Understanding How Cars Get Dented

Have you ever come out of the grocery store only to find a new dent? Maybe you’ve been reversing out of a tight parking spot when suddenly you accidentally hit the cement parking marker? Or how about you minding your business when suddenly a wayward ball comes in hot and hits the side of your car? These incidents are all very common occurrences and some of the many ways your car can get dented when you aren’t expecting it. 

Let’s go over the most common causes of dents, dings, and scratches on cars and what to do if they happen to your vehicle. 

Parking Lots

Parking lots and garages are notorious for being places where dents can happen no matter how diligent you try to be when parking. It doesn’t matter if there are cars around you or not, dents seem to find their way to your car. 

Car Doors and Other Cars

One culprit of parking lot dents are the other cars and their car doors in the lot. Always give yourself (and the cars you are parking next to) enough room on all sides to avoid any potential car door dings and bangs.

Getting a spot close to the grocery store entrance isn’t worth parking in a spot that is way too tight and setting yourself up for a nice new dent. Make sure to give yourself a wide berth when getting into or pulling out of a tight parking spot, and try to park far enough away from other cars where a dent would be highly improbable.

Shopping Trolleys

Another hazard in a parking lot is an errant shopping trolley. People who don’t put away their trolleys leave little landmines waiting to dent your car if pushed or not seen by unsuspecting grocery store patrons. 

Shopping trolleys are some of the biggest perpetrators of dents out there. So be sure to park away from the trolley areas to avoid unnecessary dents and dings.

Sporting Equipment

A ball kicked or thrown a little too hard can find its way right into the side of your vehicle. These dents can be quite large depending on the size of the ball or piece of equipment that hit it. Try parking far enough away from the activities to keep your car out of the danger zone. 

Inclement Weather

Weather can be incredibly unpredictable. Especially hail storms, icy sleet, and other weather systems that can form fast and get intense in no time. For example, when hail strikes, there’s not much you can do to protect your car unless you are lucky to be near a parking garage, awning, or your own garage at the time of the hail storm.                                              

Road Debris

Some highways and roads will have debris on them, and sometimes it can be hard to see, especially when driving at night. Small rocks or gravel, garbage from cars, and other bits from the road can go airborne as you drive over it and fly up to smack into your car, leaving a dent or ding in its wake. If this happens more than once on the same roads you travel, try switching up your route or driving as carefully as possible.

Falling Objects

Always be mindful of where you park, as falling objects from trees and other high places can find you coming out to a fresh dent on the top or sides of your car. Falling branches and other tree debris tend to leave scratches and sometimes huge dents or even a broken windshield from time to time. 

How to Fix Your Car’s Dents

If the dents your vehicle has don’t cause damage to your car’s paint, the best way to take care of a nasty dent is to go to a paintless dent repair shop. They will get your car dent taken care of fast, with skill and ease.

Paintless Dent Repair (also called PDR) is an environmentally-safe dent repair method that can restore your car’s body to like-new condition in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost. PDR can be used to remove dings and dents from vehicles and take care of creases and hail damage. As long as the paint on your car is not chipped or cracked, PDR is an excellent alternative to expensive body shop repairs.

Have a Fresh Dent from Your Last Grocery Trip? We Are Here To Help!

At Caversham Coachworks, our paintless dent removal service offers customers a relatively cost-effective option for dents and dings that also comes with a host of other benefits and economic advantages.  Our technicians have the skills and tools to get your vehicle looking new again, whether you’re dealing with minor or severe dents. We offer exceptional service and use the most modern, safe techniques to repair your vehicle.

If you need dent repairs or other services, our skilled technicians are waiting to help. We are the leading independent vehicle repair centre in Berkshire and Central Oxfordshire. We offer insurance repairs, crash repairs, car body repairs, dent and scratch repairs, and other auto body services. 

We’d love the opportunity to serve you, just give us a call or use our free online estimate tool today!