Park Distance Control RetroFit Guide

This guide refers to the fitting of a genuine Skoda Fabia Reverse Parking Sensor Kit BEA 400 001 to the Fabia vRS. All images are 'clicky' and will open a larger image in a new window.

Parts you will need are -

Skoda Fabia Reverse Parking Sensor Kit BEA 400 001
A selection of cable ties

Tools you will need are -

10mm Socket and Spanner
T25 Torx Bits & Driver
Power Drill - Cordless or Corded
4mm or Similar Drill Bit
22mm Hole Saw
Side Cutting Pliers
Sharp Hobby/Craft Knife
Small Hobby/Craft Brush
Masking Tape for Marking Out
Pencil for Marking Out
Tape Measure
Laser Level - Optional
Paper Clip

Big Balls!!!

Method -

Disconnect the battery negative lead and place it clear of the battery.

The first step is to mark out the rear bumper. Using the masking tape place a couple of strips along the upper section of the bumper where the sensors will sit. The reference for the job is the centre sensor which must be referenced from the centre of the boot lid Skoda Badge, I use a laser level positioned on the ground behind the car with the beam cutting through the centre of the badge and projecting down onto the masking tape on the bumper. Mark the straight line off on the masking tape. Next you need to measure out 460mm either side of your centre marks and draw another straight line at each point then you then need to measure 30mm up from the straight line and mark that point across the three straight lines you have marked - these will be the centre points of your sensors.

Empty the boot of all items, also remove the spare wheel and it's associated equipment and lay it to one side.

The next step is to remove the bumper from the car - Before you start lay out a thick sheet or something soft to lay the bumper on to when it's removed.

To remove the bumper you'll need to remove the rear lenses from the car. Pull back the carpet inside the boot and unplug the wiring to each lens, then using an 8mm socket or spanner remove the 4 nuts that hold each lens in place. Under these lenses you will find two torx screws each side which should be removed. Next working in the wheel arches you will see four torx screws on each side that should be removed, now moving to under the car you will see that there are also two more torx screws holding the bumper on, remove these too.

Once you are sure you have removed all the torx screws from the bumper have an assistant help you remove the bumper. To do this you will need to hold one side each in the vicinity of the wheel arch and carefully but firmly pull the top of the bumper out of it's retaining clip along the edge where it meets the body work. The back of your car should then look something like this -

Now you have the bumper away from the car we can begin the scary part of drilling the holes. Using the small drill bit make three pilot holes on the marks you made earlier on the masking tape.

Once you have drilled the smaller pilot holes you can go on and carefully drill out the 22mm holes for the sensors. Once the holes are drilled use the craft knife to very carefully remove any last traces of swarf or roughness around the outside of the holes.

Once the holes are drilled you can begin to assemble the sensors onto the bumper. The kit is supplied with a small bottle of primer which should be applied around the drilled holes on the inner side of the bumper using the small brush.

You should also drill some small holes in the 'flaps' of the inner skin of the bumper to hold the small cable ties in place.

Once the primer has dried you can fit the sensors to the bumper, at this point make sure you have the sensor assembly orientated correctly to suit the cable entry in the rear of the car. Once you are content that the sensors are correctly positioned you can cable tie the spare cable into the inside of the bumper apron.

Your finished bumper should look something like this -

The next job is to remove some of the interior trim from the boot. The centre section is held in place by two philips screws, two plastic nuts and some rather hefty spring clips. Remove the two screws and nuts and then you'll need to carefully but firmly pull up on the centre trim, remove it and put it to one side. The side sections are also just clipped in and should, again with a hefty tug, come off then lay them to one side.

Some more trim will now have to be removed from inside the car. Working on the drivers side and from the boot you will need access over the top of the wheel arch and into the rear passenger area, this can normally be done by just pulling the carpet trim to one side. There is a trim which passes down the side of the rear seat back, held in by two plastic screws visible with the seat base lifted, which must be removed followed by the lower section in the rear door opening which is held in by spring clips. You will also need to remove the trim on the drivers side 'b' pillar, to do this you will need to remove the seatbelt anchorage. The easiest way to remove the 'b' pillar trim is to roll back the door seal rubber and insert an screwdriver into the gap and use the shaft of the screwdriver to release the outer edges of the trim, then using a fairly long flat bladed screwdriver you can reach in behind and prise out the single spring clip. The lower section should also be removed in the same way.

Once the trim is removed you can begin to run the small speaker cable. Start with the speaker in the 'b' pillar slightly above the upper cross member and then pass cable the along the side of the car, up over the wheel arch and towards the boot, clipping it in with small cable ties along the way. Once you have reached the back of the car with the cable you should apply some primer to the 'b' pillar and stick the small speaker in place ensuring that all cable is clear of the seat belt. The plastic trim can now be replaced.

Next is to mount the control unit in the rear of the car, ideally this would be on the drivers side but unfortunately these pictures show it on the passenger side. Use the primer to prepare the surface, then stick the control unit on.

Now we can connect the control cable to the rear lens wiring loom, ideally this would be on the drivers side but unfortunately these pictures show it on the passenger side. Use the included instructions to make the connections. You will need to open the upper portion of the plug and use a paper clip to release the existing cable before replacing it with the 'piggy back' arrangement of the kit.

Looking at the back of the car you will see two large round rubber grommets, remove the upper one and discard it. Now comes a tricky bit, you will need an assistant to help refit the bumper. Approach the car with each of you holding one end of the bumper, one of you will need to reach under the car and feed the sensor assembly cable through the hole in the back of the car, don't worry too much about the grommet at this stage as you can fit it once the bumper is in place. Push the bumper back onto the car ensuring that the outer edges in the wheel arches locate properly and refit all the torx screws removed from the bumper. Once the bumper is secure you can then tweak with the rubber grommet to fit it properly into place. Apply some more primer to prepare the surface and mount the connecting plug as shown in the picture.

There are one or two different settings shown in the manual but to be honest I always use the default settings. You can test the setup simply by switching on the ignition and selecting reverse gear.

Well by now you've pretty much cracked it and all that remains is to put it all back together and then stand back and admire your hard work.

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