Rear Bumper Guard And Parking Sensors?

[vlad353]

Does anyone know or already purchased rear parking sensors compatible bumper guards for LX570?

There is a nice guard on amazon, easily installable into hitch receiver, and my only concern is with parking sensors...

Thank you!

[1990LS400]

I would hope that the Amazon seller could tell you if you ask?

Are you talking about the big pillow-like pads that some car owners in New York City use to try to prevent damage or the chrome ones that might be useful in third world countries for armed guards to stand on?

[vlad353]

Unfortunately the Amazon seller tells me that he has no idea ;(

I am talking about the GoRhino Hitchstep which goes into the trailer receiver.

The good thing is that no assembly required, the bad thing is that you need to take out the cover from the middle of the rear bumper and it doesnt look pretty ;)

And looks like that guard is just below the parking sensors level, so it's hard to tell whether it'll be okay or those sensors will go crazy.

[1990LS400]

A review of the Hitchstep that I read said that it did not conflict with parking sensors but the reviewer did not have an LX570. I assume that your LX has an On/Off button on the dash for the parking sensors - the button should have a large "P" on it.

Page 300 of the 2011 LX570 owners manual shows how to remove and reattach the cover hiding the hitch receiver - looks easy. You can view the entire owners manual on the U.S. Lexus website. The section that includes page 300 about the center bumper cover is at: http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM60F86U/pdf/sec_02-05.pdf

It might not be good to leave something like the Hitchstep on a vehicle all the time since it might cause more damage to both vehicles should someone hit you from behind. If you do leave it on an unattended vehicle when parked in a public area, you might want to secure it with a locking hitch pin since a Hitchstep could be stolen in a few seconds by pulling the simple retaining clip and hitch pin that comes with it.

[vlad353]

Yes, there is no mentioning LX in any of the reviews, thats why I am asking here. The sensors level is too close to hitch level to just assume its okay.

Yes I could disable parking sensors, but I'd rather stay without the bumper guard...Parking sensors help a lot. The rear view camera does about the same job but you can be easily distracted and in that case sensors' beeping sound is priceless ;)

Yes, reattaching the cover is easy but without the cover the bumper looks kinda ugly. And to keep the guard you need to keep the cover off.

And yes if I install that guard I would leave it installed all the time. To guard my bumper, thats what it designed for, right?

I dont really care about the other vehicle's damage, I care about my shiny bumper :)

And for my vehicle damage - as I understand, in case of a minor collision nothing happens to my vehicle since the guard is attached to the frame thru that receiver, right? And if something big happens, then theres no much difference with or without it.

Securing the guard - there is a variety of locks for that, no big deal.

[1990LS400]

The Hitchstep would probably do what a trailer hitch drawbar would do if it is not removed when not towing - transfer the force of a rear impact directly to the vehicle frame instead of allowing the bumper to absorb at least some of the impact. There is a reason your owners manual says to remove the drawbar when not towing.

Also, a person who rear-ends a vehicle with a Hitchstep could claim that the Hitchstep contributed to the damage of both vehicles. If I rear-ended a vehicle with a Hitchstep in the U.S., the first thing I would do would be to require a certificate of D.O.T. compliance for the Hitchstep and endeavor to transfer a significant portion of the liability to the person whose vehicle I hit - but I retired from the insurance industry. Most people don't understand the liability implications of installing aftermarket equipment.

[pj8708]

Considering the number of hoops you have to jump through these days to keep all regulations satisfied, the next thing will be a note from your Mother in order to take your car out of the driveway!!! LOL

Paul