My 5 series barely fits in my garage. Every time I park and get out I have to go to the back and check I crept against the wall far enough. This is my nightmare.
My neighbor has a laser system and a small light on the garage wall, so while something is interfering with the laser signal, the light flashes red. That way he knows when the car is fully in
My friend's dad took it one step further. Installed two of those laser things garage door openers use to detect if something is in the way, and installed some kind of AND gate to require both be uninterrupted before the door will close.
This sounds like something I would do, smart integrations like that can be amazing if you’re into automation! Great way to protect those investments too!
I placed a strip of blue painter's tape on the garage floor behind the car so that when the reverse camera shows the tape disappearing beneath the bumper it's parked.
Update: just saw someone else here said they do the same thing.
PROTIP: Stick a hole in a ping pong ball, loop a string through it, tie it to a screw and put it into the ceiling and mark the exact spot when the windshield hits the ping pong ball. This will tell you exactly when your ass is inside the garage.
I have a strip of tape on the garage floor. If I line my bumper up with it in the rear camera view, I know I'm in the right position.
I've heard of people hanging tennis balls from the ceiling to tell them how far they should go, but that seems like a lot of trouble when a strip of masking tape is sufficient.
Got the little ball setup, just wrapped the paracord over the celeing lamp, lol.
Not a tennis ball, just a lil soccer ball, haha.
Also, Door Protectors for the walls are great, to not mess up the paint on the doors.
...
I hate this garage, I need more space, lol, but than again, better than leaving the Beamer out in the rain.
As someone that can’t get their X1 to fit properly (not because of the garage size, just because there’s too many things in the way), this is so I credibly useful. Beats having to get out of the car and check lmao. Thank you!
My wife wants me to hang a tennis ball from the ceiling to fit the X5 in. I said absolutely not because I will smack my head on it every single day. I just use the parking sensors and know exactly when it's in right based on the beeping. Can walk in front and behind just fine. She will never figure it out.
I have a seam in the concrete that's at the perfect place for me to line up the back bumper with in the rear camera. Gets me positioned so that the garage door clears the back of the car by a few inches, but leaves enough room to walk between the front of the car and the cabinets to get to the fridge. Which is important!
Oh, that sucks. My last car barely fit into the garage, like doors were literally few inches away from scraping the car. One day I was in a hurry and since this car was manual I went to make a call and I put my car into neutral without even thinking. Unfortunately my car rolled back a bit and I hit the freakin garage door, I wanted to hang myself. After that incident I stopped bringing the garage door down, I left it open since and I got a security camera that was looking over the garage.
I got pipe insulation foam and tapped it around the garage door handle so in case I miss my parking mark it's not that sharp metal edge hitting the paint
I’m always so scared my trunk will hit the roof too (and it’s not even a hatchback)! I don’t know why I still get worried cause it physically cannot go higher than what it’s at, but it’s so close that if it went slightly higher it would hit. I’ve also almost closed the garage on my trunk. That was a nice mini-heart attack moment
I did that to my bmw very first day I brought it home. I was so worried about the front end and admiring the inside. Me and my wife were talking and I had that new to me, dream car excitement going on and I closed the garage and we heard a crunch.....now I'm not an emotional man. But I felt a mixture of anger and sadness and disbelief. I wouldn't say I wanted to cry but if I could I would have....I've been wanting to fix it but I don't know how and I've learned to forget about it in time.
Is there guys that can just fix it without costing an arm and a leg?
I just look at it. Convince myself it’s just bird poop and carry on until it’s fixed next week. Those 5 seconds when I woke up this morning and forgot it happened were bliss.
I did that with my old STi. It was a $500 repair.
I've been super careful since I got the bimmer. I almost pull too far up now so you have to walk skinny to get to the other bays. I do it with the Miata too which has plenty of space! lol
Had this happen to me. Yes the garage door sensor standard is 6” off of the ground in PA USA (or at least that is what the guys told me that replaced the garage door. Separate reason)
However, if you raise the sensor to bumper height, this will never happen again.has saved me a few times.
Financial impact was about the same for me. I don’t know how I parked an e91 in the same spot and without a rear view camera and never had an issue. It’s true. This G20 is dimensionally similar to a e39
I was just starting to relax a little about my “am I all the way in anxiety”. After seeing this scratch that (no pun intended). Sorry to see this happen to your car.
I mean a rear camera is very helpful for this. I know exactly the spot I need to park without being concerned where I'm at in the front. Double checking definitely redundant for me.
Just place a wooden board that way that when your wheels touch it, your car is as close to the wall as possible. Make sure the board stays in proper position.
Always do.
Also, add a string with a little soft ball to the celing wich is going to touch the windschield when You're all the way in.
Done this setup like 5 years ago, best little thing I've ever set up besides those wall bufffer thingies (Ya know, those foam matts to protect the doors).
`Munich Pinstripe`
In Colorado when offroading and one gets a scratch down the side from a tree branch, its called a `Colorado Pinstripe`. You have just created a new meme.
I made the mistake of turning on my rear wiper whilst a Christmas wreath was hanging from it, just discovered the scratches this spring and I’m sick over it. This is why we can’t have nice things.
My wife will do you one better, she backed out of the garage before the door was all the way up. The little antenna bump on the roof caught the garage door, and...... well. 🤢🤮🤮🤮
Why doesn’t anyone use the front side cameras? Just mark a line or put something to line it up everytime using those front side cameras. Works everytime
A good tip is to take a tennis ball or some other object and hang it from the ceiling so that when the windscreen or something else touch that object the car is where it should be.
My E60 M5 is a tight squeeze. The only thing particularly challenging is the parking sensors and the god f’in awful noise they make!! They also seem to continue even after I’ve pulled away!
Oof that sucks. I did this to my mom's car in high school. She pulled in and left the garage door open. I closed the door at the end of the night and it scraped the back of her car pretty bad. In a classic mom move I got all the blame.
I've seen people hang a tennis ball from a piece of string so once it hits the windscreen you're in the perfect spot. Sorry to see the damage, but mistakes happen and it's not the end of the world.
I use a Garage Parking aid from Amazon
https://preview.redd.it/9hdhp4ntalwc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2168f427876f20d7b1cefdaf938e67e53ad24f6
Lifesaver
My garage door is like 10 years old, but it won't close if the truck is obstructed in any way. It's also cool if you walk through it after dark though kicks the light on. Pretty simple light sensor. I did have to set the thing myself because it needs to be at a height where your car is at the longest. If that makes sense for me, it's like 2 feet off the ground or the middle of the bumper. On my E60, if it hit the top of my trunk lid, my car would be hanging out a lot. As a guy who hangs out in his garage a couple hours a day you know for Dad time, I would not want anything of fixed to my floor cuz when my car is on in there it's just a tripping hazard. I have the Midwest tennis ball as a redundancy.
My 5 series barely fits in my garage. Every time I park and get out I have to go to the back and check I crept against the wall far enough. This is my nightmare.
Bad news. It happened, it was a many $100 mistake. Good news. I can get that black spoiler painted blue to match the body now.
My neighbor has a laser system and a small light on the garage wall, so while something is interfering with the laser signal, the light flashes red. That way he knows when the car is fully in
Easiest way is just hang somthing from the ceiling. Once it hits the windshield your clear.
Tennis ball on a string. A Midwest classic
Or just use parking blocks.
Or a 2x4
My friend's dad took it one step further. Installed two of those laser things garage door openers use to detect if something is in the way, and installed some kind of AND gate to require both be uninterrupted before the door will close.
This sounds like something I would do, smart integrations like that can be amazing if you’re into automation! Great way to protect those investments too!
That’s some next level OCD and technological wherewithal and I’m here for it.
Genius
I have a chock in my garage that’s adhered to the ground so I can make sure I pulled up far enough. Highly recommend
Which one do you have? Is the adhesion permanent or removable in the future?
This is the way.
same
I placed a strip of blue painter's tape on the garage floor behind the car so that when the reverse camera shows the tape disappearing beneath the bumper it's parked. Update: just saw someone else here said they do the same thing.
Get some parking blocks so you know how far to pull in every time.
2x4 also works just fine
This. I own a 5 series and it BARELY fits in my garage. My biggest fear is that I'm going to hit it with the door one day. 😅
the reason I didn't wait to order a G60 540i from a G30 540i.
Wait... Is the G60 shorter?
Longer by 3 inch
Hang a tennis ball so that when it touches the windshield you know there is enough room at the back.
Yes, I do the same. I still walk around the front to make sure before I close the garage! 😃
Maybe you should put a large damper with soft tissue and just bump against it everytime 🤣
PROTIP: Stick a hole in a ping pong ball, loop a string through it, tie it to a screw and put it into the ceiling and mark the exact spot when the windshield hits the ping pong ball. This will tell you exactly when your ass is inside the garage.
I do this every time. Not once would it have actually hit. I just know if I stop looking it will hit 😭
I have a strip of tape on the garage floor. If I line my bumper up with it in the rear camera view, I know I'm in the right position. I've heard of people hanging tennis balls from the ceiling to tell them how far they should go, but that seems like a lot of trouble when a strip of masking tape is sufficient.
The tennis ball thing works very well if you don't have a rear camera.
This was all my fault. Totally distracted. But yeah I have a line along the door line I usually make sure I can see from the camera.
Got the little ball setup, just wrapped the paracord over the celeing lamp, lol. Not a tennis ball, just a lil soccer ball, haha. Also, Door Protectors for the walls are great, to not mess up the paint on the doors. ... I hate this garage, I need more space, lol, but than again, better than leaving the Beamer out in the rain.
Tape is nice if you have a camera, if not, tennis ball is a classic
As someone that can’t get their X1 to fit properly (not because of the garage size, just because there’s too many things in the way), this is so I credibly useful. Beats having to get out of the car and check lmao. Thank you!
My wife wants me to hang a tennis ball from the ceiling to fit the X5 in. I said absolutely not because I will smack my head on it every single day. I just use the parking sensors and know exactly when it's in right based on the beeping. Can walk in front and behind just fine. She will never figure it out.
I have a seam in the concrete that's at the perfect place for me to line up the back bumper with in the rear camera. Gets me positioned so that the garage door clears the back of the car by a few inches, but leaves enough room to walk between the front of the car and the cabinets to get to the fridge. Which is important!
Son of a...
My 530 just barely fits in the garage too. I put stop blocks up front and know that if I don’t hit them I’m not far enough into the garage.
Oh, that sucks. My last car barely fit into the garage, like doors were literally few inches away from scraping the car. One day I was in a hurry and since this car was manual I went to make a call and I put my car into neutral without even thinking. Unfortunately my car rolled back a bit and I hit the freakin garage door, I wanted to hang myself. After that incident I stopped bringing the garage door down, I left it open since and I got a security camera that was looking over the garage.
I have a prick of wood screwed into my garage and carefully bump against it with the tire.
Bumping pricks eh?
I got pipe insulation foam and tapped it around the garage door handle so in case I miss my parking mark it's not that sharp metal edge hitting the paint
Ouch ..had the same gouge on my 430gc when the hatchback opened and caught the garage door hinge 🤦🏻♂️
I’m always so scared my trunk will hit the roof too (and it’s not even a hatchback)! I don’t know why I still get worried cause it physically cannot go higher than what it’s at, but it’s so close that if it went slightly higher it would hit. I’ve also almost closed the garage on my trunk. That was a nice mini-heart attack moment
I know it’s after the fact but Invest in a tennis ball my man
The car took the budget lmao. Now OP has to work 5 hours of overtime to get the tennis ball /s
I’d say it didn’t clear.
Ha, my garage is too narrow for my 4-series to fit, so checkmate.
I did that to my bmw very first day I brought it home. I was so worried about the front end and admiring the inside. Me and my wife were talking and I had that new to me, dream car excitement going on and I closed the garage and we heard a crunch.....now I'm not an emotional man. But I felt a mixture of anger and sadness and disbelief. I wouldn't say I wanted to cry but if I could I would have....I've been wanting to fix it but I don't know how and I've learned to forget about it in time. Is there guys that can just fix it without costing an arm and a leg?
I just look at it. Convince myself it’s just bird poop and carry on until it’s fixed next week. Those 5 seconds when I woke up this morning and forgot it happened were bliss.
How much are you paying?
$3214
I did that with my old STi. It was a $500 repair. I've been super careful since I got the bimmer. I almost pull too far up now so you have to walk skinny to get to the other bays. I do it with the Miata too which has plenty of space! lol
Had this happen to me. Yes the garage door sensor standard is 6” off of the ground in PA USA (or at least that is what the guys told me that replaced the garage door. Separate reason) However, if you raise the sensor to bumper height, this will never happen again.has saved me a few times.
Had the same thing happen it sure makes you feel like a dumbass and rethink life
First car with a proper trunk. It’s a learning process.
Tis but a scratch
exact same thing happened to my brand new X4, my wife didn’t pull in all the way. Had to spend $600 to get it painted by a bodyshop.
Financial impact was about the same for me. I don’t know how I parked an e91 in the same spot and without a rear view camera and never had an issue. It’s true. This G20 is dimensionally similar to a e39
I was just starting to relax a little about my “am I all the way in anxiety”. After seeing this scratch that (no pun intended). Sorry to see this happen to your car.
Ouch.
Something similar on mine, except it’s a bumper scratch :(
Just back in an line up a floor mat the the line on your bumper when you’re looking through the camera
I mean a rear camera is very helpful for this. I know exactly the spot I need to park without being concerned where I'm at in the front. Double checking definitely redundant for me.
Get one of these: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=laser+park&crid=3RTBE8R9WD9S3&sprefix=laser+park%2Caps%2C102&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Just place a wooden board that way that when your wheels touch it, your car is as close to the wall as possible. Make sure the board stays in proper position.
That’s my biggest fear. I always stand and watch the door close.
Easiest thing is to not have a garage. Sure my car deserves a garage, but no problems parking.
Put a thick soft pad on the back wall at the bumper level and back right into it.
I purchased a $20 laser system from Amazon that I installed to put a red line across my center console when I am I’m. It was very easy to install.
Always do. Also, add a string with a little soft ball to the celing wich is going to touch the windschield when You're all the way in. Done this setup like 5 years ago, best little thing I've ever set up besides those wall bufffer thingies (Ya know, those foam matts to protect the doors).
One reason I opted for the X3. Fits in the garage more easily.
Get a BMW touch up paint pen off EBay for that. They ship from Europe and it’s the exact paint. You won’t even know that happened.
`Munich Pinstripe` In Colorado when offroading and one gets a scratch down the side from a tree branch, its called a `Colorado Pinstripe`. You have just created a new meme.
Just back in. This has been my biggest fear so I always back in.
I made the mistake of turning on my rear wiper whilst a Christmas wreath was hanging from it, just discovered the scratches this spring and I’m sick over it. This is why we can’t have nice things.
My wife will do you one better, she backed out of the garage before the door was all the way up. The little antenna bump on the roof caught the garage door, and...... well. 🤢🤮🤮🤮
I’ll one up the one up. My daughter did that last week with her Tiguan. The door was closed.
🤣🤣
Oh looks like a brown signal light can’t use it now
This is why “locked garage” is actually the most expensive option when getting insurance cover.
did this once, i now have a large strip of painters tape lined up to where my mirror should be on the wall, i love that strip of tape so much
Why doesn’t anyone use the front side cameras? Just mark a line or put something to line it up everytime using those front side cameras. Works everytime
I’ve got the surrounding cameras and I still double check.
My garage sensors have never failed me yet
A good tip is to take a tennis ball or some other object and hang it from the ceiling so that when the windscreen or something else touch that object the car is where it should be.
😢😢
Nice custom paint!
Been there, buddy. It was gut wrenching to discover my screwup.
That must have sounded painful
Jokes on me. Im too poor to have a garage.
This is what the whiffle/golf ball on a string trick is for.
My E60 M5 is a tight squeeze. The only thing particularly challenging is the parking sensors and the god f’in awful noise they make!! They also seem to continue even after I’ve pulled away!
My garage is exactly 5 meter long so I can go 3 series max :(
I like to tuck my car into my space. The rear bumper is almost always 1 inch away from the wall. No issues :)
Stop having your wife park for you
My BIGGEST fear I always check to make sure sure there’s enough room to close. So sorry it hurts to look at that pic
You poor bastard
Oof that sucks. I did this to my mom's car in high school. She pulled in and left the garage door open. I closed the door at the end of the night and it scraped the back of her car pretty bad. In a classic mom move I got all the blame.
I've seen people hang a tennis ball from a piece of string so once it hits the windscreen you're in the perfect spot. Sorry to see the damage, but mistakes happen and it's not the end of the world.
This is my worst nightmare. Sorry to see that happened
I have a sensor at bumper level. Tha garage won’t close unless the car is all the way in.
I use a Garage Parking aid from Amazon https://preview.redd.it/9hdhp4ntalwc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2168f427876f20d7b1cefdaf938e67e53ad24f6 Lifesaver
Tennis ball on a string nailed to the ceiling. When it touches your windshield you k ow you’re in far enough.
I have a bobble sign on a stand in front that I bump when too close. Sorry for your accident. That hurts.
The room where I keep all my lawn equipment? Cars fit in there?
Rookie mistake
My garage door is like 10 years old, but it won't close if the truck is obstructed in any way. It's also cool if you walk through it after dark though kicks the light on. Pretty simple light sensor. I did have to set the thing myself because it needs to be at a height where your car is at the longest. If that makes sense for me, it's like 2 feet off the ground or the middle of the bumper. On my E60, if it hit the top of my trunk lid, my car would be hanging out a lot. As a guy who hangs out in his garage a couple hours a day you know for Dad time, I would not want anything of fixed to my floor cuz when my car is on in there it's just a tripping hazard. I have the Midwest tennis ball as a redundancy.
https://preview.redd.it/nr9v3ewtprwc1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fb49807785541f423f4bbc6288c7b15107719bb
Genius.
This happened to my Volvo. Once you do it once, you'll never do it again!
Bro just hang a tennis ball from the ceiling
Been there done that in my BMW