Narrow Single Garage parking aids/sensors or recommendations

Hi All,

Hoping any people with a narrow single garage can help.

I have a very narrow entry to my garage (2130mm), so it will just fit with 5cm each side with Emira mirrors in!!

It opens up to 2900 mm once in, so hopefully enough room to allow the driver out if I drive in at a slight angle.

Regardless, it’s going to be very tight. Depth is not an issue, it’s the entry width I’m concerned about.

Wondered if anyone has come across any good driver aids/lasers etc to help? Other than perhaps putting some very thin foam or carpet on the garage entrance walls which is more damage limitation than preventative.

I’ve been researching but there don’t seem to be many. I’ve found one laser which sticks to the side of your garage and beeps but it’s only accurate to a min of 4 inches, I only have 5cm, so not going to work.

Finally, do you find it easier to reverse in or drive in?

Big thanks,

 

[CheshireCat]

Actually might need two mirrors each angled so to see down each side.
I was thinking would that work in the dark winter evenings?……… Then I had a light bulb moment.

 

[dgrace]

Tape lines on the floor for sure, back in lining up rear wheels with the tape, fold mirrors right before they enter and just go straight back from there.

 

[TomE]

Hi All,

Hoping any people with a narrow single garage can help.

I have a very narrow entry to my garage (2130mm), so it will just fit with 5cm each side with Emira mirrors in!!

It opens up to 2900 mm once in, so hopefully enough room to allow the driver out if I drive in at a slight angle.

Regardless, it’s going to be very tight. Depth is not an issue, it’s the entry width I’m concerned about.

Wondered if anyone has come across any good driver aids/lasers etc to help? Other than perhaps putting some very thin foam or carpet on the garage entrance walls which is more damage limitation than preventative.

I’ve been researching but there don’t seem to be many. I’ve found one laser which sticks to the side of your garage and beeps but it’s only accurate to a min of 4 inches, I only have 5cm, so not going to work.

Finally, do you find it easier to reverse in or drive in?

Big thanks,

You've got "loads" of room! The Emira is 2092mm wide with mirrors out and 1895mm with them folded, so you've got over 11cm each side when you drive in.

My garage door opening is 2090mm so the Emira would only go in with mirrors folded. My Evora is 2047mm wide with mirrors and 1848mm folded, so does in theory go in with the mirrors out and 2cm spare either side. It can be done but is tricky, but folding in the mirrors briefly to go through and then opening them out again is fine.

Once you're inside the garage you should have enough room to open the door and get out. The door is 126cm long from the hinge to the outermost point on the door when it's open. The door is about 24cm thick at the widest point. So if the outside edge is against the garage wall then you've got 24cm less space to get out. A drawing or some old school trigonometry should show how much space you get.

I use a ball on a string to let me know when I've got far enough in to the garage. You could easily use two of these (one at the nose and one mid-car) and/or a vertical line painted on the back wall of the garage to give you a means of lining up the car before you drive in.

You can also get heavy duty rubber strips that glue or screw to the garage floor to create a guide channel.

If you want the fully automated solution then there's this:

My Parker - Automated Garage Parking Trolley

Our Automated Garage Parking Trolley allows you to park outside the garage, step out with ease, and then use our device to move your car into the garage.

www.myparker.co.uk

 

[KJD]

You've got "loads" of room!

That’s kinda what I was thinking based on the measurements provided.

Another opportunity to post this:

 

[freefall_junkie]

I have come up with a solution which works well for me. I bought an ieGeek rechargeable WIFI security camera (about £60 on Amazon). This allows you to stream live footage to an app on your phone. I have the camera mounted on the wall close to the left side of the garage door and just plonk the phone on the dash when I am putting the car in and out of the garage (nose first). It gives a lot of reassurance being able to see the blind left flank of the car and surprisingly there is very little lag on the camera. There are a few things to be aware of though. First, you obviously need a good strong WIFI signal, so I added a £12 WIFI extender in the garage. Second, if your phone is connected to Android Auto it seems to knobble the garage WIFI connection, so I have to temporary disconnect it. There may be a way round this but I haven’t looked into it yet. Finally, most WIFI security cams have a wide angle lens which means they would have to be mounted very close to the garage door. If I was doing it again I would probably get one with a zoom lens which would enable it to be mounted further back in the garage. Hope that helps.

 

[Calran]

You've got "loads" of room! The Emira is 2092mm wide with mirrors out and 1895mm with them folded, so you've got over 11cm each side when you drive in.

My garage door opening is 2090mm so the Emira would only go in with mirrors folded. My Evora is 2047mm wide with mirrors and 1848mm folded, so does in theory go in with the mirrors out and 2cm spare either side. It can be done but is tricky, but folding in the mirrors briefly to go through and then opening them out again is fine.

Once you're inside the garage you should have enough room to open the door and get out. The door is 126cm long from the hinge to the outermost point on the door when it's open. The door is about 24cm thick at the widest point. So if the outside edge is against the garage wall then you've got 24cm less space to get out. A drawing or some old school trigonometry should show how much space you get.

I use a ball on a string to let me know when I've got far enough in to the garage. You could easily use two of these (one at the nose and one mid-car) and/or a vertical line painted on the back wall of the garage to give you a means of lining up the car before you drive in.

You can also get heavy duty rubber strips that glue or screw to the garage floor to create a guide channel.

If you want the fully automated solution then there's this:

My Parker - Automated Garage Parking Trolley

Our Automated Garage Parking Trolley allows you to park outside the garage, step out with ease, and then use our device to move your car into the garage.

www.myparker.co.uk

Great, thanks for all the info.

Seems people get in with a lot less space than I have which is promising.

I’ll still be sh***** it when I first do it

 

[Calran]

I have come up with a solution which works well for me. I bought an ieGeek rechargeable WIFI security camera (about £60 on Amazon). This allows you to stream live footage to an app on your phone. I have the camera mounted on the wall close to the left side of the garage door and just plonk the phone on the dash when I am putting the car in and out of the garage (nose first). It gives a lot of reassurance being able to see the blind left flank of the car and surprisingly there is very little lag on the camera. There are a few things to be aware of though. First, you obviously need a good strong WIFI signal, so I added a £12 WIFI extender in the garage. Second, if your phone is connected to Android Auto it seems to knobble the garage WIFI connection, so I have to temporary disconnect it. There may be a way round this but I haven’t looked into it yet. Finally, most WIFI security cams have a wide angle lens which means they would have to be mounted very close to the garage door. If I was doing it again I would probably get one with a zoom lens which would enable it to be mounted further back in the garage. Hope that helps.

Awesome, think this with some tram lines on the floor and some tennis balls hanging from the ceiling should do it

 

[Calran]

Do you have the option of having a builder widen the opening?

Unfortunately not no, that would definitely be the sensible option if I could

 

[emiralust]

For me: I have a ring camera at the back of the garage although I don't actually use this to park. Be careful to measure the true minimum width of your garage door - my garage locking mechanism has 2 rings at the bottom of the opening which will get my alloys if not careful, that's the true width you need to consider. The mirror L + R buttons on your door flash to indicate you need to put your mirrors in which is quite clever - I have a setting in the infotainment set to dip both mirrors when reverse gear is selected so I can line up with the garage rings then I put the mirrors in. Head out the window watching the alloys getting as close as comfortable to the side I can see and I know I'm good on the other side having had someone watch it go in at least once/watched back on the ring video. Carpet on the wall is an absolute must, double sided tape £1, carpet offcut free, clanging these super wide door on the way out £selfembarassment. Getting out of this car the lower of the 2 angles on the door is the widest and you can’t see it or hold onto it as you get out.

My dad has a good one, goes in front ways and uses mirrors at the back of the garage to see, it’s a like a ring camera but for old people

I’ll edit this another time with my garage door width.

 

[Calran]

For me: I have a ring camera at the back of the garage although I don't actually use this to park. Be careful to measure the true minimum width of your garage door - my garage locking mechanism has 2 rings at the bottom of the opening which will get my alloys if not careful, that's the true width you need to consider. The mirror L + R buttons on your door flash to indicate you need to put your mirrors in which is quite clever. Head out the window watching the alloys getting as close as comfortable to the side I can see and I know I'm good on the other side having had someone watch it go in at least once/watched back on the ring video. Carpet on the wall is an absolute must, double sided tape £1, carpet offcut free, clanging these super wide door on the way out £selfembarassment. Getting out of this car the lower of the 2 angles on the door is the widest and you can’t see it or hold onto it as you get out.

My dad has a good one, goes in front ways and uses mirrors at the back of the garage to see, it’s a like a ring camera but for old people

I’ll edit this another time with my garage door width.
View attachment 22857

Thanks, looks very similar to my garage. Do you know the width of yours inside? Do you get out the driver or passenger door?

 

[emiralust]

I get out the driver's door, but passenger's door can open too. I'll measure up when I next go in and edit my post to have it

 

[PaperLawyer]

I feel stressed just reading the garage door width restrictions you guys are facing! My garage is just a new build double garage but I had the central pillar between the two garage doors removed and RSJ fitted so that I could have a single, double width garage door installed. That way the car can be quickly driven into the middle of the garage, allowing the doors to be opened with reckless abandon

 

[Mistral]

Thanks, looks very similar to my garage. Do you know the width of yours inside? Do you get out the driver or passenger door?

Another thing to consider is what Jamie at B&C told Ade ( @Evotion ) when he collected his car. Use the seat position memory buttons so that M2 has the seat right back, giving you more room to swing your feet out and in. Then just press M1 to move the seat to your normal position.

 

[teamvxracing]

sounds like your garage is same as mine , I have to have reverse to get lined up , then jump out and push my VX220 the rest.

 

[lion shf]

My dad has a good one, goes in front ways and uses mirrors at the back of the garage to see, it’s a like a ring camera but for old people

i love this so much.

 

[Andy H]

I'm rebooting this discussion following the first attempt with my garage yesterday. The width of the opening is 2133mm but there are a couple of metal lock plates low down on the frame so realistically more like 1993mm. That leaves approx 5cm either side which isn't an awful lot to play with!

I'm currently working on a couple of driver aids:

The low tech solution...

The high tech solution:

Arduino Distance Detector With a Buzzer and LED's

Arduino Distance Detector With a Buzzer and LED's: This is a simple guide on how to make a distance detector using an Arduino, a HC-SRO4 Ultrasonic Sensor, a Buzzer, and some LED's. The ultimate goal of this tutorial is to use the buzzer and LED's to display how far the object is from the ultr…

www.instructables.com

Surprisingly, I wasn't able to find anything on the market to do this with enough accuracy.

 

[DaaS]

I'm rebooting this discussion following the first attempt with my garage yesterday. The width of the opening is 2133mm but there are a couple of metal lock plates low down on the frame so realistically more like 1993mm. That leaves approx 5cm either side which isn't an awful lot to play with!

I'm currently working on a couple of driver aids:

The low tech solution...
View attachment 40270

The high tech solution:

Arduino Distance Detector With a Buzzer and LED's

Arduino Distance Detector With a Buzzer and LED's: This is a simple guide on how to make a distance detector using an Arduino, a HC-SRO4 Ultrasonic Sensor, a Buzzer, and some LED's. The ultimate goal of this tutorial is to use the buzzer and LED's to display how far the object is from the ultr…

www.instructables.com

Surprisingly, I wasn't able to find anything on the market to do this with enough accuracy.

I sometimes use a Ring camera and do live view on my phone. You can zoom in and out if needed. Works well.

 

[Rupes]

This post is anxiety inducing.

 

[Andy H]

I sometimes use a Ring camera and do live view on my phone. You can zoom in and out if needed. Works well.

This is a good shout. Looking on Amazon, amazingly, you get now get a simple indoors 2K wifi camera for £17! I think I'll try a couple of these as my high tech option first. An added bonus is that they can also give movement alerts

 

[Pugwash]

Can you reverse in? I have lights on the back wall of the garage. I use the wing mirror to align the car with the back corner of the garage and slowly reverse in, dropping the near side mirror a little in steps as I come in so I can see the rear arch and how close to the wall. When the mirror gets to the garage door gap, I fold them in on the button and then fold back out once I am past the door post to finish off the parking. The car sensors and camera help me with positioning, but I do have a sheet of card stuck to that wall in case I get the rear arch too close!