Here are 4 of the best parking gadgets to ensure your garage (and car) stay scratch-free.
If you’re lucky, you’ll never know the feeling of backing up into your garage (like you always do) and suddenly hearing an unfamiliar snap, scratch, or pop. For those unlucky ones that have accidentally backed up too far and hit a tool box or scratched the rear bumper against the wall of their tight garage, these helpful guides will ensure a perfect park—every time.
Parking Ball
The concept of the parking ball is simple enough so long as you install it correctly, and there is also more than one way to use it. The first way you can use it is as a deterrent to not go any further into your garage, in which case it should be hung at the back so when you hit the ball, it lights up and alerts you not to go any further. However, you could also hang it near the front of your garage so it just touches your front windshield when you park, therefore notifying you that you have achieved a perfect park and should not back up any further (this works best if you normally park in reverse). Either way, its a cheap method to make sure you park well and still have some wiggle room.
License Plate Frame Reverse Camera
If you have an older vehicle without a back-up camera, one of these license plate frames with a camera will serve you well. Requiring only a few screws to install, this frame looks like any other plate frame but with the added capability of a camera, which will (hopefully) eliminate any chance of reversing into your garage walls. This gadget needs someone who is a little tech-savvy, as it requires threading a few wires through the car in order to get the display to work with the camera. But once it works, you’ll be blessed with the capabilities of a modern vehicle. Welcome to the future!
Parking Mat
This particular option works best if you’re always parking the same car in the same spot. Simply stick these mats exactly where your tires sit when its parked in the perfect position and you’ll always know when you’re in the right spot! But if you alternate between, let’s say, a Honda Odyssey and a Toyota Yaris, these vehicles both have different dimensions and thus, the parking mats won’t be as useful as they would be when used on all four tires for the same car.
Laser Sensor
Although it looks pretty high-tech, this parking assist is as easy in installing as a tennis ball, and the way it works is practically identical—you just won’t be an odd ball with a tennis ball randomly hung from their ceiling. Find the perfect spot to aim this laser at your car (we recommend your dashboard, atop your infotainment system), and install this laser sensor on your garage ceiling so it points right at that spot. Once installed, you’ll know when to stop backing up—once that laser hits that spot on your dashboard—and voila, there’s the perfect park!
