tlinto

I am considering this as an accessory to get, as i always reverse park wherever i am.. i am usually pretty good, but sometimes overestimate distances and touch the bumper sometimes.

For those that have this option, a few questions:

1. Is it activated only in Reverse? or do you have to press some sort of on/off button whenever you need it?

2. Also, how sensitive is it to objects behind the car? What is the closest you can get to something before it starts beeping rapidly?

- TL in TO

Jinen

I haven't received my car yet, but I am getting that option and I believe it goes on when you put the car in reverse (there is no on/off switch)...and the frequency gets very high when you are about 3-4 inches or so away from the car (I think)...My friend has that on his Lincoln Aviator and that's how much it was on that so I am assuming that it might just be the standard for those sensors....However to get that option, they have to drill holes in your bumper (that got me a little scared but I know it's very useful at times when you park the car so I went with it)...

EmuMessenger

I wish there was front parking assist.

tlinto

I guess if you have a passenger all the time, they could do front and rear parking assist for you :p

FS-TL

so only audio signal to determine the distance by frequency, is there also a visual indicator at the same time, like a meter?

neuronbob

How much does that option cost? I have trouble judging distance, both front and rear, when parking, and simply guess.

DNA

I was told by the TL dealer that the sensor beeps and the closer you get to the car or object behind you, the faster it beeps. This is similar to the way the BMW sensor works. On the 3 series this option costs $350 MSRP. On the 5 series it is $700 but includes both front and back detection. Furthermore, it shows where the object is on the LCD screen. I was told by my Acura dealer that the installed price is $800 for the rear-only sensor and has no graphic display.

How much does it cost to patch up a scratched dented TL rear bumper (assuming you don't damage the other car)? I've never had a car with a rear sensor. I've parallel parked a lot over the years, including a few very slow speed "feel" contacts when in extremely tight spaces and have never noticed any scratches. I'm not sure I can justify $800 for this option. Maybe a stronger case could be made for this as a safety feature. I wonder if it is 100% effective in detecting small children and pets?

tlinto

It is about 900CDN which is about.. 600-700 US including installation

our taxes here kill us, 15% on top.. so about 1020 with tax

eneg

Hey Jinen,

Would you mind posting a pic of the rear bumper after this option is installed??

Thanks,

Eneg

Jinen

I will definitely post a picture of the TL once I get it and then answer all the questions regarding distance...Unfortunately, there is no graphic display (that's like having a camera)...The TL does not have that feature, it only beeps, but it's not bad, especially if you park in areas where it would be extremely helpful.

doopstr

Damn, $800? What a ripoff.

Raheel

I remember someone mentioning, that they do not drill holes into your current bumper, but they install a new one with the sensors built in and take the current bumper off

Jinen

I wish they would replace the bumper but the dealer told me that they drill holes in the bumper and then put the sensors in there...now i am not saying that you are wrong and i am right or that i am wrong and you are right because we all know that some of these dealers have on idea what the heck they are talking about...you just have to wait to see it or call up acura directly and find out from them...personally, i wish they would put a new bumper with pre-installed sensors but i doubt they do that becuase then on the accessories, they would say that it is a different bumper..i think they will just drill the holes and go from there...but once i get it, i can definitely confirm on that...

Jss1

I was told by the dealer my bumper will be drilled but the sensor unit is high quality and it looks fine. This is one option I want.

neuronbob

I wish it had a front sensor too. THAT would be worth $800 to me, to have the front and rear covered.

I know Acura corporate types MUST read this board. HERE'S AN IDEA, GUYS!!!

lamster

That's what the in-laws are for (I think I'm gonna pay for this. Honey: if you're reading this forum, we don't usually mean what we say in here.)

hatchback

When we were considering whether or not to get the backup sonar sensor, I stumbled across a engineering study of the effectivess of backup sensors on the google. Essentially it said that the error rate of the backup sensors is too high to be useful. They beep when there's nothing to worry about (false positive) and they fail to beep when you're about to hit something (false negatives). So eventually people either turn them off or ignore them. Typically they're set to go crazy when your bumper is roughly one foot away from another object. That's ideal for backing up in rural and uncongested suburban ares, but would be far too sensitive for parallel parking on a congested urban street.

Strannik

$800??? It is possible to get a cheap rear only detection system for $30, and a good system with 4 sensors - about $80. System with 4 front and 4 back sensors costs about twice that. And that's retail.

Talk about dealer markup....

ToledoTL

Does the backup sensor work it some nimrod is right on your rear bumper? I swear to god my TL has an a--hole magnet.

1violinist

Here's a pic of TL w/backup sensor. You be the judge:

http://www.acura-tl.com/forum/attach...&postid=601975