I've been driving for over 40 years, and never felt the need to be reminded when I'm in reverse gear. So how can I disable the infuriating beep in my new Celica? The dealer tells me it can't be done. I don't believe them!
What model year Celica? Does it have an automatic or a manual transmission/ What country are you in? Where is the beep coming from?
The beep is not to remind you that you are backing up, but, rather, to warn others, like pedestrians, that you are backing up. And the pedestrians may be in a location where you can't see them, so it helpful, even with the best of drivers.
Jeff
It's a 2006 vvt-i 1.8 litre standard UK model. The beep comes from somewhere behind the dash ... and no, I'm not going to rip the dash out to try and locate it!
I don't believe so - the beep is not audible outside the car - it's only designed to irritate the hell out of occupants.
I stand corrected. In the US, most vehicles (mostly trucks) that beep do so outside the vehicle.
However, it is not designed to irritate you, but to warn you.
I do not know if the beeper is something that is required in the U.K. or not, so rather than telling you how to disable it, I'll provide some hints on how to check its function.
The term "standard" is not used very much in the U.S. any more because the standard transmission on many cars sole here is now an automatic, but I'll assume that your car has a manually shifted transmission.
I asked about the transmission type because it is easier to trace wiring for a manual transmission than an automatic transmission. You can take a look up underneath the dash to see if the beeper is readily visible, but I was not going to suggest disassembling the dashboard, because doing so often results in squeaks and rattles.
There is a switch, either on the shifter, or on the transmission itself, that controls the backup lights. The backup light switch may also control the beeper, or there may be separate switch that can be disconnected or bypassed. There should be a switch somewhere near the shifter mechanism on the transmission. If you unplug the switch and the backup lights and beeper both stop working, then the switch controls both functions. If unplugging the switch only disables the lights or beeper but not both, then there are separate switches for the backup lights and beeper. Another possibility is that there are 2 switches near the shifter, 1 for the lights and 1 for the beeper.
Another place to look for the backup and/or beeper switch is underneath the dust boot for the shift lever.
Yes, I should've explained that in the UK a Celica is a 2+2 sports coupe. Now, I can understand a warning beep for a senior citizen's car ... but I'm still the right side of 60, just ... and also on pickups and vans. But a sports coupe? What planet are Toyota on? No other 'family' vehicle in the UK I'm aware of has this 'feature', and it's one I'd happily do without. If only I could. Apart from that I like the car.
And in a few years, when you're 61, will you be on the wrong side of 60? ;-)
Being a sports coupe, there probably are a lot of teens who drive it. They are also likely to put the gear into reverse and go backwards instead of forwards.
Jeff
No, it's definitely not a legal requirement in the UK - in fact this is the only model I know of that has it. Of course, the reversing light is mandatory, so I can't disable that. I'll look underneath the gearshift boot, but I was hoping it might be a case of pulling a unit from the fusebox or wherever. Toyota dealer was a waste of time - also told me that the creaking sunroof was a feature of this model!
Interesting...we don't have that in the US. But, I'm sure you'll agree, visibility out of the rear of that car is negligible! It may be some local or country-wide ordinance that cars like these be fitted with the alarm.
And you said New. New New or New to You? They are no longer selling Celicas in the US, but I believe they are still being made in Japan. So, since you guys have RHD, you get some cars we don't get (like the Nissan Skyline...GRRRRRRRRR...)
Toyota build their vehicles to match the intelligence level of their average buyers, not their smarter buyers. The enunciator is likely a plug in, remove it WBMA ;)
mike
I thought you believed most teens were smart? ;)
mike
They are. They are also impulsive and often display poor judgement (like the person who threatened me and then assaulted me while I was writing the incident up). They show poor judgement in cars, which is why they have a higher crash rate than more mature drivers, particularly when there are other teens in the car.
If they are in a strange car, they might not be use to the particular transmission (in Europe, manual (aka standard) transmissions are common), and accidently put the car in reverse.
Being smart doesn't mean having good judgement.
Of course, that applies to people who are more mature (at leats physically).
Jeff
Sounds like it accomplished its mission ;-)
What the hell is the right side of 60..... ;-)
Then I agree with your idea of using some kind of lockout mechanism as a simple solution!
Irritating as it might be, it has a small significant use. You obviously have the 6-speed manual transmission. As you have noticed, reverse is very near 1st gear...poor placement if you ask me. Although it takes more force to get into reverse, there is a segment of people that confuse the two. They added the reverse beeping to discern reverse from 1st gear. Toyota didn't want their clients backing up on the car behind them on a red light that just turned green. It's an anathema for good drivers like you and me but Toyota found it necessary to make the car more "idiot proof."
All this brio could have been prevented by making the reverse like Volkwagens' where they have to press down towards the shifter to make it go into reverse.
Ray. This beeping seems to be only on the 6-speed manual models (Celica GTS, Matrix XRS, Corolla XRS, and the MR2 with SMT). Due to the placement of reverse being dangerously close to 1st gear, they added it as an auditory warning if people accidently shift into reverse rather than first. The 6-speed Supra has a different shift pattern so no warning beepers were necessary.
Yes, I can almost follow the logic. I do have the 6-speed manual box - and I LOVE the 6th gear. But still one point eludes me. Probably most manual shift cars have 5 gears arranged thus:-
R 1 3 5 2 4
So, the addition of gear 6 below 5 makes absolutely no difference to the spacing in the top row. As others have said, if they're concerned about accidentally selecting R instead of 1, they only needed to put a lift or a press gate in to protect it. The beep is a very feeble compromise.
And my reason for making an issue of it? My garage is at the end of a 50 yard twisting drive with no option to turn around - I either have to reverse in or out. The excess noise is actually a distraction (try reading a book whilst listening to heavy metal music). I've now scraped one corner of the bumper :(
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