Parking a normal size car in a normal size single garage.

Parking a normal size car in a normal size single garage.

Author
Discussion

Benbay001

Original Poster:

5,795 posts

157 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
Hi.
Does anyone park a normal modern family car of circa 1850mm width in a single garage?
Is it possible to get in and out of a car parked in one without regularly smashing the door on the wall?

Thanks
Ben

HustleRussell

24,699 posts

160 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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I've been looking into this. Seems even my 20 year old 5-series will be very tight in a standard UK garage.

Pints

18,444 posts

194 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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I park my MX-5 in the garage. I just screwed a piece of carpet (backed with dense foam) tot he garage wall.

Dave Hedgehog

14,550 posts

204 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Pints said:
I park my MX-5 in the garage. I just screwed a piece of carpet (backed with dense foam) tot he garage wall.
i used to stick foam ceiling tiles to the wall no nails glue, very effective

Composite Guru

2,207 posts

203 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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My S2000 was kept in a standard single garage and has big doors. I used to reverse park it close to the near side against the wall and have an old carpet mat screwed to the wall to save the door. This enabled me to open the door as wide as I could and get out without damaging the door.

rampageturke

2,622 posts

162 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
Pints said:
I park my MX-5 in the garage. I just screwed a piece of carpet (backed with dense foam) tot he garage wall.
I've seen people cut these in half and stick them horizontally across the wall to stop dinging their doors


CaptainCosworth

5,873 posts

93 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Years ago my sister parked her old Ka in my parents garage. Even that was a tight fit, but she hung an old dressing gown on the wall next to the door to soften the impact. Worked quite well.

I'm now living in a new build, it seems they've grasped the fact that cars are bigger these days so we can get out Mk3 Focus in with plenty of room to spare. The guy down the road even manages to get a Hilux in his... just!

Composite Guru

2,207 posts

203 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
CaptainCosworth said:
Years ago my sister parked her old Ka in my parents garage. Even that was a tight fit, but she hung an old dressing gown on the wall next to the door to soften the impact. Worked quite well.

I'm now living in a new build, it seems they've grasped the fact that cars are bigger these days so we can get out Mk3 Focus in with plenty of room to spare. The guy down the road even manages to get a Hilux in his... just!
Yes, I have a new Barratt new build and the double garage has enough room to put 3 cars side by side. Ok you couldn't open the doors but gives you plenty to open the doors with two in there.

disad-vantage-d

815 posts

220 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
I park my car in a modern single garage. I reverse the car in with the nearside as close to the wall as possible. I have carpet on both side walls. This allows me sufficient room to open the door to allow me to get in and out. Although there is not as much room as I would ideally like, I have managed for the last 20 years.
However, if I don't get the car in tightly to the nearside wall it can make entry/exit quite a squeeze.

Conscript

1,378 posts

121 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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We moved into our house a couple of years ago and it has a garage which I think is 2.4m wide (standard UK parking space width...house built in 1997). I had hoped to use it to house the car, and although I can get the the car in there, opening the door to get in/out is a complete faff. To the point where it would be tiresome to do it on a daily basis. So I've resigned to using the garage for storage and working only and the car lives on the drive.

chris285

811 posts

132 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Seems a common issue from friends and the like, garages are too small for modern cars so just store your stuff in there instead

Cudd Wudd

1,089 posts

125 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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I always park my car in the garage overnight.

Used to be a 2007 Astra 5dr and now a 3dr Polo (so smaller car, but longer doors). Also occasionally my wife's 2014 Note.

No issues with any of them, but I have put foam on the wall just in case.

I suspect a Mondeo sized car would be somewhat cosy though.

SlimJim16v

5,659 posts

143 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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chris285 said:
Seems a common issue from friends and the like, garages are too small for modern cars so just store your stuff in there instead
Nope, modern cars are too big for garages.

jayemm89

4,036 posts

130 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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My mother's garage has a piece of washing line across it and one of those foam pipe insulators on the side. So she can drive in until she hits the string with the windscreen, then open the door until she hits the foam with it.

Works for her.

Some cars are better than others. BMW/Porsche which have windows you can open/close on the lock are quite handy.

chris285

811 posts

132 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
SlimJim16v said:
Nope, modern cars are too big for garages.
Well a garage won't fit an average modern car so yeah whichever way you look at it, cars and grown and garages haven't so depends on your viewpoint as to where the fault lies shall we say

Byker28i

59,804 posts

217 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Big doors on a cerbera. Carpet on the walls is essential

richs2891

897 posts

253 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Yes but different house builders build garages to different sizes.
Through experience I would say yes with a bit of care, but have to park to one side and expected to be opening both doors fully.

Do non PH actually put cars in garages ?

nbetts

1,455 posts

229 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Do it all the time - A Porsche Cayenne fits in their too - but it is snug.


X5TUU

11,939 posts

187 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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single council garage + Audi A6 (C6 - 2006) = very tight squeeze

the only real solution was to approach it as a dog leg and get around the metal rubbing strip for the up and over door and get as close to the n/s wall as possible without causing any damage.

I used an old memory foam mattress against the front wall to drive into and against as otherwise i couldnt have shut the garage door behind and not have damaged the front bumper.

It is possible, just tight

K50 DEL

9,237 posts

228 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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I park my 360 in the garage but only over the winter as the rigmarole required to get it in there with less than 1" clearance on each side when driving in and no possibility of opening the door to get out once I am in (I have to have the roof down, climb out over the door then use a specially adapted tool to operate the roof switch and remove the key!) means that it's just too much hassle on a daily basis.

I also have less than 2" clearance at the front and rear when it's in as well - it really is very very tight.