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How to Park Your Car in the Garage and Hit the Mark Every Time


Would you like to park your car (truck, SUV, van, etc.) in the garage in the same spot every time, so that everything stored in the garage is still accessible? Would you like to be certain that you pulled in far enough so that the garage door doesn’t close on the car? Would you like to know that you pulled in far enough so that you can easily get something out of the trunk?

What you may need is a visual marker that lets you know exactly where to stop the car. We, along with our brother, installed such a marker in our Mom’s garage for her, to take the guesswork out of deciding where to stop and park the car in the garage.

She was using a piece of lumber laid across the floor to let her know where to stop when the front tires came in contact with it; but the wood never stayed put, and we thought it presented a tripping hazard.

 

A Tennis Ball Marks the Spot

Our brother suggested the idea of using a suspended tennis ball. The idea is to suspend a tennis ball above the front of the vehicle and position the ball so that it just meets the windshield when the vehicle is in the desired location. The tennis ball is soft, lightweight, and it bounces so it won’t damage the car.

 

 

How to Make It

Materials:

  • 1 – tennis ball
  • Strong cord – we used a white cotton cord similar to old fashion clothesline but about half the thickness
  • 1 – 1” corner bracket; the toggle bolt goes through one hole in the bracket and the cord is threaded through the other hole of the bracket. We used a window shade bracket that worked well since it has a hole that the cord could be threaded through
  • 1 – toggle bolt; the bracket can be attached to the rafters with a screw, or in our situation we had to go through the drywall ceiling so we used the toggle bolt to attach the bracket

The length of the cord will depend on your situation. Tie a secure knot in one end of the cord. Place the tennis ball in a vise and drill a hole into it. Use drill bit which is smaller than the knot. Then push the knot through the hole so that it is completely inside the tennis ball.

Tennis ball after hole was made in it

 

We wanted the tennis ball to be suspended directly in front of the driver, which determined where we would install the bracket on the ceiling. We drilled a hole into the drywall ceiling, attached the bracket to the toggle bolt, then inserted it into the hole in the drywall, and tightened it snug against the ceiling. If the bracket is not attached securely it could fall and damage the windshield.

 

 

With the bracket in place, the cord was threaded through the hole in the bracket. The cord’s length was adjusted so that the tennis ball would hang freely and just meet the windshield when the car was parked in the desired location.

 

 

Our Mom is so happy with it – she just loves it!

 

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