Crazy French

unnameduser

Not long back from a trip to france.
I couldnt get over how people parked over there! Its probably where the name "bumper" came from because when when park they hit their front and back bumpers off the other cars. I was only there for 4 days or so and i saw this happen on a number of occasions. When the car is finally parked there is less than 1ft either side of the car.
I even noticed how some of the cars bonnets were bent/damaged where they must have been hit by cars with higher bumpers! :eek:

If someone bumped into you while parking would you ignore it?

dubstub

unnameduser wrote:

If someone bumped into you while parking would you ignore it?

No way! It happened to me in Spain while I was sitting in the car and I went through the women who did it... amazed at how well I could curse in Spanish when I needed to! She didn't seem to see the problem though.
My new car was just two days old when I came back from the supermarket to find someone has hit the bumper with what looked like a shopping trolley and damaged the paint work. Pity I didn't catch them doing it...

Anan1

It'd depend how hard they did it. I've no problem with contact, but a good hard thump would be another thing. That said, I think the French and Spanish haven't fallen as hard into the whole cars-as-status-symbols thing as we have. They tend to view bumpers as for bumping, with things like eating out and dressing well taking higher priority than fixing a small scratch. Personally, I think they're right.

mikedragon32

Anan1 wrote:

It'd depend how hard they did it. I've no problem with contact, but a good hard thump would be another thing. That said, I think the French and Spanish haven't fallen as hard into the whole cars-as-status-symbols thing as we have. They tend to view bumpers as for bumping, with things like eating out and dressing well taking higher priority than fixing a small scratch. Personally, I think they're right.

I totally agree with you Anan, however, when you come around to selling or trading in your car, you can lose out on quite a bit of the value if scuffing is obvious. Especially at trade-in.

It's a constant source of amusement when we go to Nice to see very stylish people with obviously expensive clothes and carefully styled hair climbing out of a rusting 205 after having tipped the cars in front and behind several times to park it!

dubstub

Fair enough if it's only a tip but even a tip can scratch the paint on body coloured bumpers. I don't think it's a status symbol thing, I think it comes down to respect for other people's property. There is no excuse to use people's bumpers as park assist sensors - if the car doesn't fit in the space without having to bump it in, find another space.
If your neighbour was constantly moving rubbish (or whatever) up and down the lane beside your house and marking the paint on your house, would you say anything?

Anan1

mikedragon32 wrote:

I totally agree with you Anan, however, when you come around to selling or trading in your car, you can lose out on quite a bit of the value if scuffing is obvious. Especially at trade-in.

It's a constant source of amusement when we go to Nice to see very stylish people with obviously expensive clothes and carefully styled hair climbing out of a rusting 205 after having tipped the cars in front and behind several times to park it!

I drive a 12 year old Mercedes, and the paint on the bumpers is of no great concern to me. Of course I do see your point, though. Different values, I suppose.

Hellm0

The french have cars now?

cormie

I drive a 91 Fiesta and wouldn't care at all if somebody bumped into me but I'd be very careful not to hit into anyone when parking, a big reason for this is the challenge of parking as best as I can in a tight spot;)

crosstownk

I can see the "bumpers are for bumping" point of view. Ultimately this is what a bumper is for. However, in recent years, with practically all vehicles now having painted bumpers, they have become a cosmetic component. Nobody cared when bumpers were black and tough enough to take a small bump. But now the smallest bump scratches the paint work and looks unsightly as well as being expensive to repair. But thats progress for you....................

blorg

Different cultures have different values.

You should go to Naples and have a look at the dents on the cars there. And then get a bus or taxi and it's easy enough to see why!

gyppo

I remember the first car I owned, a MK3 Ford Escort 1.1! What a Car.:D
Anyhow, it came complete with towbar.

One day, in Athlone, while waiting for my then girlfriend to come out of a shop, I was parked along the kerb. Behind me was a rough old volvo 340, with a father and 2 children inside. I was looking in the mirror at the time, and saw one of the kids walking from the back seat to the front via the space between the two front seats. The child must have knocked the car out of gear in doing this, as the volvo slowly rolled about 12" forward into the back of my car. The knock was so slight, I didnt get out to examine the car, and me and the other driver just exchanged smiles.

5 mins later, shopping mission complete, I went to drive off. I noticed a fair resistance to pulling away, and then all of a sudden I was free, to the sound of the volvo's bumper clattering on the ground behind me. Then the penny dropped - the bumper of the volvo had got caught by the towbar of my car.
Again, there was an exchange of smiles between me and the other driver before I drove off. Taking account of its condition, t probably was'nt the first time the bumper had been off the volvo.

Shaybo

I noticed that in Paris when I was there recently. Parking spaces are at such a premium that they'll try to park anywhere there's even a chance they might fit.:D

Revelation Joe

I think it was Ben Elton who said:
'In London, people park everywhere possible. In Paris, they park even where it's not possible. In Rome, they park on top of those who parked where it's not possible'

Del

comanche

unnameduser wrote:

Not long back from a trip to france.
I couldnt get over how people parked over there! Its probably where the name "bumper" came from because when when park they hit their front and back bumpers off the other cars. I was only there for 4 days or so and i saw this happen on a number of occasions. When the car is finally parked there is less than 1ft either side of the car.
I even noticed how some of the cars bonnets were bent/damaged where they must have been hit by cars with higher bumpers! :eek:

If someone bumped into you while parking would you ignore it?

Its called touch bumper parking. Bumpers are makde for bumping... so there's no prob with (doubt the cars with damaged bonnets where from touch bumper parking). Spaces are so hard to come by that if you think you will fit you will try your damnest to get into the space and only give up if you are sure you can't fit in - i.e. touch the bumper. Also it means that cars park closer, means more spaces will be available - no 4 foot gaps between cars. They touch at low speed so no damage is done. I would ignore it if someone touched my bumper in the french style... Infact I've done it in dublin myself when getting into tight spots, when you touch the bumper you don't do any damamge.

dubstub

comanche wrote:

Its called touch bumper parking. Bumpers are makde for bumping... so there's no prob with (doubt the cars with damaged bonnets where from touch bumper parking). Spaces are so hard to come by that if you think you will fit you will try your damnest to get into the space and only give up if you are sure you can't fit in - i.e. touch the bumper. Also it means that cars park closer, means more spaces will be available - no 4 foot gaps between cars. They touch at low speed so no damage is done. I would ignore it if someone touched my bumper in the french style... Infact I've done it in dublin myself when getting into tight spots, when you touch the bumper you don't do any damamge.

Bumpers are *not* made for bumping. Bumpers are a safety device and protect the car from unnecessery damage in low speed collisions. If you can't parallel park, you shouldn't be on the road.
Furthermore, damage is done, even if the bump only occurs at 2mph. The angle of the two bumpers during contact will cause scuffing, especially on body coloured bumpers.
How happy would you be if your brand-new car, which you exchanged a lot of hard-earned money for, was used as a punch bag by someone who doesn't care about scuffs on their 20-year-old rust bucket?

unnameduser

with the cost of spraying cars and the depreciation that scuffs/scrapes put on a car it a sickener to find a scratch on your car.

I park in a large carpark everyday and there is a red scratch on the side of my silver car where the paint of another car is scratched into mine! really pee'd me off.

Anan1

To be honest, anyone who's that particular about the paint on their bumpers is in for a world of angst. Cars get bumped, it's a fact of life. Stressing over it won't change it, so why bother?

unnameduser

Anan1 wrote:

To be honest, anyone who's that particular about the paint on their bumpers is in for a world of angst. Cars get bumped, it's a fact of life. Stressing over it won't change it, so why bother?

Yeah but that doesnt mean that we should be happy bout it!!

Of course that the longer you have a car the greater the chance it will pick up a scrape but to have a "i dont care" attitude (not saying that you do) and bumping off other cars without caring is a disgrace. Even the slightest of contact with paintwork damages it. (I left my diary down on my roof and it scratched my paintwork:rolleyes: )

maidhc

Anan1 wrote:

To be honest, anyone who's that particular about the paint on their bumpers is in for a world of angst. Cars get bumped, it's a fact of life. Stressing over it won't change it, so why bother?

Colour coded bumpers should be banned.

My g/f crashed her car and in the process bent a crossmemeber and damaged the radiator. The plastic bumper however just popped back out and sustained NO damage. Proper order.

On the other hand if you own a Mondeo Mk1 or Mk2 the bumpers crack if you look at them sideways. Most annoying and stupid. In fact I don't believe there is a single Mk1 left on the road with intact front and rear bumpers!

Personally I am ultra careful about parking my car and nothing vexes me more than people who don't exercise the same car when parking beside it. Most people just don't care, and if they can't judge or care to find out where their car begins or ends I would feel they shouldn't be driving.

comanche

dubstub wrote:

Bumpers are *not* made for bumping. Bumpers are a safety device and protect the car from unnecessery damage in low speed collisions. If you can't parallel park, you shouldn't be on the road.
Furthermore, damage is done, even if the bump only occurs at 2mph. The angle of the two bumpers during contact will cause scuffing, especially on body coloured bumpers.
How happy would you be if your brand-new car, which you exchanged a lot of hard-earned money for, was used as a punch bag by someone who doesn't care about scuffs on their 20-year-old rust bucket?

Well wrap your car up in cotton wool then! Your car gets scratched, bumpers get scuffed - get over it. The biggest hit that your brand new car takes in depreciation is not the scuff on the bumper (that can be buffed out) it you turning the key in the ignition.

I can parallel park - i fit into spaces most people don't try. That touch bumper parallel parking!

unnameduser

comanche wrote:

Well wrap your car up in cotton wool then! Your car gets scratched, bumpers get scuffed - get over it. The biggest hit that your brand new car takes in depreciation is not the scuff on the bumper (that can be buffed out) it you turning the key in the ignition.

I can parallel park - i fit into spaces most people don't try. That touch bumper parallel parking!

Hope i dont ever park my car in the same area as you so!

comanche

maidhc wrote:

Personally I am ultra careful about parking my car and nothing vexes me more than people who don't exercise the same car when parking beside it. Most people just don't care, and if they can't judge or care to find out where their car begins or ends I would feel they shouldn't be driving.

Thats the thing with touch bumper parking they do know very percisely where the car ends. Without knowing that how can you know where you? The reason for the tap is not that you don't know where the car is - its to maximise your manouvering space.

unnameduser

comanche wrote:

Thats the thing with touch bumper parking they do know very percisely where the car ends. Without knowing that how can you know where you? The reason for the tap is not that you don't know where the car is - its to maximise your manouvering space.

I disagree to a point,

You could also know who where the car is by perception. This comes with time and practice and some are alot better than others.

I for one dont need to hit another car to know how close i am to it!

gyppo

unnameduser wrote:

You could also know who where the car is by perception. This comes with time and practice and some are alot better than others.

I for one dont need to hit another car to know how close i am to it!

Totally agree.

To my mind, its an ignorant thing to touch park a car intentionally.

Revelation Joe

My first two cars were hatchbacks and when I got my first saloon I said to my Mum (a very good river generally!) how to judge the length when parking.
She replied 'I just wait 'til I hear the bump' :eek:

Del

BrianD3

I don't do it myself but wouldn't have a huge problem with it as long as
-it's done at the slowest possible speed
-it's bumper to bumper contact
-there are no tow bars or bull bars present

The problem is how many touch parkers consider the above or give a sh1t about damaging other people's property. I doubt bumper compatibility even crosses their mind. So you get scenarios where SUV drivers are reversing into spaces and hitting off lower vehicles behind. Even at the slowest speed possible damage can be done due to bumper incompatibility, Also tow balls and bullbars will concentrate any impact adn can crack/dent whatever they hit even though the speed is very low.

peasant

To me, touching another cars bumper when parking is an "accident" ...to the French it is standard driving practice.

So if you ever park your car in France ...don't pull the handbrake unless you're parked on a slope ..that way the bump won't do so much damage ..it's the way the French park their cars

comanche

unnameduser wrote:

I disagree to a point,

You could also know who where the car is by perception. This comes with time and practice and some are alot better than others.

I for one dont need to hit another car to know how close i am to it!

But its not about perception or anything like that. Its maximizing the space available to you.

I find it funny that people here are hinting at the fact that the French are bad drivers cos of the way they park - they have no perception of the dimension of their cars - when they have proper driver training and examination as opposed to our....

Anyways mybe I am just biased coz I drive a french car

va va voom!

BrianD3

I spent a lot of time in France and never really noticed that they were parking their cars any differently than here. I wasn't in Paris though, if there is a severe shortage of car parking space there maybe that would explain all the touching

I've seen loads of touch parking going on in Dublin anyway.

junkyard

I was in Malaga last year and almost every car I saw there had damage on it. One in particular I remember was a nearly new Aston Martin DB9, I walked over to have a look at it and as I walked around it the whole drivers side was wiped out of it and it was done for some time by the looks of it.:eek:

ninty9er

I get into tiny spaces without hitting anything, it sometimes takes 4-5 manouvers instead of the reverse angle drive it straigt 2 part manouver that some people don't get.

You CANNOT get a car into a small space by driving it in. It requires reversing (parallel parking)

Still I've noticed a lot more young people reverse into car park spaces too, than people over 35

unnameduser

comanche wrote:

But its not about perception or anything like that. Its maximizing the space available to you.

Ah but sure if your perception is good you can drive your car within a few cms of the car infront/behind and stop. You are not losing that much space!!

Risking damage to your/someone else's car to gain an extra few cms is certainly not worth it

On another note i think ill attach a hitch to the back of my car. My dad smacked into a wall behind him once and knocked the wall. Not a bit of damage to the car cause he had a hitch (Thank god it wasnt a car he hit:p )

comanche

unnameduser wrote:

Ah but sure if your perception is good you can drive your car within a few cms of the car infront/behind and stop. You are not losing that much space!!

Risking damage to your/someone else's car to gain an extra few cms is certainly not worth it

On another note i think ill attach a hitch to the back of my car. My dad smacked into a wall behind him once and knocked the wall. Not a bit of damage to the car cause he had a hitch (Thank god it wasnt a car he hit:p )

don't get many of this hitches in paris! would totally mess em up!

btw a cm may not seem like a large space in a straight line, but when turning it gives alot of room. Thats how parallel parking works...

in other countries if you touch the curb other car when doing parallel parking in the test you fail...

my point here is that is just used to maxamise space - nothing to do with spacial reasoning...

maidhc

comanche wrote:

btw a cm may not seem like a large space in a straight line, but when turning it gives alot of room. Thats how parallel parking works...

A cm isn't much space. I'd like to meet a person who gets out the tape measure before parallel parking. If you cant park in 300cms, you most certainly won't be able to in 301cms.

Most people don't touch park because they are such good drivers, a good driver will be able to judge down to a couple of cms the size of their car.

Anyhow my biggest complaint would be with people who scrape the corner of the bumper trying to get out/get in. I have had it happen so many times. In fact before it they bumpers were resprayed, the 4 corners of the Avensis were damaged this way (as well as the 1/4 panel being bashed in from a 4x4 trying to park).

Darwin

I've spent a lot of time in Nice this summer and can confirm the way in which people park is atrocious. I saw one guy trying to get a Golf into a spot that was eventually taken by a smart car! I saw somebody else drape heavy duty cardboard over their front and rear bumpers for added protection! I reckon a rusty old Renault 4 with bullbars on the front and a towbar on the rear is the only way to go...