Forum: lifehacks.stackexchange.com
Tags: <home><car><garage>
Title: Stop car doors from slamming against wall inside my garage
Question: When I park my car in the garage, the passenger side ends up being close to the wall (garage design, not parking issue).

My passenger (my partner) always ends up slamming their car door against the wall.

How can I stop them from slamming the car door against the wall?

Answers:
sents: text: Install pool noodles to your wall.
text: Or use pipe insulation.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/2340/RobAu
score: 54
sents: text: Ask your passenger to get out of the car before you park the car.
text: This also leaves you free to park it right next to the wall.
text: For the passenger, this has the advantage they can open the door to its stop and easily get out of the car.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/5307/Hobbes
score: 38
sents: text: My answer assumes, that you already tried simply talking to them and it did not work and also, that you DO want them to exit the vehicle at exact this place.
text: Since this is Lifehacks, not "How can I train my passengers to behave like I want", I would recommend taking steps that, even in the case of them smashing the door against the wall, the damage will be intercepted or minimal.
text: You could install some kind of buffer, either at the wall or your door.
text: A buffer on the car might make your car look ugly though, so this may be an issue for you.
text: But the big pro is: it not only works in your garage, but in every public parking lot as well.
text: Also, it's cheap (maybe $5-10).
text: The con of this is that the buffer will absorb the damage for you and in doing so, it will wear off within some hundred usages.
text: The alternative is a rubber buffer on the garage wall; a far more durable solution and it won't make your car ugly.
text: A rubber impact bar can be bought in any hardware store for as cheap as the other solution.
text: Compared to the car-bar, this solution is of high durability.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/1388/jawo
score: 25
sents: text: Try attaching a (preferably soft) door mat to your garage wall.
text: My granddad used this method and this works very well because you have a large surface where the door can bump into.
text: If you use screws instead of tape or glue, ensure you cover the screws.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/5334/Sebazzz
score: 15
sents: text: My mum had this problem and she found some spare pieces of thick wool carpet that were left over from when they refurbished and folded them over so they were double thickness and then stapled them to the wall .
text: So the car door always had a soft landing - it worked well, no more scratches and dents!
text: I'm sure most flooring places will sell you some very cheap off cuts (or even give them to you free) if you don't have anything suitable already.
text: You need a heavy duty type wall stapler ideally or else
text: you can use one of the builders glues or even ordinary screws (but then you need to protect the screw heads so they don't scratch)
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/5372/Judy D
score: 7
sents: text: I make the passenger get out first, but even so, I have flat pack cardboard boxes previously used for various things leaning against the walls of the garage
text: so I don't damage any of the doors myself when opening them in there.
text: I did have to tape them flat - once, one flopped open and I couldn't get out of the driver's side, it stopped the door from opening wide enough.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/1738/Bamboo
score: 3
sents: text: Assuming you have a wall on both sides of your garage, you can cut a length of rope a foot or so (the exact length may vary) short of the width of the garage.
text: Securely fasten this rope to the driver's side wall of the garage.
text: Before letting your passenger out, thread the rope through the driver's side window and instruct the passenger to affix it to the handle on the interior of the passenger side door.
text: When they open their door, the rope will prevent it from opening fully and hitting the wall.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/5361/Harrison Paine
score: 1
sents: text: I had some leftover vinyl siding (from having exterior siding installed).
text: I nailed it to the wall (interlocking as you would if you were installing it normally).
text: Works great
text: and now I don't have to worry about how to store the extra pieces (encase an exterior piece gets damaged).
text: It lays very close to the wall, but still provides a fairly soft surface to bounce a door off of.
text: You might be able to ask for some scrap pieces if you see someone house getting sided.
text: Each piece should be at least a couple of feet.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/5410/Dweeberly
score: 1
sents: text: Buy a smaller, more fuel efficient car?
text: You can also tape a pice of foam to the car door or garage door.
text: Honestly I think most people care more about the dents in their car doors than they do about the massive holes in the ozone layer from driving those huge SUVs!
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/6454/Skyfall
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
An effective way of stopping car doors from slamming against the wall in the garage is to install some form of buffer on the wall. This could be made from pool noodles, pipe insulation, an old doormat or even wool carpet. Alternatively, you could simply ask the passengers to leave the car before you park in the garage.
The options are to put something on the wall such as pool noodles, pipe insulation, a mat, foam, a scrap of old carpet or vinyl, or a buffer on the door or buy a smaller car.