Can parking sensors be unplugged or bypassed?

[GettingTooOld]

First post on this forum, on behalf of my daughter.

MY10 Tiguan, with factory fitted parking sensors. Front and rear.

My daughter recently purchased a MY10 Tiguan as her first car.

It had front and rear factory fitted parking sensors.

She lives in regional qld, and drives occasionally on the highway etc, so looked around for either a nudge bar or a bullbar to suit.

Contacted a reputable manufacturer who had a bullbar listed for the MY10 model Tiguan, and asked the question, does it interfere with the front parking sensors. Was told by two staff members that the front parking sensors were not interfered with or blocked on that model vehicle. I also called the company and provided them with the model of the vehicle and explained the location of the parking sensors, and the guy on the phone told me that their model of bullbar didn't interfer with the sensors.

So she ordered a bullbar, had to wait 4 weeks for it be manufactured and then fitted.

When she got the car back, the parking sensors at the front are permanently blocking and the alarm sounds, so she has to deactivate the sensors each time she gets in the car, so she loses he functionality of the reversing sensors.

When she contacted the bullbar manufacturer, they said because she didn't get the statement in writing from their staff members prior to ordering, it's her problem not theirs. They recommended, if she didn't want to the bullbar, pull it off and throw it up on gumtree, and she'll get some of money back on it. When I called them back, apparently the staff member I spoke with was a junior staff member and wasn't qualified to provide that information. So, they basically told me 'nothing they can do about it now'.

Poor treatment on their behalf, she felt it was because she was a young women and a first time car owner she felt bullied and misled at the end of the experience.

Anyway, she wants the protection of the bullbar, but she has asked me if I can find out if there is some way of disabling just the offending sensors, but leaving the remaining sensors operating. As she said, if she could unplug or maybe bypass the two offending sensors (they don't matter now as sensors, with the bullbar in place it'll protect the front bumper), but she would like the use of the rear sensors.

Does anyone here know how the sensors are connected and can they be bypassed?

Thanks in advance.
-G

[Umai Naa!!]

It's possible they could be coded out, but she'd need to venture closer to civilisation to find someone with the gear to do it.

The question begs; why weren't the sensors fitted to the bullbar?

[GettingTooOld]

When you say 'find someone with the gear to do it', I'm guessing you mean a dealer or service centre?

There is a VW dealer up her way somewhere.

And she will be down in Brisbane in a few weeks, for a week or so.

Any recommended helpful service centres in Brisbane that I could ask? suggestions?

As to the question, why weren't the sensors fitted to the bullbar, I got no idea, they quoted a price fitted, and didn't seem to want to be too helpful after she paid for it. not overly happy with how things unfolded with them, but it is what it is, now I'm just trying to help make it right, cause I feel partly responsible because I got bad information from the company too, and now its put her in this situation,

Thanks

[Transporter]

First post on this forum, on behalf of my daughter.

MY10 Tiguan, with factory fitted parking sensors. Front and rear.

My daughter recently purchased a MY10 Tiguan as her first car.

It had front and rear factory fitted parking sensors.

She lives in regional qld, and drives occasionally on the highway etc, so looked around for either a nudge bar or a bullbar to suit.

Contacted a reputable manufacturer who had a bullbar listed for the MY10 model Tiguan, and asked the question, does it interfere with the front parking sensors. Was told by two staff members that the front parking sensors were not interfered with or blocked on that model vehicle. I also called the company and provided them with the model of the vehicle and explained the location of the parking sensors, and the guy on the phone told me that their model of bullbar didn't interfer with the sensors.

So she ordered a bullbar, had to wait 4 weeks for it be manufactured and then fitted.

When she got the car back, the parking sensors at the front are permanently blocking and the alarm sounds, so she has to deactivate the sensors each time she gets in the car, so she loses he functionality of the reversing sensors.

When she contacted the bullbar manufacturer, they said because she didn't get the statement in writing from their staff members prior to ordering, it's her problem not theirs. They recommended, if she didn't want to the bullbar, pull it off and throw it up on gumtree, and she'll get some of money back on it. When I called them back, apparently the staff member I spoke with was a junior staff member and wasn't qualified to provide that information. So, they basically told me 'nothing they can do about it now'.

Poor treatment on their behalf, she felt it was because she was a young women and a first time car owner she felt bullied and misled at the end of the experience.

Anyway, she wants the protection of the bullbar, but she has asked me if I can find out if there is some way of disabling just the offending sensors, but leaving the remaining sensors operating. As she said, if she could unplug or maybe bypass the two offending sensors (they don't matter now as sensors, with the bullbar in place it'll protect the front bumper), but she would like the use of the rear sensors.

Does anyone here know how the sensors are connected and can they be bypassed?

Thanks in advance.
-G

Anyone with VCDS can code the sensors out. Though, I'd give them one more chance fixing it or go to consumer affairs. It shouldn't be that hard to relocate the sensor to the bullbar

[GettingTooOld]

Thanks..

I'll make some calls to a few VW service centres and see if they can help.

As for the company that supplied the bullbar, when I mentioned that we had been provided incorrect information, and my daughter based her decision to purchase their product on the info they provided, and asked if they would help sort it, or we'd raise it consumer affairs, the response was ' you got nothing in writing from us, so you got nothing, go right ahead and waste your time'.

When I asked him, if we originally asked them, would they have put it in writing, the response was 'we don't put stuff in writing'.

I own a 4wd (not a VW), and I have a group of friends we regularly get together with and go places. Spoken with a few of them, and let them know what has happened. They have shared it around, so I'm figuring bad word-of-mouth is Karma enough. It'll spread. I know of at least two bullbar sales this company has lost. Probably not a lot in the scheme of things, but Karma is Karma.

I just want to sort the issue at hand that is currently driving my daughter slightly crazy.

[brad]

Name and Shame.

If your daughter has time I'd make diary notes of the sequence of events and still take it to fair trading or the MVRIC or whatever body they come under. They'll have to devote resources to the case which means they aren't making money off those staff members. They might realise then that it's easier to work with the customer to achieve an agreed outcome than being nobs.

[JustCruisn]

Sounds like the bar is not generic and is sold as a model specific to the Tiguan so the sensors should be working.
You could claim the bull bar is not fit for purpose and get your money back.