Garage trix

[kaz]

So...strangely I have come this far in life without living in a place with my own private garage. So I got one now, and like the garage itself is spacious but the entrance where the car drives through is not. I know some people do the ball hanging thing to see how far to drive in, but what about something to guide the car laterally? After the flares get on my car the ass will big enough where I might end up with inches on either side of the car...and I'm not (that much) an idiot so I can drive the car in probably with no trouble, but wondering if there is some foam stick contraption thingy that people use? Blue tape on ground for front wheels? I am overthinking this yes but I'm like that.

[Moto44]

Drive up as close to the left hand side as you comfortably can and stop when your sideview mirror is at the narrowest point. Then check to see how much room you have on the right hand side. This will give you a reference for your margin of error.

From then on, drive in using your left sideview mirror as your reference. You'll get good at it in no time...I hope.

[qball]

[goelise]

Originally Posted by Moto44

Drive up as close to the left hand side as you comfortably can and stop when your sideview mirror is at the narrowest point. Then check to see how much room you have on the right hand side. This will give you a reference for your margin of error.

From then on, drive in using your left sideview mirror as your reference. You'll get good at it in no time...I hope.

Yes, exactly what I do too.

[25psi_Elise_Killer]

Try this:
http://microfiber-products-online.st...t/ap1--db.html

[kaz]

aw yes, use the left mirror to gauge...sorry for being such a garage-tard but the lasers seem cool too

[pla_time]

Here's a low tech solution.

[holmz]

The wife said she needed side guides.
I hung some pvc off string for her, and then asked her is she knew anything about, or had ever seen, Olympic Kayaking...
After she blinked and said "NO", I told her "Stay between the pipes".
It didn't work too bad - but the string broke and she uses the side mirror now.

A mirror in the front (on the wall) would allow you to see back and would probably be best.

[SouL]

I use a large amount of duct tape to create a nice thick guide along the walls. I simply line up the black "door handle" in the car with the tape. I'm not centered in the garage all the time. But fairly decent at giving myself enough room when coming in. The tape acts as a nice bit of soft padding so the door has something to rest on if I'm REALLY close to the wall. Probably better to get some kind of foam padding instead.

I use the wall because I back into the garage. If for some reason I have to go in front first, I try my best to stop before hitting the garbage bins. Hah

[TimMullen]

I use the mirror on the left side as my guide - as I pull in the door, I place my hand on the outside of the mirror and measure the distance to the door frame. Same thing backing out so I don't nail the mirror. After a few times, placing the car becomes second nature and not a problem.

As for knowing where to stop, handing balls, etc. don't do it for me. Instead, I use a $15 parking mat (got it at Lowes - but they sell them many places and on line). I pull forward until I go over the first bump, and then stop before hitting the second. I placed the mat such that when my tire is anywhere between the two bumps, I clear the door in the rear, and the work bench, etc. in the front with room to spare.

After I figured out where I wanted the mat, I drew around it with a marker so I can put it back if it gets kicked. You could always glue it down if you wanted to...

[MattG]

I figure out where to stop by turning around and looking behind me to see how far away the garage door frame is. In front of my car, I have a (empty) fishtank I'm not using. Yeah, I often get it wrong, but I consider this good practice for judging where the ends of the car are. I haven't hit the fish tank yet, but HAVE misjudged the rear and had to scoot it forward a bit to close the door.

Oh, and no worries, this is for my daily driver; the Lotus has no fish tank in front of it to hit.

I use the method Tim describes to judge the side-to-side position.

[Chococar]

I've used the hanging tennis ball before and it worked very well.

[Irishfan04]

My Liftmaster door opener has this cool plug n play accessory that is essentially a laser beam mounted in the garage that you use as a point of reference. I think it's worth checking out, I believe other manufacturers have similar products.

[kestrel74]

I just got a hunk of 4 x 4 by 12" and screwed it down to the concrete floor ( the front left tire hits the block when I'm 6 inches away from the Europa ) ...perfect every time.

[xtn]

I hired four Victoria's Secret catalog models (they're in-between shoots) to stand in my garage and guide me in. No problems so far.

xtn

[Shaggy]

I've got a couple of pieces of scrap wood that I use as wheels chocks when pulling in. I back both cars (New Beetle & Elise) in just by watching for and aiming for those two pieces of wood. When I feel the wheel hit I let off the gas.

[deddie]

Originally Posted by Chococar

I've used the hanging tennis ball before and it worked very well.

I friend of mine used to do that for his M5. One day, while his M5 was parked in the garage, his labrador retriever decided it was time to play ball. Guess which ball the dog picked for play time. And guess how the dog was able to get to the ball. M5 hoods are not cheap to repair.