Ekona Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Inspired by a recent post on here, and not wanting to take that thread off course, I thought I'd start a new one instead. I'm nice like that, y'see. So yeah, parking aids. Sensors or cameras, whatever. I have one very simple opinion on these: If you need them to be able to park a car properly, then you really shouldn't be on the road. End of. Everyone was taught to park properly on their driving tests, and cars haven't changed that much that suddenly it's a task of superhuman proportions. In fact, you've now got PAS in just about everything along with stupidly large (and electrically operated!) wing mirrors, so it's easier than it's ever been. I can understand that when you get a new car you're a little unsure at first of the dimensions, and you'll end up parking 2ft further away from the kerb than you intend to, but a couple of weeks down the line you should be fine. NO-ONE NEEDS CAMERAS OR THOSE HORRIBLE LITTLE BEEPING BUMPER-ACNE THINGS. You have eyes and a brain, so use them. Now, if you're driving one of those huuuuuuuuuge lorry things that's about a million feet long then by all means load yourself up with cameras on the back end of those bad boys, but on a common or garden car? Nah. It's pure laziness and they're hardly that clever anyway, as the ones on my car prove when they beep incessantly at me warning me that I have a wall either side when reversing straight out of my garage. And no, I didn't spec them from new I cannot be the only person who gets wound up by people who insist that they need this help for simple low-speed manoeuvring? I shall hereby call them parking AIDS from now on, such is their blight on the world of driving. Who's with me?! *PS Don't take this post too seriously, whilst I'm serious that they're hardly a necessity for driving I'm only using some words for effect, so please don't get too p*ssy about this thread. Fanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 What he said^^^^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I got a camera on the back of the GTR. The rear wing blocks my view. thats my story and im sticking to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I would like to say that even though they are not needed I have them on my pickup truck Of course in four wheel drive I can actually use a parking space with a sports car already in it (the owners are not happy about it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 To be honest, ive never seen the point in having them. Surely drivers should know where the front and back of their cars are. But.... having got my zed, im finding reversing a total night mare as you can not litterally see a thing out of the back of the car. Even the wing mirrors shed very little light on where the back of the car is when reversing. Having reversed into my parking space at work every day for months I have now kinda worked out where the back end of the car is, using the wing mirror and the distance it is from a post to the side of the car! So I can kinda see why on cars like the zed people like having reversing sensors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brumjohn Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Always thought the same (only women or old blokes with caps need those.....sexist and ageist i know) till they came fitted on my last car that enabled me to park at the office and close the roller shutter door without getting out of my car 3 times to check i was within 1" of the wall. Going to disgree on this one, great invention, takes the guess work out of parking and would have saved me a resprayed front bumper on my wifes Jeep if i had "heard" that low bollard. However, wish the zeds had a volume control, god it's loud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Try doing it with a nismo spoiler. I've yet to reverse into anything also. Sometimes a bit of door open actions requires to watch the rear skirts on kerbs etc but still don't think there's any need for sensors. If my mum can do it anybody can do it. Parking is simple, just be safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyBoy Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I have no problem with parking aids WITHIN REASON. I think as long as you can still work without it if needed and don't rely on them then fine. E.g I can navigate a light aircraft visually using maps and gubbins if i need to, but why would I make life hard for myself when there's a GPS display right in front of my nose? DB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Found just the forum for you Dan http://gaycarfans.com/forums/Thread-Vid ... ng-feature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 reversing camera on my CRV - super helpful !! I live in a cul-de-sac - reversed out the other night and some inconsiderate neighbour had parked their car on the opposite side to my drive - saw it with millimetres to go through the reversing camera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I kind of agree. Not needed, but they are helpful. I have one in the Zed but the only real reason its needed is for the last 30cm so that I dont reverse too far. I use the wing mirrors for the actual manouvering as the camera distorts everything anyway. I assume the Poker doesnt come with them as standard then Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I park Range rovers and XJ's at work many times a day, I pride myself in "1 shot parking" in any space. Being engineering vehicles, sometimes the super advanced parking doodahs work and sometimes they don't so I'd like to think I get a pretty fair comparison of with and without situations. It's definately a good thing to have them but you shouldn't rely on them. I find the beeps can get irritating but I know I would rather people who cant park got beeped at when they got close to my own car. the front beeps give you more confidence to swing the front end past a wall or other car in a car park making the manouvering process slightly quicker and you dont block up car parks etc as long. looking at the number of people with scuffed wings it seems more peolpe should have them. Rear beeps are nice as you can get the car really tucked in to a space keeping the nose away from traffic (i hate it when people are half out the space!). Also a warning of hazards like pedestrians. I personally hate using rear cameras to park, they are confusing and focus your attention away from your surroundings, however it is always good to keep an eye on for hazards that would be hidden in a big car such as a little kiddie. dipping mirrors are dangerous IMO and when they do their annoying slow buzz down to face the floor I stop the car and dont continue manouvering until i have put them back and turned the system off. I use my mirrors to look for hazards like cars, or people, things that actually move, not the kerb... It isn't f'ing going anywhere! I think it's dhort sighted to hate them. They allow you to have a greater awareness of the hazards around you and should be used as an assistance to the manouvring process. But you're right, some people are f'ing idiots and rely on them completley, these people should be stabbed in the spleen repeatedly with a blunt spoon until they cry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Despite hating the damn things, or more so how they spoil the bumper, I ended up fitting some after my wife scraped the bumper reversing. Having been totally against it, in certain situations where low bollards etc are present it can actually be usefull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 My mum has a camera on her new CRV, she never uses it. My sister has one on her quashqai and uses it all the time. If I'm using a car with it, I reverse as normal and do a check in the camera as I'm finishing to make sure I'm where I want to be. I have nothing against parking aids but if you rely on them it's time to take hang up your driving gloves for good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickoshay Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Sorry Dan, you just caught a raw nerve on your post to my thread! I basically agree with you, but we are not all 100% good drivers all the time and it takes a set of circumstances to cause car damage, not just our skills at driving= if we were all perfect and the world was perfect then we would not need the blasted things and we would not need any insurance either! If I did not have rear parking sensors for example, then I would have one flat dead cat by now, together with one 90 year old small dead flat father inlaw who insists on standing behind the car whilst I reverse, giving me directions and advice!. I confess, I am the silly pratt who did a couple of hundred pounds of damage to a car ( again ) by parking in the exact same car park at 10pm at night after a long day, where I damaged my SLK before, and have therefore got a thing about it, whilst being told by the wife not to park here because this is where you last damaged a car, whilst having a boy racer up me bum+ several cars behing him all ready to start a formula 1 race, stopping from letting me reverse into the only available space whilst being watch by a group of spotty herberts having a good laff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltzinblack Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I agree, you shouldn't buy a car if you can't judge it properly. This is especially true for all the Mums and Dads down at my local (rather prestigious) primary school, it's quite funny watching them trying to judge their big status-symbol Q7s and Range Rover Vogues.. when they clearly have no clue (seat cranked right up close to the steering wheel.. swirling their hands in a flurry trying to do a 35 point turn etc) how big they are. I've seen it before too, where someone in front of me waits at a gap for the oncoming car to come through, when I'm screaming at them because you could easily fit the 350Z through that gap and they're too scared/unaware to attempt it in a Daewoo Matiz! These people really should not be allowed to drive if they can't judge the car properly. However, most people need to be able to drive... and even though I think that a large proportion of people out on the roads should not be there (for the reasons above and others!), it isn't going to change, and they are still going to buy cars that they can't drive or cars that are needlessly large. Especially with the rise of the crossovers... like the Qashqai and X3 and that sort of thing, these are big cars that are much more affordable and usable than proper 4x4s, and as such are very popular. I can also imagine that in a bigger, higher car, parking and judging the front and back would be harder. Especially if there is a low car like a Zed parked behind, it's bonnet would disappear out of sight LONG before you've hit it. SO.. as much as I disagree with the parking aids because it encourages a lower standard of parking from a lot of people who can't park already... with the increase in big cars on the roads (even normal cars are getting much bigger.. hatchbacks/saloons etc) I think the aids are a good thing because it stops the unaware school mums reversing into the front of my pretty little Z! So yeah, my opinion is take pride in the fact that you can judge your car very well and slot it into parking spaces with ease and with no danger of collisions, but also be THANKFUL for the driver aids stopping the people who can't park from causing damage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Try parking in Russia... http://englishrussia.com/images/another_parking/1.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumping350 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 i just get out walk away see its miles out then go readjust haha but that is very rare..in reality just another gadget to take your eyes off of what your meant to be doing IMO...still would get blindspots from the cameras,better to learn your angles and dimensions than rely on multiangled TV to do the job think would make you a lazier driver in the long run agree with others about prevention but those cars that need them really should have them standard, it shouldnt be an aftermarket thought and if its not a standard option for the car is it really needed?? Bunch of idiots in the video but cant see why you cant pull off in sainsburys car park ...and he was slightly out...fool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I have a rear camera, don't really use it... never had a car with parking assists but I can see how they would be useful and as a few have said just because someone thinks they are 'above' such things doesn't mean they are bad and if they stop people bumping into you in car parks etc then I say they are ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 I assume the Poker doesnt come with them as standard then Dan Everything is an option on the German stuff! Every bugger specs them though as apparently they're a must-have for re-sale I'd rather save the £500 and get a bit of interior trim in leather instead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I think I am quite handy at parking, I learn't to drive aged 17 in an old D reg transit and could stick that away no problem What I think parking cameras are useful for are for objects that are simply obscured from view by mirrors and conventional head turning. I have nudged a plastic post in a car park in the zed reversing because it was painted dark grey (with a yellow cap but really may as well have been invisible for what use it was) and the post was in the centre of the back of the parking spot and about two foot high so unless you clocked it in the dark as you passed the spot you got no chance, unless you got a reversing camera/sensor. I got out and checked the car (no damage or marks ) but looked at all these posts in the car park which were covered in various paint colour marks where everyone had done the same thing - it wasnt a car park of useless drivers it was the fact that the situation dictated that a camera would have stopped the impact as it would have had more opportunity to see it. Even Dan with his god given parking talent may have come close to hitting one me thinks So, yes, most people can park to a good degree, some not at all, some better than others - are parking sensors useful? I think so, on occasion. Would I pay a load extra for them, probably not. If two identical cars were up for sale for the same amount of money and one had them and another car didnt then I might be swayed by the one that had them, surely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 its a driving aid and should be treated as such and not relied upon. same as satnav. I have satnav its great.but i know where i'm going already and usually use it for the traffic updates and re routes or the last few miles to a place i don;t know or navigating a city i've never been too. but i know when i'm right and its wrong and ignore it when i want to. unlike the numpties who follow satnav on to train tracks and off cliffs etc. i don't currently have parking sensors for my xkr, but i have bought a hidden kit to avoid the bumper acne. i can park perfectly fine in a space with out them, all i need it for is judging the last few inches when i know there is an obstacle. as the jag is the size of a barge, and at home i have to finish near a wall. i also only ever reverse into spaces as its far easier to judge the distance as it always looks closer than it actually is. i find nose in first far harder with my enourmous bonnet to go nose first. i can still do it i just know what i prefer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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