I've noticed something which bugs me a bit, and that's the positioning of the parking sensors, mine are positioned at the widest part of the number plate area. Is this where everyone else has theirs?
The problem I've found is that it doesn't seem to pick out something like a post which is positioned exactly in the centre of the car! fortunately I could see it in the mirror, so hit it, but it's a little bit worrying to know that you can't rely on the sensors 100%!
Hey Jc74, I put up pics of my Blackroc on the 'new car' bit earlier and Ive just checked for you. Mine has the parking sensors that work with the sat nav screen and they are higher up the bumper towards the very top of the number plate than yours, and if im honest, I havent had the issue that you have with posts. Mine seem to pick them up (maybe because they they are higher up?) Hope that answers your post
No Scirocco now - Just a black '57 Plate Black Jetta!
Mine are higher up too like in the photo - at my work we have pillers in the middle of the parking spaces and it always picks it out - so no issues for me.
If you don't see anything on your stereo display then its possible your parking sensors have been retro fitted badly - go to the dealer to get it fixed as its clearly messed up.
Last edited by rehmondo on Fri May 15, 2009 8:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Yes, they were retrofitted by the dealer, though I didn't realise they'd also fit them in a non-standard place!
I'll have a word with them, though I'm not sure I want the marks where the old holes were to be present if they were to move the sensors...
I thought the bumper had stamps marked on it where the cutouts should be for the sensors? Sounds like whoever retrofitted them just cut some completely new holes
Options: Leather, Cruise Control, Folding Mirrors, Parking Sensors, DAB Radio, Smokers Pack, Piano Black Interior Trim, Fiscon Bluetooth, Covered Cup Holder, Metal Pedals
jc74 wrote:Yes, they were retrofitted by the dealer, though I didn't realise they'd also fit them in a non-standard place!
I'll have a word with them, though I'm not sure I want the marks where the old holes were to be present if they were to move the sensors...
Did you manage to speak to your dealer about this? Was just wondering what they were planning to do about it.
jc74 wrote:Yes, they were retrofitted by the dealer, though I didn't realise they'd also fit them in a non-standard place!
I'll have a word with them, though I'm not sure I want the marks where the old holes were to be present if they were to move the sensors...
I would have words with them and get them to change them but also give you a new bumper. The way I see it is they have not fitted them correctly in the first place as they don't work as they should and even if they fill the current holes then the outline would probably still be visible.
I think you should definitely givem a call, and when your at it, if they are willing to exchange the bumber ask for the new bumper on the accessories catalogue
If your parking sensors are retro fit, i'm assuming you don't get the visual display on the Stereo screen that graphically shows the obstacles in yellow or red around the graphical car representation when you're close to them - is that the case? Do you only have audio indications of the distance (bleeps)?
If that is the case then the rear view system you have should not be anywhere near the cost of the VW option as it's not as functional, and if they've charged you the full factory build option cost (£330) then they've definitely misled you from the start.
If your car was a factory order, and you'd ordered the sensors at the time you should be able to expect the sensors to have been factory fitted.
2013 - Tornado Red MK7 Golf GTD on order
2011-2013 - Rising Blue 170GT
2009-2011 - Pewter Roc 140GT
2007-2009 - Tornado Red Golf 170TDI GT
2005-2007 - Black Pearl Golf 140TDI GT
2003-2005 - Black Pearl Polo 1.9TDI
maisbitt wrote:If your parking sensors are retro fit, i'm assuming you don't get the visual display on the Stereo screen that graphically shows the obstacles in yellow or red around the graphical car representation when you're close to them - is that the case? Do you only have audio indications of the distance (bleeps)?
If that is the case then the rear view system you have should not be anywhere near the cost of the VW option as it's not as functional, and if they've charged you the full factory build option cost (£330) then they've definitely misled you from the start.
If your car was a factory order, and you'd ordered the sensors at the time you should be able to expect the sensors to have been factory fitted.
It's a bit of a sore point, I was misled, and they were retrofitted. I'd asked for a car of a certain spec, they found one and I took delivery within a week, and was offered a pretty good discount. However, it turned out later after digging around, that it was retrofitted. No graphical display, just audio beeps.
I raised the issue with them, but they were unwilling to budge on it. The problem is that a replacement car will take around 18 weeks, and other than that (and couple of very minor things), the car is pretty damn good. So, not sure if I was going to fight for a replacement.
To be honest, even with the slight blind spot on the sensors, it's still not the end of the world. I very much doubt that I could reasonable reject a fully working car on the basis of parking sensors. I know if I were a judge, I wouldn't allow it! - Unless someone else has successfully done this??
You don't need to reject the car. Just get them to fix the parking sensors by giving you a new bumper and fitting them correctly. Well that is what I would do anyway.
If they never told you that the car was going to have retrofitted parking sensors then they have misled you. You specified that you wanted parking sensors on the car they sourced. They said they'd found a car to your spec. If you paid for a car that they sourced with parking sensors, this strongly implies that you were expecting factory fit. As the system fitted on yours differs from the manufacturers spec noticeably (lack of graphical vision) they should have ensured that you would be happy to receive a non standard add on, after explaining the differences between the VW fitted system and the dealer fitted system.
In effect, they never sourced the exact vehicle you specced, they got the closest match and adapted it to your requirements, the operation of your system is not identical to that of the factory fitted system and therefore not equivalent.
Furthermore, the system does not appear to do it's intended job properly due to incorrectly placed sensors. If you know someone locally who has VW fitted sensors on a Scirocco, and can demonstrate that the factory fitted system picks up obstacles that your system will not (due to blindspot), this proves that the product is not fit for purpose regardless.
Did they charge you the £330 list (£318 before the recent price rise)? If so then find out what the normal fitted price is for the system you have, based upon someone coming off the street and asking the dealership to fit it. If there is a price difference and you were charged the normal £330/318 factory fit price then you have definitely been deceived and could reject the car on that basis.
As you had the Scirocco discounted, your invoice should show everything at full price, then one discount at the end, so you should see if your parking sensors were charged at the full price of £286.96+vat (=£330) or £276.52+vat (=£318) in the itemisation of the invoice. If those are the numbers, and their regular price for their retrofitted system does not correspond to £330/£318 then they've really pulled a sly one!
2013 - Tornado Red MK7 Golf GTD on order
2011-2013 - Rising Blue 170GT
2009-2011 - Pewter Roc 140GT
2007-2009 - Tornado Red Golf 170TDI GT
2005-2007 - Black Pearl Golf 140TDI GT
2003-2005 - Black Pearl Polo 1.9TDI
Expensive mistake for them - new bumper! If their system could take an extra nipple dead-centre of the bumper then there'd be no need to replace at all. The amount you're goiing to kick up about this will depend upon whether they ever charged you full VW factory fit price, how much the generic one should have cost when dealer fitted, and whether you'd prefer the colour screen representation of the VW factory fit if you assumed that was what you'd be getting in the first place.
2013 - Tornado Red MK7 Golf GTD on order
2011-2013 - Rising Blue 170GT
2009-2011 - Pewter Roc 140GT
2007-2009 - Tornado Red Golf 170TDI GT
2005-2007 - Black Pearl Golf 140TDI GT
2003-2005 - Black Pearl Polo 1.9TDI
Options: Leather, Cruise Control, Folding Mirrors, Parking Sensors, DAB Radio, Smokers Pack, Piano Black Interior Trim, Fiscon Bluetooth, Covered Cup Holder, Metal Pedals
I agree with a couple of the previous posts, there's no excuse for not fitting the sensors properly so a new bumper with them properly fitted is a perfectly reasonable thing to ask for. If they don't go for that then a quick email to VW customer services should get them moving.
If you were ever thinking about rejecting the car, I think you're running out of time to do so. You need to get the dealer to agree to remedial works (bumper replacement) quickly with the threat of rejection if they don't want to play nicely.
I've always found VW customer support absolutely shite, good luck with getting any positive help from them, let me tell you a long story......
When my last car (Golf GT Sport TDI170) was a mere 2 weeks old, it was lawfully parked up in a designated parking spot on a main road and was swiped by a bus whilst I nipped off to collect a takeaway. The bus didn't stop but a witness took all the details. Everything attached to the rear drivers-side wheel was replaced as the suspension arms etc were mangled, as was the wheel. The back bumper was knacked, the front drivers wheel was gouged where the car had been pushed 12 feet forwards into the car in front, and had kerbed the wheel. Front bumper was knackered and the rear quarter panel was creased.
The bodyshop were terrible - they took 9 weeks to do a job they said would take 4! They had all the parts in at the end of week 2 but did nothing with the car until week 7.
When I got the car back, it was hoying it down, and because of the rain noise, didn't hear the grinding noise from the brakes of the rear passenger wheel - everything had been assembled wrong and the car pulled to one side when braking hard. The interior trim that they'd removed to replace the rear quarter panel was filthy, with greasy handprints all over the roof lining. The only thing that looked well done was the paint job on the new rear quarter panel.
I went off it - was straight on the phone to VW customer service about the shoddy work and seemingly unjustified delays. They phoned up the bodyshop who weren't so apologetic, said I would have to drive the car to them, they wouldn't pick it up despite a potentially dangerous brake fault.
Took it back, got the brake fault put right and the interior was cleaned up. Made my displeasure about the whole experience felt to the workshop manager, who was vaguely apologetic. They offered me one free valet, to be taken any time I wanted, which I declined.
I said I didn't want the valet as I keep my car immaculate (no one eats or drinks in the car, everything is scotch-guarded, and it gets a hoover out regularly), and after the state they'd left the car in when "repaired", I had no confidence in them doing a good job anyway.
I asked for something I could make use of, like a service, but the manager said he could only give me something that the bodyshop supply (and they don't do services - that's the main dealer). So I came away with barely an apology and no goodwill gesture for all the hassle i'd been through.
The bodyshop had also stolen my 1 litre unused oil top up bottle that had been in the boot of the car, I pointed that out to them when I picked the car up, so they knew it had gone missing when they'd had the car. I got a replacement about 6 phonecalls and 3 weeks later.
VW customer service rang up again to follow up the actions on file. I told them what had transpired, and what the bodyshop had offered me, as well as my reasons for declining the free valet. The customer services rep said i'd been awkward and that I should take up the free valet. I explained again how I did not need one, nor trust them to do one well. They just wanted me to accept the valet so that they could close the case with a "satisfied customer" stamp. I didn't take the valet and they left it as an open offer.
9 months elapsed and the rear quarter panel was starting to rust around the wheel arch, the VW approved bodyshop reluctantly took it back and "repaired" it with a respray around the rusted area. A stone chip on the rear quarter panel a few weeks later revealed that the paint thickness on the rear quarter panel was less than half that of the rest of the car (comparison with a bonnet stone chip). VW customer service weren't interested that the VW name was getting tarnished by allowing these monkeys to be VW approved repairers.
The Bodyshop is Benfield accident repair centre on railway streey in Newcastle. They're approved repairers for all VAG cars, Fiat and Alfa - I wouldn't trust them to change a tyre, let alone anything else.
My lovely Golf felt tarnished after they'd had their mitts on it, and i'd had a nasty hollow feeling with this car since, until I changed to the Scirocco.
The main dealers of Benfield VW can't do enough for you, and they're amongst the cheapest around for tyres, but the bodyshop is a no-go area for me.
2013 - Tornado Red MK7 Golf GTD on order
2011-2013 - Rising Blue 170GT
2009-2011 - Pewter Roc 140GT
2007-2009 - Tornado Red Golf 170TDI GT
2005-2007 - Black Pearl Golf 140TDI GT
2003-2005 - Black Pearl Polo 1.9TDI
Right, had the car back, and they acknowledged the blind spot and fixed it (!)
They have the realigned the angle the parkingsensor was at previously and it seems to have fixed the problem (for now!)
Unfortunately the sensor they realigned, they have repainted and I think they must have ran out of pewter grey paint, and it's painted what looks more like silver! - It's quite a pain for me to take the car in so I'm not sure if it's quite bad enough to taake it in again! - Might just get some pewter grey touch up paint. Anyone know where I can get any???
