Garage Parking Aids are Useful

Have you ever maneuvered your car ever so carefully into the garage, gingerly avoiding both sides of the doorway, praying not to scratch the paint on your precious car, when, just as you’ve started to congratulate yourself for lining the car up so precisely, you hear a dreadful crash? That’s when you know, you didn’t stop soon enough. Now you’ve collided with the back wall of your garage. It’s so hard to tell exactly where the end of the garage is, especially if you have a small garage and a large car, or if you are coming into a dark garage from a bright, sunny day. It can be a real pain, too. Now, not only have you damaged your car by overshooting while parking, but you have to get the garage wall repaired as well.

It makes parking in your own garage nerve racking, doesn’t it? Especially if you count yourself among the spatially challenged, as many people do. Well, fear not. Now there are parking aids that will come to your aid. Sometimes called car stops or parking blocks, a garage block is a long, sturdy strip of concrete or rubber that is placed on the floor of your garage to stop your car when it is parked in just the right position. They’re easy to install and may be just what you need.

Garage car stops are also used in commercial parking lots and garages. You have probably seen them there. Not only do they stop the cars from going too far forward, but they also serve to delineate each parking spot. Parking blocks can be especially important in high-rise parking garages. They stop the forward motion that could easily carry a car over the edge.

If you get a garage block for your own garage, you would probably want to consider one of the newer styles. Constructed of rubber, they are easy on your tires, and are also easier to lift and reposition as needed. They usually range in size from four to eight inches and can be made from recycled materials. For best results, you should be careful to choose the size that fits your largest car.

To position your car stop correctly, park your car in the garage. Get a friend to act as your spotter if you’re worried about colliding with the wall again. Your friend can watch and signal you when you have pulled far enough forward. Once the car is exactly where it should be, position the garage block so that it is pressed firmly against both front tires. Most garage car stops will come with mounting hardware to attach them firmly to the floor. Once it’s installed, your worries are over. The next time you pull into your garage, your car will stop when its tires hit the block and it will be perfectly positioned.