PARKING SENSORS.....

[fatlad]

any way of keeping them on permanent & not via the button with th P on?

i know that audibly i'll know if thy are off, but i was wondering if anyone out there knows a way to keep them on permanently.

[ColinB]

That's a slightly puzzling question. On my car, they ARE on permanently. The switch down by your right knee turns the system on or off, and the setting is remembered when the car is turned off. So if you've turned the system on, it should still be on when you next start the car. Is your car behaving differently?

[TnTkr]

Basically it should work as described above. At least mine does. Except if the sensors get dirty or covered by snow, then the system switches itself off.

[fatlad]

That's a slightly puzzling question. On my car, they ARE on permanently. The switch down by your right knee turns the system on or off, and the setting is remembered when the car is turned off. So if you've turned the system on, it should still be on when you next start the car. Is your car behaving differently?

well when i was in a carpark last week, it didnt beep & i noticed the switch wasnt illuminated so i switched it on & its worked ever since & the button is still lit.

[ColinS]

well when i was in a carpark last week, it didnt beep & i noticed the switch wasnt illuminated so i switched it on & its worked ever since & the button is still lit.

That is exactly as it should be: The indicator in the button comes on when the system is on.

[ColinB]

well when i was in a carpark last week, it didnt beep & i noticed the switch wasnt illuminated so i switched it on & its worked ever since & the button is still lit.

Most likely explanation is that you'd accidentally switched it off, maybe nudging the switch with your knee without noticing. Sounds like it's all good now though.

[TnTkr]

I'd assume some dirt on one sensor. It switches the system off. That happens me very often. After wiping the sensors clean it works again when switched on by the button.

At least in my experience, the shape and location of the switch is not prone to accidental pushing.

[fatlad]

well when i was in a carpark last week, it didnt beep & i noticed the switch wasnt illuminated so i switched it on & its worked ever since & the button is still lit.

That is exactly as it should be: The indicator in the button comes on when the system is on.

thanks Colin
my question is can they be switched permanently on whether the button is pressed & lit or not?
i'd like them to be live at all times if thats possible?

[Basil]

I've always wondered this as every so often mine seems to switch off so now I always check and if necessary switch back on before reversing into a tight spot.

Sometimes they won't turn back on, I didn't think it might be dirty sensors so I will give them a quick wipe over next time.

[ColinB]

my question is can they be switch permanently on whether the button is pressed & lit or not?

No. The whole point of the switch is to turn the system on and off, and the whole point of the indicator light is to tell you that the system is functioning. To bypass the switch so that those functions are no longer reliable seems pointless to me.

BTW, there are circumstances when you might want to switch the system off, eg if a sensor fails you get frequent loud alarms randomly whilst driving which are very distracting. And if you find yourself parking in a small space such that front and rear sensors are sounding simultaneously then that can also be distracting. I’ve had both of those situations, and found it useful to switch it off. That would be impossible if you’ve fudged the switch so it no longer works.

[Basil]

I've always wondered this as every so often mine seems to switch off so now I always check and if necessary switch back on before reversing into a tight spot.

Sometimes they won't turn back on, I didn't think it might be dirty sensors so I will give them a quick wipe over next time.

Earlier today I was about to park when I noticed the sensors were off and I couldn't turn them back on so I gave them a quick wipe over and hey presto they worked - thanks for the advice.