Photo: parking sensors for cars (audi-mediacenter.com) Author: Konstantin Shirokun
Parking sensors are a reliable assistant for both a novice driver and an experienced motorist, and for the owner of an expensive car with a rear-view camera. But for it to be truly reliable, you need to make the right choice when buying.
Read about which parking sensor will be the best for you in the RBC-Ukraine article.
It is valued for its precision and its ability to help in moments when the driver's attention is scattered between several risk zones. When maneuvering through narrow passages, when there is a palm-sized amount of safe space left on all four corners of the car, a proper parking sensor does not require you to look at the screen all the time. It reports to the driver by voice about every centimeter remaining to the obstacle. And this is the reason why even the most expensive premium models with all-round cameras have good old parking sensors.
How to choose a parking sensor
As soon as a motorist touches upon the topic of buying a parking sensor, he will see an incredible variety of these devices. So what should you pay attention to when choosing? We will base our recommendations on several criteria.
Front or rear. Yes, it is more difficult for the driver to control the situation behind the car, but the front parking sensor will also be in demand, of course, if it is present in principle. When there is a desire to accurately control the situation in front of the hood, it is worth choosing not two separate parking sensors, but one – for the front and rear bumpers, with a corresponding screen and a double set of sensors. Sellers often call them parking systems.
Screen. First of all, keep in mind that there are kits without a screen at all, which warn the driver only with sound – signals or words in one of the common languages. The advantage of such a kit is not only its price, but also its simpler installation, because this device can be mounted in the rear of the cabin, which is easier and cheaper.
And if you need a screen, choose it based on two criteria: first, the size and shape, which affect the convenience of placing the device on the dashboard or on the glass, then – the principle of displaying the distance, which determines the ease of reading information. There are simple models, the screens of which show the distance using colored LEDs. A more convenient way is a graphic display, monochrome or color, which displays the car and draws sectors of the remaining free space in front and behind it. Another popular type of screen is a rearview mirror, in which the parking sensors are hidden under the glass.
Keep in mind that the form factor of the screen matters in terms of placement in the cabin. For example, some screens can be placed on the dashboard, while others also allow you to “hang” them on the ceiling, windshield, or that very same cabin mirror.
How many sensors. The standard is four ultrasonic sensors for each bumper. In principle, you can get by with a pair (once upon a time this was the norm), but on the other hand, particularly vigilant users use six at once. Naturally, the main parking sensor module and its screen must match the number of sensors. There must be a separate channel in the system for the front bumper.
The other side of parking sensors
We cannot help but mention the several disadvantages that any parking sensor has – especially since some of these disadvantages are quite serious and can affect the driver's intention to install such a system.
The bumper is damaged. This part really needs to be drilled, the device even comes with a special cutter. Theoretically, this can be avoided in systems with tape capacitive sensors, but they are not very common in our country;
Interference with the original appearance of the car . There is a minimal violation of the factory style – the round “washers” of the sensors are visible from afar. But for camouflage, you can, firstly, select sensors in the same color as the car – there are black, white, silver, gold, matte black, etc. Secondly, there is a version “for painting”, although it is believed that not all sensors can be painted;
Violation of factory integrity. Indeed, when installing a radar, you have to disassemble the upholstery of the trunk and interior. Particularly careful owners try to avoid this, and they can be advised to purchase a kit with wireless sensors – such also exist in nature.
In brief
Of course, choosing a parking sensor is not a matter of life or death, but some things in our driving life do depend on it. Therefore, so that it does not miss at a crucial moment, do not try to save on the purchase and installation. Choose the highest quality kit, and buy it where you will be provided with a guarantee – after all, there are quite acceptable models with a 3-year factory guarantee sold in the country.
Materials from Autocentre and Motor were used in preparing this article.
Let us recall that RBC-Ukraine recently reported on the types of all-wheel drive available on pickups and SUVs.