 1,400 for it.
Matt007b
New member
yeah I can't blame the original poster - I drive an older 99' car and I'm still paranoid where I park. I had a lady at a grocery store bang her door in my passenger side WHILE I was sitting in the car TWICE.
So yeah I'm one of those paranoid people too... park farther away nothing wrong with some exercise and walking.
So yeah I'm one of those paranoid people too... park farther away nothing wrong with some exercise and walking.
Magnetic4R
New member
My sliders have helped once, noticed someone else paint line on the driver slider. But it didn't help the other 2 times when someone caused a big enough dimples on both side of the fenders above the flare.
Mistaken
New member
This irritates me also.
I usually park a ways away and still end up with dings here and there. When I first got my 4Runner I parked about 10 spaces from the nearest car in a grocery store parking lot and came back with a cart resting against my rear panel. Then saw the 10" scratch. Blah! But oh well, its a 4Runner so its all good.
I usually park a ways away and still end up with dings here and there. When I first got my 4Runner I parked about 10 spaces from the nearest car in a grocery store parking lot and came back with a cart resting against my rear panel. Then saw the 10" scratch. Blah! But oh well, its a 4Runner so its all good.
Whiplash Willy
New member
Sportwing makes painted body side molding for our 4runners, and it looks factory:
FE2-4RUN Toyota 4Runner Body Side Molding | Sportwing
A member has some pics of them installed:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/71960-body-side-molding-2.html#post618368
On a side note, I am always careful of where I park, and after 1.5 years and 30k miles of DDing, I have yet to get a door ding. A few months back, my wife took my 4runner to Costco for 2 hours, and brought it back with a door ding...
FE2-4RUN Toyota 4Runner Body Side Molding | Sportwing
A member has some pics of them installed:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/71960-body-side-molding-2.html#post618368
On a side note, I am always careful of where I park, and after 1.5 years and 30k miles of DDing, I have yet to get a door ding. A few months back, my wife took my 4runner to Costco for 2 hours, and brought it back with a door ding...
