Road Rage

For those with garages:

I just got a thing called the Park Zone Platinum - it uses microwaves to determine the postiton of your car, then has a nice display like a stoplight. When you get in the zone, it goes green, yellow as you get closer, and red when you are in the right spot.

Sure beats those floor bump pads, esp. if your garage is a bit tight.

Search around the web - it retails for $60 but I got it for $45.

bricot

Another one is the laser parking guide. You put a switch on your garage door tracks and when the garage door opens up it trips a laser pointer that you can mount to the ceiling. I drive in until the red spot is on the corner of the passenger side airbag then I know my clearances are OK. I like it because you don't have things on the floor or a tennis ball dangling from a string....

Edub-TL

Another alternative is to clean all the crap out of your garage so you will have room.

Think about it, if you really need some kind of guide to help you park in a spot you park in every day, it may become a waste of money after you become used to parking in your garage.

But if you have a wife or gf who also drives your car, then I can totally understand.

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June 10, 11AM - N. Cali / Bay Area Meet - Click Here!
<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/phanthavong/mytl.html" TARGET=_blank>
</A>2001 SSM. 02 tails, 02 vent trim, burlwood knob.

Mods? What mods? I can't afford mods, I'm getting married!!
Vin says 2001, but it's really a 2000 with an upgraded cupholder!!

kclai

Here's my 50 cents solution. Forget about all the gadgets. Just hang a tennis ball from the ceiling a few feet off the floor and stop the car when the windshield hits it.

Darla

Whatever your solution, please avoid any mention of soft, furry animals duct-taped to the front/rear bumper!

Edub-TL

That would work if you didn't have any dogs. They'll get that ball so quickly, the next time you come home all you see is a shreaded piece of string...

All I do is turn on my headlights to judge how close I am in the front.

daverman

Hee hee... a guy who parks in the next carport in my apartment complex uses a pair of sandbags to tell him when he's close enough to the wall. I have to admit I badly wanted to move those bags forward a couple of inches on more than one occasion.

TLinKC

I bought one for my wife. $15 at JCP during a sale.

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'00 Zaino'd Firepepper Red TL
20% Tint
Removed 3.2TL badge
2001 Cupholder

kensteele

Be careful with this device. I picked up one at KMart for $15 plus tax after seeing all the high prices in other places including over the Internet. Which I guess it really not that much money but....

...it works okay but it doesn't work the best. When it does work, it's very cool; green when you first enter the garage, yellow while you are slowing approaching, then red and you stop. Perfect parking. When it doesn't work, it's pretty lousy. The green and the yellow always work correctly but sometimes it never turns red. Twice I have hit the wall and thus hit the device and nearly smashed it. I don't care it's only $15.

Yes there are other solutions but this device looks cool. When my car is very clean, it is difficult to tell how close I am to the front wall which is all white. Thus the mirror reflection on my hood, I can't tell and I need to park in really close because it's a tight fit overall. I have nothing in my garage and I mean nothing except a welcome mat. If I don't poull in close enough, the auto door on the sensor will not allow the garage door to close. How often does it not work correctly? I would say 1 out of 5 times.

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* 2001 Acura CL Type S * Blk/Blk * Navigator * Spoiler * Moonroof Visor *
* Since 3/31/2000 *
Road Warrior

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by kensteele on June 01, 2001 @ ]</font>

daverman

I have found that turning on your headlights work pretty well. Another trick is to look out your window and remember where the line between the floor and the wall is relative to your side rearview mirror. With memory seats, the latter technique should work pretty well.

You can also use the second trick when you need to park closely to something which runs straight across the front of your car, such as curbs at parking lots.

PaulKCK

Laughing right now, would love to see the sandbags get moved!!

lonny

Just be glad you can pull your cars forward into your garage. We have a 2-car garage that is barely wide enough to hold my TLS and my wife's Avalon. She pulls in forward on the right side, but I have to BACK mine in so I can get out of it (cabinets take too much room on the left). I did this with my GS400 too. I have gotten pretty good at it - haven't hit anything!

Louisiana

I just back it in until the bike falls over.

Xorg

I do the headlight trick too...

One thing that completely surprised me is that the TLS is about 4-6" longer than a Jeep Grand Cherokee!

I had to move a shelf out of the way in order to put the TLS into the space I used to park the Jeep in!

Road Rage

$15 for a Platinum or the battery one? The Platinum allows battery and AC drive, which I prefer.

Mounting it properly is critical to good perf.

TLinKC

The one I bought had batter and AC so I guess the "platinum" version. We have not had any problems with it not working and it helps my wife pull in to the same spot everytime.



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'00 Zaino'd Firepepper Red TL
20% Tint
Removed 3.2TL badge
2001 Cupholder

Nick

I was considering a floor mat as my TL-S is almost a foot longer than my previous car and it is hard to judge where the front bumper is on the TL-S. Until I could get a mat though, I found the correct distance by going forward until the outside mirror was in the range marked by garage wall studs. This seems to work pretty well for me, so I don't think I'll be getting any gadget to help me out. Damn, I still swear that I'm going to ram into something everytime I pull in!

kensteele

Not the platinum one. Mine uses battery, no AC.

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* 2001 Acura CL Type S * Blk/Blk * Navigator * Spoiler * Moonroof Visor *
* Since 3/31/2000 *
Road Warrior

dagg

Then pull up a foot..

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Firebird_EOU

I use plank boards for another car 189 inches and it leaves 1 inch in the front and 1 inch in the back. TL 192 inches won't fit.
I don't believe these sensors are going to be that accurate to 1 inch.

Tennis ball is a bit harder to put on the ceiling. estimate, ladder/put on, drive in, drive out, ladder/readjust, drive in, drive out, ladder/readjust.

Prob some soft pressure sensitive thing in the front to tell you when you've touched it.

daverman

Hee hee, I told my wife I wanted to do this and she gave me the dirtiest "don't you dare" stare I've ever seen.

vtecracer

Got one before christmas for $13.50 on sale at sears. It is battery powered, but hell it works great and keeps the TLS parked tightly in the garage without running into the toolbox giving enough room to still walk in front of the car and still let the rear end in just far enough so the garage door doesnt rip off the bumper.. it was a good investment for me. plus the wife drives the TL also and it keeps her in check not to hit anything.

snook789

I also use the tennis ball hanging from the ceiling to stop on the top of the windshield so I am just inside the garage, leaving the most room in the front of the car as I can

Also here is a neat thing I came up with so you don't have to worry about your kids opening up the door to far and hitting the the wall

Its one of those noodle things the kids use for the pool...

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