rear beep to avoid colliding

When you are looking at the sensor packages, make sure there are more than 4 sensors. 4 are simply not enough to adequately cover the rear bumper. You need at least 6 like are on the front Lexus bumper. Also make sure the alert buzzer or light or voice or bomb or whatever is loud enough to attract your attention clearly. If it does not make itself knows clearly above the other noises in the car, the system is useless. And I do thank Lexus for the experience with back-up warning system design which has given me these insights which I pass on to you so that you may not be plagued as some of us are with inadequate systems. (Certainly would not want to point any fingers at any brands and suffer all the slings and arrows of the loyal followers of that brand.)

In the LS, you can set the volume of the backup alert.

As far as the number of sensors needed to adequately provide coverage, there are several factors that designers consider. The sonar works kind of like a light. If the bumper is a relatively flat plane, like the back bumper, 4 should be adequate - 1 on each corner and 2 for the area behind the car. 4 sensors would "illuminate" all of the areas behind the bumper. If the front bumper is more curved, there are more directions to cover, and since the steering wheels are in front, there are more directions that need to be covered. Of course, one should always be looking in the direction of travel; the sonar sensors are an aid, not a replacement.

Thank you very much.

Hey Ray O - yall need to move down south hear fer us wifout a gud wrench in our store!

The volume setting on the radar system does adjust, and I have it on the maximum setting. My car does not have the rear beeper as loud as the front beeper, however, and that is what causes the problem in part. The visual display for the rear is in the center of the dash vs the front display being on the navigation screen. Those two factors led me to run into the low wall at my accountants office when I had it out the first or second day. I was looking back, but the position of the sensors did not seem to detect the wall to the side of the car. Thus I have formed an impression of the lack of efficacy of the system. My second collision with a thing while backing up was the same sort of situation. Since then, I have just reverted to my normal way of driving and I ignore the backing up radar thingy. The front radar is much more senstive as it points out my position perfectly in my garage relative to the side wall and the low steps next to the car. Guess I will go try to back the car into the garage to compare so I can reallllllly bitch (or, Heaven Forbid! have to give up on one point).

You must have listened to too much loud music as a yute. Mine is set at the middle setting. ;-)

My car does not have the rear beeper as loud as

My '01 LS does not have the backup camera, only the sensors so the visual display comes up on the navigation screen for both front and rear as well as on the instrument cluster, which I turned off since it is redundant.

You can adjust the range of the sensors in my car, I assume you can do the same in yours. Of course, an obstacle that is lower than the sensors may not be picked up. For example, when I back into a parking space, the sensors do not pick up the parking block or curb behind the vehicle because they are too low. Although I like gadgetry, I know most of it has limitations, so I still turn around and look where I'm going and check the side mirrors.