Customer Reviews

Park-Zone 120-Volt Dual-Powered Battery-Powered Precision Parking Device #PZ-1500

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

I was skeptical when I first purchased this item because I didn't have any confidence in it's ability to accurately gauge the distance of a bumper to the bumpee (a.k.a. the wall). But, after installing it my confidence was immediately buoyed by the unerring accuracy with which it issues its green-yellow-red sequence.

The setup and installation took about 10 minutes. Anyone can install this thing! The instructions were clear and easy to follow, and the provided templates make sure your installation goes easier.

The ONLY complaint I have about this device is the number of wires it leaves exposed. Depending on the distance from an AC outlet, it can be aesthetically unpleasant. There's a wire from the signal light down to the sensor (the wire that's shown in the photo), and then another from the signal light to the AC outlet.

Overall, though, I love the device. And... it works with multiple cars and doesn't seem very sensitive to bumper height.

5 Stars!

I've used the Park Zone for two years (I bought them when they were much more expensive) and love it. My car barely fits into my garage, so this is a great device. Contrary to some other reviews here, I've found it to be pinpoint accurate day-in and day-out. Even though I have the AC adapter, I've never used it. Mine is still running on the original batteries I installed two years ago. It's easy to set up and dead accurate (and just plain cool). It's a must for every garage.

I ordered this item, it was delivered very promptly by Amazom.com. It was easy to install, but took longer than 90 seconds, as indicated by the manufacturer. Park-Zone can be installed in any garage, and simply guides you to the exact distance from the wall that you determine. It operates on 4-AA batteries (which are said to power the unit for a year) or the AC adapter included. As you drive into the garage, a green, amber, and red light guides you to the right spot. I'll be ordering 2 more for our other cars !!

The product works great. Suggest buying the model with the AC plug in, well worth the extra dollars. Manufacture suggests a 90 second installation. What world are they living in? It took me 90 seconds to pull the car into position.... It took me about 1/2 hour to install and set up. Also the screws supplied with the unit are way to short. I guess they want you just to screw them into the drywall. Me, being a perfectionist installed longer screws into the studs or wall plugs. Beside the screws and the fictitous installation time, the product works very well.

The ads for this thing say that it operates for up to a year on the batteries. I think they have a typo - make that a 'month' on the batteries. I've found that as soon as it gets low on power, it uses what it has left to blink the red light for a week until you replace them.

This device works well -- if there is nothing in the garage to interfere with the operation. You need to have a completely clear field on both sides (not just directly ahead) or it just wont work. A good idea, but could use a much narrower field of "vision" to work in most garages, especially if your garage has other items (i.e. freezer, storage shelves) which will interfere with the operation. I am sad that it doesn't work better, but I found a piece of tape on the floor of the garage that I can line up with a piece or tape on the inside of my car door works better -- and every time!

I live in a townhome so I have a very small one car garage. I have a small tool chest and workbench along the back of the garage and there is really only wnough room for my car. I honestly only have about a 6 inch space between my car and the garage door and my tool chest. As you can understand, I need something to make sure my car is in the same exact place every day. I bought this from Brookstone in a mall around christmas time of last year. It only worked for a couple of months and now it doesnt light up at all. You can click the only button at the top to reset it, but it does not remember the setting. I unplugged it and then it started to work for a couple of days and now if you back up it seems to work when it shows green, then it shows yellow and as you slowly back up it starts to blink a couple of times and shuts off. Now I just open my door and stop a couple of inches in front of a crack in my garage.

It is a better buy to get one of those things on the ground which your tires sit in, or even make a mark on your wall to figure out when you are in a good spot.

I am very disapointed in mine.
I was expecting it to be very accurate, but it doesn't work if you try to park closer than a foot from the wall.
I have a large vehicle, and I need to get within 6 inches of my wall. This device WILL NOT work with that close of a range.
Also I have been having to reset it alot (maybe because I am pulling up too close.)

I think I'll just keep pulling up until I hear it crunch!

Setting up is a snap: (1) I mounted the sensor at the front bumper level. (2) Mount the light at eye level. (3) Connect the curly wire from the sensor to the light and connect the a/c adapter. (4) Park the car at the closest position. (5) Turn on the device. That's it!

Pro: It does exactly what it supposed to do.
Con: The battery last less than one week! Must use the power adapter.

This is a nifty little product...for some people. It does what it is supposed to do, but buyers need to be very aware of it's limitations or they will be returning it like I did. First of all, Amazon lists the working range of this unit as .5 to 16 feet. However, the instructions in the box indicate that you should have at least 18 inches in front of the device to work with, with three open feet on each side. I tried parking a car within about 9 inches of the sensor and reset the range per the instructions. When driving up to the unit it gave me a red light to stop at around 16-18 inches...with about 6 inches of car hanging out of the garage! I thought maybe the calibration was off, so I brought the car to within a few inches of the sensors, reset the range, and lo and behold the red light came on at 16-18 inches again. This device is useless in close quarters.

The second issue has to do with many cars having curved front bumpers (like our Quest mini-van). Because of this it's important that you have at least 6-10 inches of "play" in your garage or you might find that one day you don't line up correctly with your curved bumper and leave the rear of the car in the way of the door again. Combine those two factors and you will need to make sure you have at least a significant amount of room to work with. It will not be effective in tight quarters.