Reversing has its hazards.

[cass3958]

Here is a little project I have been working on. Can you see what I have done?

1. Sensor flush in reflector lens.JPG (1.8 MiB) Viewed 554 times

These are reversing sensors that I have placed in the centre of the rear reflectors. As My car is used as a wedding car I am for ever reversing in tight spaces in churchyards and when I do so I have to keep getting out of the car to see if I can go back a bit more or to check there is no grave stone in the way. So I had thought about adding reversing sensors to the back of the car but I did not want to drill holes in the body work or for that matter have anything stuck to the car either.
I pondered for a bit and then found you could get colour co ordinate sensors and the ones I found were red. Yes I know my car is Old English white but I had a plan.
I removed the rear light clusters and took out the rear reflectors which are held in with a couple of screws and metal clip.

2. Screw and clip to remove reflector.JPG (1.97 MiB) Viewed 554 times

I had loads of spare reflector lenses where the reflective backing had fallen off so went about drilling a hole in the centre of a couple of the spare ones I had with the drill bit supplied with the kit. I then used a router bit to cut a small shoulder or recess so when the sensor is pushed in it sits flush with the lens.

3. hole recessed for sensor to sit flush.JPG (2.25 MiB) Viewed 554 times

4. Sensor inset.JPG (2.08 MiB) Viewed 554 times

As the sensor sticks out the back of the lens I could not use the original clip to secure it so I used some rubber gasket sealant to glue the lens into position. Easily removed if you want to convert it back to not having sensors.

The wiring runs behind the panels in the boot that covers the fuel pumps to the front of the boot in the top left corner where the wiring for the rear lights sits. Here you place the small black box that the two sensors plug in to with a wire that you connect to the reversing lights circuit and a small buzzer.
Now when I put the car in reverse power goes to the black box via the reversing lights and the sensors pick up any close object behind me and warn me that it is there via the buzzer. I have learnt in the past never to trust reversing sensors 100% so I always visually check what is behind me before reversing but I now know how close I can get to the wall I know is there.

As for the sensors and are they in keeping with the age of the car. First did you spot them in the first photo? Second they are easily removed and the original reflectors put back in the car in the future.

[Glyn Ruck]

Great idea ~ I would not have my daily driver without Parktronic.