Hi peeps. 
 I have just bought a Skoda superb 2014 and because of towbar my reversing sensors inc proximity display on screen I presume have been disabled, I get a few seconds long audible beep when I put it in reverse and that’s it. Can’t get info on if sensors have a fuse and I’ve looked for a hidden switch ( towbar is removable and has been). Any ideas because without doubt it’s the hardest car to reverse into a space without them. Cheers 

When you say the towbar is removed, do you mean that it's a detachable towball that has been removed while not in use, or that a previously fitted towbar assembly has been removed? Any idea what electrical kit was/is used?

 

The OE electrics, and the better quality aftermarket options, communicate with the CANBUS controller and let it know when a trailer is connected up, which then signals to the parking sensor controller to temporarily deactivate the rear parking sensors. Cheap bypass relay setups don't do this, and it sounds like one of these has been fitted and the parking sensor system deactivated.

 

As for where to start with the parking sensor system, it's complicated. It shares a fuse with the headlight control system (fuse 5), so it's unlikely to have been deactivated that way. The most robust way to disable the system would be to unplug the control unit and code it out on the CAN gateway. A diagnostic scan would be useful here to see if the parking sensor controller shows up. The controller is fitted behind one of the side panels in the boot: service manual says RHS, but I've some recollection that it's reversed for RHD cars.

 

If you're planning to keep the towbar, consider buying a good electrical kit that will work with the vehicle's other systems and avoid problems like this one.

Edited 15 February, 20215 yr by chimaera

Thank you. Bit beyond my knowledge of car electric systems so will have to be a garage ( towbar is detachable)