We have all been there !!, parked your car in the biggest space you could find, no one in sight, only to return to a scuff/chip/dent on your car.
Well I apologise for the rant but I need to vent my spleen somewhere and to my fellow FL2 owners seems to be the answer. My car is 2months old, with 1200 miles on the clock and yesterday for the second time my car was dinked !!!!!!. The first time in a shopping mall by the unknown assailant who crept off into the darkness because he/she was to much off a tosser to put their hands up to the damage. Fortunatly for me my son has his own paintless dent removal business and after his magic hands had been laid on my door it was as good as new. Now again on a supermarket carpark another w r (apologise for my language) has dinkd my bumper, only this time its a body shop job, it is only about 5cm in length but feels like 20 cm to me !!!.
Am i a bad person to concider capital punishment for car damage !!!, or should i buy a secondhand old nacker and reek havock an car parks all around the country, I could be a serial door dinker !!!.
Ok Ok its alright now , I am calming down, but this type of person makes my blood boil !!! but I know coming down to their level will not get me anywhere.
Their, that better, thanks for listening, Mr nasty has gone and Mr cool has returned, but beware I could turn nasty !! if you park to close !!!
Great forum, keep it up. Freelander 2 GS 2011(facelift)
SD4 Auto
Ipanema sand
17inch 5 spoke alloys
Screen and washer heaters
Front Parking sensors
Rear spoiler (Fathers day prezzie)

"I had no problem going into retirement mode, ... I do what other retired guys do. I putter around the house and travel." -

I feel your pain!

My March 2011 plate already has a scratch at the rear just above the bumper, about 10cm in length, looks like someone with a bag has caught it. I dont agree with your language but they are all f rs in my eyes  Now - 2017 BMW X3 M Sport Carbon Black
Gone - 2014 BMW X3 M Sport Space Grey, faultless!
Gone - 2011 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE Bali Blue with xenons
Gone - 2008 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Rimini Red with bodykit

I recently had 3 small parking dents pushed out of my MX5 , had it looking perfect then a week later I was visiting the wife in hospital following an unexpected heart attack when a gust of wind blew the parking barrier off its mountings, and I watched as it bowled across the car park and straight into the front wing, blimey I was cross. still it's only a car isn't it.

Scaramanga, feel for you but it is a fine art dodging these parking away from the crowd is not so good as you can park the most desolate car park away from anyone and wthin minutes some will park eitherside of you There is a local retail park to me which is poorly designed that I only go there just before closing when it is almost empty to avoid all the cars park parallel to the shops with a space in between for pedestrians about every 40 car spaces, hence the shoppers walk between the cars dragging their shopping between the cars the spaces are designed for Peugeot 107's so you have to park with the offside or nearside wheels on the lines with the hope that no one attempts to squeeze in the bay next to lik some one did to me and I couldn't even get down the side , let alone open the door.

Never ever park next to an old banger.
Never park next to anyone with baby seats in the back
Look for signs of youngsters they don't give a either.
Look at the state of the vehicles next to scratches and dents, find another space.
Always try and park next to the most expensive vehicles in the car park.
Look for signs that it is a rental car so they don't give a either.
Never ever park near trolley bays or at the bottom of a sloping car park where trolleys are used (runaways)

Still looking for a car maker that airbags that are mounted on the outside that deploy when you lock and vanish on unlocking, perhaps this is something that NPinks could look at along the lines of the infamous ORPS (Off Road Protection System)

I had my previous FR2 for 2 years and it collected a fair number of dinks and scratches in car parks plus two significant yet unexplained dents to the rear O/S bumper corner.....£2k to fix the latter. I echo the advice about strategic parking......
For my current version I opted for the protective side strips. They won't cope with every size car beside you but so far have been a good buy........As someone else has said, it is only a car....... Take care, JT Upgraded to an ex demo, 7 mth old, Rimini Red/Ebony Napoli Auto HSE on 28th Jan 2011, added roof rails, mudflaps and side strips.
Gone - A great 57 Plate, Auto SE, Bought Feb 2009, Roof Rails and Mudflaps added on purchase. Blue colour, anything but drug dealer black.....

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh I feel your pain. Mildred had one bumper scuff caused by my ex-boyf reversing into a Ka (£350 damage to Ka) I was sooooooo angry!!!
I'm off to Switzerland for a long weekend and having to leave Lloyd unattended in airport parking makes me worried... Yes, I know I'm a freak!

Park right on the line is my best advice, tends to discourage anyone from attempting to park on your nearside and leaves a good gap on the drivers side.

I had a lovely ding on my previous car somehow they managed to dent the top of the front wing, I reckon it was the rear door of a double cab 4x4 pickup with some kid in the back. the only saving grace was that I had already got my part ex agreed as I was buying my first freelander at the time. When it came to collection day I didn't mention the new ding and stratstones didn't look, but boy did it P s me off at the time.

had the freelander 2 weeks before it got carparked, Ba ds, should be a capital offence. SD4 Sport LE Firenze Red - no options or modifications yet, but it's early days.

I kid you not. I picked up my new SD4 a few months back and 20 minutes later I pulled in to a service station to have a feed. As I sat there and tucked into an unhealthy burger, I watched through a massive glass wall as a car pulled in next to my new ride and the passenger opened the back door without any regard whatsoever - bang! Dint within 20 minutes. Now I know it's only a vehicle and nobody gives a rats any more, but 20 minutes!!!! As I stepped up to head out and belt the fat motherf, I noted 4 cops eating their lunch. Perhaps a record? Still, there seemed no point in avoiding nics anymore so I soon after headed off the highway into the bush to test out the new offroad gizmos and proceeded to put my own scratched all away along the sides. At least I don't fret at car parks any more!

Do you think there would be the market for 'off-roading' damage stickers/transfers for the 'non-off-roader' to make the FL2 look like it's been used in a proper way.

I remember you used to be able to by stickers of mud splashes year ago. 2002 Honda VFR800
2002 Toyota Celica 140 Silver (mid life crisis - again!)
2007 FL2 GS Manual Army Reconnaissance Green + freel2.com sticker
2004 Toyota Celica 140 Black - Gone
2000 Toyota Celica 140 Silver - Gone
1998 Toyota Celica ST Pearl Green - Gone
1996 Nissan Primera 1.6 - Gone
1994 Rover Montego 1.6 Auto - Gone

jaksbak@freel2 wrote:

I soon after headed off the highway into the bush to test out the new offroad gizmos and proceeded to put my own scratched all away along the sides. At least I don't fret at car parks any more!

Way to go!

But still, there are ones which don't think like that and regard the car like a member of the family...
See all the messages about cleaning, polishing, detailing, etc. and the amout of time invested in this....
Wait... wait guys, don't throw stones at me, just kidding....

Six weeks after I collect mine it is booked on a tour of Kielder, might as well christen it

taztastic wrote:

Six weeks after I collect mine it is booked on a tour of Kielder

Are you going too - or is 'it' going by itself...... 2002 Honda VFR800
2002 Toyota Celica 140 Silver (mid life crisis - again!)
2007 FL2 GS Manual Army Reconnaissance Green + freel2.com sticker
2004 Toyota Celica 140 Black - Gone
2000 Toyota Celica 140 Silver - Gone
1998 Toyota Celica ST Pearl Green - Gone
1996 Nissan Primera 1.6 - Gone
1994 Rover Montego 1.6 Auto - Gone

Me, swimbo and two kids, it will be completely trashed

Oh hum....musn't grumble

when you get to the optional tough track at Keilder and people say freelanders must take the easier route, ignore them it will get through unscathed  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

chicken george wrote:

when you get to the optional tough track at Keilder and people say freelanders must take the easier route, ignore them it will get through unscathed

If we meet on the 14th at Halewood, you will see the damage