Suggestions for parking in a VERY narrow garage?

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JamesFuckinLahey@reddit

My solution is to park my vintage car in my vintage garage. They fit each other pretty well except when I need to work on the car, then it’s a pain

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JollyGreenGigantor@reddit

Same. my XJ fits perfectly in a 1950s garage and it's sitting about as tall as I can clear under the garage door.

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That70sShop@reddit

. . .but a vintage 1964 Mercury Wagon isn't going to fit. It's 4" wider than is street legal.

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daver456@reddit

Sometimes I’m taken aback by the fact that I used to park my e39 M5 in the same spot that barely seems to fit my S2000. I definitely had to think thin thoughts getting in and out of the M5.

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Dutchy8210@reddit

My 1987 Vw fits perfect into my old 1 stall garages.

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Time will help… I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee fit into an SF garage with that kind of clearance at an angle. Day 1 was an Austin Powers style 17 point turn. Year 3 was a smooth 3 point turn. You’ll get used to it.

Don’t drink and drive.

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Illustrious_Ant_37@reddit

Back in

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wpmason@reddit

Have spatial awareness.

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Fragrant-Hand6549@reddit

Think slim

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Lzinger@reddit

Focus on the mirror on your side. You should easily be able to see if it's going to hit. Learn how close that one needs to be for the other side not to hit.

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skylinesora@reddit

Reverse park

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EuroCanadian2@reddit

Get the driver's side mirror to be 2" or 3" from the narrow spot. Then you know there are 5" or 4" on the other side. The door opening and you car are always the same dimensions, after all.

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Scazitar@reddit

Go tight on one side then you know your clear on the other.

Do this all the time at work and as others have said this stuff tends to be easier if you back in.

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XfinityHomeWifi@reddit

Reverse into the garage and use your mirrors. Easier than pulling in because you can see exactly how close you are on each side

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crazymonk45@reddit

Tuck it close to the drivers side since it’s easier to gauge the distance between the mirror and wall on the close side, like in a drive through. Over time you’ll learn how much extra distance you can afford to give

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brnjenkn@reddit

get a smaller car?

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Cusp-of-Precibus@reddit

3.5" on either side, boom, right in the middle

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BrightLuchr@reddit

I've got a 1920 garage. I've got about the same space on my SUV. Due to the layout of the backyard, backing in is very important if I want to get out easily.

1: Take you time (backing in).
2: Construct 2 small but bright LED lights that are aligned with the middle of your side mirrors each side. Wired them for typical 12V bias (20mA, 510 ohm resistor usually depending on LED color).
3: Attach some floor padding on the wall beside your driver door so the edge doesn't get chipped.
4. Screw a 2x4 stop block into floor at perfect distance back in the garage for your situation (for your rear tires to bump).

I consistent back in within an inch of the same position every time. The LEDs are important especially in strong sunlight because the sunlight blinds you to everything in the dark garage.

Going in forward is no big deal. Just don't hit the edges.

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DavyDavisJr@reddit

Bright tennis ball suspended by fat yarn that will end up touching the windshield in front of your chin. A vertical line of blue tape on the front wall so that you line up the yarn against the vertical tape. This will line you up +/- 1 inch. Set it up when you are parked in the perfect position.

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Eyehopeuchoke@reddit

Try not to hit the wall

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BertramScudder@reddit

TinyGarage here too. I'm just saving up my money to buy whatever self-driving Tesla will let me get out of the car on the driveway, and then I can instruct it to fold its mirrors in and park itself.

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doctorcapslock@reddit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QksqWRqEfy0

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mini4x@reddit

Thats a hoot, love how he has to open the doors and move the car to get out.

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hunglikeabeee@reddit

Plot twist: OP drives a dually F350

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coconutpete52@reddit

put a pool noodle on the wall for when you smack it with the door.

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hunglikeabeee@reddit

I use old interlocking foam pieces that my son used to play on when he was little. Gives me an extra couple of inches to open the door since they’re only like 1/2” thick

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mini4x@reddit

I find it easier to squeak into small space in reverse.

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Rlchv70@reddit

Pick one of the mirrors and put the garage door only about 1" away from that mirror. That way, you know there is 5" of clearance to the other mirror, and you can just concentrate on the one that is close.

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Novogobo@reddit

put a mirror against the back wall

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Electrical_Report458@reddit

Install mirrors that will allow you to see the gap on each side. I use the tall mirrors that are meant to mount on the back of a bedroom door.

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Z06916@reddit

Make the door wider? Fold your mirrors in, if you have 5” on the drivers side you know you have 9” on the other side.

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FloatingFreeMe@reddit (OP)

Yes, about to look into that. But if there’s a less expensive option it would be better.

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Z06916@reddit

Narrower car?

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Better-Credit6701@reddit

Sounds like our garage. Our house was built by a guy named Mr Scott in 1945 after he came back from the war. Back then, most people only had a single car and his wife died shortly after they married so there wasn't a need for anything larger.

We do have a piece of plastic dangling from the ceiling to make sure that my wife's SUV can fit and the wall does have more than a few door marks.

Funny thing is that Mr Scott was known to have more than a few lady friends coming to visit so he made a spot in the driveway that they could park besides the garage door. We had a bench swing in the backyard that would often rock when there wasn't wind. In my mind, he was just trying to sweet talk to one of his lady friends.

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Specialist-Draw-1157@reddit

Some people hang tennis balls on the garage ceiling so they just touch the car then use them to guide them in.

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jarski60@reddit

Reversing the car there. Mirrors help

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Dee_Jay_Roomba@reddit

This right here.

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Wilds_Garage@reddit

Is it an American 1950s garage? Because if so, they were putting land yachts in that thing so you should be fine.

If its a European 1950s garage....well.....yeah that shit will be tight.

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Old-Significance4921@reddit

Go slow and look.

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Scar3crow_x@reddit

This

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BlackCatFurry@reddit

Reverse in and when you are just about at the door fold the mirrors in (assuming you are able to do so automatically) and reverse rest of the way in.

It's easier to reverse in when you can see the doorframe and the body of your car and compare the distance on both sides in your mirrors. Then you also can drive out easier and not have to reverse out in a hurry.

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ozzy_thedog@reddit

Back in. It’ll be easy after a couple tries

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singul4r1ty@reddit

Tape some old carpet on the walls at the height of the widest part of your car so when you do inevitably scrape it you don't scratch it

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Happy_Library_3763@reddit

Roll down your window and stick your head out look at your wheels and your mirror on the driver’s side. If you clear the door by 1” with the mirror you’ll have plenty of room on the other side. It might help to paint a line on the floor. Also I find it easier to back in to tight spots

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mrhippo3@reddit

Before trying to drive in, fold in both side mirrors. This gives you a few more inches of space. I also have storage space in the garage in front of my car. I put up a step stool as a “target” to help with positioning.

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gheiminfantry@reddit

BREAKING NEWS

You might not be able to use the garage.

More At Eleven

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gotcha640@reddit

Man I thought we were talking actually tight fit. Plenty of parking lots and garages across the world (Italy and Morocco that I’ve been in) put your car in neutral and push it in to a spot, within an inch of the next car, often just resting bumpers against each other.

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agiordanony@reddit

Reversing in would probably give you the best view. The side rear view mirrors will let you see the rear going in close as long as you keep it straight you be as close as you want. Going in forward it will be harder to judge how close the front passenger side is to the wall and you want see how close you are until you’re halfway in and won’t have room for adjustment.

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Miliean@reddit

First option is to get a smaller car.

Failing that, get one where both mirrors can close in with pressing a button (this gives you more space).

Next, what you really want is an indicator that you're not too far to the left or too far to the right, there's a few options. A mirror is a good place to start, place it at the end of the garage so you can see yourself pulling in. This allows you to easily see if you are to far left or right.

If that's not really possible, there's a few other ways. One of them is to place a marker somehow on the drivers side. Something like a tennis ball on the end of a pool noodle, cut to exact length. Then you get your driver's window as close to that tennis ball as possible. Since it's on your side it's easy to see, it's soft so no worries if you accidently hit it and if you position is perfectly it also ensures that you're not going to collide with anything on the other side.

You can also mark the place on your garage back wall that the headlights need to hit if you're direct on center. But that can be hard depending on how point focused your headlights are.

Last option, hang a tennis ball from the ceiling of the garage on a string. When the car is in the exact correct position, the tennis ball should hit the windshield right in the middle of your sightline. If it's too far to one side or the other, you know you're on wrong approach.

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FloatingFreeMe@reddit (OP)

Just bought a new car (Wrangler) a month before we learned that we’d have to move. So selling it isn’t an option. But the pool noodle is a brilliant idea, as are the headlight targets. Thanks!

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Miliean@reddit

If it makes you feel more badass, I based the idea around "the ball" that's used to help Jets land on Aircraft carriers. Basically a light with a very narrow focus that they can only see if they are on the proper landing path.

That's why the fighter pilots in movies are always saying "I have the ball" while landing. I say that to myself every time I park now. It's just "cool" enough that it makes my ADHD brain remember to do it every single time I pull in.

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Critical-Magician421@reddit

Just thought of one. Remember those beaded curtains they used to have in the 60s between rooms. Put them on either side cut to the width of your car. Then if you're hitting the beads you need to adjust. I guess cloth curtain could work too

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brett0917@reddit

We have 2 vehicles we park in our garage and to get far enough over to the left side where I park, I’ve gotten used to going slow and watching my side mirror. I have to get maybe an inch away with the mirror for me to be over far enough so my wife can get into her car while both cars are in the garage. It was just a matter of repetition and getting used to the vehicle.

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r00000000@reddit

I'm in this situation now and you get used to it, over time you get used to the angle you approach from, you subconsciously develop frames of reference. The only thing I recommend when you first start is get as close to the driver's side of the garage door as you can, that way you guarantee you have enough space on the other side. Tape some foam or something to the wall so you don't ding the door when you get out, and you can tape something flexible like rubber to the edge of the garage so you can graze that before you hit the door in case you get it wrong.

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Mysterious_Coach1100@reddit

Yeah that’s tight 😅honestly best cheap solution is adding guide markers (like tape or reflective strips) on the garage floor/walls so you line up the same every time. Some people also hang a tennis ball or use parking sensors/cameras for extra help. Once you get your reference points, it becomes muscle memory.

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FloatingFreeMe@reddit (OP)

I understand the tennis ball for how far to pull in. But how would they help side to side

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Critical-Magician421@reddit

Hang a tennis ball on each side. Then try not to touch the tennis balls.

I just got a new car and man the parking tech is pretty great these days.

You can use your remote to pull in and out of right spots like your garage

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daddydonuts1@reddit

Just do like everybody else and park the car on the drive and use your garage for all the junk you haven’t taken to the tip yet.

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flerchin@reddit

I setup mirrors in my garage for tight squeezes. Like you see at a car wash. Easy to install just a screw. Keeps my wife from dinging my mustang lol.

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theweedman@reddit

you have a whole 7 inches of clearance? I live in SF and our 'garage' was never meant to accommodate a car, rather a horse. pull in those mirrors, put up some foam padding on the the walls and practice. We only have 4 inches of total clearance for out 992

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Bigbadbrindledog@reddit

Back in, use your mirrors to keep it lined up the entire time.

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RBR927@reddit

You need a reference point ahead of you. Use a spotter and drive in super slowly. Put something on the wall opposite the door that lines up with the center of your steering wheel. Use this as a reference every time moving forward.

Source: A Miata that fits in my garage with inches to spare.

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advamputee@reddit

Tilt your passenger side mirror down until you can see your rear tire. Back in while watching where that tire goes.