Blonde driving: why I love and hate parking sensors

Today, the vast majority of new cars in more or less tolerable trim levels a priori have, if not rear-view cameras, then parking sensors on the "stern" - for sure. However, in the initial versions, as in many used cars, this option is not available. And this is just the case when the autolady is worth spending money on buying it.

So, when I bought my last car, I immediately ordered rear parking sensors in the salon. Otherwise, they sometimes like to dig in somewhere in the yard an iron column 50 centimeters high, and then I ride with a dent. No, I think it’s better to pay right away and park calmly - you don’t even need to turn your head.

I appreciated the correctness of the decision in the first month: I get up without any problems even in the cramped parking lot. In short, a handy thing, well, except that sometimes it squeaks in vain if dirt sticks to the sensors. It also helps a lot in rain and snowfall: the glasses are dirty, you can’t see anything. And it’s somehow calmer to park in the yard: you never know which mother will be distracted, and her baby is already sculpting a little cake at your bumper ...

Let's tell you how it works. Parktronics are, in fact, sensors that use ultrasound to see an obstacle, measure the distance to it and inform the driver: the device can beep, can voice information or even display it on a special display if it is armed with a rear view camera, or even make a projection on the windshield!

These sensors are cut into or glued to the rear bumper: if you want to save money, get only two sensors in the kit. But it’s better to pay extra for four anyway: then your parking sensors will definitely not miss anything - you will even know about a patch of tall grass! All in all, it's excellent insurance against accidental scratches and dents, and it's obviously cheaper than auto body repairs after an accident. But there are some unpleasant nuances in its operation!

I want to warn you: do not think that after installing this thing you got yourself a 70-hour guardian angel: these are just sensors, and they can be wrong. So if you firmly believe in everything that a pleasant automatic voice tells you, you can fit in backwards so that you can’t collect the headlights later! And sometimes - on the contrary, the ingenious device will squeal heart-rendingly, you get out of the car - and there there are still XNUMX centimeters to the obstacle! In a city parking lot, it's like walking to China.

In other words, it is impossible to fully trust the parking sensors, as, indeed, any car electronics: in God, as they say, hope, but don’t make a mistake yourself.