Underground Car Parks - do you duck as well?

[Hannick]

Leeds - Woodhouse Lane multi storey car park - no height limit information until it was almost too late. Noted a 2.00m height limit. Despite the cars queuing behind I crept up to the low point, stopped and checked the clearance. Tight but clear, so drove in. It would have been awkward asking lots of cars to back up to let us out. Every few yards a concrete roof support comes along and despite the fact I'd already checked we fitted we found ourselves ducking down as we went past each one as it looked like we were about to get our heads bashed. Scary.

Just returned from a trip to Brussell's and did the same thing, into a car park and too late see it's 2.00m headroom.

Either I have great confidence in them getting it right, or I am plain nuts as I doubt the insurance would pay up if I tore the roof off.

I guess if they say 2.00m and with us at 1.95m high we should be able to trust them, but I did worry about light fittings, signs and other things that they might have put onto the roof which might clout us, or even going up the ramp and changing the angle of approach as it were.

Note to self - park outside and walk in to check before getting past the point of no return. Not too easy in a busy city though.

Anyone had a similar experience or even scraped the roof?

Perhaps I'll need to carry an extendible clip on radio aerial or suchlike to fit to the front at times like this so I can see it clang the car park roof before the van does if there is a rogue roof structure a bit lower than the others! Then what? Reverse gently out to find a barrier preventing exit? Let the tyres down a tad? Crikey.

 

[calikev]

I had the same thing happen in cambridge it was too late to turn around once I reached
the concrete roof a queue behind im never sure how low the lights hang I now avoid them like
the plaque

 

[skip.lesion]

Which car park in Cambridge? I'm nervous about trying the Grand Arcade ...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[calikev]

That's the one I think near the corn exchange my van is also lowered 30mm
It did make it but when you can't see above you it's scary

 

[skip.lesion]

Many thanks - however that 30 mm could make all the difference!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maui2512]

Yes, I went into our nearest multi-storey the other day in Walton-on-Thames and even though it says is actually 2.2m I was still ducking, especially when turning to go up the ramps...I dread to think what it feels like in a 2m car park. I'm going to have to go and do a recce for Kingston-on-Thames as that is all multi-storeys and at least a few of the ones I usually use are 1.85m.
I did do a quick search online to see whether the shopping centre websites mentioned heights but most didn't. Seems like that would be a really good app to have - car parks with different height restrictions...!

 

[Leo K]

I guess if they say 2.00m and with us at 1.95m high...

The standard T5 California height being actually 1.99 m I would never dare to enter a 2.00 m parking house. But take care of your wing mirrors too - with a 2,45 m entrance it is better to rotate them before driving in, as I found out the other week!

 

[Hannick]

Parkopedia can help as it does quote heights on some of the multi storeys it lists.

It does quote 2.00m for the Leeds car park I mentioned. I wouldn't have ventured near the place if I'd read that first.

 

[Karim]

I do park in them all the time: previously with a Caravelle and now with a California. Never had issues

 

[DavidofHook]

I park in 2m headrooms but only if I have to.
The danger is if the floor rises in a slope just past the beam. You can have a 2m clearance directly below the beam but as the van travels up the slope the front rises and effectively increasing it's height all along it's length. And that can result in a bash. Has happened to me just once when the end of the sun blind got caught. No great damage except the end housing fell off (we have a Fiamma for some reason) and slight paint scrapeage at high level.

But, back to the original question, I do duck and sometimes I get Mrs Davidofhook to nip out and check if they seem really low. She is quite good at it.

 

[Hannick]

This made me chuckle, but I shouldn't laugh as it might be me next time.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...Gastineau-badly-scrape-roof-Mercedes-SUV.html

6'4" = 193cm so our vans would have clouted this roof as well.

Talking of underground car parks, I reversed a hire car into a parking space in France a couple of years ago and didn't see an air conditioning duct in the way at the back. The car was low enough to miss it but it broke the stubby aerial off the car. Nothing a bit of Bostick couldn't fix. It's a good thing they don't check the radio still works when you hand the hire car back though.

 

[David Eccles]

and the side awning adds a bit?
multi storey car parks too scary 4 me dont even like those bars on open ones on beaches beauty spots etc that say 2m and always have a watching eye from passenger outside!

 

[Goldie]

and the side awning adds a bit?
multi storey car parks too scary 4 me dont even like those bars on open ones on beaches beauty spots etc that say 2m and always have a watching eye from passenger outside!

The ones on the Causeway Coast in Ireland were all 1.94m or 1.96m so had to drive past loads of places I would have liked to have stopped. That said I would have avoided any at 2.0m as many looked bent in the middle; either been hit or people swinging on them.

Andy

 

[Hannick]

I'm on a roll, but this scene of damage to the yellow painted concrete is not unusual so goodness only knows how many people scrape their roofs. Note 2m indicated height making this a no go zone for our Cali as despite me having risked 2m heights elsewhere I'm going to be much more careful in future.

This car park is the Clifton Down Shopping Centre in Bristol where I parked this lunchtime (in my nice low 1.4m high car). Perhaps it's roof racks that take the brunt of these mishaps most of the time.



I'll shut up now.

 

[Custardtart]

Parked in Chinatown at the weekend - 1.98m underground parking. It was very exciting!

I measured the awning on my van at 1.95m (it's been lowered 30mm) so went for it.

Worked fine but there were plenty of scrapes on the concrete roof beams.

 

[jts46]

Came through Paris on the west side and went through this tunnel 2m clearance 10km in length, we was ducking all the time. A86 tunnel you tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STstpyGg0i8

 

[teeboy]

This was a good one in Bordeaux. Underground car park - going down the ramp it said 2.6m. Then when you got to the bottom of the ramp there was a roundabout with loads of "cave" exits each with a 2m height, so we pressed on!!!

 

[calikev]

Wow that looks scary

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

In trouble with the Boss for this one - 2m limit in underground carpark in Celle Germany. We were crawling with Penney watching the roof. Just OK, but now had to agree that I'm not to go into anything with less than 2.2m in future

 

[teeboy]

Over the easter holiday we drove from Versailles back to Calais. As soon as we left Versailles the Sat Nav took us onto the A86 which is around 10 miles of tunnel with a 2m restriction.

After a few miles you relax, but when you have a sign on the roof of the tunnel you still feel the urge to duck!

http://tollroadsnews.com/news/french-lo ... austrophic

EDIT: Just seen johntowers46 post three above - there must be an echo in this tunnel

 

[HistoryBob]

My pet hate in car parks in the UK are the ones that declare the height restriction is : 6ft 6in and 2metres. There is about 3/4in difference between 6ft 6in and 2 metres and the height of the Calli falls between the two. It's probably some jobs worth in the back office of the town hall who doesn't know the difference and glibly says "it's 2metres, call it 6ft 6in " or worst still the other way round.
Rant over. Have Fun

 

[GuyB]

Got to say - have been into lots of 2m carparks - they all feel tight and scary but not hit anything. Trust the sign, live on the edge and, if all else fails, there's always insurance! Don't restrict your movements!

 

[BerndRos]

I had a scary moment at Monaco and went into the underground shopping car park as you go through the tunnels out of Monaco.....by the time I realised the potential danger I was past the point of no return.

I won't go in any that are under 2.2m now as not worth the hassle


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jts46]

Over the easter holiday we drove from Versailles back to Calais. As soon as we left Versailles the Sat Nav took us onto the A86 which is around 10 miles of tunnel with a 2m restriction.

After a few miles you relax, but when you have a sign on the roof of the tunnel you still feel the urge to duck!

http://tollroadsnews.com/news/french-lo ... austrophic

EDIT: Just seen johntowers46 post three above - there must be an echo in this tunnel

Yes we found it scary with an adrenalin rush

 

[gatvol]

I don't use car parks below 2.2m. And I only go in them if there is no alternative

Smacking the aluminium roof would open up a real can of worms.