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Parking sensor failure; Oh for goodness sake! (the 'OEM' undertray epilogue)


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Hello everyone

My car's still under an RAC Platinum warranty and I had a faulty sensor replaced a few weeks back and all was tickety boo until a few days ago when the same bloody thing's happened! Continuous tone all the time reverse is selected.

Now I could go through the same warranty palaver, but it seems 'Platinum' is not quite precious enough to cover diagnostics, so while the dicky sensor was replaced, I payed £40 for the diagnostic costs. Not particularly bothered by this, but my Dad's £21.99 reversing sensor kit from Maplin seems plenty robust enough and considerably more reliable than the OEM install.

I've read several posts on here about changing the sensors, so my question is quite simple really: Are parking sensors simply that and could I buy any old sensor that'll fit the hole and with the exception of adapting the wiring, will they work with incumbent system?

It doesn't seem logical to replace with OEM sensors if they're just going to belly up every few weeks and I can replace the lot for £22 and be done with it.

Any thoughts or comments would be gratefully received.

Gaz

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Are you sure that the sensor is the problem?

To diagnose it is pretty simple, put into reverse, put your ear next to the sensor. If it is alive then it should be making ticking sound.

Do you know witch sensor was replaced? Start with this one. If the same one does not make any sound then it is unlikely to be bad sensor. I never had a failed sensor, in all cases I had bad connection as the contacts get corroded. It's a pita to reach them without taking bumper it is possible. Clean them up and see if it helps

I have not tired to put 3rd party sensor kits, but I would say you would need to do at least some minor modification to you bumper to fit them in.

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I had this problem several times and eventually got sick of the cost. Following other people's, advice I bought an ebay kit, got under the car and completely replaced the sensors. I didn't need to modify the bumper at all, just pushed through the old holders and used a little Evostick to hold them in. No drilling is necessary. I re-used the old cable tidy system. I also removed the old control box from the r/h side inside the boot near to the fuel filler cap. I had to replace the existing beeper with the new one - it lives in the boot under the R/H side of the parcel shelf. I also needed to solder into the reversing light cable to get power.

The kit was only £12, and it works absolutely perfectly, though the sensors themselves are slightly proud of the bumper so a little less aeshetic than the originals (but perfectly acceptable to look at). See link:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-REVERSING-REVERSE-PARKING-4-SENSOR-ALARM-BLACK-/260687532314?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item3cb230111a

Good luck!

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  • 1 year later...
  • 1 month later...

Well I finally got around to doing mine today.  Took my time as I had all day and had an interval while I watched the Red Arrows (Eastbourne Airbourne Weekend).  All went pretty  much swimmingly and I'm very happy with the results.  Although isn't the cable tidy conduit fiddly - managed to split under my thumb nail getting the new cables in it :blush:

 

But.

 

In my efforts to 1) find, and 2) isolate, the infernal beeper of the old system, I have dropped a clanger.

 

I still haven't found the beeper.  I thought it might be part of the black box or white box behind the OSR wheel arch trim in the boot.  The black box is the one the original sensors were plugged into.  I unclipped the white box first, and the beeping continued.  So I the unplugged the tan coloured connector out of the black box.  The beeping stopped - Huzzah!! - but now I have my airbag warning light on and the maxidot tells me I have an airbag fault.

 

I plugged the tan connector back in, in the vain hope, but to no avail  :sweat:

 

Is the airbag fault going to plague me until I can get it cleared, or will taking the battery out of line fix it?

Edit: Just found the answer  :doh:

 

And does anyone know the exact location of the original beeper? coz I sure as hell can't find it!

 

Thanks in anticipation.

 

Gaz

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Ah, I did wonder - Cheers Jim and Riz - sandwiched between the board of the parcel shelf and the metal that the shelf mounts on to?

 

How the devil does the board shelf come out without buckling it or damaging it??

 

Gaz

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Airbag fault code cleared today.  Garage reports no other fault codes at all  :rock:

 

They've told me to bring the car back when the front end knock gets worse coz they can't find anything wrong.

 

My new engine undertray arrived today:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Volkswagen-Passat-B5-Audi-A4-Skoda-Superb-Under-Engine-Cover-Undertray-Shield-/200896016988?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Car+Make%3ASkoda%7CModel%3ASuperb&hash=item2ec655f25c

 

'OEM quality'.... my arse!!  :think:  but it'll do the job.

 

Beeping continues to affect my mental wellbeing, but other than that, all's good.

 

Gaz

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I brought one of those undertrays myself last month when my original got broken. Mine fitted perfectly - although missing the sound proofing, and all the screw help.

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I might shovel in some bark chippings from our tortoise's cage or raid some rockwool from the loft, mixed with blu tac - job's a good 'un!  :rofl:

 

Gaz

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Does anyone know if the OEM sensors can be tested off the car.

 

I've now got four sensors, and the wiring.  One of the sensors is about 18 months old and I can't vouch for the rest of them.

 

Any number of them could be dud.  Or they might all be fine and the fault be elsewhere.

 

Seems a shame to bin them just because I don't know.

 

Gaz

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Parcel shelf : 1

Gary : 0

 

I yield.  I can't work out how to get the bloody thing out.

 

I resign, broken.  A mere shell of the man I was before.

 

:sweat:   :rain:

:@

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I had two dud ones and two good ones.  All 4 removed and available to buy off me as I marked two with paint but I do not remember if those were the good ones or the bad ones so you get all 4   :giggle:   In my case it was the centre ones that were duds, according to vagcom.

 

I have replaced them with an official skoda aftermarket set, oh yea :rock:  . I did a write-up here.  PM if interested.

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I've seen a post that on the audi A6 "under" the parcel shelf actually means under the side covers and attached to the seatbelt mechanism.  I wonder if this is similar - or have you actually seen the sounder with your eyes?

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I've seen a post that on the audi A6 "under" the parcel shelf actually means under the side covers and attached to the seatbelt mechanism.  I wonder if this is similar - or have you actually seen the sounder with your eyes?

 

Nope, can't find it at all  :wonder:

 

It's quite odd coz once I'm in the boot, it's one of those sounds you (well, I) can't get a sense of direction on.  I have had the offside boot trim off, but it wasn't obvious if it is there.

 

If I had line of sight on it I'd probably have tried shooting it by now!

 

I might recommence my quest at the weekend if the weather holds, cheers Jimbof.

 

Gaz

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I had two dud ones and two good ones.  All 4 removed and available to buy off me as I marked two with paint but I do not remember if those were the good ones or the bad ones so you get all 4   :giggle:   In my case it was the centre ones that were duds, according to vagcom.

 

I have replaced them with an official skoda aftermarket set, oh yea :rock:  . I did a write-up here.  PM if interested.

 

I remember seeing your write up.  Not plannng on doing any more dismantling if I can help it, ta for the offer.

 

Gaz

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I thought I'd look for that buzzer in the boot again. I didn't find it still!

 

9647709806_0099c38f2b.jpg

 

I found the controller

 

 

9648192810_35f7eaff20.jpg

 

and plumbed for disconnecting the yellow plug on it. Now that stopped it working. But it brought on the air bag light! I should have read through the above posts again before pulling it out :(.

 

9644803773_7729ba58f3.jpg

 

I looked at the wiring diagram and the white and brown - white and red wires go to the buzzer (where my finger is pointing)

 

9648121458_1d264e3241.jpg

 

And here are those wires disappearing into the parcel shelf.

 

9648110946_721c8230bf.jpg

 

I guess if you cut one of these the buzzer will stop working! I don't know though as I have not done that. It should but I have NOT tried it.

 

9648143248_d808641ab9.jpg

 

As I had got the airbag warning light on I plugged the rear parking controller back in and got the VCDS connected. Wiped the faults and looked for the parking controller.

 

9644924265_d16cf54d6e.jpg

 

It is module 76.

 

9644943253_24ed1da33c.jpg

 

In the adaptive setting on the right hand side of the screen you can pull this menu up and change the numbers as per the menu that has come up. I changed it to 00014. I though this would stop the beep. It didn't!

 

9644933453_44620a5da2.jpg

 

Come out of that menu and use the next one below. There at the bottom of the screen you can turn the buzzer volume down. I turned it all the way down. Now no sound from the built in system. Yippeee. And whilst I was there I checked the original sensors were working before I put them on Ebay,

 

Hope this helps some of you.

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Bloody brilliant!!!!!  :sun:  :rock:  :sun:  :rock:

 

Cheers Nack - very much appreciated  :dance:  :thumbup:  :clap:  :thumbup:  :clap:  :dance:

 

Don't feel particularly brave enough to snip any wires, but I've a Passateer with Vag Com a few miles up the road, so I reckon a trip down memory lane back to UKPassats is in order.

 

Gaz

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  • 3 weeks later...

Quite easy to remove buzzer when you know where to look

 

 

N/S B pillar, trim un pops buzzer located behind seat belt  :rock:

 

Well I'll be blowed!!

 

Cheers stoaty, and welcome to Brisky too.

 

I'll have a look in daylight once it stops raining.

 

Gaz

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I brought one of those undertrays myself last month when my original got broken. Mine fitted perfectly - although missing the sound proofing, and all the screw help.

 

Well I'm off up to Newcastle tomorrow so I thought I'd put my new undertray on.

 

First and foremost, here's what Birchwood Skoda, Eastbourne thought would be fine to put my old undertray back on with:

 

S1050362_zpsa575dd24.jpg

 

Some might say this is okay, as they do the job.  However, the larger two were the ones going through the wheel arch liners, and the way they'd been tied allowed the undertray to sag by about an inch and a half, which I'm pretty sure was a contributing factor to it's untimely demise while ploughing snow and ice in between tyre tracks on my way home earlier in the year.

 

I wish I'd now checked because it was only Birchwood Skoda and one other garage who'd had the undertray off.  I replaced the missing fittings when I purchased the car so knew all the correct fittings were there six months earlier.

 

Anyhoos, the undertray I purchased was advertised as 'OEM QUALITY PRODUCT':

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item2ec655f25c

 

It ain't  :(

 

Nowhere near.  Caveat emptor.

 

As Nack had noted, there was no soundproofing.  Strangely enough it was easy enough to pop this off my old undertray and glue it onto the new one with contact adhesive.  I quite enjoyed doing this bit.

 

But it also needed a hole drilled where there wasn't one, for a fixing screw.  No big deal really  :wonder:

 

And it also needed a bit of modifying with my friend Stanley the knife, at the back before the central locating screw would even reach its receptor:

 

S1050361_zps6f8d76e3.jpg

 

And there's a considerable difference between the OEM speed fixings (left) and new ones (right), but they do a job:

 

S1050359_zps2e434a99.jpg

 

And one of the two larger speed fixings gave up the ghost as soon as I'd nipped it down:

 

S1050364_zps728aef3f.jpg

 

And the fixings pack had four pins, but only three of the square locating blocks for the wheel arch liners  :yawn:

 

Perhaps I was expecting too much for 'OEM Quality'.

 

Apart from that, it all went swimmingly :happy:

 

Gaz

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Ah the famous cable ties.  Mine came back from the main dealer with some of those on it too.  Needless to say they probably thought they were doing me a favour (more favourable would be not losing them in the first place...)

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