GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

PDC Retrofit Question

Fraysa

Go Kart Champion
Location
Israel
Car(s)
2016 MK7 1.4TSI
Haha, I never understood why people use white zip ties. I only keep black ones for a neater look.

thanks a lot for the pictures, Cuzoe, I appreciate that!
 

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
I'm in aircraft electrician by trade. I've worked a variety of manufacturer's planes... Gulfstream, Bombardier, Learjet, Embraer, Dassault, Textron, Cessna, etc. And except in rare situations all the wiring is white because it's laser stamped (or heated die stamped, for any old aviation maintenance folks) for identification. There's way too much wiring to use colors for identification and the stamping wouldn't be visible on anything except white insulation... So we use white zip ties.

At one of the places I worked at we would use black zip ties for the sole purpose of identifying wiring harness that were added even doing repairs/upgrades. This helped the inspectors identify our work for final approval before we closed an area. It also assisted if you ever had to troubleshoot a suspected wiring issue because disturbed areas would have black zip ties.

As it happens, I have thousands of white zip ties and had to go buy some black ones. I'm going to replace the white ones in areas like the one pictured because someone might see them. But all the ones under the trim in the car are staying white, haha.
 

Fraysa

Go Kart Champion
Location
Israel
Car(s)
2016 MK7 1.4TSI
That’s really cool to hear!

I plan on doing the rear fixed and front installation soon, will post updates.
 

Fraysa

Go Kart Champion
Location
Israel
Car(s)
2016 MK7 1.4TSI
So I took time this weekend to disassemble the rear bumper in order to tidy up the harnesses and apply some JBWeld to the sensor holders.

Here's a before & after pic:

1603604861803.png

1603604888980.png


A few annoying things I couldn't fix:

1. The sensors won't sit flush no matter what I do, and there are a few reasons for this. The first reason is that my 4 holes were premade with aftermarket sensors, which are 18mm, and not 18.2mm. Also, my genuine Skoda cutting tool is 18mm and not 18.2mm and those 0.2mm make a huge difference.
2. The AliExpress PDC mounts are horrible. I couldn't get them to sit flush no matter what I did & how much epoxy I used. Because of their thickness, they will never allow the sensor to sit flush with the bumper anyway.
3. The sensors themselves are not 100% accurate. I believe this is because, just like any other AliExpress "genuine" item, they are fake aftemarket sensors, not really made by "Valeo" of China.

So, to anyone planning to do this retrofit - invest in genuine parts! I regret buying this kit from AliExpress, I should have just bought the harnesses and get the genuine parts myself! Definitely a waste of money.

What am I planning to do next?

Found a used bumper with premade holes that came from the factory, including genuine holders. Going to use that along with genuine parking sensors.

Once again, AliExpress disappointed me. Never going to buy anything there besides harnesses for my car.
 

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
The 0.2mm is for sure an issue. Looking at VW parts break downs all the mounts have different part numbers and are seem to average around $15. The sensor are around ~$170 each, probably could be found for somewhere around $135 with some searching. That puts sensors and mounts at almost $1,000 for each bumper, before taxes. That prices me out of this retrofit. Not for the actual amount necessarily, it's just that parking assistance isn't worth $2,000+ to me. Never had it before and haven't hit anything while parking, haha. Even at the AliExpress kit price I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't already removing the bumpers and stripping the inside of the car for other reasons.

I did trim the two center mounts for the rear bumper so they would sit flush. Overall I'm happy with where the sensors sit as far as flushness to the bumper. Too late for us but anyone else doing this... I would suggest a dry fit of the sensors (in their mounts) before removing the plastic that covers the included adhesive to see if you're okay with where they sit. If they aren't flush enough for you, remove the 3M (type) tape that comes on the mounts. It would be a pain... but since you'll need to use epoxy to secure them anyway it won't matter that you removed it. And it should get you the flush-ness that you want.

I can't speak to how accurate they are/will be, my car is still in pieces.
 

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
Not really an update but an observation. I remember @Fraysa having an issue with the PDC module mount not attaching to the BCM "holder" properly. I ordered 5Q0937503F (which supersedes the 5Q0937503A), and it clipped in fine. Weird because I would expect the supercession to be backwards compatible. I did have to move the red/black harness (which goes to the fuse panel) but it can be put back in place.

I'm adding a bunch of wiring in that area and the PDC mount gets in my way. So I figured no biggie, I'll remove it now that I've verified fitment. Well, I don't know how to take it off without breaking it, haha. So I'm ordering another one. Thankfully they're not too expensive.

Also a question... did any of you find the actual mount point for the front buzzer? The erwin manual manages to be pretty clear and also kind of vague. It appears to be above the fuse box in the pictures and should clip in somewhere (not using fasteners/rivets of any time). I have the dash in pieces but can't find the place for it. Current plan is to mount it to the side of the PDC mount with a square of 3M Dual Lock but I would love to mount it per OEM.
 

Reaper1

Go Kart Newbie
Location
.
So I took time this weekend to disassemble the rear bumper in order to tidy up the harnesses and apply some JBWeld to the sensor holders.

Here's a before & after pic:

View attachment 189770
View attachment 189771

A few annoying things I couldn't fix:

1. The sensors won't sit flush no matter what I do, and there are a few reasons for this. The first reason is that my 4 holes were premade with aftermarket sensors, which are 18mm, and not 18.2mm. Also, my genuine Skoda cutting tool is 18mm and not 18.2mm and those 0.2mm make a huge difference.
2. The AliExpress PDC mounts are horrible. I couldn't get them to sit flush no matter what I did & how much epoxy I used. Because of their thickness, they will never allow the sensor to sit flush with the bumper anyway.
3. The sensors themselves are not 100% accurate. I believe this is because, just like any other AliExpress "genuine" item, they are fake aftemarket sensors, not really made by "Valeo" of China.

So, to anyone planning to do this retrofit - invest in genuine parts! I regret buying this kit from AliExpress, I should have just bought the harnesses and get the genuine parts myself! Definitely a waste of money.

What am I planning to do next?

Found a used bumper with premade holes that came from the factory, including genuine holders. Going to use that along with genuine parking sensors.

Once again, AliExpress disappointed me. Never going to buy anything there besides harnesses for my car.

You Should've Rotated the bracket side to side with the sensor in it while gluing it to the bumper, It Would make it sit flush.
I Had the same holes in the bumper as you had and its perfectly flush now.
 

Fraysa

Go Kart Champion
Location
Israel
Car(s)
2016 MK7 1.4TSI
Not really an update but an observation. I remember @Fraysa having an issue with the PDC module mount not attaching to the BCM "holder" properly. I ordered 5Q0937503F (which supersedes the 5Q0937503A), and it clipped in fine. Weird because I would expect the supercession to be backwards compatible. I did have to move the red/black harness (which goes to the fuse panel) but it can be put back in place.

I'm adding a bunch of wiring in that area and the PDC mount gets in my way. So I figured no biggie, I'll remove it now that I've verified fitment. Well, I don't know how to take it off without breaking it, haha. So I'm ordering another one. Thankfully they're not too expensive.

Also a question... did any of you find the actual mount point for the front buzzer? The erwin manual manages to be pretty clear and also kind of vague. It appears to be above the fuse box in the pictures and should clip in somewhere (not using fasteners/rivets of any time). I have the dash in pieces but can't find the place for it. Current plan is to mount it to the side of the PDC mount with a square of 3M Dual Lock but I would love to mount it per OEM.

I'm glad the clip worked for you! I didn't want to remove the black/red harness as it looked to important and was really cramped in there, so that's why I didn't bother with it too much. I guess mine clips too, just needs more force.

For the mounting point of the front buzzer - I would love to find the OEM spot as well. I only found a diagram of Erwin showing it on top of the fuse box on RHD vehicles, so I assume it's the same for LHD. The manual never shows the rivets, and I could never find the P/N for them. If you do happen to find the buzzer location, let me know. I'll probably zip tie it somewhere in the meantime.

You Should've Rotated the bracket side to side with the sensor in it while gluing it to the bumper, It Would make it sit flush.
I Had the same holes in the bumper as you had and its perfectly flush now.

I tried to do that, but there was still some missing space, but that happens due to the 3M tape.

So, today I tackled the front bumper. I was actually really upset after realizing I can't get the rear to sit 100% flush so unlike the rear, this time I came in full power with experience and knowledge I had from the rear!

Removing the bumper was a simple task, considering the fact I didn't lift the car. It came out smoothly.
Making the holes went perfect as well!

I took @Cuzoe advice and decided to "dry" test fit them. And just as expected, with the mounting bracket AND the tape - they don't sit flush!!!
So I had fun scraping the 3M tape from each sensor bracket - took me around 20 minutes for all 6 and then I glued the sensor using the JBWeld epoxy.
This is actually much better, as the mount is made from plastic which can adhered to the bumper better. The 3M tape won't really hold anything!!!

After spending some quality time holding the brackets with the sensors, I finally got them to sit 90% flush. The reason they are not 100% is because the bumper is not straight and there's a limit to how much those brackets can bend and stay glued. From the factory, it seems that the OEM brackets are WELDED into the plastic, so they will always sit 100% flush!

Unlike the rear, I took time to route the harnesses properly this time. It turns out the front bumper has little slots for harnesses just where the sensors are! It's like it was made for it!

After all the talking - here's the final results!!!


Perfect hole:
1603728590399.png


Applying JBWeld epoxy to the "bare" mounting bracket:

1603728633397.png


Leaving the bumper to dry in the sun after fixing every sensor in place:

1603728662378.png


Cable routing on the bumper, made perfectly!

1603728705228.png


You can see I marked the cable guides the bumper already had!!! It made the job SUPER easy.

1603728761112.png


And the final result on the car! You can see it's 90% flush :)

1603728825544.png


Sadly the vendor did not paint the outer circle in the big sensor! Kinda sucks but looks cool :p

1603728892339.png


Sadly I still didn't wire the harness to the car as that requires disassembling it and routing it to the firewall.
@Cuzoe Did you already have a chance to wire it through? Please provide details& pictures if possible, specifically on which route to use and what's the easiest way to do this.

Cya in the next post!
 

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
Looks good! And yeah the front bumper was nice and easy with the routing. On a fresh install I would scrape the 3M off and go with just epoxy.

I actually looked into buying one of these "electric staple guns" but didn't want to buy a cheap one. And I'm certain I wouldn't have a future use for it.

Hoping to get all my harnesses (PDC, fogs, ACC, additional ABS wires, DCC and Sound Actor) through the firewall late next week.
 

Fraysa

Go Kart Champion
Location
Israel
Car(s)
2016 MK7 1.4TSI
The problem is that when I last checked, the harness that’s going from the interior to the engine bay is VERY thick and tight (makes sense) so it’s be almost impossible to fit anything there, especially when working on such a tight spot without a lift.

RHD vehicles have it easy, because their left side of the vehicle has no harness and just a rubber grommet with free space :-(.
 

lijetta18t

Passed Driver's Ed
RHD vehicles have it easy, because their left side of the vehicle has no harness and just a rubber grommet with free space :-(.

I am honestly surprised that the RHD cars would run the cabin/engine bay wiring when the fuse box/BCM is on the left side of the car. I feel like that does not make too much sense. Then again, what do I know?

I have run wiring through that grommet and I feel your pain. I'll be running a few wires though that shortly on my new GSW. I think I ran like 10+ wires through my last Golf and it was always a pain.
 

Fraysa

Go Kart Champion
Location
Israel
Car(s)
2016 MK7 1.4TSI
I am honestly surprised that the RHD cars would run the cabin/engine bay wiring when the fuse box/BCM is on the left side of the car. I feel like that does not make too much sense. Then again, what do I know?

I have run wiring through that grommet and I feel your pain. I'll be running a few wires though that shortly on my new GSW. I think I ran like 10+ wires through my last Golf and it was always a pain.

I was speaking about RHD vehicles in general, how they have it so easy.

Any tips on how to get the wires, if you done it already? Last time I tried I was just poking through the rubber grommet without any luck. I guess you need to make cuts (small holes) in it in order to pass the wires, rather than use the existing opening which has the huge harness through it?
 

lijetta18t

Passed Driver's Ed
I was speaking about RHD vehicles in general, how they have it so easy.

Any tips on how to get the wires, if you done it already? Last time I tried I was just poking through the rubber grommet without any luck. I guess you need to make cuts (small holes) in it in order to pass the wires, rather than use the existing opening which has the huge harness through it?

On the RHD wiring, of course, just found that so weird to hear as I just expected everything to run through the firewall in the same spot as LHD cars going off of where the fusebox/BCM are located.

I poked a hole in the grommet and used a wire hanger to push the wiring though the new hole. That worked best for me. After 5 years, never had a leak. Just dont make the hole too large and maybe put a very small dab of silicone to seal it up (which I did not do).
 

Fraysa

Go Kart Champion
Location
Israel
Car(s)
2016 MK7 1.4TSI
If anyone interested, since VW doesn't make the individual PDC brackets as they come welded from the factory, I found an AliExpress seller that sells identical brackets with corresponding part numbers: https://he.aliexpress.com/item/3285...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

I managed to pictures of a genuine rear bumper with genuine PDC holes from factory, and you can see the same brackets and how they're mounted:

1604145459234.png

1604145466424.png

1604145476646.png
1604145484789.png


Gonna order this from the seller and redo my rear bumper properly this time!
 

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
That last picture is exactly how I cut the AliExpress bracket to sit flush in that location. I haven't tried to order these but parts.vw.com shows all the brackets individually for purchase.
Screenshot_20201031-084851.jpg
Screenshot_20201031-084932.jpg
Screenshot_20201031-085456.jpg


The bumpers aren't manufactured with PDC holes. So "from factory" only means VW cut the holes and installed the sensor brackets. Weren't you recently making a point in another thread about not buying anything from Ali except harnesses, haha. Just joking here, as I wouldn't pay $15 each for these brackets.

Are you buying one of these... plastic welders? I was considering but it's not a tool I'm actually interested in. Plus I was worried that I might push a staple all the way through my bumper 😤.

I think the kit you linked, used with a plastic welder would be closest to OEM. But the brackets that come with the full Ali PDC kit (with adhesive scraped off and the two inners cut) put on with epoxy is a very close second and no less secure.
 
Top