BMW's Parking Assistant

BMW's Parking Assistant is a system that helps you reverse park in a bay or in fact behind a car. The latter is know as Parallel Parking. In this video I look at how useful it is to me in my G20 3 Series.
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[@Jonc25]

A BMW teaching a driving instructor, seen it all now.😄

[@grahamnutt8958]

lmao Jon nice one 😆.

[@ibs5080]

Might be a bit of a challenge when it comes to proper use of indicators. I mean, it is a BMW after all...

[@grahamnutt8958]

@@ibs5080 lol

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

I enjoy this system very much. It is very good, mate! I use it mostly on very difficult perpendicular and parallel parking in my city and tight parking garages in malls, where many people park very weirdly. The system uses the least amount of reverse-to-drive-to-reverse and dry steering as possible, and it is at a sufficient speed. Not only does it make sure it can fit, but if I can get out and the boot can open without hitting anything. Stay safe, mate.

[@grahamnutt8958]

I am unlikely to convert to using the tech but respect the reasons why you do. Have come across some of your comments previously and you seem to have a good attitude 😊. Off topic question here but...... are you a Final Fantasy fan? 👍.

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

@@grahamnutt8958 Very interesting, mate. Thank you. I try to be nice, but sometimes I am rude when people say the weirdest of things, haha. But that is rare. And I respect your reasons as well, mate. I paid a decent amount for my car, so if it has any cool tech, I'm going to damn well use it, lol. Yes, I am a huge Final Fantasy fan. My user name is a character from one of them. How about you?

[@grahamnutt8958]

@@ClaireYunFarronXIII FF7 is my go to game (about to complete it again 9+ playthroughs lol) with FF8 as a very close 2nd slot. Gotta just love Squall from that one. Your username I recognise from FF13 (original and part 2) - not got a copy of the spin off yet 🤔. Can see the likeness (if photo of you is real). Thanks for getting back to me. Keep yourself safe out there ok 😊👍.

[@ibs5080]

Great video Ashley. I see what you are wanting to do lately, namely to keep your channel alive during this lockdown by incorporating aspects of motoring you can still make videos about. The changing a wheel in your driveway being another example. Nothing .wrong with that at all and I admire your ingenuity. On the theme of material to incorporate during this lockdown, may I offer a few other suggestions: 1. A video on petrol station etiquette and all the ins and outs as such. As an example, many if not most petrol stations are "unofficially" one way with traffic flowing clockwise in the Uk. Also, using the furthest available pump, being mindful of pedestrians walking to and from the shop and their car, queuing etiquette, whether to use one of those pay at the pump apps, remembering to turn on headlights at night when leaving a brightly lit forecourt. So many aspects with this. Some time ago, you did a video on a Macdonalds drive through, which not everyone will use but pretty much everyone will have to use a filling station from time to time, unless fully electric. 2. A narrative video (pwdhaosmin your back garden again) about your top pet driving peaves. There might be the obvious ones of tailgating, impatience and so forth but perhaps other less obvious ones as well. As an example, one of mine is drivers who exit a roundabout whilst still signalling right instead of left, resulting in a missed opportunity to enter the roundabout. 3. A narrative video (again, from your lovely garden) on...You! Basically, a biography of Who Is Ashely Neal. How did this all get started with you in the driving instructor business and how did this very channel get started and now it has grown. 4. A narrative garden video about...this very channel. Possibly to combine with No 3 above or a separate video on its own. What have been the highlights of this channel (lady in red?), the more amusing things such as people falling over or people making embarrassing driving manoeuvres (you could insert such clips as a reminder), and som of the mor interesting / amusing / controversial / misunderstood comments from people. You could also pose the question to us all what else would,s we like to see in your clips, any new series you would like us to see etc. 5. You must have a huge collection of viewer submitted clips. Perhaps this lockdown would be a great opportunity to play catch up with those clips, though of course quality over quantity. 6. A video in your driveway about what are some of the sensible things to keep in your car in order to always be prepared. 7. A video in your driveway about what are some of the routine checks you should regularly perform on your car such as fluid levels, tyre pressures, all lights working etc. Hope all this helps.

[@El_Smeghead]

What makes me laugh in supermarket car parks, is when people reverse into a bay that has another empty bay directly behind it. They then come out of the supermarket with a full trolley of shopping and stand there scratching their heads wondering how they're going to get the shopping in the boot because someone has since parked in the one behind. Why not park "nose in" so your boot is accessible? 🤪

[@richardthomassearrio5585]

So you're a red dwarf fan 👍👍

[@El_Smeghead]

Richard Thomas Searrio No. I’m just a smeghead 🤣 The film is on tonight at 9 on Dave

[@richardthomassearrio5585]

@@El_Smeghead cant wait 🐈🐈🐈🐈

[@grahamnutt8958]

Judging by the way that some people leave their brain cells outside a supermarket car park (drive like Muppets in other words) I prefer to reverse into a space if possible. You are more likely to see a hazard this way. Reversing out of a space really does carry a greater degree of risk - especially if the rear visibility of your car is poor/impaired. I quite understand that trolley access can be awkward on occasion but if people park properly within the bays then, albeit a tight squeeze, should be quite feasible. If you must reverse out then I would recommend asking a passenger (if one is available) to guide you out. Stay safe out there 👍.

[@twistsouth514]

Graham Nutt VAG cars with rear radars have a feature called Rear Traffic Alert. It’s brilliant. Basically uses the rear radars to “see” along the sides of the road you’re reversing into even though you can’t as your view is blocked. Alerts you if anything is coming and it sees quite bloody far along either side. I absolutely love it.

[@mhoward181]

Well that’s another knock on people’s driving skill. People Carnt park as it is now people will completely loose the skill

[@Casavult]

Agreed. I have this system, used it once (was mind blown) but never used it again.

[@rstmg60]

Bit like spelling then 😉

[@Otacatapetl]

@@rstmg60 Darn. You beat me to it.

[@angelaevalynnwainwright4494]

For me, it is a not the BMW that is bad, it is the arrogance and ignorance of the drivers more often than not.

[@Casavult]

I have it, tried it once and have never used it since again. Not because it's bad (it actually worked really well for me) but because I don't want to be lazy and dwindle my skills in parking lol.

[@ryanwalker6849]

This is what I thought the feature was you tested last time. This is more like what you’d expect from BMW standards 👌

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

Yep! 🤗😎

[@will4may175]

Given the amount of bad BMW (other german cars included) drivers there is, they shouldve added driving assist aswell :P I am glad those assists are not allowed in a test, people need to learn how to control a car before getting lazy with those, theres a lot more young drivers that cannot drive coming through, has the test gotten easier to pass ? I passed in 1990, passed motorbike in 1993, no theory test back then, and tbh I cannot remember that many bad drivers around, though less traffic, but now its mad for idiot drivers.

[@IToohat]

I am impressed with modern tech, but this video highlights some further points people should keep mindful of.....1, Ashley doesn't just let the car decide and switch his brain off, he is constantly observing the situation around him. 2, Ashley is not just letting his car pick where to park, he observed the restrictions to parking (and only parked in restricted bay for demonstration, but you get my point) and 3, Although the parallel parking manoeuvre was excellent, human input is required to assess the positioning of the car afterwards. On that street (and many others) I wouldn't personally leave my car a couple of inches out from the kerb, although I have seen much worse from manually parked cars. So Auto ON doesn't mean brain OFF, and never fully rely on tech to keep you safe.

[@twistsouth514]

I Toohat I was actually a little surprised how close to the kerb it put him. I don’t know if BMW’s implementation sees the kerb but I’ve seen a technical document showing that VAG’s latest version does (fitted to all current-gen cars that add Park Assist) so it never puts you too close. The exception is if the cars you’re parking between are fully on the kerb, in which case it parks you also on the kerb.

[@IToohat]

@@twistsouth514 I agree, I think the BMW did an amazing job of parking next to the kerb. I was just pointing out that on very narrow roads I would want to be parked as close to the kerb as possible (or partly on the pavement if it wasn't obstructing pedestrians). The assisted parking,braking and alert systems on cars are getting much more efficient these days. I saw the lead technician for Volvo HGV's showcase the automatic emergency braking function by standing in front of a HGV travelling 40mph (with a trailer on)...now that is confidence in your technology 😆

[@TheUkdan02]

I have the auto gearbox which also does the accelerating and braking. Fully autonomous but slower than I would be able to do myself in most cases. Handy for tight parallel parking spots though.

[@markrhoden68]

Recently purchased a Z4 m40i which has this function, I'm yet to work the system out but as I post this I've only had the vehicle a few days I'm sure I'll work it out

[@jimg492]

As always, I love the video. I have a massive issue with this tech being available in cars however. My opinion is that you should be able (capable) to park your car unassisted in even the tightest of spaces. After having a 10 year break in my driving, I found this very difficult for quite some time. I had to re-learn the skill required to do this. I feel that using this tech on a day-to-day basis, drivers will loose their skills and abilities required to manoeuvre a car and therefore it could be argued that they become 'incompetent' at driving as a result.

[@juliebell8072]

In the time it takes thinking about activating autopark you could have already parked. It's more hassle than it's worth. You still have to be very vigilant & aware of pedestrians and other road users. Might be more inclined to use mine if it operated the brakes and accelerator of the likes of that of Tesla & other manufacturer's systems does.

[@computerpro5341]

It does that in automatics, in manual I'd guess it isn't possible due to the operation of the clutch

[@horrgakx]

Yeh the tech is very nice. I had a Merc with the similar system but it was auto so it moved and braked the car on its own. Very impressive.

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

Same.

[@grahamnutt8958]

A parking video that was actually interesting. Had to laugh at the "sods law" bit - usually it's a case of where is there a space as opposed to finding a suitable one for this demonstration. To be fair I am actually impressed with what BMW have done here but, as a stubborn old chap, am likely to use my own judgement and make my manoeuvre manually. Nice one Ashley. Enjoyed that one. Stay safe and sane everybody 👍.

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

Lol, good analogy, mate. 😎

[@DanielManole]

You should have bought the automatic one, it would have been much fun with feature😍

[@allah6892]

Do you have to control the speed with the clutch when parking assistant is on or it does it by itself?

[@anishchowdary9676]

Allah In automatics, it does it on its own but in a manual, you have to use the clutch

[@OldSkoolLover1996]

Your outro song always reminds me of "Dave Davis - Transfiguration". I like it

[@kylemenzies4447]

Great video! Re the bay park putting the car between lines; I think it just keeps a set distance from the 'marker' car which it uses as a reference point to complete the move. In that case the marker was the car to the left at the end of the manouvre. I'm basing that off my experience with a similar VW system and one time I used it to park next to a car which was at a slight angle. The system matched the angle of the other car perfectly.

[@tomsixsix]

The reason it does the move in two steps is to get a better "ultrasonic" picture of the parking space. Really clever technology. I'm assuming you have to slip the clutch and provide some power for it?

[@piciu256]

Yes, the driver is supposed to be fully controlling the advance, the car only does the steering.

[@Plexipal]

I like to keep my skills sharp and its always a little disconcerting when the car gets real close to other things. Summon is way more useful because it helps me get out the car.

[@grahamnutt8958]

Pardon my ignorance but what is "Summon"? Never heard of it 🤔.

[@Plexipal]

Graham Nutt I can use an app on my phone to remotely drive my Tesla forwards and backwards. Useful if you cant get into or out of your car in tight spaces.

[@grahamnutt8958]

@@Plexipal Thanks for the reply - a real eye opener there. I heard that some cars could, sort of, drive themselves and that the technology is being tested but had no idea it could be done without the driver being in the vehicle. I can see one possible downside though - if your car was hit whilst it was "remotely" parking...... how would that stack up on an Insurance claim? I wouldn't want to put that scenario to the test 🤔. Thanks again for your input 👍.

[@Plexipal]

Graham Nutt It’s in the cars EULA that the driver is responsible for everything the car does whether you are in it or not and it is the drivers responsibility to continually monitor the vehicle for hazards and act accordingly.

[@analiensaturn]

Pick a bay between 2 empty bays and see if it can get between the lines.

[@dmitrijsbeliks9090]

Hey brother. I have this button too on my F10, does it mean it can do that too? Also, do you have to push on a gas pedal while park assist performs it's parking :) . Would really appreciate your answer. Thanks!

[@lordstevewilson1331]

Damn that's good, certainly seems to work better than tesla.

[@UmbrelllaCorp]

I wonder how park assist would fair if whilst parking one car to either side decided to move off (if they were safe to do so).

[@grahamnutt8958]

Good question...... if anyone knows the answer please post to this thread.

[@andyowens5494]

The risk with this technology is it makes drivers lazy and not build skills. Aviation has discovered this; pilots sometimes over-rely on autopilot (or auto land) and when things go wrong (conditions dont suit it, or the automation fails) aircraft crash. Its less risky at zero feet and under 10 mph, but the appreciation of where all four corners of the car are contributes to better driving in more than just parking. Many pilots still hand fly landings and take offs, just to maintain their skills; I suspect most drivers wont be that way inclined and will come to rely on it. How effective is it in the wet, with worn paint lines, and ahem, in snow (genuine question, not prejudicing the result at this stage). Its definitely a step on the road to taking the driver out of the loop altogether; lets face it, most failures are caused by the nut behind the wheel, and one day, not too soon, it will come to pass that automation causes less deaths than people and the switch will be inevitable.

[@asdfasdgfasd]

In parallel parking, does the car also stop itself perfectly inbetween the two cars - or does it just tell you to do so?

[@ashley_neal]

In my manual car you stop yourself, but I'm sure in an automatic it does it all for you ;)

[@asdfasdgfasd]

@@ashley_neal okay 👍 love from Finland!

[@twistsouth514]

It doesn’t stop in an auto, it just beeps to tell you to stop. Pretty sure the only one that stops on its own is the system in the E class Merc. That system does everything. I have a feeling it also uses a camera in addition to the sensors.

[@sib4897]

TwistSouth kzbin.info/www/bejne/iH_LgIJ_pM-IpJY

[@28YorkshireRose12]

Conversely, I know of two cases where BMW's system didn't work: One, saw an X3 wham into the front bumper of my classic era Volvo (good thing it's a tough old beast) just before Christmas 2019. It was simple parallel parking manoeuvre, and the BMW driver initially denied it could happen. I pointed out my dashcam, and that it was recording, at which he admitted, "Yeah, it (the parking assist) doesn't always work as it should" - He got that right! . . . The other, I didn't witness, but was, I believe a failure of the car's 'reversing sensors' to detect a burger van, and resulted in the car, a smaller BMW model saloon, colliding with the burger van. The burger an owner is a friend of mine. No, I'm not a "BMW hater" far from it, I almost bought one a few years back, but it does seem to be a flawed system. I've never had the luxury of such features on any of my cars, and to be honest, my own "Mk1 eyeball" parking sensors have served me well for over 40 years. Personally, I believe "use your skills, or risk losing your skills".

[@marinusdekker6707]

I also have this BMW, only I never use these systems, not that I think they are bad, only I still believe, that I can park my car faster without these pa's. And I dont like the dry stearing.

[@marshmellow989]

Does the parking assistant have reverse assistant encorporated? I really need to know because I have a twisty drive way!!

[@ashley_neal]

It does 👍🏼

[@marshmellow989]

@@ashley_neal Hooray!!

[@Species1571]

Is there a limit to how fast you can move before it can no longer keep up with you? I'm thinking of situations where there would be traffic approaching and you might want to get out of the way a touch quicker.

[@richardthomassearrio5585]

Absolutely mind blowing 😱😱

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

Yep. 🤗

[@Ford-Explorer606]

yep it will be mind blowing till it clunks .then you will surely get yourself a hot tub full of regrets. rather go for a Mercedes or a lexus over this. cause they last long and offer great luxury

[@ThatLeeNoble]

My Ford Focus Titanium Navigator has Park Assist but I only thought it was for parallel parking at the side of a road.

[@RickP2012]

Good parking. I'm guessing that can't be used on a driving test.

[@Haybalemelonhead]

No

[@MohammedFahimUddin1999]

Rick no cause if it is people won't be used to parking on their own in the car as they will be reliant on this technology

[@rsa008]

So the bmw has 360 distance sensors when you only order the rear cam?

[@rbergqvist85]

Not cool with manual

[@dalemr2]

Had that 14 years on my Lexus Ls460. Bit of a pointless feature

[@peterhrd8310]

This system works perfectly with an automatic transmission!

[@tommillard4193]

You should learn to park without parking assistance simple as

[@RickP2012]

What does 'dry steering' mean?

[@TheUkdan02]

steering when not moving.

[@juliebell8072]

Moviing the steering wheel whilst stationary so scrubbing the tyres.

[@RickP2012]

Thanks.

[@grahamnutt8958]

@@richandiben rofl

[@loc4725]

I guess you could say I'm a BMW hater but not because of the tech, which I agree is very nice. What I don't like is the way they treat customers, the lack of reliability, the cost of repairs and their tendency to use proprietary 're-invent the wheel'-type technology. But if you can live with that and are happy to pay then great. 👍

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

My sister and uncle bought BMWs for decades and BMW have been treating them spectacularly, and their cars are not hard for them to maintain.

[@loc4725]

@@ClaireYunFarronXIII Don't get me wrong, when new most prestige cars are great, it's when the warranty runs out that there are problems. To give a recent BMW example, on their modem cars you need a dealer-level scan tool to do simple things like change the battery, an operation which is almost always quick & simple on other brands. And OK they could allow you, *the person who actually paid the money and brought the car* to do that but then that's another revenue stream they'd be depriving themselves of. And as for their dealerships, well as someone who will most likely buy new from them again I'm sure they'll treat you with utmost respect, at least until the car gets a bit old. But as someone who's only visiting their service desk because there's some non-patterned part I need to replace I can tell you that contempt is very much alive at some of their dealerships. In fact it's almost at Peugeot-Citroen levels. Oh and for the avoidance of doubt I'm not criticising service desks; they seem to be pretty much universally good across marques. It's the other parts, sales in particular which tend to be either snobbish (hello BMW!) or just thoroughly unsympathetic.

[@mikebarber1480]

The Merc system also assists getting out of a tight space. Is this a feature on the Beemer too?

[@twistsouth514]

Mike Barber so does VAG’s. I’ve used mine to get out of a parallel space where some prick in a Jeep parked about an inch from my bumper. Well worth the money.

[@ollieg4169]

Honestly... very good

[@ortiz8]

Great vid 👍🏽

[@TheAshlovesu]

0:41 Casey Neistat style *baby*

[@robloxfan4271]

I like the parking sensor sound

[@robloxfan4271]

7:27

[@roberttaylor465]

Our kuga has park assist, to be fair I can do it quicker without.

[@twistsouth514]

Robert Taylor the trade-off is speed vs. accuracy. These systems will park perfectly every time but will do it slower. For me it’s worth the trade-off. But actually if you get used to how it works you can make it do it pretty quickly. At first it took ages when I was experimenting with it but as I learned to trust it and understood its limitations, it’s more or less just as fast as I can do it manually.

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

You better be doing your all-round checks, especially since you are doing it quicker!

[@anmedia7747]

7:01 that's my dream car :)

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

Oh, looks nice. What brand and model is it, though? I cannot see.

[@RajR96]

Gotta love the tech in these cars, shame they're pricey optional extras.

[@twistsouth514]

Raj R was only £160 in my VW. That’s the only reason I got it haha, was one of the cheapest options! I think it was only cheap on my model as the car already came with steering servo (for lane assist) and primary parking sensors so all that was needed was the additional long range side sensors. Brilliant system, has never failed. It even gets you out of a parallel park if some numpty has left you only inches to maneuver.

[@RajR96]

@@ClaireYunFarronXIII Standard as part of an optional pack?

[@MrsZambezi]

At the supermarket it's surely better to drive straight in and reverse out.

[@grahamnutt8958]

I disagree and have posted a comment on El Smeghead thread to explain my reasoning. Not arguing with you - just a different opinion. Stay safe bud 👍.

[@MrsZambezi]

@@grahamnutt8958 If you want to put your shopping in the boot from the trolley you can't always do it. Costco have spaces specifically designed for driving straight in.

[@grahamnutt8958]

@@MrsZambezi Fair enough. Just a different point of view. No dramas 👍.

[@Ford-Explorer606]

but I prefer Mercedes over this breakdown motor works cause it offers more luxury more features and also is 1000 times reliable. great video though

[@Casavult]

Mercedes 1000 times more reliable? Scotty Kilmer would like a word. 🤣

[@Ford-Explorer606]

@@Casavult this is a bad story experienced by me on bmw . . Sir I am not biased towards one brand . We got a BMW as a company car 3 weeks ago . Officially we own a Ford expedition 2014 with no issues on it . Biased with BMWS LUXURY OVER Ford I took the BMW X5. To my company. But after 3 weeks it broke down. This created a lot of havoc. On the other hand my friends 2015 merc is doing great with 90000 miles on it with no issues. What do u say about this sir

[@grahamnutt8958]

@@Ford-Explorer606 My guess is that you were somewhat unlucky there. BMW usually have at least a half decent build quality and reliability, likewise the majority of Japanese motors. Lexus, in my opinion, is pretty much number one for reliability and, in the event of a breakdown, tend to offer the very best after sales service. Good luck in the future and hopefully not too many more breakdowns 👍.

[@Ford-Explorer606]

@@grahamnutt8958 thanks my opinion was that can u give me any suggestions about the reason for breakdown. Or precautions

[@Ford-Explorer606]

Yes I agree lexus is always no:1 in luxury along with reliability

[@fluffyfetlocks]

By the looks of it, it's better than tesla's auto park in the UK