toystry

Here you go, figured I'd start a new thread for others to discuss.

Long story short, there is no sensor to detect dead center of the bumper but the right/left sensor do a pretty good job of detecting obstacles in front of the bumper regardless. Average distance before sensors alerted me was 24" (2ft) which is pretty good. Only bad part is there was only about 1ft separation between the front center of the bumper and the obstacle in front of the vehicle so in short, you need to approach slow if you're parking your front bumper towards a wall.

mjeds

yep noticed the issue the day I brought the car home, I have a pallet sitting in my driveway with deck tile on it (tiling around my spa and patio in back yard) and I nearly smacked it.


I was so used to the curb-alert I had on my Camaro, and I expected the front sensors on the RC-F to behave the same and they don't directly in front of the car.




so I ordered and will be installing a curb-alert on the RC-F next weekend:


http://www.curb-alert.com/




Key features of Curb-Alert™

• Key features of Curb-Alert™-
  As featured on Motorweek" target="_blank">As featured on Motorweek
• Warns with an audible alarm before striking a curb that could damage your front bumper and/or spoiler.
• Prevents embarrassing parking lot moments and sounds when your bumper or front spoiler hits a curb.
• Sensor can mount in a discrete manner in the front end of most any vehicle and does not require any drilling.
• Advanced infra-red triangulation technology and specialized software embedded for reliable operation.
• Warning distance is adjustable from 8-28 inches. (Bumper to curb)
• Automatic power-up on vehicle ignition; never a battery drain.
• Alert sound volume can be set to High, Low, or Mute inside vehicle.
• Installation kit includes installation procedures, all wiring, wire ties, sensor calibration procedures, fuse box tap/ground connections and user guide.
• E-Z Installation takes only 30 to 45 minutes!

JCtx

Heeeeey, you're 'DA MAN. Thank you very much. But it's not 1ft man; it's just 7 freaking inches, based on your measurement. But at least we wouldn't hit a wall, so those stupid things are at least good for that. But little else. The front is the problem, not the sides. What a shame stupid Lexus deleted the middle sensors. Oh well. Thanks again for that great work buddy.

Mjeds, unfortunately, both my buddy Toystry (correct me if I'm wrong) and I are the **** type who can't install anything not OEM looking and functioning on our cars, so will leave mine alone. But it's a good product if you're at risk of hitting things in front constantly (not me). I only want not to hit a parking structure's wall when parking the few times I do, and the crappy front sensors should prevent that (7" is safe enough).

mjeds

I typically park a bit back from parking blocks and the like, I have a good ability to judge the area around my vehicles.


the curb alert is more for my wife, who doesn't..


and while yes it is not OEM, it is well hidden, you will never see it, and the speaker is also under the dash or in the glove box never to be seen.


I will be putting mine behind the grille, and the speaker in the glove box and no one will ever know it is there.


to each their own though.

JCtx

That sounds like us. Just use 'add-a-fuse' to wire it, so you don't pierce any factory wiring. That's a big no-no to me as well. If my wife was using my car, I'd probably do the same. But fortunately that's not the case. And I'm also pretty good at judging crap. Or staying safely away if not. Take care.

toystry

Yep, I try to keep the inside OEM looking as well. This video gives a better explanation of the installation and how it works. It's not a bad setup, but I'll admit I'm not a fan of the routing wires through the firewall/engine bay for something that the car should of already came with. Additionally, I'm curious how this thing holds up to weather (rain/snow) since it's on the undercarriage of the vehicle.

mjeds

had it for 4 years on my Camaro with no issue. no snow around here though, and not a whole lot of rain, however I do have a detailer that power washed the car twice a month and again, no issue.

toystry

Good to hear. I like the idea of it but I'll wait to see how your install goes and how you're liking it. I definitely wouldn't mount it UNDER the bumper though.

Db750

This may be a stupid question, but what exactly are you measuring? I have absolutely no idea how Lexus parking aids work. Is there a display on the screen that shows the distance to the obstacle, and where you stopped is where it indicates you are touching something?

If you don't mind could you, or someone else, take a picture of the screen that shows what the Lexus parking aids show. This is one of my biggest concerns with the car (as I really think it will be a great fit for my wife and I) is how intuitive the parking aids are on this car. My wife's 235 has the front and rear sensors as well as the camera, all of which is displayed on the screen while she is parking, so it makes it easy for her to avoid a collision. Really hoping Lexus system is as good or better!

For reference here is a picture of the display on her M235i. As you can see it has on display for the parking sensors that also shows how far you are from objects. I would say that it shows you are touching something when you are actually about 18-24 inches away which leaves a nice margin of error. The other part of the screen is used for the back up camera. The lines on the camera image of course move as you move the steering wheel showing you where your car is going. There are also boxes that appear in green, yellow, and red which are used to highlight any obstacles in your path, the color indicating how close you may be. On top of all this there is an audible warning. Furthermore, if you order the surround view camera, you get a very nicely set up image showing the entire 360 degree perimeter of the car.

I am hoping that Lexus system is similar to BMW's as my wife as grown accustomed to it. In the future, no matter what car we choose for her, the maximum amount of parking aids available will be a must have option!



Nice find! This looks like something I may be interested in adding if/when we pick ours up. I do agree with the guys that I hate to add anything that takes away from the beautiful OEM look, but this is much better looking than a torn up bumper!

Look forward to seeing your results with this item!

JCtx

There's no way I'd install that system; period. I thought you were talking of a different one, with a much smaller little camera that you could route thru one of the grille's holes. Although I tried to install fiberglass screening on the radiators of this car, and failed for the first time, since ANY access behind the grille requires removing the freaking bumper. And I would NOT do that to a new car, especially with the super fragile bumper tabs of modern cars (body shops break them all the time when removing but don't tell customers). Just tell your wife to park the car far away from any bump and she shouldn't have an issue. And if she needs to park in a questionable place, park in reverse. The camera and sensors are MUCH better there. By the way, wish Lexus had the parking sensors as big and intuitive as BMW. They're TINY, so you basically have to go by the beeps. I have yet to test the front, but with only 7" from a wall before any beeps, you have to approach VERY slowly. Definitely not worth what Lexus is charging for that system.

toystry

Doubtful I will either, that system is too big and bulky but I like the concept of it.