Parking on a slope

W

Whiterhino114

New member
This may sound like an odd question but given all the trouble that convertibles have with drainage, I thought that it might be relevant....

I have just moved to a new house which has a sloping drive on which my 2004 car is going to be parked most of the time (it is a 3rd car for my wife and I). Does the group have an opinion on whether it is better to have the car parked facing up the slope or down the slope to prevent water accumulating where it shouldn’t? I’d be really interested to get your views. Many thanks.
 
I'd park nose down if I could, the reason being that the water can build up and then overflow into the luggage area, if the nose is pointing down, the water can flow down through the drains, assuming that you keep them clean. I speak from experience.
 
Depends if your car has a leaky roof. :o If is does leak then it may be better to have a little water in the boot and mop it out from there, than to have water in your foot well. :wink:
 
Also, BMW don't know how to make dependable handbrakes, so I'd recommend standing a mattress up at the bottom of the slope :)
 
But when we get to wet or icy weather, you'd be better parking nose up the slope. Then the weight transfer is more over the driving wheels so a little bit less likely to get stuck.
 
You would be better driving out of your drive it save petrol and wear and tear on your engine as it warms up quicker than if you were shunting backwards and forwards. :thumbsup:
 
Definitely park nose down the slope!
My car used to leak constantly into the boot even though the roof doesn’t leak and the drain holes were clear.
However, as explained on this site before, if the slope is steep enough the drain holes are actually above the level of entry for water into the boot!
Water taking the easiest route goes to the boot ( or used to!) rather than the roof drains.
Yes, I’ve been parking nose down the slope for ages now and the boot is as dry as a bone!
 
Buy a good quality outdoor cover, that’s what I did. A wise investment for those who do not have a garage to park their Z in.
 
1st thing to do is clean the drains before you do anything else.

Then after that par the car facing downhill.

I've parked mine for 5 years on and off facing downhill and had no drainage issues.

Park it in reverse gear with the handbrake on obviously.

One thing to remember is to get them to adjust the handbrake come the next service as the handbrake on the Z4 seems to be made from the pubes of angels or something equally ridiculous.
 
Not really relevant, but when I used to park my E46 Touring pointing uphill it tended to get bad condensation. It went away when I started parking downhill. I think it was the sunroof draining better.
 
Completely unrelated, in Germany it’s a legal requirement to have the wheels pointed into the kerb when parking on a hill :tumbleweed:
 
sars said:
Completely unrelated, in Germany it’s a legal requirement to have the wheels pointed into the kerb when parking on a hill :tumbleweed:
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For too sensible and pragmatic those Jerry's. :wink:
 
sars said:
Completely unrelated, in Germany it’s a legal requirement to have the wheels pointed into the kerb when parking on a hill :tumbleweed:
Click to expand...
Perhaps not unrelated as there are so many Z4's in Germany :lol: .
NB - Parking 'up' a hill - wheels turned away from the curb. Parking 'down' a hill, wheels turned towards the curb. :thumbsup:
 
I know this is an E85/86 related item but when I park my E89 nose down on my drive I use to get oil level warning alarms. I always park it nose up now or in the garage on the flat
 
skelters said:
Park it in reverse gear with the handbrake on obviously.
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First gear has a higher ratio than reverse, so your car is more likely to roll down a hill if you leave it in reverse rather than in first. Just a little FYI :thumbsup:
 
wonkydonkey said:
skelters said:
Park it in reverse gear with the handbrake on obviously.
Click to expand...
First gear has a higher ratio than reverse, so your car is more likely to roll down a hill if you leave it in reverse rather than in first. Just a little FYI :thumbsup:
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Are you saying the car can roll forward when in reverse gear? I didn't think that was possible :?
 
wonkydonkey said:
skelters said:
Park it in reverse gear with the handbrake on obviously.
Click to expand...
First gear has a higher ratio than reverse, so your car is more likely to roll down a hill if you leave it in reverse rather than in first. Just a little FYI :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

It’s the opposite way round, it’s easier to push a car along in a higher gear than a lower one :thumbsup:
Rob
 
buzyg said:
sars said:
Completely unrelated, in Germany it’s a legal requirement to have the wheels pointed into the kerb when parking on a hill :tumbleweed:
Click to expand...

For too sensible and pragmatic those Jerry's. :wink:
Click to expand...


I had some German colleagues visiting and one noticed a car parked on a hill, facing down hill (thanks enzed), with the wheels pointed away from the kerb and he was horrified, to the extent that it was like I’d asked him to choose which child :!:
 
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