My goal for this mod was to install a backup sensor system that didn't require any holes to be drilled in the rear bumper and works like a stock sensor similar to the one in my wife's LandRover. It should beep once when reverse is selected and then wait until an object is detected, then beep faster until a continuous tone is heard from 4 feet down to 2 inches. The unit I installed - Bumper Guard Backup Alarm - VRPS100 - did that perfectly.
Basically you install a mini ECU in the trunk of the car (I did mine on the passenger side because I knew the reverse light wire was there), crimp to the reverse light wire and ground and install an antenna on the inside of the bumper cover. When reverse is selected, it creates an electromagnetic field that causes the speaker to beep when something disturbs the field.
So I started out trying to use the Parking Dynamics PD1 Backup Sensor that I got from England, but after many irritating hours of troubleshooting, determined that the ECU for the unit was bad - its going back across the pond... Sooooo, I had seen another very similar backup sensor unit at Walmart for $29 (the VRPS100) and decided to try that - worked like a charm!
Below is the rough steps involved in doing this mod. I am very happy with the performance of the system and am glad I took the time to do it right. Removing the rear bumper cover is not easy (hard to reach a couple of screws), takes time and patience, but I took advantage of this mod to straigten out, detail and realign the rear panels - something that has bugged me for some time.
Before:
After:
Remove the lower fascia - there are a number of button clips around the perimeter to pop out and two philips screws to remove that tie into the reverse light. There are also tow MOFO clips (use your imagination) that hold tabs at either end of the fascia - requires needle nose pliers, a thin screwdriver and patience to remove. Along the top of the fascia are tabs that snap into holes in the bumper cover - take your time and move slowly to not break any tabs. There are other threads with more info on fascia removal, so I won't go into more detail here.
Here are all the pieces I removed for both the fascia and the bumper cover. I had to cut two of the button clips on each side of the wheel wells at the bottom because they were stubborn - will replace them soon. You need to remove the taillights. MOFO clips are top center of picture. All the screws removed were 7mm:
Taillights and mud flaps off the car:
You do not need to jack up the car or remove the rear wheels for this project. I just removed the button clips at the bottom of the wheel well, the next two screws moving from bottom to top and another button clip above. I could then get to three 7mm screws holding the bumper cover to the metal fender. I rigged up an extra long screwdriver for this. Also this mini ratchet came in VERY helpful (thanks Goat!)
Ass end of car fascia and bumper cover removed - I took the time to detail her rear...
I laid out a double antenna design per the instructions that came with the PD1 - basically the antenna is just stick on metallic tape. The kit included sticky "mastic" tape that I pressed onto the intersections of the metallic tape to hold it well. I cleaned the inside of the bumper well and just stuck it down. The lower horizontal strip fits right inside the part of the bumper that protrudes the farthest from the car below the license plate. I wrapped it to the sides so i had protection on the rear quarters as well:
Once happy with the antenna design, I sprayed the thing with two coats of undercoating spray to protect it from the elements:
Antenna covered (can you see it?!):
Continued...
