Hello!
I tried a search but only found posts about suspension and bump stops!!!
Does anyone have recommendations for good & cheap rubber parking stops? Or another means for consistently parking our cars as close to the garage door as possible? I'm trying to free up some space in front of the cars for the toolbox, storage, and work areas. I'd appreciate some experienced opinions rather than trusting google!
Thank you!
My uncle hung a tennis ball on a string from the ceiling so that it was in contact with the windshield when the car was in the right position.
A piece of tape or other similar marking on the wall to line up with the side mirror works as well.
Amazon, Ace Hardware and Harbor Freight all have them.
I grew up with the tennis ball, but the cone and stick works best for me now. When the stick moves, I know I've hit the cone. I mark the floor, so I can move it and then reset it quickly.
jimgood said:My uncle hung a tennis ball on a string from the ceiling so that it was in contact with the windshield when the car was in the right position.
I did that also. Spouse has no clue and slides right past it. I was working on the motorcycle at the back of a 42 ft. deep garage and turned around right into the car, she just wanted to make sure it was in. We had some recycled rubber garden edging left over so I dropped a strip in front of her car when it was about a foot inside. No need to screw it down, it works fine and easily moved when necessary.
In my NY shop I bolted a scrap of aluminum directly to the concrete floor with a couple of Tapcons so my wife's car could be parked right up next to the milling machine. That worked great except that even spray painted orange I still tripped over it occasionally.
My inlaws have a ceiling mounted laser point that's aimed at a screw on the dashboard when the car is in the right spot. It's awesome. It's pretty easy to get it exactly on the screw head when you pull in and it gets the car positioned repeatedly within a fraction of an inch every time.
In reply to 914Driver :
I think that I'm going to steal that idea!
APEowner said:My inlaws have a ceiling mounted laser point that's aimed at a screw on the dashboard when the car is in the right spot. It's awesome. It's pretty easy to get it exactly on the screw head when you pull in and it gets the car positioned repeatedly within a fraction of an inch every time.
Thats the system we use.
Just get the car where you want it, and point the laser at some point on the dash or interior. Easy to see as you pull into the garage, and just get the laser in the right spot. Car goes in exact same spot, and nothing to trip over.
Big rubber parking block on my wifes side of the garage, which I should probably lag down into the concrete floor. Hanging ball from the drip tray of my lift for my side, as I park underneath the lift.
My engineer friend had a variation of the hanging tennis ball that was attached to the top of the garage door using a pulley or two. When you opened the door, the tennis ball lowered and worked as usual. When you closed the door, the tennis ball raised back up out of the way. Brilliant!
(As a non-engineer, I tried this and failed but might try again for the new house.)
For the lasers, how do you ensure accurate left-right alignment when pulling into the garage?
I back in to my garage and use a couple of strips of duct tape on the floor. As the first yellow stripe disappears under the bumper (viewed from the camera), I stop and it's within an inch or two of the garage door. I need a precise position for the truck as I need the distance behind it as a walk way.
Why make it difficult? I use 2x4s. Drill a hole through the 2x4 and into the concrete and drop in a couple of spikes and you can easily remove them when you need to. Or staple a 3 foot long piece of carpet to the 2x4 and you won't be able to bump them forward.
NoviceClass said:APEowner said:My inlaws have a ceiling mounted laser point that's aimed at a screw on the dashboard when the car is in the right spot. It's awesome. It's pretty easy to get it exactly on the screw head when you pull in and it gets the car positioned repeatedly within a fraction of an inch every time.
Thats the system we use.
Just get the car where you want it, and point the laser at some point on the dash or interior. Easy to see as you pull into the garage, and just get the laser in the right spot. Car goes in exact same spot, and nothing to trip over.
This is the way. Works perfectly every time. Nothing on the floor to trip over when the car is outside. Motion activated.
I have a wiffle ball on a string, the only bad thing about it is the kids like to punch/kick it for fun. They have only blown it off the string once and I find it entertaining (even though I don't tell them).
I used to have the lasers. People would come to my wife's garage sales and get weirded out. They thought a sniper was after them. 
Nowadays, I just use the backup camera. As soon as I can see the edge of the garage door frame, I know I'm in far enough. Hell, the Exploder has an overhead 360 view, so it's even easier with that.
We have a really tight side of the garage where the stairs to the house are, so much so that I actually had to narrow the stairs by 6" so our minivan would fit on that side. I installed a Camco AccuPark, because we have a delicate balance of needing to be in the garage far enough to clear the garage door in the rear, but not hitting the stairs in front of the car. It's worked very well for that purpose, and most impressively, it's stuck to the floor well for a few years (my prep work was not amazing).
I wish it was easily removable for the times when I'm using that side of the garage for project work, but I've been able to work around it pretty well so far.
dj06482 (Forum Supporter) said:We have a really tight side of the garage where the stairs to the house are, so much so that I actually had to narrow the stairs by 6" so our minivan would fit on that side. I installed a Camco AccuPark, because we have a delicate balance of needing to be in the garage far enough to clear the garage door in the rear, but not hitting the stairs in front of the car. It's worked very well for that purpose, and most impressively, it's stuck to the floor well for a few years (my prep work was not amazing).
I wish it was easily removable for the times when I'm using that side of the garage for project work, but I've been able to work around it pretty well so far.
Dimensions of the AccuPark:
18 1/16-inches (L) x 3 5/8-inches (W) x 1 3/8-inch (H)
A nominal 2x4 is 3.5" x 1.5", or 1/8" smaller. Coincidence?
Made me chuckle.
I like the mat variant, I might replace the 2x4s with one of those. Makes sure the car is both far enough in and not too far, unlike just having a stop at the end.
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