Having done some tests with VCDS today I can now see that most of what I have been thinking is false alarming from my parking sensor system is in fact the outer sensors picking up objects to the side of the car.

 

Typically I have problems when reversing onto my drive and I now realise its the side wall of the adjacent building thats setting the things off, the centre ones read and measure correctly from 2.55m down to next to nothing and do so in a linear fashion.

 

The outer ones appear to have a narrow ultrasonic beam aligned at pretty much 45° to the axis of the vehicle, I tested them all individually by masking off the others, the 2 centre ones do exactly what I want, warn me about obstacles that I am reversing towards, the outer ones were they to have the same centre line axis alignment would be fine but as they are they just beep all the time for objects that are not within the trajectory of the vehicle, in the case of a side wall or even a kerb when parallel parking they sound constantly so you cannot judge the proximity to the real object of concern, the car behind or the garage wall.

 

Walking around the outer sensors they definitely have a narrow pencil like beam of detection aligned at around 45° to the vehicle centre line which means they are triggered by any object within 1.8m of the side of the vehicle, at my home its a long wall so the sounder gives out a continous tone negating the input from the centre sensors that are seeing the real obstacle.

 

Are they all like that?

 

I can disable the outer ones easily enough by putting a round disc of clear tape over them but what I really would like to do is reduce the angle of them to say 10° where they would do some good warning that i am getting close to the side obstruction.

 

Hard to believe thay would have got it so wrong, could mine be badly fitted?

 

I have just replaced the head unit with an Android one that unfortunately does not show the parking sensors or the Climatronic settings as I had hoped so the audible warnings are important to me, as things stand I am ready to disable the system because its bloomin annoying screaming away all the time for nothing.

Edited 21 May, 20197 yr by J.R.

All the sensors are identical, there are no narrow-field types for the outermost.

 

Losing the display is the problem not the sensors as you are unable to tell which sensor is activating and then cross checking with your mirrors.

 

You're alright, you're alright, you're alright... CRUNCH!

Have bought a reversing camera to fit which if the head unit does what it should then it should fill the void left by the loss of the display.

 

I can see that the outer sensors are angled outwards slightly, I will get up the courage to detach the bumper one day and try tweaking them.