Fitting A Parking Sensor To Avensis 2005

[sandpiper]

Well I have finally got round to fitting a parking sensor on my Avensis (2005) so thought I share it with those who might be interested. Overall, it cost me £23 for the parking sensor (from Ebay) and took approx 4 hrs to fit (Long time but I was more concern with accuracy than speed and you only get one chance to drill the bumper !!). I have noticed though that this cheaper sensor respond slightly slower than the Quanan stick on parking sensor I used to have. This means I have to reverse slightly slower.

Removal of car fittings

1. Download the Toyota Parking Sensor install manual.

2. Remove the 3 luggage anchors (one on the left and two just below the boot door). You will need to open the plastic cover in the centre to get to the bolt. Do this by squeezing the sizes together and lift. The cover should pivot open.

3. Unscrew the plastic hook on the left hand size of the boot

4. Remove the rear left seat side padding by unbolting a bolt at the bottom of the padding (not the seat belt bolt!). Once removed, you should see another screw near the seat belt fitting.

You should now be able to remove the plastic moulding just below the boot door and also the left hand size cover. I found it easier to drop the rear left seat and start unclipping the cover from the rear door and work towards the boot. Remember to tuck the manual boot release strap back behind the cover and also to unclip the boot light cable.

You will also need to remove the left hand size ‘undercover’ at the bottom of the car just behind the rear left wheel. This is held in place by 1 bolt and 3 clips.

Wirings

1. No you do not have to remove the bumper to do the wirings. The Toyota installing manual said you need to but there are at least 4 other ready made holes for you to use (on the 2005 model). 2 large ones beneath the spare wheel and 2 on the wheel arch. All of these holes are sealed with rubber caps that can be lifted. I decided to use the one on the wheel arch which I think was the best choice. It’s a good idea to just cut a hole in the rubber cap and thread the wires through it so that you can reseal the hole with it.

2. The sensor is wired to the reversing light cable so it’s activated when you put the gear in reverse. The positive wire from the sensor should be connected to the RED/BLACK cable on the rear light. I used one of these ‘clips’ where you just clip the 2 wires together and it will make the connection (Sorry don’t know what it’s call but I am sure you can get it in Halfords etc). I connected the negative/common wire to the bolt just below the light fitting (see Toyota install manual).

Fitting the sensors

1. Use masking tape to stick on the left and right templates (Templates from Toyota install manual).

2. Measure the distance between the 2 holes and divide this by 3 to give you the distance for the other 2 holes. E.g The distance I measured was 1185mm. Dividing this by 3 gives 395mm. This is the required distance between each sensors. The Toyota manual says 200mm from the centre for the other 2 sensors but that would not give equal spacing for the 4 sensors. Also check that the senor heights are ok.

3. Once happy with the template positions you can start drilling!. I stuck a piece of masking tape over the template and also drilled a small pilot hole first before using the hole drill. I found it easier to let the drill go through the bumper and then stop the drill instead of trying to pull it out as soon as it breaks through as you could scratch the bumper. You might have to use a sharp knife to smooth off the edges (Note: if the end of the sensor has a large over lap, it will hide any ‘bad’ edges better).

Positioning the Display

Some people said that they don’t bother with the display but I find it helpful to use it as a guide to park within a certain distance from other cars. ie. The beeps tells you when to stop during parking and the display tells you how much room to leave between the next car (eg. 80cm).

1. The low profile display I have makes it difficult to position it anywhere on the back parcel shelf so I decided to mount it on the top of the rear screen in the centre.

2. To run the wires you will need to remove the cover along the rear pillar. Do this by unscrewing a screw and it should unclip.

3. You can just tuck the wire behind the rubber seal along the top of the rear screen.

The only prob is that my display is upside down as it had a curved top … minor issue :P

Well that is it really. The rest of the installation should be easy e.g. securing the sensor wires with cable ties, testing the unit etc. Make sure to reconnect the boot light, boot release strap and that the rear seat belt is positioned correctly before refitting the LHS cover.

Note that I have described how I have fitted a parking sensor to my car. You can follow it but please do not blame me if you mess it up !.

[Diggers]

Helpful instruction thanks

Can you post the link to download the Toyota Parking Sensor install manual

Many thanks

[sandpiper]

Toyota Publication

Select Parking Aid System from the Accessory group.

[IanJ]

Thanks very much for that - I was holding out for a step-by-step guide before doing the deed myself. Very helpful.

Have you got any photos to show off?

[sandpiper]

Since you have asked, I made the effort to post them. :P

Photos

The photos will show that I stuck an extra piece of paper on the bumper to mark the centre of the bumper because it was difficult to tell where the it was. I was then able to check the distance of each hole from it place before drilling. Hope that helps.

[sandpiper]

I forgot to mention that I checked that the sensors were working first by connecting it directly to the Battery with some 'electrical' clips and checked that they beeped correctly. Last thing you want is to install the whole thing and realised the sensor is faulty. :ffs:

[Bosnjo]

I forgot to mention that I checked that the sensors were working first by connecting it directly to the battery with some 'electrical' clips and checked that they beeped correctly. Last thing you want is to install the whole thing and realised the sensor is faulty. :ffs:

Did they come in black? Have you painted them and how?

[sandpiper]

I got it from eBay and they came in various colours so didn't have to paint it. Search for Reversing Sensor on eBay.