PDC on B5.5 is it worth it??

[Hydro-sweep]

So I am driving to a fellow PW members house yesterday to pick up some much needed parts for a tip to manual swap, and not 100 yds. from his house I get involved in a four car pile up. My car will be getting the rear bumber replaced courtesy of Farmers Ins. (you should see the car that hit me) say what you want about VW, THESE CARS ARE SAFE!!.......Anyway, back on topic. I have the opportunity here to get a rear cover that supports PDC. Is it worth it?? I know like many retrofits, it would be nice to be different but is the cost of all the sensors, harness bits worth it or is it just annoying to have a beep everytime you back up??

[VAGguy]

you mean park distance control or reverse sensing, right? I don't see much worth to it unless you like that sort of thing. It's not hard to install an aftermarket one. Don't know about OEM integration though. If anything, I would get a rear camera, but I also have a radio display to support it.

[keithwbloom]

I have been thinking about doing this mod for a while since I live in the city and I have to park on the street almost 100% of the time. Aftermarket kits are very reasonable, and IMO, almost any would be worth having if you have to parallel park a majority of the time.

I am guilty of marring my own bumper cover just after I had it replaced from a similar accident. I was pissed, but it was my own fault for trying to park "by braille". The car behind me had some nasty sharp plate fasteners of which I now have a perfect impression in my otherwise pristine bumper cover.

I will likely do this mod when I install my smoothed and painted euro rubs. I will want to make sure I protect them as much as possible and I may even put the sensors into the rub strips themselves.

[Hydro-sweep]

I have been thinking about doing this mod for a while since I live in the city and I have to park on the street almost 100% of the time. Aftermarket kits are very reasonable, and IMO, almost any would be worth having if you have to parallel park a majority of the time.

I am guilty of marring my own bumper cover just after I had it replaced from a similar accident. I was pissed, but it was my own fault for trying to park "by braille". The car behind me had some nasty sharp plate fasteners of which I now have a perfect impression in my otherwise pristine bumper cover.

I will likely do this mod when I install my smoothed and painted euro rubs. I will want to make sure I protect them as much as possible and I may even put the sensors into the rub strips themselves.

That would be a cool mod. I think I want to go oem, I really like making things as factory as possible. I know Kufatec sells the complete harness but I do not know how many sensors I would have to buy, hence the cost effectiveness... I live in suburbia as well and it is always a lesson trying to squeeze between the soccer mom vans when picking up my son from school.... Do you know if I would need the sound module as well or is is pre-wired in the car??
I have a wagon.

[Hydro-sweep]

you mean park distance control or reverse sensing, right? I don't see much worth to it unless you like that sort of thing. It's not hard to install an aftermarket one. Don't know about OEM integration though. If anything, I would get a rear camera, but I also have a radio display to support it.

Yes, Park Distance Control. I am looking at getting a rear camera as well. Kufatec also sells the harnesses etc.. I will be installing a full fis with nav so a camera is the next logical evolution. Do you know if the factory ever offered rear camera in sedan or wagon??

[keithwbloom]

Yes, Park Distance Control. I am looking at getting a rear camera as well. Kufatec also sells the harnesses etc.. I will be installing a full fis with nav so a camera is the next logical evolution. Do you know if the factory ever offered rear camera in sedan or wagon??

Not sure what the Kufatec harness will cost, but I can't imagine it being more reasonable than the complete aftermarket systems. There are several variations, audio only or audio and indicator display setups, backup camera is just an add on to either, provided you have the video channel to display. I was leaning towards just the audio-only version, but I am presently trying to figure out if/how I can mute the head unit audio automagically when I put car into reverse while PDC is active. I suspect it is available on the CAN bus in later B5.5s, but I am just starting to have a root around. Kufatec makes many clones of OE harnesses and adapters, so I suspect they may offer a harness/setup that would provide the head unit mute signal if it is present on the VW OE PDC for the B5.5 in Europe.

[BroSpeed11]

i would go rear camera and a displayed headunit over that annoying beeping noise to tell you where your at, but I'm a visual person over a sound. just my opinion getting thrown in.

[Hydro-sweep]

i would go rear camera and a displayed headunit over that annoying beeping noise to tell you where your at, but I'm a visual person over a sound. just my opinion getting thrown in.

I appreciate all opinions.

[Hydro-sweep]

Not sure what the Kufatec harness will cost, but I can't imagine it being more reasonable than the complete aftermarket systems. There are several variations, audio only or audio and indicator display setups, backup camera is just an add on to either, provided you have the video channel to display. I was leaning towards just the audio-only version, but I am presently trying to figure out if/how I can mute the head unit audio automagically when I put car into reverse while PDC is active. I suspect it is available on the CAN bus in later B5.5s, but I am just starting to have a root around. Kufatec makes many clones of OE harnesses and adapters, so I suspect they may offer a harness/setup that would provide the head unit mute signal if it is present on the VW OE PDC for the B5.5 in Europe.


My buddy has an Armada with both PDC and camera, and I like the idiot proof nature of having both. If Farmers is shelling out $3800 to fix it, I want to make sure it stays nice. ...That said, I will do some more digging. Thanks for the input.

[keithwbloom]

Newsflash!

While i was perusing another forum for neat things to do with my new FIS cluster, I came across a post that enlightened me to the fact that the C5 A6 uses CAN bus for PDC. If the B5.5 clusters can be configured to display CAN bus PDC info, that woul dbe way cool.

Going to my local Audi graveyard Friday to hopefully collect the CAN bus PDC components from an 2004 C5 A6.

I wonder how it works...

[Hydro-sweep]

Newsflash!

While i was perusing another forum for neat things to do with my new FIS cluster, I came across a post that enlightened me to the fact that the C5 A6 uses CAN bus for PDC. If the B5.5 clusters can be configured to display CAN bus PDC info, that woul dbe way cool.

Going to my local Audi graveyard Friday to hopefully collect the CAN bus PDC components from an 2004 C5 A6.

I wonder how it works...

That is a GREAT!! newsflash...please keep me updated on the progress. I assume it is just a matter of finding the string with the coding for the PDC then copy and paste from the A6 dump??

[keithwbloom]

That is a GREAT!! newsflash...please keep me updated on the progress. I assume it is just a matter of finding the string with the coding for the PDC then copy and paste from the A6 dump??

Not sure. But I am willing to have a go at it. It seems like the system may actually function without a display element, using just the buzzer, and if so, all I would hope for then would be the audio source mute when the PDC was active.

But if there is PDC data that can go to the FIS, that would be welly cool.

[Hydro-sweep]

not sure. But i am willing to have a go at it. It seems like the system may actually function without a display element, using just the buzzer, and if so, all i would hope for then would be the audio source mute when the pdc was active.

But if there is pdc data that can go to the fis, that would be welly cool.

git 'er done...

[Passat2.8]

If you research on passat3b.de you will find a user that has also integrated front PDC as well. Also, in the factory wiring diagrams the PDC has two lines that run into the cluster, so if you have a full-FIS cluster and the proper coding it might display through it as well.

[keithwbloom]

If you research on passat3b.de you will find a user that has also integrated front PDC as well. Also, in the factory wiring diagrams the PDC has two lines that run into the cluster, so if you have a full-FIS cluster and the proper coding it might display through it as well.

Oh boy, my want to do list is swelling once again! I thought I was getting caught up...

[Passat2.8]

Passat-Forum • Thema anzeigen - PDC nachgerüstet - wieder viele Bilder !!!

[Hydro-sweep]

Passat-Forum • Thema anzeigen - PDC nachgerüstet - wieder viele Bilder !!!

Is there a way to translate this write-up...anyone??

[Passat2.8]

Google Chrome does it for me.

[NEWMAN'SOWN]

Is there a way to translate this write-up...anyone??

https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrom...&utm_medium=ha

Stop using Internet Exploder and Fartfox.

[03Blacky]

I did a lot of research into this a few years back. Unless things have changed some of the parts are hard to come by but not impossible. Kufatec does sell the harness and maybe the sensors, and you will need the "buzzer" I think. You need the controller and the bumper cover with the openings for the sensors (or you could drill holes), but I believe the connectors into the main wiring harness are all there already. I'm not sure if you actually have to do any coding or anything once you have all the pieces plugged in. I attached the ETKA page for the PDC system if that helps.
pdc.pdf

[keithwbloom]

Is there a way to translate this write-up...anyone??

Let me google that for you

I like using translate.google.com.

[Hydro-sweep]

https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrom...&utm_medium=ha

Stop using Internet Exploder and Fartfox.

HAHA!!!...you caught me....

[hu vw]

I do believe I've seen somewhere that the rub strips for sedans already have the sensor locations pre-molded into them. I can't guarantee that fact 100%. But if it is true, all you would need to do is use an Exacto type knife or Dremel to make the hole the correct size.

Here is a link with a lot of useful information...PDC it shows both rear and front with part numbers.

[Hydro-sweep]

Let me google that for you

I like using translate.google.com.

Got it!!

[Hydro-sweep]

I did a lot of research into this a few years back. Unless things have changed some of the parts are hard to come by but not impossible. Kufatec does sell the harness and maybe the sensors, and you will need the "buzzer" I think. You need the controller and the bumper cover with the openings for the sensors (or you could drill holes), but I believe the connectors into the main wiring harness are all there already. I'm not sure if you actually have to do any coding or anything once you have all the pieces plugged in. I attached the ETKA page for the PDC system if that helps.

Attachment 8123

Thanks for the link.