Keyless programming - horn no honkie!

Well, the horn honking sounds better in theory than in practice--it's very annoying to me and folks nearby, and as such I turned mine off. You can hear the locks actuate when you engage them close to the vehicle.

However, in the owners manual, if you hit both buttons on the remotes you just bought for a given amount of time, I think that may reenable the horn honking on arming....but that's just a fuzzy recollection.

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

Thanks, Todd. I HATE them too. My wife and I both get a little irritated every time we hear one, which obviously is too often, especially in malls etc. Sorry to be so harsh sounding, but Janet, is there some reason you need to have EVERYONE in earshot hear your horn go off every time you lock your doors? This is just as much noise pollution as having to hear other folks loud music pumping WAY beyond what it takes for THEM to hear it. Here in the USA, at least, our culture has gotten to be so "in your face" with everything we do, there's little respect given to others around us. Car horns were put on the car for one reason, to signal other DRIVERS when a warning or other meaningful communication was necessary for safety of all. Next, they got used to shout to someone you might be picking up somewhere, "HEY, I'M WAITING OUT HERE!" with no regard for all the other people in the neighborhood that had their peace interrupted and felt they should go see if something was wrong outside. One more thought, maybe I'm wrong, but I believe that folks who want to blast their horns every (blasted) time they lock their car tend to have insecurity issues and incorrectly feel that this honking gains them some wanted attention somehow. In my opinion, the attention they receive is not what they really want, nor does it get them the respect they wish they had. It only makes others want to ignore them even more. I personally wish things were moving the other direction, rather than making more noise everywhere we go. Sure, I realize this is quite a bit beyond what you asked for, but I hope you will consider the rationale. So, do I have too much time on my hands or what? :-)

Are you sure it has the keyless system actually installed? M'lady made the dealership remove the system when she bought her Forester, but I'll bet it shows up as "installed" on their database! Do the doors lock/unlock from the remote? Keyless entry is a module that lives (I think) under the dash to the left of the steering column on older Foresters, but it may be beneath the center console between the front seats on newer ones. 5 minutes work with a screwdriver will tell the tale. Is it also equipped with a security system? I think the security system uses a separate horn; don't know if the keyless entry uses the same, but if so possibly it is disconnected, or bad fuse/relay? Some stuff that may prove useful is available on my server; help yourself.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

D H wrote: ...

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I think that the reference to the horn in the original post was that the horn didn't sound as it is supposed to do to indicate progress during the programming procedure. That is quite a different issue from whether one likes to have the horn sound in normal usage.

My 2003 Forester uses a much quieter electronic sound in lieu of sounding the horn. I find it quite bearable.

I could care less if it honks when I use it, but I'm trying to PROGRAM the remote. It's supposed to honk to indicate that the car is in programming mode. I follow the directions in the manual and can't get the car in this mode so I can get my remote working. If I can get the damn thing programmed, I'll gladly turn off the honk.

My 2003 Forester requires me to sit in the driver's seat while programming. Does yours have a similar requirement? If so, it might be worth investigating whatever sensor and wiring there might be that determines that the seat is occupied.

The original post wasn't terribly clear on that--my apologies. :-)

-- Todd H.

Mine too. Thanks for telling us. Sorry! I wish you the best getting it to work.

That sounds like a nice improvement over the older models. I have an 'old' '02 ForesterS and it honks the regular horn. I've found that if I lock the doors prior to closing the driver's door, it gives a much shorter, barely noticeable beep.

Unlocking is the usual noise. That noise however, can be used to get rid of intruders hanging around your car. When they hear the beeps they know you are somewhere near, even if they can't see you, so my wife wants the honking available just for that purpose.

When they outlaw use of cell phones in moving vehicles, I'll do my part and stop the honking alarm.

BoB For the duration of Swen, my address is inoperative.