parking sensors

[Bendolfc]

Thanks Volvo, personally I think the beep of the sensors is more important than the seatbelt reminder chime but I guess that's just me. Oh and the woman in the merc I backed into.

[tayandre]

I don't mean to sound inflamatory but as always these driver aids are exactly that, not a driver replacement. But you maybe have a point in that the highway code does permit you to reverse without a seatbelt on. However, it also says make good use of mirrors and look behind you, neither of which you'll need a reminder...i hope it's not too dear a bump and nobody hurt.

[Daim]

Originally Posted by tayandre

I don't mean to sound inflamatory but as always these driver aids are exactly that, not a driver replacement. But you maybe have a point in that the highway code does permit you to reverse without a seatbelt on. However, it also says make good use of mirrors and look behind you, neither of which you'll need a reminder...i hope it's not too dear a bump and nobody hurt.

Exactly...

The beepers only beep as well as they are set, and by law, you aren't allow to rely on them. It is a parking assistent and assistents aren't perfect, as they do tend to make mistakes. The same these "auto parking systems". You still have to apply brake, clutch and throttle and also select your gear... Due to liablity.

BLIS doesn't replace looking over your shoulder...
The airbags don't replace putting the seatbelts on...
ABS doesn't replace using the brakes right...
ESP/DSTC doesn't overcome the laws of physics...
CitySafety doesn't replace the need of looking where you are driving...

That is why in big companies, the assistants don't make the major decissions

You can't blame Volvo... Blame yourself for not getting out and checking how much distance there is between you and the car behind...

[kristoff]

Hope there' s not too much damage to your car Ben.

Not too bothered about the Merc...

[Bendolfc]

I know it was my fault, my main reason for posting was to help others avoid the same mistake, visibility out of the S40 is crap, especially when you have to reverse right up to something to get out of a small space.

Fortunately it was a low speed impact and no damage to either car.

[crankie]

my last two cars had parking sensors fitted then i bought my v70 without any,i said i wasnt fitting any as i dont need them.but i hadent realised how much i had become reliant on them.i have got them on now after reversing into a post

[Clan]

when the tone goes to continuous you still have a small gap but should regard this as absolute mazimum . , did you keep going back when the tone went continuous ?

[Bendolfc]

Who me? In my case there was no parking sensor tone, it is overridden in favour of the seat belt chimes.

[TheJoyOfSix]

That's why the Merc system of tone and lights is so good - in fact the Merc system is so good that when backing up to a hedge in mate's W220 S class it was showing 'very close' on the nearside and just 'close' on the offside. The difference was that there was a trunk in the hedge on the nearside but just branches on the offside.

[tayandre]

Ah.....so equipped with the front version of the same device, is that how Mercedes drivers manage to position themselves so close to the rear of the car in front? I think that device is also very cleverly integrated into the main beam flash function to warn the driver of the Mercedes if he/she should still have a few millimeters of space to go before he/she actually touches the bumper of the car in front. Great how Merc get it to work at motoroway speeds and not just when parking. Strangely it only seems to work in the outside lane on Motorways...truely awesome piece of kit.