Parking Sensors

[Lexiguy]

I am about to buy front and rear parking sensors to fit to my SC430.

There are various options and I wonder what you guys have experienced with them.

First thought is just buzzers to give a warning or a set with a small screen to identify to area being warned about?

Secondly flush fitting or 'wart like' as someone identified then as?

I will also be installing a reverse camera at the same time. Probably also front and rear dash cams.

[Ken Timbers]

My car's away being fitted with a reversing camera right now. Lexus Sidcup organised this for me with Bromley Audio, and I'll post my impressions of it and any details of make etc when I get it back in a couple of days time.

I've had front and rear sensors on every car I've had over the past 12 years or more, but very seldom had them in active mode— I found them more of a nuisance than an aid, so I have no plans to put them on this car. I certainly wouldn't put the 'blister' type on—I think they would spoil the car's clean lines.

[Glyn Jennings]

15 hours ago, Ken Timbers said:

My car's away being fitted with a reversing camera right now. Lexus Sidcup organised this for me with Bromley Audio, and I'll post my impressions of it and any details of make etc when I get it back in a couple of days time.

I've had front and rear sensors on every car I've had over the past 12 years or more, but very seldom had them in active mode— I found them more of a nuisance than an aid, so I have no plans to put them on this car. I certainly wouldn't put the 'blister' type on—I think they would spoil the car's clean lines.

I fitted the flush ones like the first and second pictures as they look much neater than the blister type. I already had fitted a rear camera but still found it difficult to judge distance with that alone. The flush one use a hole punch to make the hole and this makes an incredibly neat hole but you have to remove both bumpers which takes takes longer and is more work as the fit from the back. Even though I cleaned the rear of the bumper really well I could not get them to stick very well with the double sided adhesive tape supplied. I removed the backing plates which unscrewed and fixed them instead with a good quality building adhesive. On the rear I fitted the two centre ones just above the number plate and there was only just enough room to fix the sensor without the backing plate, careful measuring is required.

I wired into the reversing light cable as it comes out of a junction box on the left hand side of the boot.  For the front ones I ran the 4 sensor wires in flexible conduit under the hood and put the control box under the dash on the drivers side. They are switched on  by a switch which is located on the panel you remove under the dash. It is pre-marked out for a switch to be fitted there. I purchased a 20mm Q.Max Sheet Metal Punch Hole Punch from eBay to make a neat neat hole to fit the switch. I took my time doing the whole job for a few hours a day to make sure I got it right. Probably the worst part is removing the bumpers especially when one of the bolts is behind the inner wheel arch cover and you also have the pull the bumper off it’s clips on the side gently but with enough force to release them. It’s like every job I have done on the car in that when you have removed something the first time it is so much easier if you have to do it again. The reversing camera is linked to front and rear dash cams and the display fits over the rear view mirror. The dash cams work great but I do find the display although very high quality is difficult to see if it is really sunny especially if the roof is down. I tend to turn the display off so it works like a normal mirror and the dash cams still record in that mode.

[Lexiguy]

Hi Guys 

I fitted the flush fit ones to the rear as per the pic I posted earlier and despite the drilling of the bumper skin being nerve-wracking it was very straight forward!

They work well too!

...just the front to do now!