After 5000 miles I still end up parking too far from the concrete wheel stops in parking lots (like I did with my 2013 Malibu). I'm too afraid of tearing up the rubber wind dam down there. The rubber hangs down lower than the standard barrier height. It wouldn't be a big deal if it wasn't such a long car.

Anyone else have this issue?

 

I always back it up!!!

I don't know what it is...but I can't get this vehicle straight between 2 lines.
Usually crooked for some reason.

 

In Florida, you can't always back in because of the parking lots having diagonal lines. Also, with only rear license plates, it may be illegal to back it in.


I find with the backup camera, I get a perfect backup every time .

 

I park pretty far from sidewalks or wheel stops as well. Part of that is due to still not having enough time in the country to be in it and familiarizing myself with the size, but it is also because it is just really low in the front. The sidewalk in front of the parking spaces at my apartment might slide a little ways under it if I parked closer, but I wouldn't want to chance it and scrape anything up down there. Already have some minor scrapings under the front anyway due to the large number of hills and sloped driveways in Independence/Kansas City when I was there. Living in the South for a couple years has made me forget how hilly it is back home in the Midwest...

But yeah, I feel you on not wanting to park too close. I don't have the best depth perception either, so I always end up parking pretty far back. There are a lot of parking spaces in lots, especially diagonal spaces, where I pull in, try to gauge it, creep forward, creep forward, creep forward, think 'I have got to be over the line now,' and then get out and see that I still had plenty of room.

I'm not that accomplished of a parker anyway, so what I have been doing ever since driving my buddies G37 (first car that I drove with a rear camera) is when I pull into a space, I throw it in reverse for a split second to get the camera to pop up, and look for the parking space lines on the display. I used to do it to see if I was in the center of the space and not too far off to one side, but now I use it to see if the end of the vehicle is hanging out into traffic. I've done it quite a few times and no one pulling through a parking lot of driving behind me has ever freaked out or slammed on their brakes thinking I was going to back out into them. I slowly enter the space, pop it in reverse, look for the lines, then into park. Vehicle usually rolls a very small amount forward after getting into park and disengaging the brakes, so if I can barely see a hit of line on the camera, I know I am in all the way.

I just don't worry about the space in front anymore, even more so due to the fact that the awful drivers in SC love to park over the line anyway when they pull in. I'll leave them room up there so long as I am pulled in enough that no one will clip the rear-end.

 

Do you think something like the old curb feelers would help?

 

To each his own.

That said......please dont.