Front Parking Sensors

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I have the front & rear parking sensors option, but the front sensors only seem to operate after I have selected reverse gear, is this correct?

On my previous Mercedes, the front sensors operated without selecting reverse gear, which I found very handy, for example, when parking forwards close to a wall.
 
My A4 has a button to turn on parking sensors without having to put it into reverse. (Also turns on by default when in reverse)
Makes sense as you don't want it constantly on when you're driving.

I'd assume it's the same for the A3
 
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Press the button in the console usually.
 
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Press the P button if going in forwards.

Else it would be beeping all the time in traffic jams, at traffic lights, queues etc.
 
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Press the P button if going in forwards.

Else it would be beeping all the time in traffic jams, at traffic lights, queues etc.

Excellent....that's why this forum is so good, as there's always someone who knows the solution....many thanks! :thumbs up:
 
Press the P button if going in forwards.

Else it would be beeping all the time in traffic jams, at traffic lights, queues etc.

This^. Had this happening on my Golf, "front assist" its called on the VWs, and was set as default. Every creep along at a junction etc would set the front sensors off and quieten the radio.
 
Hmm...this is an interesting thread.
I thought the front sensors came on automatically - pleased I haven't needed them yet as I would be advancing very close to the wall / obstacle expecting the sensor to activate.

If automatic, you could quickly go straight into a parking bay and stop when the continuous beep was reached.
Can't see me trying to park, reaching for the P Button and avoiding the wall / car next to me.

Also, the idea is that the sensors warn you that something's there that you may not have been expecting / seen.
If you weren't expecting / seen it, you won't have pressed the P Button and so there's more risk of you hitting / scraping something.

Slightly disappointed with this one, definitely a backward step IMO.

I realise now that the front sensors were activating when reversing into my garage as I had the reverse gear selected - and not automatically as I had assumed.


My previous car had automatic sensors and they were brilliant - and were never activated by the car in front / junctions / etc.
How close are you to them that you set off the parking sensors ?!?!
 
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Hmm...this is an interesting thread.
I thought the front sensors came on automatically - pleased I haven't needed them yet as I would be advancing very close to the wall / obstacle expecting the sensor to activate.

If automatic, you could quickly go straight into a parking bay and stop when the continuous beep was reached.
Can't see me trying to park, reaching for the P Button and avoiding the wall / car next to me.

Also, the idea is that the sensors warn you that something's there that you may not have been expecting / seen.
If you weren't expecting / seen it, you won't have pressed the P Button and so there's more risk of you hitting / scraping something.

Slightly disappointed with this one, definitely a backward step IMO.

I realise now that the front sensors were activating when reversing into my garage as I had the reverse gear selected - and not automatically as I had assumed.


My previous car had automatic sensors and they were brilliant - and were never activated by the car in front / junctions / etc.
How close are you to them that you set off the parking sensors ?!?!

There seems to be a bit of a split between manufacturers using the different systems. BMW front sensors work the same way as Audi (turned on when reverse is selected or manually via a button on the dash) whereas Mercedes (and I think Volvo and Jaguar) front sensors are always on below a certain speed.

Personally I prefer the Audi method. The main use for the front sensors is when parallel parking when you will always have selected reverse first, if they are wanted any other time then it's no bother to hit the button whilst pulling in to a parking space or wherever.

Whenever I have driven cars using the Mercedes method they have annoyed me - going off whenever you are sat in traffic and get too close to the car in front or a pedestrian crosses in front of you or a cyclist comes past.
 
Hmm...this is an interesting thread.
I thought the front sensors came on automatically - pleased I haven't needed them yet as I would be advancing very close to the wall / obstacle expecting the sensor to activate.

If automatic, you could quickly go straight into a parking bay and stop when the continuous beep was reached.
Can't see me trying to park, reaching for the P Button and avoiding the wall / car next to me.

Also, the idea is that the sensors warn you that something's there that you may not have been expecting / seen.
If you weren't expecting / seen it, you won't have pressed the P Button and so there's more risk of you hitting / scraping something.

Slightly disappointed with this one, definitely a backward step IMO.

+1 for disappointed.
I'm very much of the view that the Audi setup for front parking sensors is inferior. They should be automatically activated at low speed at all times. There are ways of getting around all the speed/traffic issues - take a look at Honda's system on the CRV, it just works.
 
Yeah, after the first time I try to pull out of a tight parking space and misjudge it I'll remember! Then my missus will do a matching scrape on the other side.

Just another example of the things I'm finding on the S3 that could/should be better implemented and that I (foolishly) took for granted would on a premium car.
 
No car I've ever own with front sensors has had them automatically enabled under a certain speed, what a PITA that would be. I think you would be getting far morerequests on how to turn them off in this forum...
 
No car I've ever own with front sensors has had them automatically enabled under a certain speed, what a PITA that would be.

Automatically enabled Front Sensors really are good - once you've had them, you really miss them.
It really is a backward step having to switch the front ones on.
As previously stated, if you don't know that there's an obstacle there, by the time you hit it / scrape it, it's too late to reach for the button then - Damage already done.

Same thing with the folding mirrors.
Last car had them so that when you were going down a narrow street (or cars parked down one side), you could flick the switch and have the mirrors instantly fold in / out.
You could even change direction mid-fold.
On this car, it thinks about it for a couple of seconds and then reacts. No chance of an instant in/out flick.
Makes all the difference when you're trying to avoid some Nutter coming the other way thinking they need the space of a bus.

Have to say that I thought Audi electronics would be more cutting edge over mainstream rivals.

I do LOVE the LED Lights though - they are absolutely fantastic.
 
Automatically enabled Front Sensors really are good - once you've had them, you really miss them.
It really is a backward step having to switch the front ones on.

-1
:p

Automatic ones on Mercs drive me nuts. They go off when just stopped at lights and pedestrians are walking past. A real pain when driving around central London.
 
Automatically enabled Front Sensors really are good - once you've had them, you really miss them.
It really is a backward step having to switch the front ones on.

+1

They go off when just stopped at lights and pedestrians are walking past. A real pain when driving around central London.

Yeah, can imagine that apart from that driving around London would be wonderful :p
 
Obviously folding mirrors and the auto front sensors is just marmite and a matter of taste. However I would not want the front sensors, cannot see the point and why it seems so difficult these days to flick a switch. A bit like auto locking I guess...
 
I don't particularly like my front sensors. For example when I reverse my car out of the garage both the front and rear sensors beep. Then when my wife walks in front of the car to get to the passenger side the front ones beep again. Then when I close my powered garage door they beep again. At the moment I have the volume for the front sensors set to zero.

I generally prefer the rear camera to the rear sensors because in a space where I often park at the RSPB offices there are bushes by the side of the space and this sets off the beeps but there is also a concrete rubbish bin behind the space which I did manage to just touch a couple of times in my previous car but with the rear camera it is much easier to see and judge when to stop before hitting it.
 
My Mk3 Seat Leon FR has auto front sensors so surprised the A/S 3 does not as it's the same platform - might miss this when my car arrives.

Wonder if there is a VCDS tweak for this ?
 
Perhaps it should be choice at the purchase stage as there are equally those who wouldn't...
 
An option in the car settings sounds like the ideal solution then we could all have it the way we prefer. Evidently on the Leon it's all there already and just in the cars software.
 
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My Mk3 Seat Leon FR has auto front sensors so surprised the A/S 3 does not as it's the same platform - might miss this when my car arrives.

Wonder if there is a VCDS tweak for this ?

Can you explain under what condition your Leon puts the front sensors on? What age is it?

Thanks
 
Yes sure it's a mk3 5F Leon so shared platform with Golf 7 and A3 8V. Front sensors come on when anything comes into range from I'd say 1.2m this is fully automatic and requires no button press I find this really useful although I could see how if you mostly drove in a busy city how this could be annoying.
 
Thanks Rob, sounds like something VCDS could possibly enable then.

Are the back sensors still only enabled when you select reverse? Do you still have a button to turn the system off/on?
 
Hi dts439, Yes rear is with reverse selection only or with the dash button to enable or disable. The auto front sensors does give you confidence to swing into a parking space a little too quick so I'll have to get out of that habit in March ;o)

You can also adjust the amount that the stereo volume reduces or change to zero if the volume reducing annoys you when the front sensors become active so you get the visual display only.
 
Are fornt parking snesors worth it on an A3.

iT WOULD BE HANDY FO RME IF PARKING IN A CAR PARK WHERE i HAVE TO PARK NEAR A WAL LWICH HAS A COLLISIOSN RIAL AT NUMBERPLATE LEVEL IN FRONT - V DIFFICULT TO SENSE HOPW CLOSE IT IS.
 
The only person who can say if they are worth it is you, as its a very personal opinion.

They work and will advise on objects in front of you but like all driving aids they are just that, an aid, that should be used in conjunction with your own driving skills and not relied upon 100% as they won't see everything.
Paul
 
Given that my previous A4 b8.5 had the contentious beep at 30cm from an object in front it wasn't very accurate, I'm not sure if it's any different to the A3.

So parking up at a supermarket, if you relied on your front parking sensors to park, you would still have 30cm infront, meaning you would have 30cm of your car sticking out at the back.
 
From what you describe your needs as I would say yes. With the front sensors you also get the visual display rather than just the beeps.
In my car park at work it has low barriers which are very difficult to judge the distance when relatively close. Before I had front sensors I would look at the reflection on other cars to judge the distance.
Front sensors definitely help me park much closer than I did before.
 
So the fornt parking sensors have a display then?

But do they cover the corner of the bumper as you can easily scrape here not just the fornt around the number plate.
 
With the rear parking sensor option (either the standalone option or the one which is part od the basic comfort pack) there are four sensors on the rear bumper and provide beeps the closer you get to objects behind (no visual display).

With the Parking System Advanced, you get four sensors on the front and four on rear bumpers. These beep and show a visual display on the MMI screen when in reverse or when you press the parking sensor button on the dash.

With the the Parking System Advanced system with Park Assist, you get four sensors on the front and rear bumpers along with and additional four sensors on the corner / sides of the bumper which are mini radars for the auto-park facility. These additional sensors work alongside the the other main sensors to detect objects on the edges of the bumbers / sides of the car. (With the usual beeping / visual display).

The other option you can get is the Reversing Camera (which can only be added if you spec the Parking System Advanced or Parking System Advanced with Park Assist). I have this and find it quite useful - as it includes guide lines depending on which way the steering wheel is turned.

Hope this helps.
 

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