Well... you are never to old to learn a valuable lesson. Over Christmas I was parked up with my nose right up to a wall. I got in and had to sort the sat nav out and wanted the seat warm so started the car. The constant blaring of the parking sensors out front annoyed, so I pressed the button to silence them. Then I reversed out in pitch black darkness waiting for the beeps... to in fact not hear the beeps but just hear and feel how I scraped a wall!!! URGH!  Nothing major but a fair few scratches on the black part of the rear bumper.    Doh. Lesson one: remember that if you switch the NOISE off, you also switch the sensors off.

 

Then last weekend I wanted to park somewhere and reversed into something that had something sticking out MUCH further than its base - which I didn't see and I trusted the sensors more than my eyes (i.e. I didn't really look at all) and C R U N C H. This was the result: a big hole in my D-pillar trim:

 

 

Lesson two: the sensors only look at the level they are at and it's impossible for them to warn you of things they can't see. A bit basic this but hey ho. So I learnt. 

 

But I was very lucky. This bit of trim is dirt cheap (just over £20) and after fitting with half an hour's labour the damage is only £61,20. Phew. It will go in next week to get replaced.  The bumper? Well that will stay as is. Another reason to keep the car dirty! You don't notice bumper scratches.

Take care, Johann!  You know the old adage about bad luck coming in three's! 

Take care, Johann!  You know the old adage about bad luck coming in three's! 

 

Thanks...  the first scrape on the bumper (in the exact same spot) was falling into the ditch in Scotland.  So these two mishaps above where in fact number two and three. Fingers crossed though that that would be my lot for 2014!

Wow, that's quite a hole! A real pain but I hope you get it sorted without too much hassle.

Ernie

My wife left the warning beeps on one night when reversing. Unfortunately, in her mind reverse logic took hold (do excuse that pun) and the more phrenetic the beeping, the more confidently she continued to reverse. Result - one scraped bumper on wall. The other side was scraped identically soon afterwards by another vehicle exiting parking spot alongside. Near perfect match. Like you I ignored the bumper scrapes for a while. When in for attending two tiny scratches the excellent small time body shop repaired those bumper scratches matching the black and the texture perfectly.

Edited 20 January, 201412 yr by Yetiflute

I think you have taken this rather well Johann. 

 

Actually you don't need sensors. Every driver comes equipped with a psychic sense that tells him (or her) that there is an obstruction right behind/in front of them a fraction of a second before hitting it but too late to stop. I know this from past experience. 

I think you have taken this rather well Johann. 

 

Actually you don't need sensors. Every driver comes equipped with a psychic sense that tells him (or her) that there is an obstruction right behind/in front of them a fraction of a second before hitting it but too late to stop. I know this from past experience. ..............

 

 

Agreed.

 

When we have a certain degree of enthusiasm for our wheels we get a bit upset when mishaps occur.

 

Just yesterday I went down to the local bodywork repair place to arrange a repair for our little Hyundai following an anonymous parking ding....the first mark on it in two and a half years.

 

But I suppose it has to be seen in the great scheme of things.............a couple of days ago there was an accident  (or should we now say RTC) locally and it took the Fire Brigade nearly three hours to release one of the occupants.

 

When in Paris (ages ago) I was amazed at the way they park, and treat their cars generally, they just seemed to push things out of the way with their cars and park in gaps barely bigger than the car itself.  Remind me not to live in Paris.

  Remind me not to live in Paris.

 

OR leave your towbar on out back 24/7. No Parisian will touch park with that sticking out back!  

VW parts shipped the D-pillar trim TWICE without adequate protection so car was at Škoda for three days until they properly packaged it and it arrived unbroken. So all fixed.

I also asked them to chop the 45 degree end bits off the exhaust pipes so I could finally fit my silver tips I've had in a drawer for near two years!

Before but after cutting:

After:

OR leave your towbar on out back 24/7. No Parisian will touch park with that sticking out back!  

 

Just a word of warning.....

It is illegal over here to have a towbar attached to a vehicle, when it is not actually towing anything (thankfully, mine - fitted at purchase -  is easily detachable) - something specifically mentioned in the Policy as invalidating my insurance cover.

As with so many other 'offences', which vast numbers of people are 'guilty' of, the police mostly don't take any interest, but I'd hate a Briskoda member to be the one where they wheel the portable guillotine out of the van.

Worth remembering, if you're visiting......

Just a word of warning.....

It is illegal over here to have a towbar attached to a vehicle, when it is not actually towing anything (thankfully, mine - fitted at purchase -  is easily detachable) - something specifically mentioned in the Policy as invalidating my insurance cover.

As with so many other 'offences', which vast numbers of people are 'guilty' of, the police mostly don't take any interest, but I'd hate a Briskoda member to be the one where they wheel the portable guillotine out of the van.

Worth remembering, if you're visiting......

 

 

They can try and take it off...  ha.  I will keep it on.  Imagine having to take it off every time you drive from your caravan campsite to the boulangerie?!  Ha.

^ ^ even with a permanently mounted one? not easy to take off!

^ ^ even with a permanently mounted one? not easy to take off!

 

Mine is detachable...  but in France my key will always be magically lost from now on. 

VW parts shipped the D-pillar trim TWICE without adequate protection so car was at Škoda for three days until they properly packaged it and it arrived unbroken. So all fixed.

I also asked them to chop the 45 degree end bits off the exhaust pipes so I could finally fit my silver tips I've had in a drawer for near two years!

Before but after cutting:

image.jpg

After:

image.jpg

image.jpg

I fitted the tail pipe trims, apart from cutting the stainless steel with a decent high speed blade, which is a bit laborious, it was not made any easier on mine as the tail pipes were of different lengths, still looks good now.

Hope you get it fixed Johann