For those of you that have deployable running boards, do you lock them in the deployed position when parking in parking lots?

The theory is that deployed running boards might protect the side of your truck from getting dinged by doors being opened in vehicles parked alongside your truck.

Of course if someone with a lifted truck parks alongside, the deployed running boards aren't going to help at all, but I'm thinking in terms of the average car door at the local supermarket or WalMart parking lot.

I've been lucky with no door dings since I bought my truck new 10 months ago. I've never locked the running boards in the deployed position except for washing the truck.

 

At about 5,000 miles, my last new truck (a Sport Trac with those large tube side steps) was damaged by a uncorralled cart. Left me with a 9" scratch that was down to bare metal. So I now make it a habit to park where my 50k truck will be safest (sometimes I walk a little further than others) and I do deploy the running boards ( hoping for a little extra protection).

 

ha....I have deployable running boards and never occurred to me to leave them in the extended position while parked. Great idea!

 

Neat idea to laeve them out, but to be honest, I park so far away from anyone/anything else, I never thought of this.

I also try never to park on a down slope, especially at Home Depot. People always leave shopping carts loose, and wind, gravity seem to take these downhill to whatever is there.

Might be ****, I don't have 1 ding yet. My otehr car is 10 years old and not even 1 ding there either.

 

I had some woman swing her door wide open into the bar. I thought for sure she hit the door of my truck, but the bar stopped it. The foot pad had a 2 inch scuff and the chrome was scratched. The edge of her door was nicely dinged and had matching chrome on the edge. She still denied hitting my truck. Thats ok, I see her almost every week at my daughters gymnastics. I am going to have fun making her feel very uncomfortable for the next 20 weeks. My truck was only 1 month old. Oh the humanity!
The step definately protects the doors. My wifes subaru was hit the first week we had it and she parked it well away from other cars. And now all her doors have multiple hits. Looks like the doors have been pelted with golf *****.

 

Im with you Platinum Sean... im the same way. the farther away the better... my ex-girlfriend used to break my stones for parking so far from entrances... she just didnt understand... guess that why she is an EX...

 

After owning my truck for 10 months, for the first time I deployed the runningboards when I parked at the local supermarket (to buy lots of beer and a little bit of food).

It took me 5 friggin' minutes to figure out how to program the running boards to stay out, but I figured it out. I'll put the command sequence on a Post-It note on my steering wheel so it won't be such a big chore on my next beer run (errrr... food shopping trip). :-)

I don't think it made any difference, but there were no dings in the side of my truck.

 

Park far away and start walking.....

 

+1

 

I do this, but it always seems that somebody parks their car/truck/suv next to me in the empty lot. (like they think my truck is lonely and wants company!)

Kimo