Garage Parking with Limited Space

During the summer months I like to leave the car parked just outside the garage. In the winter we have to move it inside and there in lies the problem.

We have limited garage parking space and with the car parked inside there isn't much room for walking between the front bumper and the trash cans located along the back wall of the garage. In addition, I had to walk in front of the car when I put the dog on his chain. With the car in the garage there is not enough room to walk around behind the car and along the right side to the front of the car. I needed a garage parking plan.

The problem is knowing just how far you can pull in the garage and stop, leaving enough clearance in the front to walk around and yet being far enough inside to close the overhead door without hitting the rear of the car.

Sounds simple and most of the time it is. There are enough times however, that we pull in a little too far so it is a tight squeeze between the front bumper and the trash cans. Other times, while trying to keep a good clearance in front, we don't pull in far enough and have to get back in the car and inch ahead a little. Not a major problem as problems go, but annoying.

I tried putting boards down to let us know when we were far enough in but they always moved after a few times parking. I tried picking a spot on the wall while looking out the drivers side window but if I wasn't sitting exactly in the same position each time that wasn't very accurate.

I finally hit on a solution that works every time. I parked the car in the garage where I wanted it to be every time I pulled in the garage. I took a piece of clothes line rope and hung it from a beam above the windshield and tied a knot in the end. I then took a tennis ball and cut a slit in it and poked the end of the rope with the knot thru the slit and into the tennis ball. I adjusted the rope length so the ball just touched the windshield.

Now, with my garage parking plan, when we pull into the garage we stop when the windshield makes contact with the ball and we are in the same spot every time.