Is there anything worse than a dented vehicle? Whether you come back to your car to find it somehow got dented, or you get into a fender bender, dents are definitely not good news. The only upside is that, in many cases and depending on the cause, dents may be covered by your insurance.And, while it’s nice that you can often get dent repair paid for, you may want to just avoid them in the first place. Fortunately, you can do a few things to make avoiding dents more likely.
Park Away From Other Vehicles
One of the most common reasons for dented cars is getting hit by the doors of other cars. This type of damage most often happens in parking lots.To help reduce your car’s risk of getting dinged by another car’s door, do your best to park far away from other cars. This might mean walking a little bit further to get to wherever you’re going, but the extra distance will be worth it for the added protection.If you have to park near other cars, be sure not to pull in next to a car where you’re going to be super close to one another. Also, try and avoid vehicles that look overly damaged since this is a good indicator that the owner might not be as careful as you’d prefer.
Keep Your Vehicle Covered
It’s not just other cars that can dent your vehicle. Hail is another major cause of dent damage.As such, try to park your car in a covered area whenever you can, especially if you know that hail is in the forecast. If you don’t regularly have access to a garage or other means of covering your vehicle, buy a car cover or standalone carport. These can go a long way toward protecting your vehicle from hail and other objects that might fall from the sky, like a wayward baseball.
Look and Use Caution
Another good rule is to always look and use caution anytime you open your door. A lot of dents happen because you open your door without looking. This could mean bumping the door on gas pump, a nearby pole, into a shopping cart, or into another vehicle.No matter where you are or how many times you’ve been there, take a second to look for any potential obstacles, and then open your door slowly and cautiously to avoid accidental dents and dings.
Don’t Put Things on Your Vehicle
Your vehicle is not a resting spot for anything, so you shouldn’t treat it like one. Don’t rest bags or boxes on top of your vehicle. Follow this same rule with car seats and baby carriers, occupied or unoccupied. Even if objects seem light, it doesn’t take much to cause small dents and damage to your vehicle.Also, never sit on your vehicle or allow anyone else to do so. The weight of a body can easily cause damage to the vehicle.
Drive With Care
Finally, be a careful, conscientious driver at all times. Never follow any vehicle too closely. If you get hit from behind or have to stop suddenly, you run the risk of denting your own car by knocking into the car in front of you. Even worse damage can happen if you’re traveling at high speeds.In addition, try your best to carefully get away from reckless drivers. Being near these drivers is just asking for dents and other trouble.Of course, despite your best efforts, you may still end up with dents from time to time. If that happens, contact the dent-repair experts at Superior Dent Solutions.
