Review on Rydeen BSS2X Microwave Self Speed Detection by Ricky Pee

Pros: + True OEM quality + Detection is fast and reliable + Sensors are flexible - can be tilted for wider/narrower detection area + No OBD-II connection works in literally every car with 12 volt system and plastic bumper + DIY installation is difficult (4 out of 5) but doable. Junk - Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not work with LED reversing lights - must replace with bulbs or follow additional printed instructions on how to use the relay - price can be high - turn signals and horn do not match the price. Review: I did a lot of research before investing in an aftermarket blind spot monitoring system. I wanted to be sure when something, no matter how it ended up in my blind spot, is actually recognized. Why do I name it? Most BSM systems only work in one direction: they detect vehicles that are overtaking you, i.e. overtaking from behind. This system is two-way - both if they let you through and if you let them through. This distinction may not seem very important, but consider a city or high-traffic situation. They're like cat and mouse people - they pull up and try to overtake and dodge, but they can't, so you end up overtaking them. They go in and out of "Interception" and "Interception" - 2 ways. Almost all other systems on the market cannot handle this situation. There may very well be something in your blind spot, but these other systems are too easy to spot. For that, this is the best OEM system. Many OEM systems have been using this exact type of system and feature set since 2016. So if any aftermarket claims OEM quality but does NOT do two-way radar detection, they are lying to you. Even Rydeen's own BSS2, BSS1, BSS2LPB and BSS1LPB systems don't really reach new car OE quality. Installation: Initially I went to a local installer who almost refused to install this system. Installation took over 2 hours and 3 brain cells which unfortunately was the limit of this local company. Since I was the "best" in this field, I knew the only way to get what I wanted and install it in less than 12 labor hours for $100 an hour was to do it myself. The instructions that came with it are mostly rubbish. They lack clarity and specificity. They have real pictures of parts and some superstructures, but no usable pictures or illustrations of elderly people set up in a real car at their final resting place. It was intimidating at first so I checked out our Subaru with a very similar system and checked out a few youtube installs of much lower models. There is a detailed build of the "Goshers" system that you can use for inspiration as well. In total it took me about 6 hours. I don't know much about supercars but I did some research and already installed cameras and head units. Actual installation: 1. Remove the rear bumper cover, it's not so scary and easier than you think. There were exactly 12 screws and the same number of clips.2. Next you need to find a place on the body to mount the sensors, they say vertically between the tail and fog lights, except many cars don't have rear fog lights. I placed them between the rear sensor and the parking sensors so the radar sensor has a clear shot in most directions. I also made sure the "view" isn't obstructed by the inboard bumper/roll bar. Just make sure nothing is in the way. Rivets are included for assembly, which I always find uncomfortable. I ended up using the 3M VHB Tap to choose my location and get the right angles. Once it felt good, I tightened it with self-tapping screws.4. You need to get a relatively short leash in the trunk. I ended up drilling a hole on each side and installing a tight fitting bushing. I also added wire protection for the segment exposed to the elements. Reset the bumper! 5. Next you need to do the wiring. I tapped left, right and right rear of the trunk area and found an open ground stud. That means the only wire I needed was the 12 volt wire I ran from the fuse. If you're lucky you'll have a fuse box in your trunk and you'll have everything you need right there. There are quite a few extra wires in there, some of which can't be cut, so I decided to make the trunk my resting place instead of pulling it forward.6. Place indicators and speakers. The speaker I hid under the front panel was just enough visible for me to toggle the volume switch OFF - LOW - HIGH. Indicators are simple but tricky. Route and manage the left/right wire as you like, but the layout is weird. A lot of the photos show the A-pillar but I think it's too far from the mirror itself. The included LEDs are quite small and can get lost when looking back and forth. For now, I've placed mine in the cabin as close to the transom as possible. More on that later.7. Check it. Walk past people, let them pass, turn on the signal when this happens. Go back to a busy parking lot etc. Final Thoughts: This machine is very unique and technically not bad. If you can handle the setup and the price I'd say it's a great solution. The instructions are poor but the radars themselves appear to be of very high quality. Emergency LEDs leave a lot to be desired. They are said to be 25 cents, which is unacceptable for a premium device. I plan on replacing them with custom wiring for my own larger waterproof tinted LEDs on the inside of the mirrors. Usually OEMs put them there, and I would love the finished, stylish look of a device like this. Rydeen is not very consumer oriented. So if something breaks or needs to be replaced, I feel like I'm out of luck. It sucks. Updating Custom Indicators: This turned out to be more difficult than initially. I first tried to 3D print custom baseball caps, but it's difficult to find a material that diffuses the light well. The LED inside is very small and draws very little current (5V, probably no more than 50mA in my opinion) so it can't be easily swapped out or give enough light for anything other than the lights being on. The build also proved cheap, as the soldering of the microscopic wires is weak, so you'll likely have to re-solder the connections even after simply swapping out the black or silver caps. He tears himself free immediately, in one case he takes the platform with him. My final attempt will be to use a relay and dedicated LED. I'm still trying to find a suitable product for this, but have since reverted it to a full stock look, which looks bad again.