Where you park makes a difference
How you drive makes a difference
Conclusion
Where you park makes a difference
If you care about your car’s appearance as well as its value, you should do everything in your power to avoid getting any scratches on it. Unfortunately, scratches are sometimes unavoidable but, for the most part, you can make a difference with some effort. This effort begins with where you choose to park your car.
As an obvious and general rule, always avoid parking too close to someone else, especially next to them in a parking lot. This will result in a longer walk to your destination, but you will be avoiding a scratch from someone opening their door into your car. You may even want to consider parking several spaces away from any other cars for even more assurance that someone will not scratch your car with their own vehicle or cart.
As far as on-street parking, always be sure that there is at least five feet between you and the car in front of you as well as the vehicle behind you (if possible). This might mean taking more time to find another spot but, again, you are not leaving your car’s appearance in someone else’s hands when you do this. Finally, try not to park under trees or near large bushes. The wind or animals can cause branches to move or break off which can come into contact with your car and leave a scratch.
How you drive makes a difference
Safe and cautious driving will also make a difference in terms of scratch prevention. This means not driving and maneuvering too closely to other vehicles and/or obstacles. However, defensive driving will take this a step further. If you see someone driving too close or driving unsafely, do your best to stay clear of them by changing lanes or pulling over. In terms of staying clear of obstacles, be mindful to never to drive too closely to a divider, the sidewalk as well as trees and bushes. By driving too closely to these things, it is extremely easy to scratch your car without even realizing it.
Conclusion
No one wants to get a scratch on their car. Larger, more severe scratches can cost over a hundred dollars to get repaired. Scratches hurt the appearance and overall value of your vehicle. That is why prevention can make a huge difference. Do your best to park a decent distance away from other vehicles in parking lots, give yourself space between cars when parking on the street, never drive too closely to other cars or obstacles and try not to park near things like trees and bushes.
