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Active Park Assist caused wheel damage


Myron D. Brown

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I'm so mad right now...

 

I went downtown for lunch and used the active park assist, like I always do, to parallel park. Right as it was finishing, I heard a sound and felt my heart drop. I got out and realized the wheel was chipped against the curb. I've been using Active Park Assist for a month now, and this has never happened...it always puts me a couple inches away from the curb.

 

Anyone else ever had this problem? I have a 2017 MKZ Black Label with the polished aluminum wheels. I'm hoping these can be repaired. Any suggestions?

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Ouch, that hurts.  I've only used mine a handful; of times and haven't had any issues.  Accoring to the OM, it can malfunction under certain conditions:

 

 

The system may not correctly operate in any of the following conditions:

  • You use a spare tire or a tire significantly worn more than the other tires.
  • One or more tires are improperly inflated.
  • You try to park on a tight curve.
  • Something passes between the front bumper and the parking space (a pedestrian or cyclist).
  • The edge of the neighboring parked vehicle is high off the ground (for example, a bus, tow truck or flatbed truck).
  • The weather conditions are poor (heavy rain, snow, fog, etc).

 

That damage can be repaired easily.  I've had it done and the damage was undetectable after the repair.  In fact, the repaired wheel looked better than the other three. Here's a shot of it after the repair. The damage was way worse than yours.  Not only was there severe curb rash but the rim was also bent from hitting a pot hole

 

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Edited by drolds1
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Wow...I do remember reading that. But none of those things took place. I wish the car could warn you or just disengage, if it were unable to complete the maneuver successfully. I guess I shouldn't be too concerned...no one would notice unless I pointed it out. But I've only had the car five weeks.

 

You're right...your wheel looks perfect. It's hard to believe this can be repaired. I guess technology is better than it used to be. I'm sitting at the dealer now. Service opens at 7:30 am. I want to be first. Hopefully they won't charge me an arm and a leg. I have SurfaceCare and TireCare but I doubt this is covered by either of those.

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Sorry to hear that. I know the feeling all too well and it is very frustrating especially when it is the first mark to occur on a brand new car. I had active parking on a 2012 Focus and that never happened to me although it did come close once near a concrete curb that was sort of low and in poor condition. Was that the condition of the curb? Was it asphalt or concrete?

 

Best of luck getting it fixed! It'll look good as new!

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It was a concrete curb. And now that I remember...it was a place where the curb tapered down to be level with the street. There USED to be a driveway there. Maybe the right front sensor didn't pick up on it until very late in the maneuver. Both Lincoln dealers in my area actually outsource this type of work to other companies...who happen to be up the street from both dealers. Ha. But they don't open until 9:00. I read about the process on their websites. Hopefully it won't cost much...my ding is smaller than a dime. Maybe half that size.

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Yep. I think it has something to do with concrete curbs as you mentioned. Thankfully mine didn't hit, but after seeing how close it was I made a mental note to think about curb condition and the vehicle's starting position relative to the curb when using active park.

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Yep. I think it has something to do with concrete curbs as you mentioned. Thankfully mine didn't hit, but after seeing how close it was I made a mental note to think about curb condition and the vehicle's starting position relative to the curb when using active park.

 

I always thought it would figure all that out on its own, based on data from the 12 sensors. Argh...

 

​But it shouldn't be too bad. It can be spot fixed in under two hours for only $150. Because these are machine polished, I'm told that I will notice where the repair was done. But probably no one would notice unless I pointed it out. It will be a lot less noticeable than the blemish that's there now. Or for more serious wheel damage, they will resurface the whole wheel with a machine for $300. Kinda like back in the day when they removed scratches from CDs/DVDs. I'm going with the $150. I feel better now.

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$150 doesn't sound out of line.  I know I paid over $100 and that was several years ago.

 

This has become quite a big business with the proliferation of alloy wheels as OE on cars. I discovered  one in my own area recently. They're doing quite a business with several trucks going around to car dealers.  Also popping up are PDR and bumper cover repair places.   

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