So I've had my 05 EXL for a little over a year, and by biggest pet peeve is that I can't seem to park the thing right. It's really strange. I've parked all types of cars, and without fail I almost always park this particular car like a complete tool.

Anyone else notice this? Any tips to enhance my lack of Accord parking skill?

i have the same issue parking my mother's 06 LX... the damn B and C pillars are terrible and i cant see anything

i have the same issue parking my mother's 06 LX... the damn B and C pillars are terrible and i cant see anything

:dunno: how do the B&C pillars obstruct your view from

a. the rearview mirror
b. the side mirrors?

:scratch:

:dunno: how do the B&C pillars obstruct your view from

a. the rearview mirror
b. the side mirrors?

:scratch:
i have a special way of parking :grumpy:

i have a special way of parking :grumpy:

NY style enh? :naughty: :nuts:

NY style enh? :naughty: :nuts:
you should check out my "front bumper" thread about parkign in NYC....

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8077&referrerid=1505

My problem is that I pull into the parking spot (parallel or standard), think everything is straight, get out of the car and I'm at some awful angle or 7 feet from the curb. Embarrassing and annoying. Hasn't happened in any other car.

My problem is that I pull into the parking spot (parallel or standard), think everything is straight, get out of the car and I'm at some awful angle or 7 feet from the curb. Embarrassing and annoying. Hasn't happened in any other car.

hmm intersting, do you know the dimensions of your car well?

My car aint a 7th gen so I have smaller A-pillars and other good stuff...but I exclusively use my side mirrors. I can park my car better reversing into my garage than heading in because of great mirrors. If I angle my mirrors the right way, using the front door trim as a guide, I can get them to position the same way everytime and at that angle I can determine the position of my rear bumper to within about 6 inches.

So I've had my 05 EXL for a little over a year, and by biggest pet peeve is that I can't seem to park the thing right. It's really strange. I've parked all types of cars, and without fail I almost always park this particular car like a complete tool.

Anyone else notice this? Any tips to enhance my lack of Accord parking skill?

Are you talking about just pulling straight into a spot or backing in? Either way, I dont see what the problem is. I fact, I find the Accord easier to park then the TSX. Turning radius sucks on the TSX.

Are you talking about just pulling straight into a spot or backing in? Either way, I dont see what the problem is. I fact, I find the Accord easier to park then the TSX. Turning radius sucks on the TSX.
Correction, I4 Accords are easier to park than the TSX... V6 Accords are still cursed with the same wide turning radius! :thumbsdow

Back to the original topic, I had some problems at first (always parking too far from the curb or not backing in enough) but I quickly overcame that within a month of owning the car. Now I park it as straight as my other cars. :D

I think it has to do with the rake/slope of the side windows, giving an appearance that you're straight when you're actually not. When I park the Pilot I can do it great, but when I drive the accord I find myself slightly crooked in a spot I pulled straight into - also parallel parking. I think it's an optical trick being played on your eyes as you try to visually (without mirrors) figure out your position.....

andy

My car aint a 7th gen so I have smaller A-pillars and other good stuff...but I exclusively use my side mirrors. I can park my car better reversing into my garage than heading in because of great mirrors. If I angle my mirrors the right way, using the front door trim as a guide, I can get them to position the same way everytime and at that angle I can determine the position of my rear bumper to within about 6 inches.

Yep.

The mirrors are all good.

I haven't had a problem parallel parking in the '05, though. Must be thinking of it as the '93 and getting closer to the curb (or maybe too close sometimes).

Hahaha...TL's turning radius really sucks...OMG.....

Correction, I4 Accords are easier to park than the TSX... V6 Accords are still cursed with the same wide turning radius! :thumbsdow

Back to the original topic, I had some problems at first (always parking too far from the curb or not backing in enough) but I quickly overcame that within a month of owning the car. Now I park it as straight as my other cars. :D

I didn't know the I4 and V6 had different turning radii. As for parking, I've had a bit of trouble at times but I'm getting better.

I didn't know the I4 and V6 had different turning radii. As for parking, I've had a bit of trouble at times but I'm getting better.
According to Honda's website, the turning diameter/radius are:
36.1ft(d) = 18.05ft(r) I4 sedan
39.6ft(d) = 19.8ft(r) V6 sedan
35.4ft(d) = 17.7ft(r) I4 coupe
38.9ft(d) = 19.45ft(r) V6 coupe

V6 sedan drivers get it the worse. 3.5ft may not sound like much, but it is enough to decide weather you need to make a 3-point turn or not.

This makes lots of sense because the turning radius is great on my car and I wasn't sure why people were complaining about it. I4 coupe for the win!

According to Honda's website, the turning diameter/radius are:
36.1ft(d) = 18.05ft(r) I4 sedan
39.6ft(d) = 19.8ft(r) V6 sedan
35.4ft(d) = 17.7ft(r) I4 coupe
38.9ft(d) = 19.45ft(r) V6 coupe

V6 sedan drivers get it the worse. 3.5ft may not sound like much, but it is enough to decide weather you need to make a 3-point turn or not.

get a stiffer suspension, and then floor it, rear ends steps smartly out of line. :naughty:

I've always thought the 7th Gen (I4) was easy to park - much easier (for me) than my old Civic coupe.
When parallel paking, I angle the curbside mirror down enough to see the rear tire...with that visual reference, it makes you look like a pro. :thmsup:

I suck at parallel parking. I am always afraid of curb rash and therefore will look for a a pay lot or straight in parking.

I suck at parallel parking. I am always afraid of curb rash and therefore will look for a a pay lot or straight in parking.

I'm the same way actually (even back when I had the old Sunfire)...I never get all that close to the curb in case I rub it, and also don't want to be that close to people on the sidewalk. Then if you are out a bit you have to worry about someone clipping you on the road as your car is 6 inches or so further "out" than the others...

I complained about this 3 years ago! I can parallel park my car fine.... I can back it up OK. But those straight in spaces... well, I'm crooked every time!!! Since you're going forward, the mirrors aren't much help. I do use the passenger one & point it down to see if I'm close to straight & between the lines.

It's common for the 7th gens though. I counted the crooked ones in parking lots for a while & about 70% were not straight. All angled the same way. :dunno: It didn't seem to make any difference if they were sedans, coupes, V6 or not.

My prince, who has to move & park cars in tight spaces all day long even is often crooked in my car. It's different at work because he's lining it up with the rack.... in a lot, there's not anything to line it up with. He's better than I am, by far. I still take the opprotunity to give him a hard time when mine's crooked!! :lmao:

There's been about 4 times that I had no choice where to park & was beside a fellow 7th gen. When I got out we were parked at the same angle in the straight spot!! :D I felt better knowing it wasn't me. It's something to do with the visability of the car in relationship to the driver's height or/and where the seat placement is..... :)

I wonder if ones with the steering on the other side have a better chance of parking straight!? :dunno:

everyone is :screwy: in here.. :paranoid: :dunno:

everyone is :screwy: in here.. :paranoid: :dunno:
I concur

better :screwy: than :nuts:, right???? ;)

Just parked mine after work tonight and after reading this post and remembering to make note of position. Got out and saw it was as straight as can be going in forward and thats how its always ended up for me.

I vote everyone here is :screwy: as well :lmao:

TL parks straight! :lmao: :nuts: :biggrin: Now I just need to keep people from parking next to me, brushing up against my car, and looking into the windows :paranoid:

Maybe straight parkers are all over 5'9"? Maybe straight parkers have the seat lowered al the way? :dunno: Maybe I'll start snapping pictures in the parking lots..... :D I may be nuts or crazy....but I'm not alone!! :) :lmao:

This guy must be a 7th gen owner:

bad parking job (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0841968/M/)

I can tell you that I don't have problems parking straight but when I see the lines out my driver's window they look crooked like I am not parked between the lines. I think it has something to do with the shape of the front window (uneven window sill).

Maybe straight parkers are all over 5'9"? Maybe straight parkers have the seat lowered al the way? :dunno: Maybe I'll start snapping pictures in the parking lots..... :D I may be nuts or crazy....but I'm not alone!! :) :lmao:

I'm 5'8" and I have my seat all the way to the floor (how I like it :) ). I haven't noticed any problems with pulling into spaces straight. However, I have noticed that the visibility is not so good when making right turns. That :censored: pillar always gets in the way.

TL parks straight! :lmao: :nuts: :biggrin: Now I just need to keep people from parking next to me, brushing up against my car, and looking into the windows :paranoid:


Sentry guns or maybe a trunk monkey? :lmao:

Seriously I know how you feel though...I try to park as far away from everyone else without being at the very very back of the lot at work (where theft would happen), but typically someone ALWAYS parks next to me even when there are over 20 empty spaces with much a shorter walk in. :headbash:

If I do manage to get in early enough though there are a few "corner" spots beside medians where I can park as far over as possible to leave a bigger gap between my baby and anyone else who parks beside.

This morning I was parking at BART and there was a car on the second floor near the back parked in the middle of the row. There were still spaces left on the 1st floor and near the stairs on the second floor...but a 7th gen came along and parked next to this guy in the middle of nowhere anyway. I think he can't park straight either but I didn't hang around long enough to stare at his parking :lmao:

I haven't moved my car since last Sunday.... :boohoo:

Soo...still parked straight. :biggrin:

If I do manage to get in early enough though there are a few "corner" spots beside medians where I can park as far over as possible to leave a bigger gap between my baby and anyone else who parks beside.

You know...I love to do that! Bad thing tho: Since I leave extra room in those situations...the idiots will park on the line closest to me b/c they don't parking using the lines :furious: :headbash:

I did that the last time I parked the car. I got real close to the curb....and the guy next to me just pull in on the line.....

Needless to say...I was pissed....so I took a picture of the parking job just in case there was a dent when I got back.... :lmao:

I can tell you that I don't have problems parking straight but when I see the lines out my driver's window they look crooked like I am not parked between the lines. I think it has something to do with the shape of the front window (uneven window sill).
I took a pic with my cellphone today to show what I was talking about. I backed straight into a parking space. The view from the inside of the car ...

But my car is really parked correctly in the spot. This is the view from outside the car ...

Maybe believe the view is my problem!! I can do it backwards, but not frontwards!! I probably second guess & am more careful going backwards.... then "zip" in frontwards & get caught by the optical illusion!! :paranoid:

Yeah, I don't look out the back or use the rear view mirror when I back into parking spaces like that. I lean forward and use the side mirror that is on the side I'm trying to hug. Today it was the passenger mirror. Although I've done this pretty much every day that I've had my Accord so I could probably do it with my eyes shut now.

I normally stick my head out the door or window to check if I'm within the lines. If I park next to another car, this becomes unnecessary for the most part since I will just balance the space I have at the moment on either side, to give both sides maximum space = less chance of dents

I normally back my car in and use drivers side mirror to watch line. I do have to admit, I drove a full size van with no side or back windows for about 10 years, so I'm extremely adept at parking backwards. My biggest issue is not being able to see the back end, kind of annoying.

This is interesting cause we all back in a different way. I dont use any of my mirrors when i back in, i turn my head to the right far enough to see the rear and i'm good from there.

This is funny. :lmao:

Ha ha this thread cracks me up. I parked a lot of freakin cars the years I was working at dealerships. To me the Accord is a little on the hard side to park. Its less of a problem lining it up and more just that the turning radius feels huge and I need more distance to make angle adjustments, at least for me...

I always try and watch the parking space lines, whether pulling or backing in. I use my mirrors extensively and strive for perfect centering and parallel. The key is to have a fixed and true point of reference...don't look at the lines and angles of other cars or of your own, especially door/window lines. Look at parking lines, parallel buildings, walls, fences, etc. If you're pulling up to a solid structure and you're careful, you can even use the straight-on perspective to align yourself.

And use your mirrors incessantly! :yes:

I like when I am pulling up to a glass-front business and I can see the reflection of my car as i'm pulling in. Then I have no excuse to be crooked!

When I pull into a space quickly, I notice that my car is angled like this | \ |. It is not as drastic as that angle but my left front is always angled toward the left line. Weird!

THAT'S what I'm talkin' about.... just crooked....not dramatic, but certainly not straight!! :yes: