Morris Minor Owners Club

Am trying to make myself feel better I think, as this afternoon I managed to put a fair sized dent in my rear wing while trying to get in my garage!
I am very bad at parking in general, it's quite a tight fit to reverse into my garage, and I always feel under pressure because there are usually cars going up and down the road and cars parked either side of my drive and opposite.
No excuse I know, I'm really upset and my husband can't understand why I can't do a simple thing like reverse straight!

Morris Minors usually have little or no visibility from wing mirrors when reversing. I've scratched a couple of rear wings when reversing into a cluttered garage, although I've never dented a Minor.

Modern cars with electronic remote adjusting door mirrors make for much easier reversing!

I too reverse into my garage, though I'm lucky that my garage is off a back lane, so it's quiet. I'm afraid if someone comes, they have to wait; don't feel pressured. If there were more people like you, who put their cars away, the roads would be less cluttered and there wouldn't be cars parked next to your entrance.

Obviously if it's wide enough, try and get straight before you're in but what I do is open the drivers window and watch that side (Knowing that the other side has enough room), just leaving enough room for me to get out of the car - saying that, a Minor is easy enough to swap sides and get out of the left hand door.

You could also put wooden strips on the floor which will touch the tyres before you hit anything....just watch you don't trip over them .

Yes, I think I may have to try and get some better door mirrors, the ones I have at the moment are practically useless especially on the passenger side. My problem is that for some reason I can't think straight away which way I will go when I turn the wheel while reversing! Had to go out again after the "dent", and when I got back again my mind went totally blank, my husband had to tell me which way to turn the wheel and managed to get me in the garage (he doesn't drive cars so can't do it for me).
I was reduced to tears which is unlike me, so have phoned a friendly driving instructor for a parking lesson!

Sorry to hear about your little accident. I know what it's like feeling pressured to park - it's hard but you really have to just ignore it! The most annoying thing I find is that I can park beautifully when no-one's around, however when I have a crowd staring at me and huffing and puffing I always cock a doodle diddley up.

I'd get yourself one or two of the mirrors which attach to the quarterlight. I have one and together with the wing mirrors it's quite enough. If reversing into a narrow bay/garage I always open my door and look behind myself.

Take yourself off somewhere and practice - even if it just the supermarket car park reversing between the cars. As said above if the only audience are strangers it's not so bad. Just keep practicing - eventually you will wonder why you worried about it

Thinking about it... Last year Alex Holden managed to reverse into the doorframe of my garage
He didn't dent the wing though as he got it so far out, it bumped near the over-rider!

And he'd had the cheek to micky-take WibblePuppy for reversing... into a ditch!

A friend of mine has a plastic ball hanging from the garage ceiling. He lines up the Morris with the ball and when it touches the back windscreen he knows he is in the garage far enough. Also try old carpet fixed to a board and lean or fix it too the doorway and at least if you touch this you are less likely to leave any scratches or dents.

Another tip when revesing is to use one hand on the bottom of the wheel. If move your hand left the back end will go right and vice versa. Someone showed me this when I was learning to reverse with a trailer. I'm still rubbish but get there eventually.

If it makes you feel better. When I had a garage I was in a rush one evening putting the Morris in and forgot to lift the door far enough up as it was a bit dodgy anyway and it left a nice scratch on my roof before I realised. I let go a few expletives I didn't even know that I knew that evening!!!

Not a single one of my cars is dent free

Sad thing is only one dent, on one car is my doing. Its a Mahoosive dent on the fiesta bootlid, where I revered into a trailer

not quite as bad as my mum who reversed round the house and hit the caravan... It had only been in the same place for 10 years.
Put quite a nice dent in the quarter panel for me to repair... I hate trying to blend-in metalic silver!

My brother reversed into my car which in turn went into the greenhouse He now has his own designated parking place - a long way away from my car

Hehe. My problem is that all 3 cars are on the road and I've had wingmirrors taken off, and allsorts

That's just dam nasty Put some big spikes on wheels - like in Ben Hur that'll teach 'em

I'm actually rather gutted about it. The fiesta, I couldn't give a damn about because it was rough as heck anyway.

The rover on the other hand was near enough mint when it arrived here (I struggled to find a single mark on the paint) and is now COVERED in dents and scratches Its been here 6 weeks

even if it just the supermarket car park reversing between the cars.

That seems to be where most people practice parking, judging by the dents you pick up there!! Anyone trying this, let me know where!

Well Geraldine, if its any consolation this evening I've just put ANOTHER dent in my offside front wing and all I did was to drive into my garage! I've lived here 16 years and still haven't got it right.
Fortunately I bought a "How to get the dents out of your Morris" CD at the National! Must look at it now!
Regards, MikeN.

An auto electrician I knew had worked in the vehicle maintenance depot for the local council. Some of the office staff used to bring their cars in, during the lunch break, for an on the side service.

One lady had "Booked in" her Reliant Robin. At the designated time she arrived and thought she would put her car over the pit ready for work to begin. BIG MISTAKE!!

The idea of carpet on the wall reminds me of when my grandfather had a Wolseley 6/99. It filled the garage, so some colliery conveyor belt was attached to the far wall, as a buffer. He and my parents have also used the hanging rubber marker idea. My garage isn't quite that tight as a rule.

Am feeling a bit better now, thanks for your replies. Thinking back I seem to have a tendency to damage Minors, my first car was a Traveller and I misjudged the gap between me and a bus - guess who came off worst. My defence then was that I had only just passed my test.
After the Traveller I had a Reliant Robin then an Astra, both of which were dent free and it probably wouldn't have bothered me damaging them!

my granddad had a visit one day from the local austin dealer with the latest farina cambridge, he was not interested in buying one but took it for a test drive none the less. Everything went well until they got back to his house when he bumped it into the gate.. he felt so bad he bought one!

"Borrow" a few traffic cones and make a "garage" with them out of the way in a large supermarket carpark (evening) and practise reversing. You'll soon learn the width of your vehicle without damaging it. Do it forwards as well. It's a great confidence booster.