Reversing into your home garage… could there be a more daunting task? With boxes piled high full of old memorabilia, dusty photo albums teetering on the edge of the broken bookshelf, not to mention the pile of gardening equipment still strewn across the floor.
Ok. Maybe your garage isn’t that bad. The point here is, parking your car in the garage can be hard. Especially when there are mountains of “stuff” lying around. And while accidentally upsetting a pile of boxes or denting a wall might not be catastrophic, the insurance paperwork for your car will certainly cause its own stress-related damage.
The solution? Wheel stops of course
Aren’t these the things you see in large parking garages? Yes, and there’s a reason why they’re literally in every public car park area. Wheel stops protect cars from bumping walls, pedestrians, and other cars around them. And there’s no reason why this solution can’t work in the home garage.
I have a reverse camera and sensors – why do I need a wheel stop?
Alright, when have you ever parked using ONLY the reverse camera and sensors? Even if your car knows how to park on its own – chances are – you actually care about your paintwork and will keep a watchful eye out for pedestrians. But the fact is, in a garage car park, it’s not just the walls you’re worried about – it’s all the extra stuff lying on the floor and piled up around the edges that can make manoeuvring difficult. A wheel stop can greatly reduce the stress, giving you a solid marker that you can actually bump into and not feel that sinking feeling as you run around the back to inspect the damage.
Different wheel stops for your garage
A few different factors come into play when deciding which wheel stop is best for different parking areas:
- Amount of space in your garage
- How many parking spaces you’ve got
- The type of vehicle(s) you’re parking in that space
Rubber wheel stops
Rubber is an excellent material for stopping vehicles in their tracks. It’s strong, versatile, and friendly on your car tyres. If you can, source recycled rubber materials that are designed with anti-chip and anti-corrosive properties. Rubber wheel stops are often the easiest to install – and with high visibility strips – they’re easy to see when you’re pottering around in the garage.
Compliance wheel stops
Made in a range of colours to suit different environments, these are highly durable and designed to withstand the Australian summer heat. Compliance wheel stops should meet the basic legal requirements under as2890 2004 – and if your private garage becomes a place of business – this can be helpful to know. They are also easy to install in the home garage, this type of wheel stop can easily be removed and re-positioned if you decide to change your garage layout.
Concrete wheel stops
For more serious protection, concrete wheel stops provide a solid barrier between your car and your precious walls and belongings. Perfect for indoor or outdoor garage setups, or even for protecting garden areas – concrete wheel stops are designed to provide a high level of protection.
Heavy-duty truck wheel stop
Usually made from hot tip galvanised steel and anchored deep within a concrete floor, these wheel stops are designed to withstand the bumps and nudges of heavy machinery, tractors, boat trailers, trucks, or vans. For example, if you’ve got an RV on your hands, or you happen to be storing more than just your car in the garage, it helps to know that your assets are protected from the worst.
Choose a wheel stop that works for your car – not just your garage
In the end, wheel stops aren’t just for protecting your garage and other physical assets, it’s also about ensuring your car is safe and secure in its parking place. Finding the right wheel stop will also depend on the ground clearance of your car, and the placement will all depend on the rear shape of the car and how much of a barrier you want to walk behind and unload from the boot.
Wheel Stops in Australia – where to get them?
Do a search online. There are plenty of suppliers that can be delivered to your door. Just be wary of lower quality imports that might not stack up against locally produced products that are designed for Australia’s harsh environments. Pick a local supplier that you can trust will give you access to a wide range of wheel stops Australia made products and all the right information about installation and maintenance.