People just don't care

Sorry to hear about your luck

 

Nah, I peg that mirror as a $1000 fix! The price these parts go for, wouldn't surprise me. My Mondial cab, the piece of rubber between the front and rear windows? $650

 

I will never forget this.

 

Many years ago when I lived in an apartment (before SUVs, but when GM two door coupes had those huge doors with a sheetmetal crease that created a sharp point when opened) I would occasionally carry out a revenge mission against an offending car/driver. It was a pretty good solution. It involved very little financial loss to the "target", but created a hell of a lot of inconvenience: Break the headlights (potentially very expensive with modern lights) and/or deflate two tires. As angry, jumpy and armed as people are today, though, I'd probably just let it go.....

Jack

 

I have to say that I'm truly impressed with some of the (legal) suggestions in this thread. Seeing this vandal squirm in a courtroom (even if it would be in small claims) would probably be the best (and safest) means of vindication.

As for Whart, please tell me where you habitually park, so that I'm sure to park far...FAR away from you.

 

I must say I guilty when it comes to revenge. I had an old Corvette that I fully restored..a frame on one side of the garage and the body on the other type deal. I had just gotten the car painted 2 weeks before the incident.

I was on my way back for a good drive up northe and stopped by the mall to pick a few items up. I parked WAAAYYY in the back..hell I should have taken the bus to the front door. Anyhoo..I come out of the mall..and damit if there is not a miniVan parked not even half a foor away from my drivers side door..Oh and I did not take up 2 spaces. Pissed off beyond all beilf, I go back into the mall and I bought 2 of the biggest bottle of water i could find. Walked back the the car and dumped both bottles in the tank of the minivan.

Went back to my car..moved to another location and waited. Finaly the chick returns with her bags of goodies. She starts to drive away and I follow a bit behined. Just as she is about to turn the corner to leave the lot..bang the car dies. I laugh to myself and keep going. Knowing that the mechanic will replace almost everything in the fuel system at her expense..only to fail in fixing the car. Fuel pressure with be fine, pump will pump the propper volume..just one little thing..water does not burn!! Ahhhh it felt really really good..but I don't recommend you do anything like this.

 

Unless she denies it again and truly did not do it. Then all she is guilty of is a bad parking job. And soak this in too...a lot of times space is very limited in apt complexes....what if that was the only spot open AND what if the car on the other side of her was even farther over the line...thus forcing her your way....I see it all the time in parking garages (one of tmobile stores is in a mall), all it takes is one idiot to park wrong and the next four cars next to him are over the lines as well, trying to adjust for the one car...I would take the advice above though...take her to court...if she truly did it...she will fold 'under oath'...its amazing what people will 'not lie' about under oath.

 

Wait 6 months. Be patient. At 4am on a Monday morning, accidentally spill about a pint of aviation paint remover on her hood. This should take 5 seconds and be completely silent...plus, it will have a good 3+ hours to "work its magic" before the morning commute.


[everything above is all just a joke]

 

Tom, you're dangerous!

The only thing I've ever been guilty of was getting pissed at some jerk who parked his/her minivan about 6 inches from my drivers side. After keying (down to the metal) the door, I left a little note suggesting that "next time they park like a f*ckin' human being."

Foolish and juvenile? Yes.
Did it feel good? Oh yeah!
Did it accomplish anything? Who knows.

 

A relatively non-destructive option: Keep one of those little $1 tire valve stem removers in your glove box. With it you may unscrew all 4 from the offending car's tires. Tape them to the windshield.

I had a friend in college who did this once.

 

ZZZZZing!!!!

 

IMO, If you park your beloved Ferrari in a parking lots parallel with other cars, that the risk you have to take. If you keep parking like that, this ding thing will eventually happen. It might not be this woman, but it can be some others. If you love your car that much, which we all do, you have to commit yourself never to park parallel ever. Drive around the block and find a bumper to bumper parking. If you cann't do that, then you have to accept that this might happen. You can not tell people to be extra careful about your car. Some do respect other's property, some don't. You might have put a ding to others without knowing it as well.

That's why to me parking is very important. I've never take my car any where without figuring out exactly where to park. I would rather not going than taking a risk of having a ding on my door... I went so far with this parking thing that one time I went to this shopping center and my three usual spots were taken so I just turned around home...

 

When I first bought my Ferrari, I used to park out in the empty part of the lot. But whenever I came out, there'd be a couple of SUVs and a rusty pickup parked around it. (I think people hope their rides will learn something by proximity. ) I concluded that I could park on the Dark Side of the Moon, and inside of ten minutes, there'd be two lunar rovers parked next to it -- one with a banged up fender. (Anyone remember Apollo 17?) Parking closer in, you get to pick a nice bimmer or something else the owner might care about to park next to. Which might be why everyone else wants to park next to a Ferrari.

A long time ago, when my '79 Alfa was brand new, I swore I'd smash up the first car that dinged my door. Well, I was in the car when it happened. I had just come out of the minimart (car parked with empty spaces around it). Some guy pulls in next to me, and his girlfriend slams open the pass door right into my car, then runs into the store without a pause. I look over at the guy, who is carefully not looking at me. Then I look at his ride. I could have hammered on that thing with a sledge for an hour, and you'd never know the difference -- it was already a wreck. So there's no point taking revenge on a car -- the people who don't care about your car usually don't give a rodent's rectum about their own, either.

And trying to get clever can get depressing, too. One old junk Ford at the previous work site was always parked in a slovenly manner - blocking at least two spaces. I got the bright idea of leaving a coloring book and a box of Crayolas on his windscreen with a note reading: "practice staying between the lines". Alas, I discovered that, in MA, there's no such thing as coloring books, anymore. Just "scribble pads". Apparently parents feel that staying inside the lines is too challenging for the kids, too.

Tales of people advocating vengence, tales of the legal system used as a weapon of harassment, tales of destructive carelessness (and watching local drivers literally bouncing off the curbs) -- in general, watching people falling short of ever declining standards, I get the distinct impression that the next dark ages have already begun. Now I see why terrorism is on the rise -- it's a difference only in degree, not in fundamental outlook.

 

Another northern Virginia story, this time from an office building parking structure: I went downstairs at lunch time only to find that someone else's car had rolled down the slope in the structure and come to an abrupt stop in the side of my car! The wayward car actually was resting against mine. I borrowed a Polaroid, took a few photos, then decided to try to find the owner of the other car. After only five minutes of inquiries, I found the owner; my revenge came in taking my time painting a picture of the scene, her car smashed into mine, waiting for the inevitable question; "what kind of car is it," she finally asked me. "Porsche." Watching the insurance horror slowly cross her face, I almost felt sorry for her.

As for revenge - putting aside the moral issues - try to imagine watching yourself on the surveillance camera video as you, a Ferrari owner, cripple someone's SUV. Probably not worth it.

 

I love your way of thinking! I would do the same thing. Thanks for the tip in case I might need it. Hopefully never.

 

One of my history teachers has been saying that since '83.

 

Revenge is sweet, but I'm a fan of non-destructive revenge. The old "unscrew the tire valve cores" is classic! You don't even need to remove them, just unscrew one turn so the thing leaks. Flat tire in a half hour, no damage done. Just an inconvenience to inconvenience someone who has thoughtlessly inconvenienced someone else.

 

Yup, these work great. But they'll think their tires are slashed if you don't leave the valve stems with the car.

whart - I will not forget that either.


tom - hillarious... if only you had a camera at the time. ahhhh.

 

I have to admit I got a chuckle out of the revenge stories. Great read.

Rather than spending 4$ on water to pour in the gas tank, buy some little plastic thingies that snap at the end of the door, so that it does not damage the car being smashed into (yours), put them on the offending car, and leave a note (you can put the note on the windshield with duct tape!) saying you noticed they are worthless **** unrespectful drivers, that you're pissed they dinged your door, and that the little gizmos will help avoiding dinging the door of a psycho that may pull a gun on you ... ". Or a psycho that will pour water in the gas tank

Otherwise, put a neat license plate saying "Insured by Mafia. You hit me, we hit you!"

I personally wouldn't do anything since it would make me an *******, while they are still un-respectful imcompetent drivers. Wait a second ... I prefer the former.

Why not just be an adult and explain her how much you care for your car ... bla bla bla. That ought to solve the problem with her at least. She probably thought it was an old Mustang anyways ...

 

Unfortunately, I do not at all find it surprising that so many have advocated revenge in the way of vandalism and destruction of property as the solution to the problem. What a shame that this is what it has come to in our world today. Shame on all of you.

 

there is nothing wrong with revenge, so long as it is deserved and there is no just alternative.

putting a dent in your door is taking your time and your money. it is stealing. some of you more enlightened "men" (please note the quotes)are obviously fine with letting people steal from you. i am not.

the real crime, morally and otherwise, would be to let her get away with it.

 

The problem is, the woman will have no idea why this is happening to her. The revenge would be soooo much sweeter if he had left a note, saying something like "thanks for the door ding. You have a nice suprise waiting for you down the road, when you least expect it."

Even funnier would be to do nothing to her car, and imagine her mind racing for the next week or so.

 

Oh yeah, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Is that really the only way to deal with this? That's why, as a society, we are rapidly going to hell in a handbasket. It's the same macho bull **** that had us invading Iraq and threatening to nuke anyone who looks at us cross-eyed. Can you possibly think of even one alternative, acting in a more civilized manner, to deal with it?

I'm a lawyer. I don't take much **** from anyone. But I don't go out and vandalize someone's property or engage in terroristic threats when they put a ding in the door of my car. The logical extension of actions that have been proposed here are things like the Atlanta shootings or that guy that shot up that prayer meeting the other day. Violence begats violence. If we want a civilized society, each of us has to act in a civilized manner. Resorting to violence at the drop of a hat only justifies what inner-city gang kids or punks or crazies do. If you do violence to someone else's property, you are no better than the thugs or crazies. It's just a matter of degree.

 

I'm on the side that revenge accomplishes nothing. I've always considered automobiles as inanimate objects of affection and beauty. Anyone who would even begin to consider damaging someone else's property has no sense of moral values. Also consider that so many public areas these days are under the scrutiny of surveillance cameras; therefore, you really don't know who's watching you anymore. Someone's little retaliation prank might turn into an expensive criminal court case or hefty civil lawsuit. Also keep in mind that if you do damage someone else's property and they have the same insurance company as you, you're only shooting yourself in the foot by driving up the rates for everyone involved...