C5 reversing sensors towbar

[slapsterpro]

Hi,
Does anyone know if the reversing sensors on a 2008 new shape Citroen C5 would pick up a swan neck towbar?
I know you can get a detachable towbar but at least £100 more exspensive!!
Thanks
Steve

[Citroenmad]

I have not got much experience with parking sensors but as far as my experience goes, sensors dont see a towbar. Generally your sensors will be well parted, so have a big enough gap for the towbar to be invisable to the sensors.

I know when I was driving a car with parking sensors I reversed up to a parked car which had a towbar fitted. My parking sensors missed the towbar of theother car, when I got out the the towbar was extremely close to the bumper of my car. I also tried reversing up to a thin post, with the post positioned in the centre of the car, they missed that too. I dont rely on parking sensors and would rather be without them. Luckily they can usually be deactivated!

[Trainman]

Steve, No they don't pick up the towbar, I had a detatchable one on my facelift C% (2005) and it didn't on that because the towball, which is the only thing in line with the sensors, is central between the the 2 centre sensors.

However, the parking sensors will read the tailer/caravan when you are reversing, as you try to 'angle' it.

[fifth_cit]

I have Parking sensors on my tourer and it does pick up the tow bar which is a detachable swan neck when it is fitted. My parking sensors where fitted by the dealer when I bought the car so just beep and do not show on the display.

My brother had a C5 III saloon from new that had factory fitted sensors and asked for a Citroen towbar to be fitted as part of the deal. The dealer fitted a flange type towbar that was seen by the sensors and beeped every time he reversed. The dealers answer to this was to blank off the middle sensors.

As you would imagine this completely unacceptable and complaints where made to Citroen UK who forced the dealer to fit the fold away tow ball that was shown on Citroen literature at the time. The folding tow bracket was of course much more expensive but was done free. This car was a 2008 model and perhaps was of the first in the UK and Citroen must have been keen on good customer relations.

He has since sold the car and now got a 2011 C5 Tourer exclusive again this is fitted with sensors but with a detachable tow ball this time. I will phone him later to find out if this is seen by the sensors and will get back to you.

[mooseshaver]

I thought the proper Citroen tow bars were supposed to disable rear parking sensors? There is a little computer like thing shown on the wiring harness when looking at the citroen website.

[JohnD]

I fitted a tow bar with a fixed flanged ball to my C5 estate and the sensors do detect the ball. Consequently when I reverse I get the warning continously sounding - but I just live with it. Front ones still work OK.

[jgra1]

I was going to ask about this as I was thinking of upgrading my C5.. but as I have a permanent towbar on my C5, the sensors would be no use? (either they would be on all the time, or they wouldnt' account for the extra few cm the towbar sticks out?)

..I know of an exclusive bumper with sensors in, and the donor car also has the black control unit which bolts into the rear boot wall..

john

[slapsterpro]

Thanks for all your answers, think i better go for detachable!

[fifth_cit]

I have just spoken to my brother and his new tourer does not see the towball when it is attached. Mine does and is a Brink towbar whilst his is a Whitter. Perhaps they are slightly different sizes.

Incidentally I used to have a facelift C5 that had factory fitted sensors and an ALKO flange towball that are slightly longer than normal towballs. That car did not see the towball on its own but if I put the cover on it did.
regards

Keith

[BrianM]

My 09 has a dealer fitted "Citroen stamped" towbar and the reversing sensors work fine with it -but....
when I have the towball cap on its any way crooked it beeps like mad .

I have a 13 pin socket fitted which has a microswitch that enables the brake lights and I would have assumed that this would also disable the parking sensors when the plug is in but alas it doesnt

Brian
09 C5 Exclusive

[markflip]

I have a brink detachable and mine is detected too

[Richard_C]

My C% III VTR+Nav came with front and back sensors and a Witter towbar which I didn't really need but the car being second hand you take what it comes with. Now I know why the salesperson switched off the sensors when we got in the car for teh test drive!

I have removed the swan neck and towball, all is fine now, but until then it on it spotted it all the time.

[slapsterpro]

My C% III VTR+Nav came with front and back sensors and a Witter towbar which I didn't really need but the car being second hand you take what it comes with. Now I know why the salesperson switched off the sensors when we got in the car for teh test drive!

I have removed the swan neck and towball, all is fine now, but until then it on it spotted it all the time.

Was the swan neck easy to remove or was it right up behind bumper ?

[vborovic]

Sorry for bringing up this old topic, but since I'm very interested in fitting a tow-bar on my Tourer, the reverse sensors and whether they detect (or not) the ball & load behind is something that is a concern ... what I managed to conclude from my research so far is that if you use the genuine wiring kit (13-pin), part no. 9428F6, it doesn't really matter what the ball part construction/layout is, because the said wiring kit must be initialized to the ECU to work properly, and then the car's computer does two things:

- disables the reverse sensors automatically once the trailer is connected (and plugged)
- modifies the actions of the ESP, in case the trailer starts weaving, the car will do different corrective actions to stabilize it (as opposed to not having the trailer)

Not sure, but he genuine wiring kit should be somewhere around 100 GBP.

[mooseshaver]

Isn't it law now you have to have a proper tow bar wiring kit fitted that interfaces with the esp system?
Make sit very expesnive, around £1000 from a dealer. Bit cheaper for a Witter, but you need to take the car to a dealer to get programmed.