How to Park Your Car In The Garage Without Hitting The Wall

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Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure

  • Screwdriver

  • String

  • Styrofoam ball

  • Scissors

  • Pencil

  • Nail

  • Hammer

  • Ladder

Parking a car in a garage can be a challenge if the garage is small. Before attempting to pull your car into the garage, set up a focus point inside the garage to help gauge distance and remove the guesswork. This item will serve as the point to stop the car at just the right spot, so you will enter and park safely and be able to close the door without any chance of striking the wall with your vehicle.

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Step 1

Ask a friend or family member to help you with the first step. Have the person stand off to the side in the garage, in the middle point between the garage entrance and the front wall. Slowly drive the car into the garage. Have the person tell you when the car is in the garage enough to close the door and still far enough away from the front wall.

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Step 2

Put the car in park and turn off the ignition. Use the tape measure to measure from the front wall to the center of the windshield. Measure down from the rafter or roof of the garage above the car down to the center of the windshield.

Step 3

Use the screwdriver to make a hole going through the Styrofoam ball. Insert one end of the string into the ball until it comes out the other end. Tie the string in a knot large enough so the string will not pull out of the ball.

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Step 4

Cut the length of the string so it is the same length as the measurement you took from the rafter to the center of the windshield. Tie a loop in the end of the string.

Step 5

Move the car out of the garage. Measure out from the front wall to where the center of the windshield was when the car was in the garage. Set up the ladder in this location. Climb the ladder to the top of the garage where you will place the string.

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Step 6

Measure out from the front wall to find the exact location where you will place the nail. Mark the spot with a pencil. Use a hammer to pound the nail into the spot, leaving about 1/3 inch of the nail exposed.

Step 7

Place the loop of the string on the nail. Fold up the ladder and set it aside out of the way. Drive the car into the garage and stop when the ball touches the windshield.

Tip

You can use a tennis ball in place of the Styrofoam ball, but it may hurt if you walk into it when the car isn't in the garage.

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