The entrance to my garage faces the side of my house and my driveway is narrow. So when I pull in I have to turn 90 degrees. With my old Jeep I have brushed the front outside corner bumper against the garage wall resulting in paint damage to the car and wall. I've also clipped the inside with the same result. The only safe way is to pull in a bit, back up, straighten out, and then pull in. Which is annoying. Now I have a new Jeep, which is larger and I really don't want to damage it.
I'm wondering if anyone has:
- An idea for something I could use for guidance – so I know I'm not cutting it too tight or too wide
- Or something I could put on the wall that the car would slide against so it doesn't damage the paint (as much)
Greatly appreciated!
Best Answer
You've provided an answer which you deem annoying, yet works. Contact with a motor vehicle means damage in almost all cases. There is no way to allow one large mass to slide against another without damage. (Item 2 in your post)
In an unrealistic response, you would drive your vehicle onto a caddy, lock the wheels in place and press a button. The caddy would then motor into the garage on a predetermined track, touching nothing and causing no damage. Helicopter pilots use a system similar to this for moving a powered-down helicopter into the hanger, although it's not automated.
Realistically, one could place a convex mirror on the outside of the garage near the area expected to take impact. The convex mirror is similar to those found in stores allowing the cashier to observe a wide area for traffic. In the case of the garage mounting, it permits the operator of the motor vehicle to observe the vehicle perimeters along with the building limitations and to keep the two apart.
Depending on the steering geometry and wheelbase of your vehicle and other mechanical parameters, you may have no option other than the back-and-fill method of positioning your vehicle for entry. This is a common practice used in many driving situations.
Depending on your driving skills, you may be able accomplish a garage entry in a single pass by reversing into the garage. This increases the risk of contact with the building if your reversing skills are poor and may also require multiple passes to align the vehicle with the intended destination.