I have a Dodge Magnum. The Magnum sits low to the ground and when I pull into a parking place I often run over the concrete curb stop. When backing up I tear up my grille. I have to replace the front bumper now and was thinking of buying the old fashioned curb feelers to warn me when I’m close to the concrete but someone suggested a laser proximity sensor.
Does anyone know of a practical device to warn me when I’m a foot or so from the concrete stop so I don’t have to install the silly looking wire curb feelers?
A good ol’ curb feeler wont tell you the front obstacle very well, I don’t know of any electronic ones yet but maybe you can adapt the aim of the back-up sensors for that application. ( put on the bottom of front bumper aiming angled down ? Adjust the distance close enough so it won’t be on the whole time just seeing the road suface.) You may have a new and marketable idea there. My search of electronic curb feelers came up completely empty except for the old standard antennea type.
Till then, learn your car’s distances and stop early when in doubt.
By now you certainly know how close is too close or, if not, practice with some non-damaging indicator to get the feel of where you are in relation to a front obstacle. Put a pillow on a marked line in an empty lot and practice . Stop and get out to see how close you are. Repeat till you get the feel of your distances.
–( when my wife lost the vision in her right eye she had to re-learn distances without stereoscopic vision. The way to do that is to use other distance indicators that exist in nature but we rarely think about. In the case of parking ; how big is the car in the next space and how big is your car in relation to that ? stop when your are beside that mental mark )
Another choice I use …back in to every parking spot.
Practice is key again here but if you can back out…you can back in. And backing in makes leaving the parking space so much easier.
Being adept at backing in allows you to get this parking space that is right next to your right side. As you have it there on your right flank, you realize you can’t just turn in…you’re too close. But you CAN back in. just turn a left forward arc then back in with a little right arc
When my dad ( now 84 ) first bought his 07 Focus , I warned him about the low a/c condenser and radiator…he took a look under there…practiced his stopping distance…and has never needed to repair anything under there including the front facia.
There are front proximity sensors that start at maybe 6 feet to warn you. Don’t know how they work though. I had the side problem with my concrete sharp step in the garage and the front tire. Considered the old curb feeler like we had in driver training but look kinda bad. Ended up just putting a mirror so I can see where the tire is. I think a back up camera on the front would quickly get covered with gunk and slush.
To further one of ken’s idea, when I parked my old Chevelle in the garage at my old house, I had a piece of wood laying where my front tire needed to be. As it was, the garage was JUST big enough to fit the Chevelle inside, lengthwise, so an inch or two in either direction could mean hitting the wall or dropping the door on the bumper.
So, something solid enough to let you know where you’re at, yet low enough to the ground that you don’t damage your front bumper.
The other idea, backing into the spot, would be best attempted with a backup camera in place. I love the camera that is on my car, and recommend everyone have one. I can usually get my car straight in with little fuss. And the door handles stick out, so I can line the parking spot lines up with those in the side mirrors and know I’ve got room on either side of me.
The best thing to do is learn to pull into a spot without driving over the curb. I’ m not being sarcastic either.
A safer bet is learn to back into your parking spot. It’s safer to pull out than back out.
LASER POINTERS hooked up the the garage door light is my plan.
Wife can keep the light dot on the middle of her hood to position the car within inches of the right wall.
When dot touches the windshield, she is far enough forward.
Same for the car parked behind hers.
When the garage door light goes out, the 3-volt transformer is not powered and the laser pens go out.
Not laser, but Gearflag has a front and rear ultrasonic range finder system that sounds like it would fit the bill of what you are looking for. And, the price is very good.
shadowfax wrote:
Get an aftermarket backup camera, and mount the camera on the front bumper instead of the back one.
This is an interesting idea, but keep in mind that rain, snow, bugs, and dirt will affect a camera in front much more than a camera in back, so the view may often be obscured.
I’m afraid that my vote is with the folks who say to practice more. I’m never that close to the concrete stop when I park, even though I’m not really making a conscious effort to avoid it.
Laser sensors are fragile and expensive. Ultrasonic sensors are cheaper and available as a retrofit. Camera kits might not work so well given the very short distance.
As a general comment, I will say that one of my first jobs was parking cars. We were taught to only back the car into a spot. The reason is simple, You have much better maneuverability.
That job taught me on thing very quick. Once you learn how, backing into a spot is far easier than trying to back it into the same spot.
