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Original poster

How to manoeuvre a larger car

34 replies

Blueshadow · 27/09/2019 22:43

We have gone from a small car to a much larger car. I find it really hard to manoeuvre into parking spaces. Are there any handy hints? I’d love to be able to reverse in, which I found hard, even on the smaller car. I’m embarrassed by my incompetence.

OP posts:
Batfurger · 27/09/2019 22:46

People driving big cars who can't manoeuvre them or think they're 50% wider than they are... get some lessons or something OP. Don't inflict yourself on the rest of us.

MrsRufusdog789 · 27/09/2019 22:47

Ooh that's a harsh response !

Yeahsurewhatever · 27/09/2019 22:48

Practice in open car parks keeping in the lines. No risk.
Reversing is really much easier though once you get the hang of it as you can see the back corners of your car in your mirror (and how close they are to everything else) but you can't see the front corners.

Just take it out for an hour or two when the roads are quiet and drive around, take your time, you just need to get a feel for it and you'll be fine.
Nervous drivers can be so dangerous, just have a bit of confidence in yourself

Also make sure your mirrors are adjusted properly

I'm not sure there's much more to it.

Original poster
Blueshadow · 27/09/2019 22:48

...it’s a temporary (month long) hire car...

OP posts:
Lucked · 27/09/2019 22:49

Some of it you just have to accept. My Volvo has the turning circle of a barge.

Would cameras help? - you can get them retrofitted, although maybe not if you have leased it.

Yeahsurewhatever · 27/09/2019 22:50

That is a harsh response, but it is annoying to all other drivers when big car drivers block the road, take up loads of space and clearly panic because they can't drive their own car. Any nervous driver is annoying and dangerous to be fair.
Definitely get some practice in op and you'll figure it out - at least you care and want to improve

fedup21 · 27/09/2019 22:50

Lots of practice-you’ll get there!

SarahAndQuack · 27/09/2019 22:52

Go to a very empty carpark. Try reversing. Get out and look at the car at regular intervals. Maybe open your door and look out as you move. Try lining it up against a kerb, etc.

There's no great magic to it (which is where driving instructors sometimes go wrong, making it too complicated).

Original poster
Blueshadow · 27/09/2019 22:54

I’ll get some practice in. It’s only for a month (then back to a small car). I didn’t realise that about the mirrors, so thank you.

OP posts:
june2007 · 27/09/2019 22:55

with practice.

MrsRufusdog789 · 27/09/2019 22:56

@Blueshadow
I take it you haven't got in car alarms - I don't either .
Our daughter has them and whenever I'm parallel parking in my basic model with small grandson on board he does the beep noises for me .
Joking apart - take your time - don't let anyone rush you and remember safety first .
If you are parallel parking draw level to the space after indicating . Pull carefully forward - reverse back slowly into the space . It's a myth women are not spatially aware.
If you just keep calm and keep checking your mirrors you will be fine .
I've had men stand watching me reverse into tight parking spaces and then express amazement I've managed it easily. Down to practice .

nancyjuice7 · 27/09/2019 23:05

My dad always taught me, when the wing mirror hit the edge of the parking space, that's when you start to turn. Same for corners. It's never failed me

stucknoue · 27/09/2019 23:06

Backwards is easier

nancyjuice7 · 27/09/2019 23:07

And go wide! The bigger the car the wider you need to go.

ForestDad · 27/09/2019 23:08

When parallel parking (reversing in) I angle down the wing mirror on that side so I can see the kerb. Can't judge distance behind so I got parking sensors!

TigerDroveAgain · 27/09/2019 23:11

It’s quite scary that you are driving anything but didn’t know about the mirrors. What did you think they were for?

Muchtoomuchtodo · 27/09/2019 23:11

always reverse in.
Make sure you can see the back corners of your car in your wing mirrors.
Practice learning to trust your sensors (if you have them) somewhere that it doesn’t matter.
It’s like anything really, practice makes perfect.

cultkid · 27/09/2019 23:15

Dip your mirrors to reverse so you can see the floor a bit and know where you are
Trust the sensors
Make sure you can see over the front of the car

cultkid · 27/09/2019 23:15

Reverse park

Original poster
Blueshadow · 27/09/2019 23:16

I do use the mirrors, but for filtering in, changing lanes etc. I didn’t know you could use them to help with reverse parking. I’ve never (yet) have an accident in 20 odd years of driving, so I suppose I must be doing some on it right.

OP posts:
Sicario · 27/09/2019 23:18

Why not do what I did and reverse it into a huge metal dumpster and smash the back end in? I had also managed to hit a bollard earlier in the day.

TrainspottingWelsh · 27/09/2019 23:19

I genuinely don't understand why anyone finds it any different to driving a smaller car. Yes it might take up more space, have a larger turning circle etc but the actual manoeuvre is the same.

Maybe for a new driver that might need to straighten up again after parking the error margin is necessary, but beyond that I really don't see whether it makes any odds if you end up with 4' clearance round your car or 4cm. It's still just the one same manoeuvre. And if people still need the error margin I'd suggest lessons and practice.

TrainspottingWelsh · 27/09/2019 23:24

It's scary as fuck that you've been driving 20yrs and didn't know the mirrors were also for parking. What do you do, just hope nothing and no one is in the way when you reverse either in or out? Parking was definitely on the test 20yrs ago so if you have a licence it would have been been covered in the test.

Countrysidelife · 27/09/2019 23:26

As it's a hire car I'm guessing it's pretty new.

You can put the mirrors to view down a little bit then you need them for normal road use just before you start to reverse. Just an extra few cm's, just remember to move them up again when you park up, ready for normal driving.

Original poster
Blueshadow · 27/09/2019 23:27

I suppose it explains why I found it so hard to reverse in. So I don’t do it much. I was taught to turn round and look through the rear windscreen.

OP posts: