Headlight Warning Tone

[Wigeon Incognito]

Right, daft question of the day time.

Do 944s have a headlight on warning tone that sounds when you open the door?

I realised today that I've never had a car that does, and if it seems odd on any of them it is the 944.

Thanks!

 

[appletonn]

Well mine doesn't.... either that or it isn't working?![]

 

[Guest]

The 2 big lumps on the front of the bonnet that stick up are a bit of a clue if you have left your lights on!

 

[Wigeon Incognito]

Thanks for that, as said I don't think it would be particularly useful but I didn't want to have anything not working.

I used to have a Midas Gold that I fitted a headlight warning tone to, and bought one that said 'multi-tone' on the packaging expecting it to be a series of beeps as in many cars.

But oh no, when I fitted it it played my least favourite tune of all time - 'It's a Small World'!!!!

Plus, it would come on if the passenger door was opened so if I was dropping anybody off at night I had to make sure I flicked the lights off as they got out of the car! That caused a few embarrassing moments before I ripped it out, you can imagine how well it would go down at the end of a first date!

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: Wigeon Incognito

- 'It's a Small World'!!!!

........ you can imagine how well it would go down at the end of a first date!

Depending on the success of the date she might already know how much of a small world it already is

 

[appletonn]

ORIGINAL: Wigeon Incognito


I used to have a Midas Gold that I fitted a headlight warning tone to, and bought one that said 'multi-tone' on the packaging expecting it to be a series of beeps as in many cars.

But oh no, when I fitted it it played my least favourite tune of all time - 'It's a Small World'!!!!

Plus, it would come on if the passenger door was opened so if I was dropping anybody off at night I had to make sure I flicked the lights off as they got out of the car! That caused a few embarrassing moments before I ripped it out, you can imagine how well it would go down at the end of a first date!

LOL - I had a great image for a moment[]

Very classy[]

 

[zcacogp]

Just thinking about it ... if you were to wire a sounder (buzzer) between the headlights-on wire and the ignition-on wire, with a diode pointing in the correct direction, it would sound if you had the headlights on and the ignition off ... which would do the trick surely?

(It's something I have been thinking about as I find its very easy to leave the headlights on in my S2. Something to do with the fact that the headlight switch is not readily visible from the drivers' seat, and the warning light on the dashboard is very small.)


Oli.

 

[Riverside]

If you leave the headlights on & switch off the ignition only the sidelights stay on anyway. As already mentioned, the lap pods are a bit of a giveaway too []

Also with the lights & ignition off (keys out) if you put the indicators on the front & rear lights on that side only come on. I've done this by accident (or rather my son has, he likes to play at driving in the car) a few times & only noticed when it gets dark.

 

[924nutter]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

Just thinking about it ... if you were to wire a sounder..............

Yes think about it a bit more Oli. I don't mean to ridicule, but where on earth is the earth return to provide the potental difference? With a diode in circuit, with the ignition on, either the ignition feed or the light feed will be a dead short, or the buzzer will permanently sound with the lights on; without the earth there will be no voltage across the sounder surely?

A normally closed relay fed from the side-light circuit, feeding the sounder, would give a permanent signal if the lights are on, but by enabling it via the ignition supply the relay will drop out silencing the sounder all the time the lights are on. Lights off, no supply, ignition off, relay closes but the supply has been interrupted.

If you need, and absolutely must have a sounder that is. I know this my be contentious, but I reckon people who need this sort of device are incompetent by defintion and should not be left in charge of a hot sewing machine, in my humble opinion.
In answer to the next question, yes once. Since then I turn the engine on before anything else, and swtich everything off before killing the engine.

You watch I bet I leave my lights on tomorrow.

 

[Diver944]

Maplins used to sell a little kit for this but I can't seem to find it anymore [&:]

A quick google brings up this:

http://www.gbnetwork.co.uk/circuits/carlights/car_light_reminder.html

and ebay has numerous offerings

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/__lights%20on%20buzzer_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_dmdZ2QQ_frdlpwlZ1QQ_scZ1QQ_sopZ1QQ_vcZ1?keyword=lights+on+buzzer&tt_encode=raw&crlp=979427431_225916

 

[zcacogp]

924Nutter,

I am assuming that the ignition-live wire goes to earth when the ignition is off.

Therefore, the following logic will apply.

Headlights Ignition Buzzer
Off Off Off (no PD)
Off On Off (PD, but blocked by the diode)
On Off On (PD across +12 of headlights and 0v of ignition wire)
On On Off (no PD)

By my understanding, this should work, making the buzzer sound when the lights are on and the ignition is off (i.e. you have turned the engine off but not the lights) ... but I am probably wrong somewhere.

I understand your sentiment about people not being so stupid as to leave lights on, but it happens to me occasionally (and I think I am capable of handling a hot sewing machine, thanks!) I do however tend to use sidelights more than most, and sometimes in what some people would think of as quite 'bright' conditions, so I do quite often miss the warning light on the binnacle.

(Alternatively, I may just be inept.* )


Oli.

* - OK, no need for you to all agree!

 

[924nutter]

Ermm just checking the wiring diagram

 

[zcacogp]

Let me know what you find .... having your sharp mind confirming the thoughts of my blunt one would be good! []


Oli.

 

[Black_JPN]

ORIGINAL: Riverside

Also with the lights & ignition off (keys out) if you put the indicators on the front & rear lights on that side only come on. I've done this by accident (or rather my son has, he likes to play at driving in the car) a few times & only noticed when it gets dark.

Parking lights, common on most German cars I think.

 

[zcacogp]

Mandatory .... and useful.

(Park on the side of the road in the dark, and you can leave the lights on the relevant side of the car on, front and rear, with minimal current drain on the battery.)


Oli.

 

[Wigeon Incognito]

Even more useful if you change the front sidelight and rear bulbs to LEDs as I'm doing (rears done, still battling with the seized screws on the front) so that the current drain is minimal.

Of course the nice bright, white front sidelights will look nice too.

Tip: I later discovered that if you're buying LED bulbs, you buy them for the colour of light you want them to emit i.e. red rear light = red LED regardless of the colour of the cover.

Apparently (according to Aceparts) this is because modern LEDs aren't filtered, they just produce red light. This makes sense as modern red LEDs still appear clear, rather than having a red plastic cover like old ones.

If you buy a white one to go behind a red filter/cover, then you're filtering the output and therefore brightness of the light to make only the red visible so lose some benefit. A red LED would have none/very little of its output filtered therefore you get maximum gain.