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Goes without saying Vista1100. With 2 young kiddies he's well aware of that.
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Friend of mine did the same in a brand new Lexus RX300. She could see nothing behind and assumed that the radar had made a mistake.......
I can't imagine having a larger or booted car without parking radar now. You can even get them for the front these days.
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Can you get them as an add-on? Our 405 estate with a dog cage on the back can be tricky if a low bonnet is behind.
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Yep - they're dirt-cheap too. About 30 quid at Argos I think - that includes 2 sensors.
Personally, I think they destroy the line of the bumper, but that's just my opinion.
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I know of a system you can get which leaves no visible sign at all - no weird bumps on the bumper. It's a strip, which is fitted inside the bumper so you can't see it.
Can't remember how much it is (although I'm pretty sure it's more than £30).
The only place I know you can get it from is the AlfaOwner shop, and I know of several people who are very satisfied with it.
Here's AO: www.alfaowner.com/Forum/index.php?referrerid=3009
The third red heading down is the shop, should be easy enough to find.
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Further details. Open the shop, click 'universal' at top left, then 'parking sensors' (duh)
The bottom of the list 'invisible install' is the one I mean, at £60ish+VAT
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Got them front and rear on my 2001 BMW 520i and they are an absolute life saver (specially since where I park there are metre tall stone bollards at the rear of each bay that you can't see - as my last car, a Focus, will provide proof of). The sensors are by no means infallible though - if you go in at just the wrong angle those bollards can fall out of the sensors range as you get closer.
Funnily my 2 year old son has even picked up on them and when he's reversing his toy cars the old "beep-beep-beep" always kicks in :oD
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Yep - whilst being very useful at times I can see how they might lull drivers into a false sense of security to the point where they don't bother properly checking their mirrors anymore.
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The sensors are by no means infallible though - if you go in at just the wrong angle those bollards can fall out of the sensors range as you get closer.
This is the beauty of the invisible system I was talking about, because it's a strip, there aren't any blind spots.
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Alarm bells ring in my head here. If this invisble strip system is so good then
1/ why is it so cheap
2/ Why is it not used by manufacturers as standard fit rather than visible sensors in the bumper.
Something not right here.
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I was looking at the strip sensor system after managing to nudge a wall with my colour-keyed bumpers. If the sales talk is to be believed then it is exactly what I want - no visible sensors and ability to transfer to another car. There is a company in Tewkesbury that sells the same system for about the same price and they have systems on demonstrator vehicles. I haven't had the opportunity to visit yet as they shut before I finish work.
In answer to one question - why is it so cheap? Don't forget that there is a huge mark-up on options and aftermarket electronics. You will also probably pay for the fitting at £50 an hour as an dealer fit accessory.
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The point i make is that
1/ This system is cheaper
2/ Its easier to install and integrate at the manufacturing stage (ie no holes or seperate components in bumper assemblies, less cabling required)
So if you specify sensors at order stage, why dont manufacturers use this system, rather than the costlier to make seperate sensor solution.
Something smells.
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The point i make is that 1/ This system is cheaper 2/ Its easier to install and integrate at the manufacturing stage (ie no holes or seperate components in bumper assemblies, less cabling required) So if you specify sensors at order stage, why dont manufacturers use this system, rather than the costlier to make seperate sensor solution. Something smells.
Like a lot of extras on cars they are partly practical, but partly status symbol, so they have to be visible!
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Like a lot of extras on cars they are partly practical, but partly status symbol, so they have to be visible!
I did think of that explanation too, but I didn't want to appear even more cynical than RF is! ;)
(Don't know you very well RF, so want to be sure you know that's entirely a joke. I heartily approve of sensible cynicism, you don't know until you ask the question, after all)
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"even more cynical than RF is!"
Taken as a compliment Bazza!
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But RF Car manufacturers do/make all sorts of things which are more complex and costly than they need to be.
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Ah thats the point VM, complex maybe, but costlier? never. Given the number of components on a car, each is subject to cost contraint. if you can shave .1 cent off the cost of each component, that adds up to hunbdred of dollars per car, multiplied by the number of cars you make. Ergo reduce the number of components and even more cost saving.
My question has I think been answered. there are more liability problems with a system that only works when moving, than one that works all the time. I think the company lawyers have a hand in this one.
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Don't know about the price of individual components RF but you're not claiming that things like large, bodystyled, colour coded rear bumpers or heated, electronic door mirrors with integral repeaters are less expensive (either to manufacture or for us poor punters to replace) than the perfectly usable and effective ordinary ones they've replaced. Surely cost is not always the makers overriding concern.
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Large body syled rear bumper? cheaper than steel with chrome? and all its heavy fixings brackets and bolts? yup
Now with reference to your heated electric superwhiz mirror with light?
In truth probably not much more than old manual mirror with its lever and the cost of the light fitting in the wing. BUt what joy 10 quids worth of super looking mirror, hanging out in the breeze ready to bash other 10 quid mirrors. Cost to buy from dealer? I should think the Merc ones must be 150 quid at least and i bet they sell HUNDREDS a year. Nice earner that one.
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RF Think you've partially made my point that car makers often put things on cars that are more complex than they need to be and certainly far more expensive for US to replace with a higher profit margin for the makers. So, the strip is cheap to buy and simple to fit but why use it when you can install a more flashy looking unit (which as someone else mentioned has an obvious 'pose' factor) which costs you a bit more but which with your inflated profit margin is going to cost the punter several times more to replace?
Car makers know most people love gadgets and will pay through the nose for them. The more visible these gadgets are the better - no pose factor if nobody can see how many gizmo's your car's equipped with.
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Like when Ford stopped painting inside of the ash trsy, years back!!
Saved a fortune!!??
VB
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The protruding sensors are ultrasonic, whilst the hidden foil antenna one is microwave. As I understand it, the latter may be affected by rain, and also does not work when the vehicle isn't moving; the former do not have these "disadavantages".
I fitted three ultrasonics to mine - cost about £100 and took me about hour. The sensors are not particularly conspicuous. You also get a nice display in the car showing distance to the object and where it is (left, centre, right), and a set of tones in case you don't want to look at it!
Dealer fit option for ultrasonics is £450 for my car, although the sensors are then completely flush with the bumper surface. The display is also mounted nicely in the car, rather than velcroed onto the trim over the passenger seat, as I have done! However, I wasn't prepared to pay that much extra for the improved looks.
Wouldn't be without them now.
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I see the reasons for your questions RF, but I can't really give many details. I have no affiliation with the company that makes it, or AO who are selling it. (Although I do use AO a lot, so admit I would be happy for them to get any sales, since all the money for the running of the forum comes from the shop)
I seem to remember from previous conversations on AO that the company making them is quite small, and quite low volume, so that might answer part of the question.
As to the quality, all I can say is that I know of around ten people who have posted on AO to say they've fitted it, all have found it to be very easy, and all have been very pleased with the result. No-one has ever posted any problems with it.
One person (Banflu) has infact posted a large guide to the fitting, with pictures to help, although it'd be of limited usefullness unless you own an Alfa 147, I'd have thought.
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I ordered a dealer fit tape-type detector for my Subaru. The week before the car was due the dealer phoned to say that Subaru had withdrawn the detector because of complaints. The ultrasonic one was not available as dealer fit.
One of my coach driver friends calls the all-singing-dancing mirrors P45s, because that's what you get if you damage one (easy with a coach on narrow roads). They cost about £800 to replace.
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On the subject of the mirrors, I saw a set in the US, on a pickup type vehicle, which not only had the indicator on the front of them, a red arrow also shone through the mirror itself, so the driver could see it.
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