Front End Parking vs. Concrete Bumpers

Ok.

As I'm sure we've all noticed, our beloved Prius's have rather low riding front ends (Truer on the Gen III than even the Gen II by my estimate).

My girlfriend is constantly razzing me about how I'd rather leave my "butt end" sticking out a bit in the parking environment rather than risk front end damage to the car by scraping those ubiquitous concrete parking bumpers which are almost always too high (and more often than not have steel rods sticking up even further).

Yes, I know I can "back in" (heck I even have the ATP package to allegedly make it easier), however many parking lots in south Florida only allow front end parking.

So, I was wondering if anyone else has this concern. I almost think, I could use a front end parking camera to go with the rear one -- which, BTW, is turning out to be surprisingly useful (I didn't have one on my Gen II).

Does anyone have a useful method to solve the concrete bumper burn concern?

_____________________

Mark

2010 Model V w/ATP, Blue Ribbon Metallic, Dark Grey

The Prius clearance is actually higher than my previous 06 Honda Civic. I'm really happy about that. I used to scrape my front end alot.

Since the Prius (and Civic) have such short front ends, just scoot up a yard or so closer. You have a little more space than you realize.

I agree with the parking/curb problem. To make matters worse the Prius doesn't have a visual reference on the hood. I really hate the sound of contact with the curb.

I recall when I was a kid my uncle had “whiskers” on his car. These things had a spring thing that would make a noise when you hit the curb.

The modern day version could be a camera, or maybe an audio alert would be a good fix.

However, the “backing in not allowed in South Florida” is something I’ve only seen in certain “condo land” areas (a native south FL guy here). I’ve been backing in for years.

I'm a native myself. Guess I'm just ending up in more "condo land" and public parking spaces these days...

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$13 curb feelers

The actual problem is that you are young and want to look cool, so you don't want to get out of the car to take a look in front of your girlfriend - or worse, in front of your friends in front of your girlfriend.

Like any skill, it comes with practice. If you don't get out of the car and look carefully, you get no feedback and your skill will always be bad. Looking carefully means not just saying, I have some space, let's move it a little bit. Carefully, for me at least, is saying I have 6 inches of space, let's get in and move the car 4 inches. So you have to really look carefully.

I am old, married, with kids. When I get a new car. I park conservatively. Get out of the car and look - to give myself feedback. Go back and repark the car. Parallel parking in a new car, I get out 3 to 4 times. I certainly don't want to scratch the car.

However, you don't have to do it forever. It is amazing how quickly you can learn. In a week or 2, you will be an expert. At work, I consistently park within 3 inches of the concrete so much that there are 4 tire marks on the ground where I park because I end up in the same space everyday, within inches. In the beginning, I would go out and repark the car until it is exactly the way I want it. After a while, you get the hang of it.

As I tell my wife, there is no shame in getting out and looking. Parking well does not make you a better man. And, anyway, after getting out and looking for a week or two, I am now an expert with my car and my wife's car so I actually never get out anymore to check. In fact, I park better than most.

There is no secret. Practice is the key.

Enjoy your youth. More power to you.

Buy after market backup sensors, fit them in the front under the bumper, make them active with a switch rather than reverse.

I typically back in. However, as short as the Prius is I can't imagine the rear sticking out as far as the adjacent cars if you pull upand still leave some room.

Tape a cat to the front bumper. A low growl indicates the right distance. A sharp howl says you've gone too far.

Tom

Is a cat going to be more aerodynamic than a front license plate?

Depends on the cat. Some of the long hair ones have a fairly low Cd.

Tom

I just finished replacing my factory radio and I am going now install a camera inside the front bumper in the lower grill so I can see the concrete bumper stops without getting out of the prius to check.

Inflating my front tires to 45psi, for better mpg, appears to have fixed my front-bumper scraping issues in my main parking spot.

rich

I HATE scraping my front cowling on a curb/wheel stop...even worse is pulling over one of those precast concrete wheel stops that has rebar sticking out of it and hooking one of those nasty things on the underside. I wonder if store owners can be held responsible for damage brought on by those???

IN FACT!!! My sainted former partner and mentor DID make a local strip mall pay for front end damage to his Lexus due to a sticking out rebar, which not only scraped his front end, but punctured his radiator. But, the process took a couple of months, and honestly, considering the time put into it, we really didn't recoup full value for the claim...

I think this is when I started first developing a healthy respect for the poor conditions of parking lots in south Florida.

___________________________
Mark

Model V w/ATP, Blue Ribbon Metallic, Dark Grey Interior

I LIKE THIS SUGGESTION!!!

Probably not as cost effective as some other possible remedies.

Although, considering there's a worldwide cat glut....

_____________________________________
Mark

Model V w/ATP, Blue Ribbon Metallic, Dark Grey Interior

hmmmm...what cat would be best to tie to the bumper for Winter Grey?

If you have a front-end license plate, perhaps this would help? It doesn't require any extra holes I believe and it's not really obvious. You could easily put it on the front instead of the back.

Parking Sensors | Reverse Backing Systems