I learned this lesson the hard way about six years ago. I’d had my car for maybe three months — still making payments, still babying it, still parking far away from the entrance at the grocery store like a paranoid weirdo. Then one Saturday morning I came out of Walmart and found a fresh, quarter-sized dent right in the middle of my driver’s side door. No note. No camera footage. Just a nice little crater in my paint and a $400 estimate from the body shop.
What was parked next to me? A beat-up minivan with mismatched panels and a cracked bumper held together with zip ties. The kind of vehicle that screams “I stopped caring about my car in 2014.” And that’s exactly the kind of vehicle you should never, ever park next to.
Beat-Up Cars Are Door Ding Factories
This isn’t about being a snob. It’s about probability. A car that already has dents, scratches, and faded paint belongs to someone who — for whatever reason — isn’t worried about adding one more ding to the collection. They’re going to swing their door open without looking. They’re going to let their kid fling a door into your quarter panel while they wrestle with a car seat. They’re not going to leave a note.
One car owner online put it simply: if he can tell you care about your car, he’ll park next to you. If your car looks like it’s been through a demolition derby, he’s finding another spot. That’s the whole philosophy, and it works.
Look, nobody dings a car on purpose (usually). But someone driving a pristine Toyota Camry with fresh wax is going to open their door carefully because they don’t want to mess up their own door either. Someone driving a 2009 Dodge Caravan with a missing hubcap? They’re not thinking about door edges at all.
Tall Vehicles Block Your Vision — And That’s A Safety Problem
Door dings are annoying and expensive. But there’s another type of vehicle you should avoid parking next to, and this one is about your personal safety: large vans and oversized SUVs.
When you’re sandwiched between two tall vehicles, you can’t see anything. You can’t see who’s walking toward you. You can’t see if someone is sitting in the vehicle next to yours. You can’t see the parking lot around you at all. You’re basically walking into a blind box every time you go back to your car.
This is something women have known for decades. Many women were taught growing up never to park next to a windowless van, and that advice hasn’t gotten any less relevant. But it applies to everyone. If you can’t see around the vehicles on either side of you, you’ve given up your ability to spot trouble before it reaches you. Park somewhere with better visibility, even if it means walking a little farther.
Work Trucks And Contractor Rigs Are A Special Kind Of Risk
I’m not talking about a clean F-150 that someone drives to the office. I’m talking about work trucks with ladder racks, pipe racks, unsecured lumber hanging off the back, and tool boxes that swing open. These vehicles are loaded with hard, sharp objects that move around. A gust of wind, a bump from closing the tailgate, or someone pulling a tool out in a hurry — any of that can leave a mark on your car.
Contractor trucks at Home Depot parking lots are the worst offenders. Those guys are in and out fast, they’re hauling 2x4s and PVC pipe, and they don’t always tie things down before pulling out. I’ve seen a sheet of plywood slide off a truck bed and land on a car’s hood. Just park away from the contractor section of the lot. It’s free insurance.
Cars With Kid Stuff Everywhere? Keep Moving
Peek through the window. If you see car seats, juice boxes, goldfish crackers ground into the carpet, and a collection of Happy Meal toys on the back seat, think twice. This isn’t a judgment call on parenting — I have kids myself. But small children don’t understand that a car door isn’t a battering ram. They shove doors open with their full body weight because they’re four years old and that’s how four-year-olds exit vehicles.
The parent is usually dealing with getting another kid out of a car seat on the other side and isn’t watching the door that’s currently slamming into your fender. It happens constantly. If you spot a minivan or SUV that’s clearly the family hauler, give yourself some distance. Even one empty space between you and that vehicle makes a difference.
Rental Cars Are Driven By People Who Don’t Care
Rental cars are a sneaky danger because they often look clean and new. But the person driving it has zero attachment to that vehicle. They’re not worried about a door ding because it’s not their car. They’re not going to ease their door open gently because they didn’t write a check for it.
How do you spot a rental? Look for the barcode stickers on the windshield, a rental company plate frame, or a small sticker on the rear bumper. Airports and hotels are obvious spots, but rental cars show up at malls and tourist areas constantly. If you see the telltale signs, park somewhere else.
Cars Parked Crooked Are A Red Flag
If someone can’t park straight, they’re probably not paying close attention to their surroundings in general. A car that’s over the line, parked at an angle, or taking up a space and a half is telling you something: the driver doesn’t care about the space they occupy. That attitude extends to how they open their doors, how they back out, and how close they cut it to your bumper.
A crooked parking job also means the gap between your car and theirs is uneven. One side might look fine while the other side puts their door edge about six inches from your paint. Not worth the gamble. Find a different spot.
The “Park Next To A Nice Car” Strategy Actually Works
Here’s the flip side of all this: deliberately park next to well-maintained cars. Someone who keeps their car clean, waxed, and dent-free is going to open their door carefully. They’re going to park straight. They’re going to be aware of the cars around them because they want to protect their own investment.
This is the same logic behind parking next to expensive cars. A BMW owner isn’t going to bang their door into yours because they don’t want their BMW door banged up either. Mutual self-interest is the most reliable parking lot protection you can get.
Other good parking neighbors: any car with a fresh coat of wax, cars with custom wheels (those owners are paranoid about damage), and older classic cars that are clearly being restored or maintained. If someone spent their Saturday polishing a 1967 Mustang, they’re not going to ding your door.
Other Smart Parking Habits That Prevent Damage
Avoiding certain vehicles is the biggest thing you can do, but there are some other habits that help:
Park at the end of a row. If you can get a spot with nothing on one side — like next to a curb, a cart return, or the edge of the lot — you’ve cut your ding risk in half. Only one side is exposed.
Park farther away. Yeah, you’ll walk an extra 30 seconds. But the far end of the lot is usually empty, which means more space between you and everyone else. I’ve been doing this for years and haven’t had a door ding since.
Back in. When you back into a space, you have a much better view of your surroundings when you leave. You can see pedestrians, other cars backing out, and anyone approaching your vehicle. It also positions your doors slightly differently relative to the car next to you.
Use pull-through spots. If two empty spots line up, pull all the way through so you’re facing out. Same benefit as backing in, but easier.
Stay away from cart returns. Wait — didn’t I just say park next to one? Here’s the thing: park next to the cart return only if it’s on your passenger side and you don’t care about that side as much. Cart returns are great for blocking one side from other cars, but runaway carts can and do hit vehicles. Use your judgment.
Cheap Products That Help Protect Your Car In Parking Lots
If you want a little extra protection beyond smart parking, there are a few products worth buying:
Magnetic door guards: These stick to your door edges and absorb impacts. You can get a set on Amazon for about $15-$25. The brand DOORSHOX makes a decent set. You pop them on when you park and pull them off when you drive.
Edge guard trim: This is a clear or body-colored strip that sticks to the edge of your door permanently. It’s about $8-$12 at Walmart or any auto parts store. It won’t stop a hard hit but it handles light contact.
Paint touch-up pens: When a ding does happen (and eventually it will), a $10 touch-up pen from AutoZone or O’Reilly matched to your car’s paint code can make it almost invisible. Your paint code is usually on a sticker inside the driver’s side door jamb.
Ceramic coating spray: A $15 bottle of ceramic spray wax from Turtle Wax or Meguiar’s won’t stop dents, but it does make your paint harder and more resistant to scratches from light contact. Apply it once a month and your clear coat will hold up better against the little stuff.
It Takes Five Seconds To Save Yourself Hundreds Of Dollars
A door ding repair costs anywhere from $75 for a small paintless dent removal to $500+ if the paint is cracked and needs body work. And you’ll almost never find the person who did it. Parking lot cameras are usually too far away or too low-resolution to catch a door opening.
So the only real protection is prevention. Take five seconds before you pull into a spot to look at what’s next to you. Is the car next to you beat up, crooked, huge, or loaded with ladders? Keep driving. Find the clean, well-parked sedan two rows over and slide in next to it. Your car — and your wallet — will thank you later.
