It really does work

[RickW]

Driving home the other day a van suddenly stopped in front of me giving me no chance to react,but the front assist did.

If I'd  been in my wifes Citigo it would have been a complete write off.

Good piece of kit 

[AlecEdworthy]

Good to know! I've had mine sound off at me three times (twice for cars turning off left, once for traffic stopped up ahead which I was well clear of but still it was right and good to warn me as it made me react) but not had it kick in braking force yet thankfully.  I worry though that it may kick in at the wrong time, I've heard horror stories of it reacting to bags or litter blowing across a road but not sure if that's urban legend or real?

 

A

[RickW]

Well I've been driving around for three years with front assist and never once has it given a false warning.

[CapstanPlug]

33 minutes ago, RickW said:

Well I've been driving around for three years with front assist and never once has it given a false warning.

 

Ditto here @RickW .. coming up on 4 years in a few months.

[AlecEdworthy]

54 minutes ago, Mithane said:

 

Ditto here @RickW .. coming up on 4 years in a few months.

 

1 hour ago, RickW said:

Well I've been driving around for three years with front assist and never once has it given a false warning.

Good to know, thank you both 

 

A

[Kobayashi]

Wife tried it on me deliberately a few days after purchase after reading it in the handbook! I seem to remember a long continuous beep at the same time, scared me to death as well 

[AlecEdworthy]

Just now, Kobayashi said:

Wife tried it on me deliberately a few days after purchase after reading it in the handbook! I seem to remember a long continuous beep at the same time, scared me to death as well 

Hope she tried it in a safe and controlled way! I am tempted to give it a go with some cardboard boxes but that's it!

 

A

[Kobayashi]

17 hours ago, AlecEdworthy said:

Hope she tried it in a safe and controlled way! I am tempted to give it a go with some cardboard boxes but that's it!

 

A

 

It defo works rolling up to a van at traffic lights approx 15-20mph! But not sure if it would work at extremely lower speeds. ie into your own garage door  at 1-2mph if you have a driveway.....someone could try and report back....

[AlecEdworthy]

8 minutes ago, Kobayashi said:

 

It defo works rolling up to a van at traffic lights approx 15-20mph! But not sure if it would work at extremely lower speeds. ie into your own garage door  at 1-2mph if you have a driveway.....someone could try and report back....

 

My manual (Fabia Mk III) says the Front Assist system is only active if The vehicle is travelling forwards at a speed of more than approx. 5 km/h (plus two other requirements, that it and TCS are activated).  I have not noticed it activate when slowly rolling forwards in a parking manoeuvre for instance.

 

Also its reaction to stationary and moving objects varies,

Quote

 

The pre-warning display can occur in the following situations.

▶ If there is a risk of collision with a moving obstacle at a driving speed range of approx. 30 km/h to approx. 210 km/h.

▶ If there is a risk of collision with a stationary obstacle at a driving speed range of approx. 30 km/h to approx. 85 km/h.

 

 

The pre-warning comes before the acute warning where it taps the brakes to draw attention to the issue, and then the automatic braking which occurs if the driver still does not react.  It will also automatically increase the braking force the driver applies if it does not believe the driver applied the brake early enough (If the driver brakes inadequate with an impending collision, the system automatically increases braking force. The braking assistance only occurs as long as the brake pedal is being firmly pressed down.)

 

Separately but related, the proximity warning (which is displayed on the dash but not accompanied by a warning tone) may occur when driving between about 60 km/h and 210 km/h. 

 

A

[vc-10]

The proximity warning is basically a 'Stop tailgating the person in front' warning. I find it normally gets activated when someone decides the nice following distance between you and the car in front on the motorway is a perfect place for them to pull into...

 

I've only had one actual activation in my car too, in just under 3 years (and 27k miles). That was when someone pulled out from a stationary line of traffic into the empty lane I was in without looking, and the system was on the brakes before I had the time to react. I came very, very, close to smashing into the other car, and I think that without Front Assist there would have been contact. 

 

It does regularly warn me about the turning car in front, or the slowing traffic in front, or the parked car on the side of the road etc. But I'd rather it warn me with a beep than not. It's always been for stuff I'm aware of, but I'd rather it erred on the side of caution. 

[SuperbTWM]

On 25/02/2019 at 22:54, RickW said:

Well I've been driving around for three years with front assist and never once has it given a false warning.

 

sorry quoted wrong person 

Edited 27 February, 2019 by SuperbTWM

[Kobayashi]

6 hours ago, AlecEdworthy said:

 

My manual (Fabia Mk III) says the Front Assist system is only active if The vehicle is travelling forwards at a speed of more than approx. 5 km/h (plus two other requirements, that it and TCS are activated).  I have not noticed it activate when slowly rolling forwards in a parking manoeuvre for instance.

 

Also its reaction to stationary and moving objects varies,

 

The pre-warning comes before the acute warning where it taps the brakes to draw attention to the issue, and then the automatic braking which occurs if the driver still does not react.  It will also automatically increase the braking force the driver applies if it does not believe the driver applied the brake early enough (If the driver brakes inadequate with an impending collision, the system automatically increases braking force. The braking assistance only occurs as long as the brake pedal is being firmly pressed down.)

 

Separately but related, the proximity warning (which is displayed on the dash but not accompanied by a warning tone) may occur when driving between about 60 km/h and 210 km/h. 

 

A

Must have been this what the wife read and decided to experiment with!

[Defenderben]

My mate had his go off whilst trying to do a bit of an iffy overtake around a stationary vehicle; problem was it alarmed and slammed the brakes on whilst he was out on the outside of the vehicle he was overtaking........very nearly ended in a head on as he was sat there struggling to select reverse :(

 

It can be annoying when passing vehicles turning off in front too. Mine activated the alarm a few times but managed not to get to full on brakes on.

[Kobayashi]

11 hours ago, Defenderben said:

My mate had his go off whilst trying to do a bit of an iffy overtake around a stationary vehicle; problem was it alarmed and slammed the brakes on whilst he was out on the outside of the vehicle he was overtaking........very nearly ended in a head on as he was sat there struggling to select reverse :(

 

It can be annoying when passing vehicles turning off in front too. Mine activated the alarm a few times but managed not to get to full on brakes on.

 

I brake Left footed as have problems with right ankle fatigue doing all the work and I once heavy braked Left foot at same time as front assist to the car in front, and touched the accelerator slightly at same time with my right foot while pulling out of a junction RH turn, when someone was overtaking on wrong side of road, and it left me sideways on blocking the main road both directions!

 

The DSG would not reverse or go forwards, despite 'no contact' it treated the car like it had crashed even after switching engine off and on again.

I had to put in neutral  and coast backwards onto side road under gravity.

I thought the DSG was a goner. Had i been turning onto a busy 60mph (A road) in the fog i would have been killed no doubt, by this safety feature. the other car braked and drove off no problem i was left stranded in the road.

 

Left it for 10 minutes parked up then it was ok again.  

 

 

 

[J.R.]

After 14 years speaking only French I sometimes have trouble understanding English but less so with the written word as I can go back over it as many times as it takes, I have read and reread your first paragraph and I still dont understand what you are saying.

 

Is it just me as I had the same problem with another posting in the last 5 minutes, I think it was on the Shark tuning thread, I gave up in the end as no matter how many times I read it it made no sense.

[Kobayashi]

2 hours ago, J.R. said:

After 14 years speaking only French I sometimes have trouble understanding English but less so with the written word as I can go back over it as many times as it takes, I have read and reread your first paragraph and I still dont understand what you are saying.

 

Is it just me as I had the same problem with another posting in the last 5 minutes, I think it was on the Shark tuning thread, I gave up in the end as no matter how many times I read it it made no sense.

Which Post?

 

 

Front Assist or car braking by its 'own self' with the audible beep is probably 99% a good thing to avoid collision, but anomalies have occured in numerous posts,

 

1) Items triggering 'Front Assist' blowing in front of car such Tree leaves & rubbish 

2) Reverse gear not working temporarily afterwards when you really need to move your car out of the way of more traffic!

Edited 28 February, 2019 by Kobayashi

[J.R.]

As I said, The first paragraph.

 

I brake Left footed as have problems with right ankle fatigue doing all the work and I once heavy braked Left foot at same time as front assist to the car in front, and touched the accelerator slightly at same time with my right foot while pulling out of a junction RH turn, when someone was overtaking on wrong side of road, and it left me sideways on blocking the main road both directions!

 

Are you describing one or two different incidents?

 

In either case I still cant understand what is being said.

 

Not being pedantic I genuinely want to know what happened and the circumstances.

[Kobayashi]

14 minutes ago, J.R. said:

As I said, The first paragraph.

 

I brake Left footed as have problems with right ankle fatigue doing all the work and I once heavy braked Left foot at same time as front assist to the car in front, and touched the accelerator slightly at same time with my right foot while pulling out of a junction RH turn, when someone was overtaking on wrong side of road, and it left me sideways on blocking the main road both directions!

 

Are you describing one or two different incidents?

 

In either case I still cant understand what is being said.

 

Not being pedantic I genuinely want to know what happened and the circumstances.

 

Attempting Right turn behind another car, clear from the right to both of us car moves forward i follow, he brakes because of an illegal overtake of another car,

i brake (my front assist comes on) , i also think i touched the accelarator at same time. I am then stuck in middle of road (cant move car stuck) wont reverse

[J.R.]

Thanks I understand now, are you car No 1 or 2?

 

In either case your description makes sense to me now.

 

Why did your car react like that? It may have thought the accelerator imput was an implausible signal and in a percieved emergency situation such as you were in it would not allow you to continue, maybe until after a fault clear countdown.

 

I used to left foot brake a lot, especially when driving a loaded vehicle over speedbumps, driving with throttle open and brakes on sort of hunkered down the suspension and stopped the excessive pitching.

 

It was either my 95 Galaxy or perhaps the 98 Alhambra that would cut the engine power when the brake was pressed so it didnt work, I found there was a 2nd brake pedal switch to communicate with the ECU so I shunted it and could left foot brake as I wanted, after about 6 months it threw up an implausible brake switch signal fault code.

 

[Kobayashi]

yes i was car 1 glad it makes sense now. The car thought i was in an 'accident' and locked me down like i was in P (but i wasnt).

Only N would work after switching engine OFF and ON and then i rolled backwards out of it to safe side street. Really weird what happened!