Curbed wheels - ownership observation
 

Having owned and driven many a car over the years I cannot believe how often I curb my S8 wheels, I have never known a car like it! Anyone else suffer from this D3 syndrome!?

Luckily they were in a shocking state when I bought the car and plan to refurb when I find the right place but as I approach 12 months and 29,000 miles of ownership I must have doubled the marks on the front wheels?!?

I don't understand it! It would appear the A8 is much wider than it feels when driving/parking.

I too suffer from this syndrome. I find parking it much more difficult than any other car I've had. And I've had lots. Admittedly none quite as large. I think it has something to do with the rounded shape of the D3 and the way you can't see where it ends. Means I find it difficult to know if it's parallel with a kerb or parking space line, and then it's downhill from there.

I never did in 3 years, then got them refurbed anyway for £380 and 1 week later caught one in a multi-story exit and took it back and paid another £80 for a repair on that and then a month later caught another but only a kiss like feint pencil shading.
Nothing in 2 years since thankfully but after the multi-story I am really careful and keep away from them. Mine are 17" so probably deeper profile tyre helps but still don't catch the tyres bto speak of.

These cars have a pretty wide stance wheel wise, I put it down to that. And the low profiles, of course, don't help.
Be interesting to hear how you folks with spacers get on

Yeah, things are worse now I have 19s, don't think I scraped the 17s once.

Someone on here (Norway member, iirc) fitted Alloygaytors though i cant remember the wheel sizes on his car.

Hi,

Yes, this is the most difficult VEHICLE I have ever parked, including Transits, big estatate cars and Goldwing motorbikes with trailers (another time... :ROFL:).

I feel I am really proud of the car and this combines with the rounded shape to make parking a serious business....

Only this morning in Leeds you would have pi***d yourselves laughing at my prissy re-parking the car in a different bay (to prevent a big vehicle parking next to me - clever what! :cool:) then reversing into the end bay next to an Astra.

When I returned at 5:30 pm the Astra had left and a Road Sweeping Truck was parked next to my A8! I wish I had taken a picture but I wasn't laughing... :tuttut:

Of course the truck driver was a pro, he (she?) seems to have even considerately parked allowing the door to open without damaging the truck! So no problems... :rolleyes:

Robert.

Dont have a problem with my D2 on 18" Avus with 20mm spacers but I do find that the dipping mirrors are a great help when parking next to the kerb. However, Mrs D, who was quite used to Volvo 740/V70s, did not find the car shape helpful with estimating where the edges of the car were and wont drive it now.
The only benefit of MrsD's mobility problems is that we have a Blue badge which allows us to park in spaces more appropriate to the size of an '8! The cross hatching around most blue badge spaces is a great comfort.
ps I am NOT advocating falsifying blue badge status and I only use the spaces when she is in the car +++

I only had a D3 for about 6 months and never had a problem, so I'm really surprised. D2 is dead easy.

The worst ever car I owned for parking was a boring old Rover 75 estate. Everything outside was curved in such a way that you hadn't a clue where it was, even whether it was parallel.
As a long-term careful and considerate parker I was regularly embarrassed on exiting the car, getting back in again to move it to where it should have been. :o

I'm going to say, in all the cars I've ever driven, from Fiestas, A8's, Fore D Rangers, Transit Vans and Motorhomes, I've never curbed one. We have an extremely tight car park at work which has small curbs, and I've never curbed a single car. (Touch wood). It's just something you're born with.