[Paul330d]

This doesn't really warrant a full DIY, but I thought this might be of use to some of you.

I had thought of getting one of these commercially available guides:



but they seemed way to small to me, at least for my needs. I needed something wider and more substantial, so I bought a concrete lintel from a building suppliers for $12 and sprayed it yellow using a marker spray ($6). It is 1m in length and weighs about 40kg, so it stays in place perfectly, even when nudged by the wheel. Obviously I made sure it was low enough not to come anywhere near the bodywork, but high enough to provide an adequate bump-stop for the car when reversing into the garage. I find the tactile feedback it provides more reassuring than the 'dangling tennis ball' or electronic eye solutions.

[tctic]

Cool. Something worth having in the garage. But it's hard to back in too much at a place where you park very often.

[snawaz]

Simple but brilliant. I'm gonna do this.

[777ER]

Heh..how about this $300 option which makes a beeping noise and goes up in between beeps the closer you get, PDC!

[daves335i]

OK, I can't remember the place where I got this, Grositer's garage or something (I'm sure someone will recognize this), but its a flashing red diode that runs off of a small solar panel that you place next to your garage door openner's lights to run it. The diode mounts on the ceiling, and you aim it from above so that it goes through your front windshield, and shows on your dashboard.

I have mine aimed so that the second the flashing red dot (which is what the diode shows) hits the place where the front windshield and the dash meet, I stop. It leaves a perfect 2" between my rear end and the garage door itself. Perfect every time, and nothing on the floor to trip over or get in the way.

$30, and its a neat and useful little thing.

[Paul330d]

You're right; there are several electronic solutions available, but somehow I don't fully trust them to protect my rear bumper They do keep the floor uncluttered, though, I'll grant you that.

BTW, I think it's Griots.

[mjh93sa]

Nice one.

We've got a piece of 2"x2" timber, chamfered at 45degrees on the side facing the car screwed to the garage floor (painted bright yellow), and carpet on the walls to protect the doors.

[Fraggy]

Awesome idea! That was I could make sure and be in same place everytime leaving enough room in front of my car so that we can get by it.

[Paul330d]

Originally Posted by mjh93sa

We've got a piece of 2"x2" timber, chamfered at 45degrees on the side facing the car screwed to the garage floor (painted bright yellow), and carpet on the walls to protect the doors.

I had thought about wood, but as you say this would require screwing into the floor. The nice thing about a lintel is that the car can't move it, but you can (albeit with some effort).

[Russellnyc]

I use a marble cutting board that I retired from the kitchen for when I park in my garage. Backing up would be easy because of PDC, but unfortunately, I don't usually do that.

[NaTuReB0Y]

2x4 works for me.........and i outlined with a black marker.....

so when it's moved out of place.....i just moved it back in place......

[Chesmu]

when backing into my garage, i line up my passenger side mirror wih ath edge of the window in my garage. Works every time. And unless there's an earthquake in AZ, my window frame will never move.

Great idea, Paul330D.

[Daya]

Originally Posted by daves335i

OK, I can't remember the place where I got this, Grositer's garage or something (I'm sure someone will recognize this)

Griot's Garage

http://www.griotsgarage.com/index.jsp

[Norsk]

Great idea, Paul330D.

I have to say PDC is perfect! As I use it in two ways;

1. The solid beep = same distance (bumper to wall) as what you have.
   I use that mode when I don't have to get anything out of the trunk.
   
2. Quick beeping tone
   I got use to them by ear & use the quick beeping level just before the solid tone if I have small things to take out of the trunk (ie: Gym bag or briefcase)

It's even more wicked when you have the screen, you get the color codes. I like the idea in the new X5, as you can have the screen without the Nav and GPS option.

[spark227]

A cheaper and more space-saving option is to suspend a tennis ball from the ceiling with rope. If the ball is positioned correctly, it should touch your windshield letting you know when to park. A second ball can be installed for times when you like to back in.

[mjh93sa]

Originally Posted by Paul330d

I had thought about wood, but as you say this would require screwing into the floor. The nice thing about a lintel is that the car can't move it, but you can (albeit with some effort).

We've also proven that it can be a pain in the backside when you change cars and have to reposition it .

As good as PDC is this solution stops you from being able to cause damage, and can be applied to other cars in the family that don't have PDC and have a different silhouette that would render the ball trick void. And after all PDC is an electronic system , there is a small chance that it could fail.

[Ryan 330i]

how do you like running the PS2's over the Runflats?

[MB330]

Originally Posted by Paul330d

This doesn't really warrant a full DIY, but I thought this might be of use to some of you.

I had thought of getting one of these commercially available guides:



but they seemed way to small to me, at least for my needs. I needed something wider and more substantial, so I bought a concrete lintel from a building suppliers for $12 and sprayed it yellow using a marker spray ($6). It is 1m in length and weighs about 40kg, so it stays in place perfectly, even when nudged by the wheel. Obviously I made sure it was low enough not to come anywhere near the bodywork, but high enough to provide an adequate bump-stop for the car when reversing into the garage. I find the tactile feedback it provides more reassuring than the 'dangling tennis ball' or electronic eye solutions.

This what I done in my garage. But I liked your idea better.

[DFW_M]

Cool idea.
Are those Michelins the RFTs in Europe?

[FirstClass]

Originally Posted by 777ER

Heh..how about this $300 option which makes a beeping noise and goes up in between beeps the closer you get, PDC!

+1,000,000

[Paul330d]

Originally Posted by NIVKI89

This what I done in my garage. But I liked your idea better.

Your solution definitely gets the job done, but I wanted something slightly less permanent for when I change cars. The advantage of the heavy concrete lintel is that it can be moved relatively easily.

For those of you who have mentioned the benefits of PDC; (i) most e90s in Europe, including mine, do not have this feature (ii) it is less reliable than a physical solution (iii) it costs $500 (in Europe), the lintel costs $18 and can be used forever.

162s get Michelin RFTs in Europe.

[Ado]

I did it a little differently then some of you. What I do with my van is I made a mark on the side of the wall of my garage where my mirror is and I back up until I reach that line with my mirror. I haven't had a problem with going to far back since I did that.