High Beam Assist - Hardware or Software?

[Mr Savage]

I was just wondering about the High Beam Assist and Park Assist. I wonder if they add hardware to give these the added functions?

I know the auto-lock feature could simply be turned on through VAG com on the Mk5's, along with the cornering fog lights. They were generally just disabled at factory even though the technology was there.

It would be pretty great if we could enable High Beam Assist for free through VAG com Park Assist also possibly but I'm guessing this will be less likely. Both use the sensors already on the car i'd imagine? I'd think the high beam assist simply detects other cars headlights through the dusk sensor, but I could be wrong, if that's the case then surely it just needs enabling through VAG com?

[monkeyhanger]

I was just wondering about the High Beam Assist and Park Assist. I wonder if they add hardware to give these the added functions?

I know the auto-lock feature could simply be turned on through VAG com on the Mk5's, along with the cornering fog lights. They were generally just disabled at factory even though the technology was there.

It would be pretty great if we could enable High Beam Assist for free through VAG com Park Assist also possibly but I'm guessing this will be less likely. Both use the sensors already on the car i'd imagine? I'd think the high beam assist simply detects other cars headlights through the dusk sensor, but I could be wrong, if that's the case then surely it just needs enabling through VAG com?

Quite possibly. XDS on my Scirocco was purely a VCDS activation - hardware already there by way of the ABS system and it's sub-systems.

[Bill_the_Bear]

For park assist there is a video here:
http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/parking-and-manoeuvring/park-assist

Describes the following:
Ultrasonic sensors (is this the normal parking sensors?)
An intelligent steering assistant (already existing hardware or separate?)
System steers (seems more like this isn't pre existing...)

To be honest having reviewed this video the most useful park of this would seem to be the detection of the size of the space.  After that it is doing the manoeuvring, but if you are halfway competent you shouldn't have an issue.  Then again, only takes one error to damage those alloys!

For high beam:
How does the car detect headlights?  Isn't there supposed to be a camera in the upper front of the windscreen?  Not sure if we get that on the GTI and if not then it needs new hardware to use this right?

[monkeyhanger]

For park assist there is a video here:
http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/parking-and-manoeuvring/park-assist

Describes the following:
Ultrasonic sensors (is this the normal parking sensors?)
An intelligent steering assistant (already existing hardware or separate?)
System steers (seems more like this isn't pre existing...)

To be honest having reviewed this video the most useful park of this would seem to be the detection of the size of the space.  After that it is doing the manoeuvring, but if you are halfway competent you shouldn't have an issue.  Then again, only takes one error to damage those alloys!

For high beam:
How does the car detect headlights?  Isn't there supposed to be a camera in the upper front of the windscreen?  Not sure if we get that on the GTI and if not then it needs new hardware to use this right?

There are additional sensors for park assist - 1 on each side of the bumper close to it's edge with the wing. These detect the space as you slowly drive past it, to determine it's size. If not for the omission of the additional 2 sensors, adding park assist would probably be a software update only (how much extra hardware could they pack in while only charging us an additional £135 for it?).

Unsure about high beam. I would wonder whether the dusk sensor is sensitive enough to pick up headlights coming your way to knock yours down to dipped beam or whether extra sensory equipment is required. Hoping that with Xenons I won't need high beam very often. The high price £500ish would suggest to me that some extra hardware is there somewhere rather than just software activation (although VW could just be ripping us off).

[Bill_the_Bear]

There are additional sensors for park assist - 1 on each side of the bumper close to it's edge with the wing. These detect the space as you slowly drive past it, to determine it's size. If not for the omission of the additional 2 sensors, adding park assist would probably be a software update only (how much extra hardware could they pack in while only charging us an additional £135 for it?).

Are these seperate to the ones shown in this image, or are the sensros just forward of the arch only fitted with the park assist options?  Anyone know?

[peterdoherty]

It appears the extra sensor is missing in this pic therefore I'd say they are part of the park assist

[Bill_the_Bear]

Bung the little [img] tags on your image and it will appear in the post.

Got point though... and damn.  I was hoping those side sensors were standard.

[monkeyhanger]

The side ones are the park assist specific  ones - just 4 on the front bumper without park assist, 6 with park assist.

[mike.]

The retail price for the actual high beam assist headlamp units are £160 dearer than the adaptive only units so I would assume there is some extra hardware in the light itself.

[Jimble]

High beam assist uses a camera built into the rear view mirror which is not there unless it's specced from the factory so some hardware would be required.