What are you doing to "protect" your Mustang in public?

[MachNroll]

So, reaching out to see how you all deal with reducing the likelihood of someone messing with your Mustang when you are out and about. What is driving my inquiry is someone recently damaged my rear trunk lid beside the Mach 1 emblem by forcefully using their finger to make several downward facing arrow marks in the dust creating fairly significant scratches. It somewhat looked like this: Mach1 |||

Like down with Mach 1. It took a lot of buffing to semi repair it.

I don't drive or act like an idiot, so I am chalking this instance up to some jealous fool.

So, what do you all do? Are you selective of where you drive and park? Do you try to minimize the amount of time your Mustang is unattended in public? Do you park in the rear of a parking area away from others, so it is harder for someone to do something without detection?

Thank you in advance for your responses.

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[Rael]

Alarm and comprehensive insurance.

I park at the rear, on the roof, or wherever, not for detectability, but just to avoid "compact" parking spaces and door dings.

Shit happens.

 

[m3incorp]

I park in the handicap spaces I wish I could get something similar to the old alarm systems that used to announce step away...but would want it to say video recording beginning.

 

[Mach1Kid96]

Sorry to hear about what happened to your car! That's highly disappointing. Non-car people just don't understand that these cars mean more to us than your everyday "grocery getter". Some people also weren't raised to respect other people's property and thus refuse to keep their hands to themselves.

Nevertheless, I try my best to park on the side of, or behind businesses, if they're busy. Parking among the workers means less chance of someone leaving and being around the car.

If I'm in a large parking lot for a grocery store, I typically park in the farthest corner away from the front. I also park close to concrete "islands" or light posts in parking lots to limit how many cars can park around mine.

I have my dashcam record for a few hours after the car is shut off, just in case too. Luckily all it's caught are people walking up and taking pictures of the car or videoing it as they drive by.

In the end, it's all about minimizing the chances of an incident. Sometimes you have to get creative with where and how you park.

 

[SheepDog]

So, reaching out to see how you all deal with reducing the likelihood of someone messing with your Mustang when you are out and about. What is driving my inquiry is someone recently damaged my rear trunk lid beside the Mach 1 emblem by forcefully using their finger to make several downward facing arrow marks in the dust creating fairly significant scratches. It somewhat looked like this: Mach1 |||

Like down with Mach 1. It took a lot of buffing to semi repair it.

I don't drive or act like an idiot, so I am chalking this instance up to some jealous fool.

So, what do you all do? Are you selective of where you drive and park? Do you try to minimize the amount of time your Mustang is unattended in public? Do you park in the rear of a parking area away from others, so it is harder for someone to do something without detection?

Thank you in advance for your responses.

I avoid parking. I drive my MACH1 to drive it. If I'm going to work, shopping, dr. appt etc, I take my truck. Not 1 week after I owned this car, I ran to home depot in it. Parked well away from other vehicles. I was in the store for no more than 10 minutes and came out to find a door ding in the driver's rear fender, right on the seam. Likely some little kid jumping out of the back seat of some SUV, the parent realized what had happened and drove off.

I have a bit of a temper, so it would very well have ended badly for everyone involved if I had seen this happen. After a few weeks of fuming about it, I decided that I just have to avoid these situations. People don't GAF about your car, and some will take the opportunity to express their jealousy, opposing brand loyalty, or just being a shit head (exactly what happened to you). I figure I just have to avoid this potential as much as possible, which certainly beats going to jail for tazing someone in the face or throwing an 8-year-old through the windshield of mommy's Honda Pilot.

 

[BlkMach10510]

It is a lack of respect, people do not respect themselves or their property so why should we expect them to respect other people or other people's property.

 

[MAGS1]

I park far away where nobody else usually parks. Except there’s always that one person that has to park their SUV or minivan right next to me even though there are dozens of spaces available much closer.

I’m similar to SheepDog in that I have a temper as well. I wouldn’t go so far as to throw someone through a windshield, but words would be flying if I saw someone purposely park next to me like that and then ding my car. I do have one door ding on my passenger side rear fender, right on the hip line. Was from parking at the airport. I parked outside and about as far out as you can get but never fails that some dope in a massive truck decided to be the only one to park next to me and dinged my car. Left him a nice note on his windshield when I left the airport.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I had an old lady take the drivers mirror off my M1 while parking next to me at work once. Thankfully her insurance paid for it, but it wasnt fun to say the least. Unfortunately the world is full of people who can drive or park. I park far away or take an end spot and park as close to the curb when ever possible. Unfortunately there isn't much else you can do other than leave it in the garage.

 

[SheepDog]

I park far away where nobody else usually parks. Except there’s always that one person that has to park their SUV or minivan right next to me even though there are dozens of spaces available much closer.

I’m similar to SheepDog in that I have a temper as well. I wouldn’t go so far as to throw someone through a windshield, but words would be flying if I saw someone purposely park next to me like that and then ding my car. I do have one door ding on my passenger side rear fender, right on the hip line. Was from parking at the airport. I parked outside and about as far out as you can get but never fails that some dope in a massive truck decided to be the only one to park next to me and dinged my car. Left him a nice note on his windshield when I left the airport.

A few years back (different car) I went for a nice hike at a local state park. All of the parking spots are in a parallel train type configuration. Pulled up in the furthest spot I could and went on my way. came back an hour later to find a Nissan Sentra up against the rear bumper. No real damage, just some scratches and a bent license plate. The driver didn't set the parking brake, and it rolled into my car.

I waited for this guy and his wife to come back, began arguing over his careless stupidity, and proceeded to stomp the driver's fender in. Bent so bad that the driver's door wouldn't open. Not 30 feet away happened to be a park ranger who saw the whole thing. I got a ticket that day for aggravated vandalism. Clearly, I have some anger management issues, and I took that moment as a lesson from the cosmos that I need to do whatever I can to avoid those types of situations. It's just a car after all, but like many here, it isn't just a car. I'll likely never buy something better than this, simply for the fear of not being able to fully enjoy it, because I will always be worrying about it and the inevitable dipshit altercation. I show extreme care for other people's car next to me, no matter what kind of car it is, but most people don't care about their cars the way we do, and even less will come unglued like I have a tendency to do

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I park in the handicap spaces I wish I could get something similar to the old alarm systems that used to announce step away...but would want it to say video recording beginning.

Please tell me you have a handicap placard...

 

[cerbomark]

like @SheepDog I don t buy what I can really afford as to not have to worry "as much". My new 24 Ram got hit and run while parked. I was parked in an end spot to limit exposure and still some idiot ran a trailer across the front end. Mustang is not a DD so I take it when I feel it s somewhat safe where it will be parked. The truth is you never know.

Control in life is only an illusion .

 

[JuicySmollet]

I only take it in places I know I can park away from people or double park it without getting noticed too much. Otherwise I will take the family car. I'm almost 4 years in and no door dings yet. Only received 1 note about double parking haha...basically trust no one and no ones kids.

My kids are trained to close the door by the window, not the paint.

 

[K4fxd]

It was probably a kid drawing in the dust.

I used to park in the back 40 so to speak but stopped when one day I came out to find my drivers door dented to hell and back.

 

[Tang]

I park in the furthest row from where I need to go but still that doesnt guarantee anything.

I live in a vacation destination and one day I came outside to find a group of foreigners taking pictures on my car with a chick in a bikini laying over the hood. You can imagine my intense "wtf" reaction

 

[SCP440]

I was in one of my classic cars and it had been parked in a car park at the supermarket, when I came back to it there was a shopping trolley resting against it and a women was unloading the trolley into her car. When I told her she said its only an old car so it doesn't matter. I told her that it was probably worth more than her modern Japanese 4x4. Luckily there was no damage.
The problem is a lot of people value a car has no more than there washing machine or vacuum cleaner.

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