Anyone have a Fresnel lens on their car?

PC_Dave

robgilmo said:

Had a Saab vert for a few years, it was like reversing a submarine.

Are you an Architect? 

Foster

Emp_Fab said:

To the sarcastic bastards here; @foster @Bridgehouse & @PC_Dave - you've obviously never tried parallel parking a 1 series in a tight street space.

Managed rather well to parallel park a LWB Ford Transit into a tight spot. There's lots of vehicles which have no rear visibility other than wing mirrors and no parking aids.

I typically reverse into spaces when possible, I always reverse onto the driveway - this is in a van with only wing mirrors to see what's behind you.

My advice is to find an empty car park at Tesco, find some bays and practise reversing into them using only the wing mirrors - it's strange at first but you get the knack pretty quickly 

ToneControl

you can get reversing sensors fitted to most cars

Guitar_Slinger

Emp_Fab said:

To the sarcastic bastards here; @foster @Bridgehouse & @PC_Dave - you've obviously never tried parallel parking a 1 series in a tight street space.

Two nights ago I did a three-point turn at an airport, in the fog.  I was driving a coach.

If you're not sure, don't be afraid to get out and have a look.

robgilmo

PC_Dave said:

robgilmo said:

Had a Saab vert for a few years, it was like reversing a submarine.

Are you an Architect? 

Nope, nor do I wear a polar neck, it was the tits though and it did make me look quite awesome.

No parking sensors, no rear view, no problem reverse parking.


https://i.imgur.com/QguA7HA.jpg

This is my daily drive now when Im not driving the family taxi, no rear view, no parking sensors and I find it very easy to reverse park, reverse up the drive way, reverse out of ponds....

https://i.imgur.com/7AIJcaK.jpg

So guys, really , your little beemers and your little parking sensors, having trouble reversing, an easy solution would be to stop being little girls about the whole thing , put it in reverse and just get the job done.

jonnyburgo

Bridgehouse said:

So your BMW has no reversing sensor, no camera, no screen and no indicators either?

And no speedometer;

Emp_Fab

My licence is sparkly clean my friend.  Zero points!

As for the reversing and 'just get on with it' theme...  Yeah, 99.999% of the time I do.  My query was because now and again the only space available near where I have to go is VERY tight, and I need to see, not guess or estimate, how far my rear end is from the car behind.

Without any aids, it is impossible to see the back end.  I often use the reflection in windows if I'm in the right place.  Something that would improve the rear view would help.  

jonnyburgo

Come on Emp, you knew what you were letting yourself in for

gubble

Fit a tow bar. When it hits stop and no dents in your bumper.....

77ric

Emp_Fab said:

My licence is sparkly clean my friend.  Zero points!

As for the reversing and 'just get on with it' theme...  Yeah, 99.999% of the time I do.  My query was because now and again the only space available near where I have to go is VERY tight, and I need to see, not guess or estimate, how far my rear end is from the car behind.

Without any aids, it is impossible to see the back end.  I often use the reflection in windows if I'm in the right place.  Something that would improve the rear view would help.  

How tight a space are we talking about here? If you really are struggling could it just be that the space your trying to parallel park in is infact just to small? Anything under one and a half car lengths you should forget about. Also are we talking about about parent and child spaces? (Oh come on someone had to say it) 

Foster

I can't see the front bumper of my van, can't recall a vehicle i've owned where I've been able to see the bonnet. you just get used to knowing where the front is.

I'd suggest a rear view camera but is it really worth it? My sister has one on her van and still managed to reverse into a bollard...

Seriously just muck about with some cardboard boxes or something. If you hit them then no worries, it's good practise reversing into things. I find the wooden fence at work is great for this sort of thing.

Foster

Also dashcam kits exist that replace your rear view mirror. No need to drill mount to the dash or whathaveyou. That way you get the bonus of a front facing dashcam and a reversing camera.

Emp_Fab

One and a half car lengths?!!

I laugh at spaces that big!  HAHAHA..  like that.

I'm talking one and a half FEET longer than my car down to gaps you'd measure with feeler blades.

EricTheWeary

I have a reversing camera on my camper but I don’t find it that helpful. Wing mirrors, looking out the window and MrsTheWeary making nonsensical hand gestures are my system. 

77ric

Emp_Fab said:

One and a half car lengths?!!

I laugh at spaces that big!  HAHAHA..  like that.

I'm talking one and a half FEET longer than my car down to gaps you'd measure with feeler blades.

Well there’s your problem, even the RAC recommend a gap 4 feet longer than your car at an absolute minimum, anything less and your not just giving yourself problems but potentially the cars on either side too, even if your name is Ken Block you can guarantee that the drivers either end sure as hell aren’t. Maybe you should get a tape measure out. 

Garthy

Park elsewhere?

NelsonP

I have a Renault Megane coupe. It has crap rear visbility too, particularly becuase the rear quarter panels are masssive.

It also has a reversing camera, and sensors, which are useful but I still don't trust it 100% and often end up looking over my shoulder and using the mirrors anyway.

I think the sensors are more use than the camera, and I'm sure you could get aftermarket sensors.

Jalapeno

Used to drive a SAAB 99, rubber covered steel girders front and back - walls would have to look out when that thing was being parked, it was built like a tank.

Current car has sensors, camera AND decent wing mirrors, and used heavily as current work car parking spaces are designed for SMARTs/Fiat 500s

EricTheWeary

Jalapeno said:

Used to drive a SAAB 99, rubber covered steel girders front and back - walls would have to look out when that thing was being parked, it was built like a tank.

Current car has sensors, camera AND decent wing mirrors, and used heavily as current work car parking spaces are designed for SMARTs/Fiat 500s

When I worked in Shire Hall in Shrewsbury I asked why the spaces were so small and was told that when the building went up the spaces were mostly to accommodate the council's fleet of Morris Minors. 

I currently work in a similar building in Worcester ( some people on here will be familiar with it's toilets) with parking spaces equally unsuited to modern cars ( although my current vehicle is tiny) so maybe they haven't been respaced since the Morris Minor days either. 

Sesh

EricTheWeary said:

I have a reversing camera on my camper but I don’t find it that helpful. Wing mirrors, looking out the window and MrsTheWeary making nonsensical hand gestures are my system. 

Any time my wife has offered to guide me out she would always stand straight in the blind spot with her hand in her pockets. Then get annoyed when I said she wasn't helping.