If you leave your car for a while in a massive car park or on an unfamiliar street, then there is a possibility you can lose track of where exactly you left it. Not only is this somewhat embarrassing and time consuming, it could also mean you end up getting a parking fine.
In this guide we go through a few things you can use to make sure you don’t lose track of where you’ve parked your car the next time you leave it. Each of these solutions cost little to no money.
Phone apps
There are a huge number of apps available for smartphones which carry the simple purpose of allowing motorists to track where exactly they’ve left their car.
For Android phones there are apps like Google Now, MyCar Locator and Car Finder AR, while for Apple phones there’s the likes of iCarPark and Find My Car Smarter. Then there’s apps such as Where Did I Park and Find My Car! for Windows phone users.
Whatever type of phone you own, you could always try different apps online to see which you think does the better job. Bear in mind that not all these types of apps are free and some may require you to pay a small fee to download.
Alternatively, if your phone has GPS and a maps app that allows you place pins on different locations then you could use this to mark your car’s location. When you’ve parked your car and you are standing right by it, activate your GPS and put a pin on your current location so you can see where exactly you have to go later if you need help.
Your phone camera
Assuming you’ve taken your smartphone with you to wherever you’ve driven, you could use the camera to take a picture of your car with its surroundings once you’ve parked it. You could possibly use anything visually distinct that’s near the car as a reference when identifying your car’s location. Many large car parks have signs indicating which row you are parked on, so take a picture to help you remember it later.
You could even use the camera on your phone to film a short video that takes in your parked car’s surroundings. This can give you far more details to help guide you towards the location of your car if you forget later on.
Distinct car decoration
If your car is a popular choice for other motorists and it’s in a commonly chosen colour too, then there's a possibility you can lose sight of it in a crowded car park.
One way of getting around this potential problem is to make your car more distinct with some exterior or interior decoration.
Use whatever works for you, whether that be a decorated ball designed to fit on your car’s antenna or a brightly coloured cloth by your front or rear window.
Whether accessories like this are fashionable for your car is up to you. What matters is that should make identifying your car a lot easier when cars of a similar shape and colour are parked next to it.
