I had the Westin Black Nerf Bars on my former 2005 F150, was parked at the mall, over the loudspeaker I got a call for the description and license plate number of my truck! I was afraid to look at it, I knew someone wrecked into it!
I came out a younger girl in a black Honda Civic was mouthing me, her right front fender and bumper was ripped off, smashed like crazy!
I rushed to look at my truck!
No damage, just a slight scratch on my left nerf bar!
She was backing out turning too tight and that nerf bar saved the damage to my truck!
I was happy and it was amazing the damage it did to her car.
She blamed me for parking too close to her but I was well inside the painted yellow lines, I just laughed, she wanted to exchange insurance information and I refused because I am not making any claim against my truck!
Then she said, ha ha ha she expected me to pay for her damage!
Ha ha ha I told her, its no fault insurance and she pays for her car.
She called the cops, So I waitied for the cop to show up, I explained everything and the cop and he scolded her for calling him in the first place.

 

Exactly. I don't use the running boards on my truck but I know they have saved the side of my truck from marks. I know this because their was a mark from some idiot on my right rear fender.

 

This is also the reason I keep the insert in my hitch receiver at all times. It saves the rear bumper from those idoits driving compact cars that think they can stop exactly 2 inches from your rear end at every intersection. That has prevented damage to my family member's vehicles on multiple occasions, but not mine yet, thankfully.

 

Ditto that. Always leave my hitch in the receiver. If they want to get that close, let 'em.

 

they only save you from the smaller cars, because I had a SUV driver give me a door ding on my last truck. Luckily, I caught him right after he did it and he paid for the ding repair.

 

How do you handle a situtation like that? Do you just exchange insurance info?

 

I was at a golf course and he was driving a VW Toureg suv and seemed like a respectable person. I saw it when walking back from paying my green fees. I tried to remain calm but I was pissed. He gave the old classic line "that should buff right out". I was like BS!, I think you should pay to repair it. and he agreed and we handled without the insurance companies. He realized how clean my truck was and that I took great care of it. He sent me to his body shop. But I also told him I would go to my shop I like for a quote too. His shop said $300, mine said $150. So I told him $200 ($50 extra for my time and troubles!) and he went and paid my shop and the shop owner gave me the extra $50 back.

I got lucky I guess. I usually park away from everyone but that day I was in a hurry and parked in a busier spot.

 

Thats a GREAT idea ! never thought of that !
I will order a trailer hitch insert ( even if I have nothing to tow ) and keep it in the reciever at all times.
I will use my truck to haul my ATV, but I haul it in the bed, instead of a trailer!

Thank You for the great idea

love these forums, you learn a lot

 

Exactly! The hitch reciever seems to keep people off your a$$ as well as parking to close. The step tubes on my Expy also saved mucho dollars in body damage when my ran over a Corrola. Yeah she's a knuckle head. She also backed into a big yellow catepillar tractor. Said she didn't see it.

Tim