Reversing into a parking spot

GoBlue88 · Jul 1, 2014

Despite the mirrors angling down and the huge rearview camera shot on the screen, I've had more trouble backing this car into a spot straight than any other vehicle I've ever owned. There is something distorting about the perspective from the right mirror and/or the fisheye camera, but I always seem to be angled a bit left when I think I'm straight in. The curb or line in a parking spot appears to be parallel with my rear bumper, but when I get out it can look like a totally amateur parking job even though I've been doing this for 28 years with my other vehicles with no problems. It's probably why some careless jerk gave me my first door ding the other day.

Any tips on how to do this effectively in a MS? This is especially important at reverse-in supercharger spots. I don't want to look like a 43-year-old neophyte. :redface:

efusco · Jul 1, 2014

GoBlue88 said:
Despite the mirrors angling down and the huge rearview camera shot on the screen, I've had more trouble backing this car into a spot straight than any other vehicle I've ever owned. There is something distorting about the perspective from the right mirror and/or the fisheye camera, but I always seem to be angled a bit left when I think I'm straight in. The curb or line in a parking spot appears to be parallel with my rear bumper, but when I get out it can look like a totally amateur parking job even though I've been doing this for 28 years with my other vehicles with no problems. It's probably why some careless jerk gave me my first door ding the other day.

Any tips on how to do this effectively in a MS? This is especially important at reverse-in supercharger spots. I don't want to look like a 43-year-old neophyte. :redface:

Thank you, I was beginning to think it was just me. I have always been an "ace" with backing up cars. But, as you say, despite the provided advantages I think there is something about the shape/curvature of the car, when backing, that makes it a bit tricky. I'm getting better as I get used to the vehicle. But I still have to play with it most times to get it perfectly straight.

GoBlue88 · Jul 1, 2014

efusco said:
Thank you, I was beginning to think it was just me. I have always been an "ace" with backing up cars. But, as you say, despite the provided advantages I think there is something about the shape/curvature of the car, when backing, that makes it a bit tricky. I'm getting better as I get used to the vehicle. But I still have to play with it most times to get it perfectly straight.

Heh. Good to know I'm not the only one. Took a lot of nerve to admit I had this problem. :biggrin:

Get me on the 12-step program, TMC! Somebody must have figured out how to do this accurately.

steve841 · Jul 1, 2014

That's just age creeping up on you guys!

No issues here.... but I usually just eye up the curb or stop or whatever to give me the right orientation for the car and DONE!

As for the door ding: Park as far from the morons of this world as conceivable..... You should see the looks I get from the wife sometimes when we go out.

GoBlue88 · Jul 1, 2014

steve841 said:
That's just age creeping up on you guys!

Maybe so, but I have no problem doing this in my Lexus IS 350, which also has a fish-eye backup camera but a much smaller screen.

The door ding made me want to punch somebody. People are so damn careless.

steve841 · Jul 1, 2014

GoBlue88 said:
The door ding made me want to punch somebody. People are so damn careless.

If I were a judge, that would be a perfectly acceptable response and an excluded road rage.

dsm363 · Jul 1, 2014

If you have auto tilt mirrors turned on and tilted down towards rear tire, that helps. I usually only have to do one reposition. I watch that I'm a short distance and even to the left parking line and glance at that and the camera while backing up.

David99 · Jul 1, 2014

The camera is so distorted that it's not matching what we would see with our eyes looking back. It makes it especially hard to see the distance correct and since all lines are curved it also makes it hard to align the car to lines. Looking back gives you very limited view since the back window is so small. The mirrors also didn't help me. In all previous cars I turned back and was able to see and that worked great. I was able to back into spots without trouble.

But having said all this I got used to using the camera and mirrors and just got used to the car. I can now back into parking spots pretty well and quick. It just takes some practice. As kids we know things take time and practice, as adults we somehow think we should be able to do everything instantly. We don't spend time learning and practicing things. We never even read manuals and when we can't figure something out, we blame the product to be not user friendly. Tesla sure is behind it terms of backup cameras. Other less expensive cars have guide lines in their backup cameras that adjust to the steering or even a bird's eye view composed out of 4 cameras. But again, give it a little time and practice, you'll get better!

GoBlue88 · Jul 1, 2014

dsm363 said:
If you have auto tilt mirrors turned on and tilted down towards rear tire, that helps. I usually only have to do one reposition. I watch that I'm a short distance and even to the left parking line and glance at that and the camera while backing up.

I have the right mirror on auto tilt. Maybe I need to play with that setting a bit to get it in the right position. Could be tilting down and a bit towards me, which I suppose could cause a perspective issue. When I am straight in, it looks REALLY off in the right mirror.

- - - Updated - - -

David99 said:
The camera is so distorted that it's not matching what we would see with our eyes looking back. It makes it especially hard to see the distance correct and since all lines are curved it also makes it hard to align the car to lines. Looking back gives you very limited view since the back window is so small. The mirrors also didn't help me. In all previous cars I turned back and was able to see and that worked great. I was able to back into spots without trouble.

But having said all this I got used to using the camera and mirrors and just got used to the car. I can now back into parking spots pretty well and quick. It just takes some practice. As kids we know things take time and practice, as adults we somehow think we should be able to do everything instantly. We don't spend time learning and practicing things. We never even read manuals and when we can't figure something out, we blame the product to be not user friendly. Tesla sure is behind it terms of backup cameras. Other less expensive cars have guide lines in their backup cameras that adjust to the steering or even a bird's eye view composed out of 4 cameras. But again, give it a little time and practice, you'll get better!

Yeah, maybe more time and practice is the answer. Been at it for a month and it is still frustrating me.

CHGolferJim · Jul 1, 2014

Use the two side mirrors and back up equidistant from the two lines?

caddieo · Jul 1, 2014

If I start a good distance away and have room for adjustments/corrections, I do ok. I find it more difficult and error-prone in a cramped area.

trils0n · Jul 1, 2014

This is my first car with a backup cam, so it is by far the easiest to back into a parking spot for me. Backup cam + auto tilt mirrors makes it easy for me. The rear wheels are further apart/wider set than the front ones, so you cant quite line up based on the line being equidistant down the length of your view, that will get you in at an angle.

jerry33 · Jul 1, 2014

I have no problems. The backup camera and mirrors work great together. However, now I can't back up in an old fashioned car

Btrflyl8e · Jul 1, 2014

I back my car into my driveway every single day, and I still suck at it after 14 months. To be fair though, my driveway is oddly shaped so I have do a little maneuvering.

RLA12194 · Jul 1, 2014

If I recall correctly, the rear wheels stick out a bit further than the front wheels. This can cause your car to be crooked in the parking spot even though you thought that you were parallel with the parking line when reversing in.

dsm363 · Jul 1, 2014

Go slowly until you think you are lined up and not going to hit anything. Then pick what looks like a safe distance between left rear tire and parking line and try and keep that distance even while glancing are rear view camera and at right mirror. Seems to work but agree, not easy and camera lines if added will help.

Lloyd · Jul 1, 2014

It also helps to remember the that concrete at the bottom of the camera image is ~6" from the rear bumper.

GoBlue88 · Jul 1, 2014

RLA12194 said:
If I recall correctly, the rear wheels stick out a bit further than the front wheels. This can cause your car to be crooked in the parking spot even though you thought that you were parallel with the parking line when reversing in.

Yeah, that is definitely a problem when trying to use the side mirrors.

apacheguy · Jul 1, 2014

+1 for camera guidelines. Has been a feature request of mine since day 1. Hopefully by 6.0 they'll have figured out the hardware overlay issue.

mnx · Jul 2, 2014

I had trouble getting the car back straight into a parking spot at first. Now I just make sure I'm parked parallel to the cars/spots on the other side. That seems to work well for me.

Reversing into a parking spot

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