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Fitted Rear Parking Sensors Yesterday...How to.

61K views 78 replies 47 participants last post by  Stovies 
#1 ·
Fitted some rear parking sensors today, took a few pics as i went along, wasnt too much trouble, awkward bit was the bumper really.
Started off by unpacking all the box and testing the system. All was fine and working dandy :D


I tested the positive feed, connecting the red wire from the control box to the blue/black wire in the rear light cluster, which is the positive for the reversing light. All was well so hard wired by piggybacking to this wire, and connecting the earth to the nearest location on the bodywork.


Then i temporary sited the digital display on the right hand side just in front of the speaker grill. I was happy with this position because the lead doesnt show too much.


Then it was time to thread the cable through to the back. This was ok just unclipping the trim to feed the cable through to the bulkhead, then unscrewing the plugs to feed it though the ceiling. Some of the plugs didnt screw out so had to prize out with a knife. But they all came out :cool: Then all that was left was to feed the cable down to the rear light cluster, whilst feeding the cable down, put your hand up through the hole and pull through...job done.


At this point i drilled out the bumper to receive the parking sensors, i measured out according to the instructions and drilled out using the holecutter provided. Sorry guys no pics of this :oops:

Next it was bumper time, unscrewed all the torx bolts underneath there are 8 in total including the ones on the wheel arch. which leaves 2 bolts either side of the locking mechanism. Now these are much harder to access but all they need was a little bending outwards with and open ended spanner, unscrewed and they came out a treat :D



Now the next part was a fiddly bit, the polystyrene bumper inside the plastic bumper had to be cut out to receive the parking sensors, so a bit of work with a stanley blade did the trick.


All that was left to do was feed the wires through the grommet for the light cluster and connect to each sensor. make sure no wires were showing, i was going to tape up with electrical tape at this point, but it was nowhere to be seen.....typical, so i'll do this another day

here is the finished article, works a treat :mrgreen:
 
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#63 ·
Well, just to add balance to the universe I:

I had to remove my bumper after driling the holes (including the HD foam) only to find the white isn't a great match (will sort that out later with a special order of matched white) but what really 'Ground My Gears' was the fact that the sensor retaining clips (just shy of the lip of the sensor itself) are not deep enough to take the width of the bumper .....so the sensors just vibrate out....dangling like eyes pulled from a skull :eek:

+, I fudging stood on one of the sensors and had to conduct an A&E repair.

So, the entire experience has left me more frustrated than a frustrated thing.......not even wired the (wireless) dash unit....been on it since 10am.....now 15:12......children need walking.......

I'm So happy for all of you Rasp: I:

LOL:
 
#65 ·
..turn for the better today yay A: I had a bit of time before the children 'landed' so I had another go.

I found the ignition-12v for the stereo and hard wired the power for the dash unit into that - this was a great result in 2 ways. I didn't want the unit permanently as a potential power drain and, the wire just happened to fit beautifully into the speaker grill, with the wireless antenna hidden just under the lip of the grill - bonus. I had considered a more central location but off-side is perfect as you can observe the readout whilst using the mirror.

I soldered the wires together before crimping into 'in-line' permanent crimps - all worked as advertised.....first time.

Got the height right too, no false beeping.

Just need to give them a light dusting of matched white ; spot on T:

:ILU:
 
#67 ·
I thought it worthwhile to FB on some odd behaviour. ....some 3 or so months after fitting.
My kit worked flawlessly for about a month. Then, then VDU started to 'spike', by this I mean the entire LED display would momentarily flash on (I put that down to the stereo +ve connection). Dispite this, the kit continued to provide accurate reversing distance and warning.

Sadly, over the last 4 weeks the kit started to fail I. E. now sensor input.....I get the odd split second signal when reversing but gen I get nothing......the kit is essentially dead.

I read online that glue can cause the sensors to fail (I used a fair bit to secure the sensors 'within' the bumper to achieve a flush fit.

Looks like a new kit is required, or maybe just new sensors??? Frustrating as it''s all boarded in LOL:
 
#69 ·
Have to agree GREAT THREAD Just got a set and of course over thought the whole process so for the last two weeks I have gazed aimless into the box all the time thinking this is going to be a bitch of a job. Thanks to all of you for you encouraging positive experience your comments gave me the drive to do it and hey it worked .
Thanks all.
 
#72 ·
Thought I'd stick my oar in on these fitting kits. I've fitted mine and I've been quite happy with it. Not to mention it's the business when you need to reverse park an LWB. Either way, I didn't want the beeper & screen sticking out like a sore thumb but also in a decently viewable place.

I recessed it into the steering cowl which has loads of space to hold such an item.



https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMWaBcIYjngSUmcZ1qsibYca9CdfeOATQDJ2sp7

It's not fully fitted as yet but a temporary fix while I do the rest of the van.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNrPgoYaAk9fqOWYyPSLRbLQ2-j4U_bpG7T4pEL

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipONeZLtTXazA9xFesKDp7F2pplieYlPhM-RcGhJ

If anyone gets the chance of an oscillating multi tool buy it, its a gem of a thing.
 
#73 ·
Thought I'd stick my oar in on these fitting kits. I've fitted mine and I've been quite happy with it. Not to mention it's the business when you need to reverse park an LWB. Either way, I didn't want the beeper & screen sticking out like a sore thumb but also in a decently viewable place.

I recessed it into the steering cowl which has loads of space to hold such an item

It's not fully fitted as yet but a temporary fix while I do the rest of the van.




If anyone gets the chance of an oscillating multi tool buy it, its a gem of a thing.
 
#76 ·
I fitted wireless ebay jobs which worked beautifully for about 6 months...I've had nothing but intermittent unreliable on/off ..are they gonna work for two years now (been upgrading other things).
Power to the sender (from bulb feed) is 11.1volts.
Any ideas? ?
I purchased a second set, convinced the sensors were damaged by over-spra (not mine)...nope.
They seem to work perfectly when testing (just wired into the box....but goes up when I fit them??
Any ideas?
 
#77 ·
Wireless are notorious unless you pay over 50 quid for a "good" set.....
The cheap ebay ones are subject to all sorts of electrical interference, including that from the van and any power lines or light fittings that are close!
Even noise from other vehicles close can disrupt the signal.
Maybe they would work in a small car (but who needs them then?) but a long van, lots of metal, and the signal is absorbed into the body work.
 
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