So I watched a few videos from youtube that claim it could work without drilling a hole in your bumper. I thought that was really neat. I then bought the kit from ebay for about USD 15 incl shipping. Really dirt cheap I think there's nothing to loose. This kit comes with 1 antenna which is just a 3 meters self adhesive aluminum foil, 1 small size ECU unit and a mini buzzer c/w 2 meter harness.
Installation:
1. I took out the rear bumper. The instruction says that you need to install the antenna anywhere along the bumper as long as you avoid the metal parts. Unfortunately, the A4 has a pretty wide reinforcement bar which is held by melted plastic to the bumper cover. So there is no way for me to take it out. Nevertheless, I attempted to install it on the re-bar itself and did a test. To ensure proper adhesion, I've used sandpaper and brake cleaner.
2. Offline testing (while bumper is detached from the car) - the kit worked well. So I thought it will be no problem.
3. Online testing (bumper re-installed) - everything went haywire. I think it is because everything is now electrically connected to the car via the impact absorber. So I've moved the antenna to the lower valence.
4. For the power supply, I've spliced the reverse brake light input and ground. I didn't just directly soldered the leads, rather I've soldered a 2-pin connector obtained from the electronic store. This facilitates easy removal If I decide to remove or change the system in the future.
5. For the buzzer speaker, I've installed it in the cabin at the top edge of the rear seat where the edge of the seat, rear shelf and C-pillar trim meets. There is a small hole to route the wiring and everything looks neat.
6. I took 6 hours for everything. Really it was because of me testing the appropriate locations. I think a professional should only take 1 hours coz it is really easy apart from soldering the wires.
Pros of the unit:
1. It worked as advertised. No need to drill hole in the bumper. Keep it looking stock. Just don't make any contact with the body metal parts.
2. Adequate volume from the small buzzer. Low power consumption.
Cons of the unit:
1. Really low detection range. Starts to beep at 2 feet. So it is more of a collision warning rather than detection. You need to reverse you car very slowly.
2. Only gives detection if the object or car is moving. Once it stays still, warning goes off.
So my personal opinion, I would not recommend the unit. My main bone of contention is the low range of detection. I still prefer the conventional ultrasonic unit, however I've no idea how properly remove the rebar for hole drilling.
Any thoughts are welcomed.
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