Parking sensors, front and rear - operation

**HHGTTG** · 14-03-2009,01:00 PM

My new VW MK6 is going to be fitted, as a factory fit option, with parking sensors, front and rear and therefore I pose the following question.
I can understand how the rear sensors are activated i.e. when engaging reverse gear etc. but are the front sensors active only when 1st gear is selected? If that is so then why don't they give an alarm signal when crawling slowly in traffic when the car in front is approached or has the speed of the car something to do with it?
And what happens if you drive into a space frontwards facing a vertical wall i.e when reverse hasnt' been selected?
Am I being ultra thick and missing something that is so obvious I cannot see the wood for the trees?

**VictorPapa** · 14-03-2009,02:08 PM

I asked my dealer a similar question when I ordered my car. He said that the rear sensors work automatically in reverse but the front ones work when selected. Therefore they shouldn't work in traffic, unless you wish them to.

**HHGTTG** · 14-03-2009,02:57 PM

Originally Posted by VictorPapa

I asked my dealer a similar question when I ordered my car. He said that the rear sensors work automatically in reverse but the front ones work when selected. Therefore they shouldn't work in traffic, unless you wish them to.

Thanks. Did the dealer say, or did you ask where the selector switch for the fronts were? Perhaps in that row of blanks in front of the gear lever?

**slo007** · 14-03-2009,09:05 PM

I can't wait for my car to arrive so such questions become easy to answer!

My car is also fitted with the optical parking sensors.

The Toyota Corolla I rented last month required a press of a button to activate the forward sensor alarm when going forward. I found it difficult to use and quickly forgot it was there.

**VictorPapa** · 15-03-2009,12:58 AM

Originally Posted by HHGTTG

Thanks. Did the dealer say, or did you ask where the selector switch for the fronts were? Perhaps in that row of blanks in front of the gear lever?

He didn't say and I didn't ask but I would think you're probably right with the row of blanks.

**Kn1ghthawk** · 19-03-2009,09:25 PM

The front will work when the button is selected. Yes, they will work in traffic whilst approaching the car in front. however, when you move forward at any speed in excess of about 5mph they will switch off.

(i know as i tried this following a review of this post)

**Blackthorn** · 03-04-2009,02:03 PM

Yes, the button is in that row of five in front the gear lever, either the middle or the second from right, I can't quite remember. One is Parking Sensors and the other Park Assist.

**netherfield** · 04-04-2009,05:09 PM

Sometimes not all they are cracked up to be,on my Phaeton there are 2 pointing forward and then 4 coming round the skirt pointing at angles.

Problem is if you are parking between 2 other cars the sensors spot them and start beeping which then doesn't tell how far from what's in front.

**ukpm** · 02-09-2009,05:01 PM

Can you fit them proper VW parking sensors afterwards at the dealer's... or would I be better getting a purely third-party system? I quite like the idea of the optical display on the RCD310/510 audio systems.

**AdC** · 02-09-2009,07:28 PM

Originally Posted by ukpm

Can you fit the proper VW parking sensors afterwards at the dealer's... or would I be better getting a purely third-party system? I quite like the idea of the optical display on the RCD310/510 audio systems.

No. Dealer fitted systems are 'aftermarket' - they don't blend into the bumper as well as oem and only 'beep' - i.e. they don't display on the radio screen. And I think it's rear only, too. Shame.