Dents! Who Needs Em!

Door dings, bumper scratches, and paint chips are part of life when you own a car. Whether you come out of the grocery store to find a shopping cart has dented your car door or someone “tapped” your back bumper in the parking garage at the mall, you can bet it’s going to happen at some point in your cars life.

Can it be avoided? To some degree, you can avoid dings. Can we help? You bet. Here are six common ways cars get dents and even a few ways you can try to avoid them. And remember, if avoiding them doesn’t work, we can always fix them.

1. Hail Damage: Hail is a natural and unpredictable occurrence. A sudden hail storm could leave your car with multiple dents. 
2. Sports Accidents: We’re talking recreational sports accidents here. A fly ball at a neighborhood baseball game, a rogue Frisbee or soccer ball could potentially bounce off the roof of your car. 
3. Car Wash: Ah, you thought the car wash was safe. Your car may leave nice and clean, but you could get an accidental bump or scrape while on the conveyor. 
4. Low Speed Fender Benders: Most of us have experienced a low speed fender bender. It doesn’t just have to be another car hitting your front fender. It could also be a runaway grocery cart in the parking lot that slams right into your door. Any way you slice it, a minor collision can still cause damage. 
5. Car Door Ding: You know the drill. You walk out of the gas station and someone has parked to close to your car. You inspect it for dings and scratches and sure enough, there’s a small dent from the impact of their car door. 
6. Rocks: Rocks can be tossed at your car while on the freeway or even a side street. They chip paint or cause dents. 

While all of these common ways your car can get dented, dinged or scratched, some of them can be avoided.

Here are a few steps to avoiding those needles dents:

• Park away from other cars at the grocery store, a ball game, or a restaurant. Sure it means you might have walk a little further, but imagine the all the door dings you won’t get.
• Open Your Door slowly- if you think you’re too close to the car next to you or maybe you parked too close to a railing, open that car door slowly. It will make sure everyone’s doors are safe and sound. 
• Protecting your car from hail damage if it has to be left outside can be a little trickier. You could try covering it to protect it from damage. 
• Invest in comprehensive coverage! If you don’t have it already, get it. Comprehensive coverage can take care of a lot of the items we’ve covered in this post. Check with you insurance agency to see what you your policy covers.