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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > Regional Forums > UK > UK Technical Forum > Front PDC operation question



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      08-07-2013, 10:26 AM   #1
TheBlondeFella
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Front PDC operation question

I have PDC at the front of my e93. To get it to work though, I either have to switch it on manually (via the switch on the dash) or put it into reverse first.

Is this normal? I've never been in a car that operates PDC front or rear in this way.
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      08-07-2013, 10:30 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBlondeFella View Post
I have PDC at the front of my e93. To get it to work though, I either have to switch it on manually (via the switch on the dash) or put it into reverse first.

Is this normal? I've never been in a car that operates PDC front or rear in this way.
Of course this normal, otherwise the fronts will be going off all the time (people walking in front when waiting at lights etc...)!

The car doesn't know when you're parking (until you push the button)!
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      08-07-2013, 10:34 AM   #3
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PDC going mental everythime you pull up to a car at traffic lights? Maybe that's why they call him TheBlondeFella?
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      08-07-2013, 10:36 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jammy78 View Post
Of course this normal, otherwise the fronts will be going off all the time (people walking in front when waiting at lights etc...)!

The car doesn't know when you're parking (until you push the button)!
I've been in many many cars with parking sensors both front and rear and none of them have ever needed turning on manually. They do go off when you get too close to anything people included, that's the whole point of them. I's not just parking you need them it general maneuvering as well. I was in a mini cab the other day and both of his we going off at the same time telling him he was too close to the guy in front and the guy behind was too close as well.

As the sensors don't go off until about 3 feet from something I never want to be that close to a car at traffic lights anyway, why would you need to be?

Do either of you have PDC?

Last edited by TheBlondeFella; 08-07-2013 at 10:45 AM..
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      08-07-2013, 10:42 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBlondeFella View Post
I've been in many many cars with parking sensors and none of them have ever needed turning on manually. They do go off when you get too close to anything people included. I's not just parking you need them it general maneuvering as well. I was in a mini cab the other day and both of his we going off at the same time telling him he was too close to the guy in front and the guy behind was too close as well.
I would find that annoying - youre stationary & people walk infront or even if in traffic..... beep, beep!?
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      08-07-2013, 10:44 AM   #6
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Yes but if you're pulling up behind a car at traffic lights you don't need them and the constant beeping whilst you sat out the light would drive you insane. Conversely to what you say, I've never come across front sensor where you don't need to turn them on or select reverse. Certainly all the BMWs I've had, RRS, Porsche and Mercedes work like this. Which cars do they come on all the time?
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      08-07-2013, 10:53 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xenon View Post
Yes but if you're pulling up behind a car at traffic lights you don't need them and the constant beeping whilst you sat out the light would drive you insane.
That's the whole point of them to make you create a safe operating distance. If you don't have the foresight to pull up less than 3 feet than the car on front of you, then you probably need to 'lift your vision'.

Think of the seat belt gong. It's there for safety and it just annoys the hell out of you until you engage 'safety mode' by putting your belt on. PDC is supposed to operate the same way. Creating distance = uncreased safety. Not enough distance and it'll tell you so!

Anyway you can always turn them off if the noise is annoying you.

Maybe this feature only works in newer vehicles than 2008.
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      08-07-2013, 11:33 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBlondeFella View Post
That's the whole point of them to make you create a safe operating distance. If you don't have the foresight to pull up less than 3 feet than the car on front of you, then you probably need to 'lift your vision'.

Think of the seat belt gong. It's there for safety and it just annoys the hell out of you until you engage 'safety mode' by putting your belt on. PDC is supposed to operate the same way. Creating distance = uncreased safety. Not enough distance and it'll tell you so!

Anyway you can always turn them off if the noise is annoying you.

Maybe this feature only works in newer vehicles than 2008.
The tolerances are completely different when in traffic and there is no maneuver. Simply pull up within 6ft or so of the car infront. No moving backwards and forward. I don't see why you'd need this in traffic at all.
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      08-07-2013, 12:09 PM   #9
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Actually thinking about it... the Merc loan car i had - the front PDC sensors only came on when the car was moving very slowly (maybe under 10mph), so when stationary they weren't activated!?

Not sure why / which is better but your motors pdc seems to be working ok!
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      08-07-2013, 12:29 PM   #10
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If you need front pdc pulling up to traffic then you can't drive.
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      08-07-2013, 02:29 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djgandy View Post
The tolerances are completely different when in traffic and there is no maneuver. Simply pull up within 6ft or so of the car infront. No moving backwards and forward. I don't see why you'd need this in traffic at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mob17 View Post
If you need front pdc pulling up to traffic then you can't drive.

I think you have both got your wires crossed. I don't want to use PDC in traffic at all. The other posters were saying that it would be a pain in traffic as it would always be going off.
I want front PDC that comes on automatically rather than one that has to be activated manually which to me defeats the point of having it in the 1st place,.
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      08-07-2013, 03:01 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBlondeFella
Quote:
Originally Posted by djgandy View Post
The tolerances are completely different when in traffic and there is no maneuver. Simply pull up within 6ft or so of the car infront. No moving backwards and forward. I don't see why you'd need this in traffic at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mob17 View Post
If you need front pdc pulling up to traffic then you can't drive.

I think you have both got your wires crossed. I don't want to use PDC in traffic at all. The other posters were saying that it would be a pain in traffic as it would always be going off.
I want front PDC that comes on automatically rather than one that has to be activated manually which to me defeats the point of having it in the 1st place,.
Under what circumstances would it come on automatically then ?

Ps I have front PDC
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      08-08-2013, 02:01 AM   #13
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I think you have your wires crossed, OP. If I pull up to a car in traffic I suppose I pull up to within 2 - 3 feet of it. If PDC came on automatically then it would be beginning its beeping and would drive me mad as I sat there. So I don't want it to come on.

Conversely, if I parallel park then I want it to come on when I select reverse so it warns me as I reverse into the slot and forwards as I straighten up. In the unlikely event I drive straight into a slot forwards and I need it to work (but why would you?) then I can switch it on.

If it came on everytime something was within 4 feet whilst driving in London I'd stop and rip the bumper off with my bare hands.

Funny, I think the major manufacturers have this right in this instance. You still haven't mentioned with manufacturers produce a car when the front PDC is on all the time....
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      08-08-2013, 02:31 AM   #14
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Why do you even need a sensor telling you how close you are to the car in front? Surely that's why the front windscreen is transparent and you have to have reasonable eye sight to pass a driving test
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      08-08-2013, 07:34 AM   #15
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I never need to sit so close to the traffic in front.
But if there is a emergency vehicle coming through, I sometimes manually turn it on and edge as far as front as possible. Just in case I do go too far.

But normally I leave enough gap where I simply don't have to worry about the space in front in normal traffic or traffic jams??
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      08-11-2013, 03:57 PM   #16
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OP,

PDC = park distance controller.

It's for parking manouvres only, not some sort of full time proximity warning.

So it has to be reverse or manual switch.

Which cars don't do it like this?
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      08-11-2013, 10:45 PM   #17
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On my auto I assumed that when in D the fronts are activated at a determined distance same with R reverse.
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      08-11-2013, 11:30 PM   #18
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The last car i can remember that had PDC on full time was a 2013 VW Passat
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      08-12-2013, 07:50 AM   #19
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It IS normal for PDC to come on front/rear when manoeuvrings at slow speed in other cars I've owned; my X5 worked like this and so did my CLK.

The E90 manual switch for the front PDC is a pain - my guess is that it's because the front PDC is an optional extra, so it's not integrated fully into the operation, hence the switch.

This has nothing to do with proximity alarm / pulling up to cars in traffic, it's just an aid when manoeuvring, and does occasionally would get triggered if a pedestrian walked close past the car whilst stationary, but that's occasional and no big deal. On the other hand, the car is always protected by PDC.

I remember on my test drive of a 335 almost hitting a car that I was closely manoeuvring past in the garage since I was waiting for the front PDC to sound as I didn't expect a manual switch.
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      08-12-2013, 09:03 AM   #20
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My e39, e46 and e92 all had a switch and so does my F10, and the F10 is a model where front PDC is standard. Nothing to do with being fully integrated or not, after all it comes on when reverse gear is selected. It does not come on otherwise at the front unless you tell it do, the reasons for which have been stated.
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      08-12-2013, 09:04 AM   #21
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my e91 has front and rear sensors and the front is not manual operation, if I am manoeuvring just slowly or in car park it beeps if there is anything within approx 2 metres
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      08-12-2013, 09:12 AM   #22
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only if you've selected reverse first otherwise it would be beeping when you pull up to a car at traffice lights unless you leave a gap bigger than 2m, which you wouldn't.
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