Front Sensors/Parkassist

[flem100 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close flem100]

Hello all,

I am just deciding on which bar to put on the chin of my car and since I live in Sydney, ease of parking is a big consideration. I have a GXL and am wondering if it is possible to fit the front end sensors and has anyone done this? I love the parkability of my 150, but some times it is a real squeeze to get into a spot and I would hate to scratch my bar on something that was hidden from view...

Cheers

Ben

[lissted Member Find all posts View Profile Close lissted]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

Hi Ben
Front sensors can be put on any car aftermarket. They won't hook up to your dash display though but will just be an audio beep. I looked at the dash display of the rear parking sensors on the GXL and there is no lights in there for the front to flash like the rear. You can buy these kits online or places like Autobarn will be able to do it. If you do it yourself you can see the positions of the sensors in pics of the ARB or TJM bars.
Peter

[cruisercruising Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cruisercruising]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

Hi,

I just got a bullbar fitted but ordered it over the phone and didnt realise that on a GXL prado it has 'PARK ASSIST" not "PARKING SENSORS" hence when the bulbar arrived it has 4 holes in the front of the bar. So I rang toyota parts to see how much the sensors cost so i could just stick them in to make to look right. He guy quote me $100 per sensor so $400 then he continued to quote that it would take like 4-5 days to install them which I didnt let him get a chance to say how much that would be because I think thats a bit of a joke that it would take that long.

[gxllouie Member Find all posts View Profile Close gxllouie]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

hey ben,

front parking sensors are a dealer option on the gxl. i have seen them fitted on a gxl. i am still considering them for our car - discovered that they could come in handy off road for tight maneuvers.

louie

[brissyhoops Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close brissyhoops]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

Hi Ben,

We got out new Prado in June and ordered front parking sensors with a nudge bar. We were told they could only fit the two outside sensors on the front with the nudge bar, but we were guaranteed by one dealer they could fit the Toyota genuine ones. We were happy with this. We ended up getting our car from a different dealer and were not told until when we picked up the car that they would not fit Toyota sensors with a nudge bar and so they had installed a different aftermarket brand.

We are not happy with them as they beep about 2m away from things, which is considerably further than the back ones. They go off all the time when driving when we go past road barriers etc. We have been told we have to turn off the sensors when driving and only turn them on when we need them to park. We have not had a car with front parking sensors before so we do not know if this is normal. It is very annoying having to turn them on and off all the time and they also do a loud beep when you turn them on which is also annoying. We just seem to leave them off all the time now and feel we have wasted our money.

We are in discussions with the dealer now trying to see if we can get Toyota ones or the current ones adjusted. If they worked properly, they would be incredibly useful as it is very difficult to judge the front of the car.

I believe all four front sensors can be fitted to most full bullbars which would be more useful than just the outside two. But before you get them, ask a few questions about how they work as if you have to turn them on and off all the time, you might find it is just easier to leave them off.

[flem100 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close flem100]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

Hello all,

Many thanks for your replies, lots of useful info. I think it is worth looking into and will have a look at after market options as well. My pref is getting factory orig parts but those prices are a little crazy.

Will keep you in the loop,

Ben

[Archangel Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Archangel]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

I currently have front clearance park assist sensors on order from Toyota for my GXL so as to avoid paying the supertax 'LCT'. I'm told by the Toyota parts specialist I'm buying them from that they only come in 'grey' and they have given me a name of a crash repair company to spray them as I'm considering a non-genuine white bullbar very shortly. Is this right and would there be any effects on the sensor??

If I ordered the sensors with the car off the bat it would seem that I 'might' get the colour to match the car as per the Toyota website image. I'll speak with the dealer I bought the car from on Monday to get a second opinion.

The Toyota website says -

"ParkAssist* - Clearance Parking Sensors
Mounted to the front bumper of your Prado, these four sensors are an aid to detect and alert you to obstacles in the front of the vehicle which may be outside your field of vision. ParkAssist Clearance Parking Sensors can help you park like a pro and make manoeuvring into a tight spot at the shopping centre a breeze. Clearance Parking Sensors can also be mounted on Genuine Alloy Bull Bars with a special bezel fitting.

Reading the fine print I think I might also need to investigate further what is mean't by the "special bezel fitting" for mounting "on" the bullbar. Might need to watch this one if there are people considering a bar with holes 'cut-in' for sensors. My local aftermarket bullbar specialist also confirmed they won't colour the sensors. Prior to finding the fine print text I was told by the parts guy that the sensors are basically plug-n-play which also might save a bit of money regarding their fitting...apart from bluetack or 3M tape costs which could be the case!

Anyone out there who has been through this yet? I'll keep you posted.

Cheers

[cruisercruising Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cruisercruising]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

I was assuming that the sensors must be fitted with some sort of like a clip in fitting, so on that im assuming that seen as i accidently ordered the wrong bar ( pic in arb sahara thread in accessories section)and it has the sensor holes that arb would of made it that would would just clip in. Then again I could be wrong! Havnt seen one in the flesh yet.

On the colour comment I fine it hard to believe that they wouldnt sell the sensor colour specific as they would need to be painted to match when say you need a replacement through a fault or some other reason. As for painting it cant see how it would affect them as in the factory they would have to be painted anyway.

Let us know how you go archangel.

[gxllouie Member Find all posts View Profile Close gxllouie]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

all parking sensors come in grey or black and need to be painted (well they don't need to be, but imo look heaps better).

we had parking sensors fitted to our mazda sp23. when we picked the car up, the sensors were missing some paint. when i took it back to mazda, i was told that they have a painter that drops by to do these jobs. can't see why toyota can't provide this service? maybe they are hinting that it might be cheaper to get it done somewhere else?

as for spraying - that's overkill. the guy who did our sensors used the tin of touch up paint and a brush - came up a treat (looked like a factory fit).

louie

[Rogerthatv2 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Rogerthatv2]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

all parking sensors come in grey or black and need to be painted (well they don't need to be, but imo look heaps better).

we had parking sensors fitted to our mazda sp23. when we picked the car up, the sensors were missing some paint. when i took it back to mazda, i was told that they have a painter that drops by to do these jobs. can't see why toyota can't provide this service? maybe they are hinting that it might be cheaper to get it done somewhere else?

as for spraying - that's overkill. the guy who did our sensors used the tin of touch up paint and a brush - came up a treat (looked like a factory fit).

louie

Not always Louie, on my OE sensors fitted to my VX they actually have the colour coded printed on them along with the toyota OE part number. I noticed this when I removed them from the bumper to install into my new bullbar. Happy to take a photo of the part number and colour code if anybody would like to show them to the dealer to try and get the right ones.

[gxllouie Member Find all posts View Profile Close gxllouie]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

all parking sensors come in grey or black and need to be painted (well they don't need to be, but imo look heaps better).

we had parking sensors fitted to our mazda sp23. when we picked the car up, the sensors were missing some paint. when i took it back to mazda, i was told that they have a painter that drops by to do these jobs. can't see why toyota can't provide this service? maybe they are hinting that it might be cheaper to get it done somewhere else?

as for spraying - that's overkill. the guy who did our sensors used the tin of touch up paint and a brush - came up a treat (looked like a factory fit).

louie

Not always Louie, on my OE sensors fitted to my VX they actually have the colour coded printed on them along with the toyota OE part number. I noticed this when I removed them from the bumper to install into my new bullbar. Happy to take a photo of the part number and colour code if anybody would like to show them to the dealer to try and get the right ones.

just had a quick thought on this... your vx sensors come colour coded, because they are factory fit. to my knowledge, dealer fit are always grey/black, so that they can be colour coded to any car.

louie

[Kaka do Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Kaka do]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

Just to add my 2c worth. I have the ARB deluxe bar and the sensors transfer directly from the original bumper into the pre-cut holes in the ARB Bar without any issues.
As for colour coding the sensors, on my other ride, a Hybrid Camry, I had the front sensors fitted by Toyota after the purchase. I had to provide the colour of the vehicle to the parts department so they could "get the correct colour sensors sent from Sydney as they are made for all colours and sent out to the dealers". I'm not sure if this is the same for the Prado but if Toyota does it for one line of cars I would think it is the same for all of them given that the colours are pretty much all the same across the ranges.

[Archangel Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Archangel]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

All,

The Toyota Service Centre/Dealer I have been dealing with has now managed to source the genuine Toyota Prado 150 colour coded front park assist sensors (white) and I now have them in my hands after collecting last weekend...great stuff Toyota and Parts Dept! No need to consider touch-up painting anymore. They have the colour coded bezel for fitting straight into the front bumper or a bullbar with sensor holes and they look identical to the white ones which are on the rear of the car. Toyota came through in the end with this one. FYI, ARB have also mentioned to get them installed prior to bullbar installation.

Regards
Archangel

[flem100 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close flem100]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

Archangel,

Mate that is awesome news! Do you mind telling me how much Toyota stung you for them? Did they come with install instructions?

Ben

[Archangel Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Archangel]

Re: Front Sensors/Parkassist

Ben,

The pack comes with everything you will need including all instructions, owners manual, leads, speaker, black activation switch, connection module, templates etc. In addition you will need a drill with 2mm bit and 22mm wood bit, ratchet and 10mm socket, phillips head screw driver and trim removal tool (or something similar to lift some internal trim off), masking tape and 60 minutes installation time (so they say!).

Sorry, I cannot reveal the final cost payed but I think you should expect to pay somewhere between $399 to $500 inclusive for supply only. Do you know anyone at Toyota?

Regards
Archangel