We’re not knocking it. Sometimes the least expensive and simplest solutions are the best. A tennis ball suspended from a string attached to your garage ceiling that comes to rest on your windshield to let you know you’re pulled in far enough has been an old standby for years.
Let’s say that for whatever reason, the tennis ball approach just isn’t working for you. What are your choices? Try these suggestions.
Parking Targets
These are simple parking stops. You slowly pull up to the stop and you know you’re where you want to be when your tire gently bumps into it. These parking aids are easy to install. Most feature a peel-and-stick adhesive that keeps them in place.
You’ll want to thoroughly clean the garage floor area where you plan to stick the target to make sure it’ll stay there. You’ll generally be satisfied with this solution as long as you don’t have a lot of garage projects that need clear floor space.
Garage Parking Mats
The parking targets are meant to stay in place, so if that’s an issue, you might want to look into this solution, instead. These mats also tend to give you more feedback. You’ll first roll over a small bump in the mat, which gives you the sign you’re about to come up against the target and it’s time to stop.
These mats tend not to move by themselves, but you will want to check that they’re where you want them to be—and they can be completely moved out of the way if you need the space to be clear.
Parking Signal Kits
If you’d rather go with a visual cue, look into an LED parking signal kit. A red stop sign flashes at you when your vehicle makes contact with a flexible pole that the sign is mounted on. Most of these parking kits are at least four feet tall, so they’ll work with SUVs and pickup trucks—and it’s not a problem if you back into your garage.
Like the garage parking mats, the signal kit can easily be moved out of the way if it’s not needed or you’re going to use that area of your garage for something else.
Ultrasonic and Laser
Feeling like going high tech? A growing number of manufacturers offer ultrasonic sensors. They sense how close your vehicle is to a receiving unit, which triggers what amounts to a mini traffic light you’ll place where you can see it. Green means keep going, while yellow means you’re getting close to the correct parking position. Red means stop and put it in park.
If there’s a soft spot in your heart for the tennis ball approach, you can kick it up a notch by installing a parking laser. It’s mounted on your ceiling. The laser is activated when a motion detector senses you’ve pulled in. The red laser shines down on your car offering you a brilliant red dot, rather than a fuzzy yellow tennis ball, as your cue to stop.
There is, of course, one more option. We think it’s the best option of all. Give yourself the luxury of plenty of room to park. Our prefab garage kits are the solution to limited space and concern about parking forward enough to close the overhead door. Use this form to tell us what you need to fit in a garage. We’ll send you a free quote and information about the advantage of the Miracle Truss® design.
