Parking Sensor

[colVR4]

Is this too good to be true?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6763

Nicola struggles with parking the car as it is difficult for her to judge where the back of the car is. These parking sensors look incredibly cheap, are they worth the £40+ for them do you think. If it saves me £150 in repairs every time the back bumper gets banged I can see it being worth it. :-D

Thoughts from the floor?

[Bal]

i was thinking about it as well. but like you was unsure.

B

[Nick Mann]

If I wanted one, I'd give it a bash. (Or hopefully not after installation!)

[colVR4]

It doesn't look that difficult to install although I am unsure where to put the LED display. I am not even sure I would bother with the display to be honest.

I think that I may get it anyway for the money. If its a bag of sh**e I can always sell it on e-bay again

[colVR4]

Well the deed is done and I have bought it for less than £50 incl posting!! It remains to be seen what the quality is like. As soon as it arrives I will let you know

[ritch_w]

looks good - i've been meaning to get one of these things for a while also.

I also thought it may be worthwhile investigating whether the sensors would work / fit somewhere in the rear valence on the sport so as not to be cutting big chunks out the bumper

[Big Ian]

ive got the same set,never got round to fitting them........as my wife withdrew her threat about driving
i paid a-bit more though......£30. more :rolleyes5 thay are good quailty and i think i'd have paid more at the time

[Bal]

keeps us informed and lets go with the traditional bulk buy scenario

B

[colVR4]

On the invoice that I received it does say that you can buy from them direct for the price that I paid and that for orders of 3 or more they will give a discount!! I am not sure how long it will take to come through the post but I am expecting about 10 days for delivery.

[Big Ian]

col,
could you ask (enquire)about a "bulk buy?" as my father in-law keep's asking for my kit for his merc-sprinter van. ...

[colVR4]

I will send off an email to the seller and see what he can do for an order of 3 or more kits.

[Grinder]

I have spoken to installers of parking sensors and they reckon its difficult on the wagon (at least on mine!) because there is no vertical face on the back bumper. So the sensor always ends up pointing at the ground and beeps constantly (when in reverse).

I am sure there is a way around this, so I await news from you guys when they're fitted!

[colVR4]

UPDATE!!

I have received the sensor through the post (damn import tax grrrr £11 extra) and have started to fit it to the car. The LED readout is in silver so fits nicely in front of the auto stick (photos to come soon). The rear bumper seems to have a decent enough surface perpendicular to the road for the sensors to be mounted.

The fitment is soooo simple that even I can do it. The power comes directly from the reversing light so the system only works when reversing. All I have left to do is drill the holes for the sensors (drill bit comes with the pack) push them in and thread the wiring through to the control box.

I did try to get in touch with the guy who sold me it but he is no longer a member of e-bay (strange!!!) so it doesn't look like a bulk buy is on the cards. I will post all the piccies when the installation is complete.

L8R

[Japmetal]

I was going to warn that you dont angle the sensors at the ground [otherwise it thinks you're too close all the time, even when travelling on motorways etc] But it sounds like you've got it covered

[colVR4]

The sensor will only work when reverse is selected Jap, so the system is not powered up for normal driving. The sensors are mounted at the top of the bumper, just before it curves into the boot as this seems to be the most perpendicular part.

I admit that I was a bit apprehensive before drilling the holes, but I measured it all out and it really was very easy. Finding somewhere to thread the wires through was the hard part but I put them through the back of the light cluster in the end. Really was very easy to do (a one spanner in the Haynes manual )

Photos coming as soon as I've washed the car!!

[Grinder]

Yep looking forward to the photos.

I think the non-LED readout type are much easier to fit, as there is no threading of wires through to the front of the car.

But at that price, its a bargain, like colV6Sport said presumably you don't have to fit the display if you don't want it.

[lorriman]

For anyone thinking of fitting these, here are mine.

Didn't do it myself, but they pick up slim posts, foliage, metal fences etc. Just brilliant, until you ignore the continuous beep and over cook it thinking you know better than a stupid electronic gadget. Big mistake.

[Grinder]

jeebers! that is shiney paintwork!

[colVR4]

Back off hols and photos to come immenently. Best £££s that I have spent on the car yet. I can reverse the car back now far, far, far easier than I ever could before so reverse parking is now a doddle.....erm, I meant the fiancee can.....!!!

[Mel]

I'm just about to fork out for the 8 sensor version from this UK source:

http://www.tgincar.co.uk/

They have an ebay store, which is cheaper:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/TG-Online-T...enameZl2QQtZkm

I'll let you know how it goes. They do two versions with a display (mirror replacement and display type), but they look too much trouble...