Rear parking sensor

[OzDJ]

Good evening

Did anyone here buy their GT Sport or GTI with factory-fitted (as opposed to dealer-fitted) rear parking sensors?

The salesperson who is handing our purchase confirmed that she has found the TSI DSG we're after (landed in AU this week). She said that the only thing missing is the rear parking distance sensor kit. She advised that the dealer can fit the kit and "....it will be the same as if it was shipped from the factory...."

I was following an EOS along the highway this afternoon and noticed that the sensors on it actually sit in moulded recesses (eg this pic) and, therefore, nothing at all protrudes from the rear bumper surface.

It got me wondering if this was the same as the factory Golf setup. I don't want the rear sensors if they scream "aftermarket add-on".

Thanks and regards

Derek

[mikinoz]

Sorry to hear.

Ask the dealer to show you a car that has sensors fitted. Then simply ask if the aftermarket version will look the same.

Get them to sign a document that states that it will look the same and then if it does not, refuse it.

Bad luck!

[OzDJ]

Ask the dealer to show you a car that has sensors fitted. Then simply ask if the aftermarket version will look the same.

Thanks. It's only a little thing but I'm not taking ANY chances. I'm going to get it in writing.

Just sent an email to the salesperson including the following paragraph:

".....I want to be absolutely certain about the rear distance sensors. On Thursday you advised me that the dealership would be able to fit the sensor kit if the stock arrived without it. You assured me "it will be the same as if it was shipped from the factory" . I saw an EOS in traffic today and its sensors are set into recessed mouldings in the bumper (not simply pushed into a hole and painted). Can you please confirm, in writing, that a dealer-fitted sensor setup is indeed *identical* in every respect (eg visually, technically etc) to factory-fitted sensors?...."

Will post the outcome in due course. In the meantime, if anyone has a MK5 Golf with factory-fitted sensors I'd love to see some pix

DJ

[OzDJ]

Found a good pic of the MK5 bottom with factory sensors:

http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/tc-gt2.jpg

DJ

[GTom]

Rear Parking sensors.... what for???? if you can't reverse a car without backing into something you aren't that good of a driver.....

just kidding.......just stirring...

Theres a thread with i think something like an after market setup somewhere in this forum (Dealer Fitted)... just forget where..... Try a search...

[OzDJ]

Rear Parking sensors.... what for???? if you can't reverse a car without backing into something you aren't that good of a driver.....

LOL. Our current car (company lease Ford Focus Ghia) doesn't have rear parking sensors. Mrs OzDJ has put the towbar into a couple of other cars and work has had to pick up the repair bills for third party bumper bar repairs. The Golf is going to be *our* car; isn't going to have a towbar; and I'm not taking any chances

Theres a thread with i think something like an after market setup somewhere in this forum (Dealer Fitted)... just forget where..... Try a search...

Let me go hunting. Thanks mate.

DJ

[DAN682]

I am watching this space too!

I could almost bed they are the "Get a drill, push them through and paint them" rather than factory recessed ones.

I remember Ford had similar sensors and you could tell if they were from the factory or an addon.

When I was selling Mazdas we only sold them as a dealer fit accessory and they are the drill and push versions. I have them on our CX-7 and it definitely doesn't look too good.

Also I was considering the rear parking sensors for my TSI so hopefully they will be the same as factory but I doubt it.

[adrian112]

good luck mate, hope you dont get the ones i got...so bloody loud!, blue flashing lights and the colour coding is a little off as well. so whatever you do actually see what the setup looks like before hand if you can.

[Maverick]

Good evening

Did anyone here buy their GT Sport or GTI with factory-fitted (as opposed to dealer-fitted) rear parking sensors?

The salesperson who is handing our purchase confirmed that she has found the TSI DSG we're after (landed in AU this week). She said that the only thing missing is the rear parking distance sensor kit. She advised that the dealer can fit the kit and "....it will be the same as if it was shipped from the factory...."

It got me wondering if this was the same as the factory Golf setup. I don't want the rear sensors if they scream "aftermarket add-on".

Thanks and regards

Derek

The dealers all say (well the ones I've been to) that they can fit the PDC exactly as the factory would. From what I've seen they rely on the fact that most people don't really care what they look like and won't complain about the install and install cheapo aftermarket kits and pocket a huge profit.

Of course VW is making a huge profit on charging $790 but at least the install is done properly with recessed sensors, exact match, wiring done properly and done before the car is assembled. Plus the unit will be better quality then the aftermarket ones (generally).

The dealer ones are cheapo kits (all the dealers use different kits) that you can pick up from $35 online (I paid this for the ones for my wifes car with display, four sensors etc).

There are places that install PDC for around $150-200, I would install my own in the GTI when I get it but don't really want to pull the rear bumper off, I'm looking at adding a camera to my RNS510 instead at this stage.

Personally I would look at your options, you can but a AVC9000 for $900, pay $200-$250 to get this installed with camera and you get sat nav, dvd, divx etc playback for a few hundred over the dealer PDC.

Or get them down to ~$300 for the PDC dealer fitted.

Some dealers actually charge $890 for dealer fitted reverse sensors (Austral VW in Brisbane do).

A few other options are

Wireless reverse parking system with camera - $100 delivered

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4085

Another one - $125 delivered

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4798

4 sensor reverse - $38 delivered (similar to the one I purchased for my wife)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11929

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10283

They have another four or five of these in other colours. One option which I haven't looked at is that you could mount the black sensors in the black section of the bumper, so just underneath the factory mounting, this might allow you to fit them without having to remove the bumper and should work just as well.

Dealextreme are great, cheap prices, even led lights for the car interior.

[Maverick]

good luck mate, hope you dont get the ones i got...so bloody loud!, blue flashing lights and the colour coding is a little off as well. so whatever you do actually see what the setup looks like before hand if you can.

Were you quoted that these were the same as the factory ones?

Which dealer? (seems that they all do this).

[Maverick]

Found out the info you need.

This is the factory fit unit here.

http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?p=616959&highlight=pdc#post616959

As you can see in this thread you have to order the bumper with the PDC holes in it to get the flush/recessed fit (same price as standard).

So to get the factory look will require a new bumper (top section), paint (may as well paint the whole thing) and then fitment. May not cost you much more then the dealer fit after all of that anyway and it will be a damn lot better.

[OzDJ]

Found out the info you need.

This is the factory fit unit here.

http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showth...pdc#post616959

Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!

There will be some interesting discussion at Barloworld Mascot tomorrow afternoon.

I appreciate everyone's help and I'll let you know the outcome.

DJ

[OzDJ]

Well, my GT Sport will be delivered WITHOUT sensors.

Further to my email to the salesperson last night, I just received the following response from her (complete with spelling mistakes):

"...regarding the reverse sensors locally fitted the Mirrors doe’s not dip when you go into a reverse mode..."

Not impressed, but at least I'm not going to get stung after taking delivery. I'd be paying full factory price for a half-baked aftermarket system.

FWIW, this is not the first "fib" told by the young salesperson at Barloworld Mascot. I ended up discussing some of the other gems with their Customer Relations Manager, including this pearler:

"...We can take out the GT TDI - it's the same kilowatts so you'll know what the TSI is like anyway..." (when TSI wasn't available for a test drive)

Thanks to everyone for your feedback/assistance in this thread.

Derek

[DAN682]

I am glad you got it sorted

FWIW, this is not the first "fib" told by the young salesperson at Barloworld Mascot. I ended up discussing some of the other gems with their Customer Relations Manager, including this pearler:

"...We can take out the GT TDI - it's the same kilowatts so you'll know what the TSI is like anyway..." (when TSI wasn't available for a test drive)

Derek

In the salespersons defence, When I was new to the car industry, I made plenty of mistakes, they weren't fibs but a lack of training on the dealerships part and also with me not knowing the product. By the sounds of it she is doing her best and it is probably worth cutting her a little slack.

Yes I know it is a $40,000+ car and she should know the product and all of that stuff but it is a tricky industry. Plus she must have done mostly right by you because you did buy the car.

Anyway enjoy it and please cut the salesperson slack, she has probably only made $50 after tax on your vehicle.

[OzDJ]

[QUOTE=DAN682] In the salespersons defence, When I was new to the car industry, I made plenty of mistakes, they weren't fibs but a lack of training on the dealerships part and also with me not knowing the product. By the sounds of it she is doing her best and it is probably worth cutting her a little slack. [/QUOTE=DAN682]

True to a point. I certainly haven't berated the salesperson and I accept that everyone can - and will - make mistakes (my "day job" is consumer affairs management for a large company.. so I know what this means better than a lot of people).

But it is also a basic premise of customer service that if you don't know the answer YOU DON'T MAKE IT UP and YOU SHOULD NEVER ASSUME. A salesperson (and the company he/she works for) will earn my respect a lot faster by being upfront by stating the answer is not known and that they will find out for me.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen in this instance. However, I chose to provide constructive feedback to someone who could provide coaching and development opportunities (the Customer Relations Manager) rather than to someone who may be more willing to yell/shout/fire because their brand/reputation is under thread (the Dealer Principal).

I'm not a "car person" per se. So when I know I'm being led up the garden path it's generally a pretty crook customer service/sales interaction.

Plus she must have done mostly right by you because you did buy the car.

Not true. I walked into the dealership 98% sure of what I wanted. I had already driven a family members' GTI, a friend's Comfortline plus done lots of reading on the web. I just needed to talk price/availability and take a TSI for a test drive. Everything came across as being a drama for her and I was even snapped at when, after being asked for which options or accessories I wanted, I dared to mention window tinting. "THAT'S NOT A FACTORY OPTION!" Ye Gods.... sorry, ma'am.

Quite side from everything else (which I won't go into here), when we went out into the yard to look at a GT Sport interior the vehicle was locked. Her response? "Oh... well you can get a pretty good idea from out here anyway." Arrrrrrrrrrgh!

Five minutes later I was in my car. I drove 30mins to Five Dock to another VW dealship only to discover that it, too, was a Barloworld. At that point, I screamed a few expletives, went to a coffee shop and just chilled out. I figured that I won't have to deal with the salesperson again after I take delivery. I just need to weather the storm, get the car, and pray that the VW service departments around town are a little easier to deal with.