The difference between factory and universal sensors
Factory sensors are part of the car. The car's computer knows whether reverse is selected and how fast you are going, so it turns the sensors on and off by itself. A universal kit works on its own, with its own control box.
| Factory | Universal kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Warning | Beeping and a picture on the dashboard or the car's screen | Beeping, a small display if you want |
| Rear sensors | Turn on in reverse | Turn on in reverse, through the reversing light |
| Front sensors | Work by themselves while the car moves slowly | Turn on with the brake or a button, then turn off by themselves |
| Switching off | In the car's menu or with a button | With a button, if the kit has one |
| How the bumper looks | Sensors in holders, in the car's colour | Painted to match the car or as they come |
| Which cars | Models a kit exists for | Almost any car, older ones too |
Factory sensors fitted later: how it is done
For some models the car maker produces an original kit for fitting later. The kit is made for an exact model and model years, so it does not exist for every car.
For a factory kit the bumper comes off and holes of the exact size are cut where the maker specifies. The sensors then sit flush with the bumper, as on a car that got them in the factory.
An original kit does not always mean a picture on the screen. Some maker kits only beep through their own speaker, and some also beep when you hitch a trailer.
Display on the screen: depends on the car
- The car already has factory rear sensors: on some cars we switch on the display by coding.
- There is a kit for your model: display on the dashboard or the car's screen.
- Other cars: a universal kit with a display.
Universal kit: how it works and what you get
A universal kit has 4 sensors for one bumper, a control box and a speaker. If you want, it also has a small display that shows how far you are from the obstacle. It does not depend on the car's equipment, so it fits almost any car, including older ones without a screen.
We connect the rear sensors to the reversing light, so they work as soon as you select reverse. Front sensors turn on when you press the brake or a button, depending on the kit. They turn off by themselves after a short time.
We press regular sensors in from outside, into a hole of the exact size. There is also a universal kit that looks like a factory one. Its sensors sit in holders on the inside of the bumper, flush with it. The sensors come black or silver, and we paint them in the car's colour.
If you have a tow bar or a spare wheel at the back, we choose the kit and settings so the sensors do not report them as an obstacle.
Which sensors to choose
Find what your car has now. Next to each case is what we fit.
The car has factory rear sensors, but no picture on the screenA display on the screen by coding, if your car supports it, or front sensors shown on the same screen.- The car has a screen, but no sensorsA factory kit or a universal kit shown on the screen, if one exists for your model. Otherwise a universal kit with a display.
An older car without a screenA universal kit with sound or a small display, painted in the car's colour.- You do not want holes in the bumperSensors without drilling, with a strip on the inside of the bumper. More about sensors without drilling
What sensors do not see
Neither factory nor universal sensors always see a thin pole, a low object or what is directly under the bumper. Snow, ice or mud on a sensor also keeps it from seeing an obstacle.
Even with sensors, look around the car before you park.
Sensors tell you with sound how close you are, and a reversing camera shows what is behind the car. We also fit it together with sensors. More about the reversing camera
What the price depends on
There is no single price, because every car needs a different kit and different work.
The price depends on
- A factory kit, a universal kit or sensors without drilling.
- Rear, front or both.
- Sound only, a display or a display on the car's screen.
- Whether coding is needed.
- Whether we paint the sensors in the car's colour.
- Whether we take the bumper off.
- Whether a reversing camera goes with the sensors.
