I need a buzz

Do the newer Subarus sound a buzzer when an anomaly is indicated on the instrument panel? I always wished that feature because I often drive without frequent glance at the instruments. I just haven't developed that habit. An extinguishable buzzer would be a tremendous help for drivers like me.

Reply to
Cameo
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Buy a VW? (UGH!)

Reply to
Hachiroku

What? VW has that feature? When I posted the same question in another ng, one of the regulars lambasted me for not being able to keep looking at the instrument panel every few seconds. Well, anomalies also show up on airplane instruments, yet they also have buzzers to get the pilot's attention. True, planes usually have lot more instruments than a car but then the driver usually navigates in heavier traffic than a pilot.

Reply to
Cameo

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I've thought the same thing at times. Those little, dull indicator lights are hard to see at times. I live in a rural area so traffic is light. It's easy to take a quick glance at the dash. It must be tougher in bumper to bumper traffic. Irrigation engines have automatic shut offs if something goes wrong but one wouldn't want one on a car.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

Glad to see someone agreeing with me on this. The issue has been gaining attention on more expensive vehicles, especially military ones where they can now project instruments on the windshield itself for pilots. That way they don't have to look away to check their instruments. I wouldn't be surprised to see this technology showing up in high-end cars in a few years. But sounding a buzzer is still a good idea in my opinion and it would probably not add much to the cost of a car.

Definitely not in a moving car. ;-)

Reply to
Cameo

I've always felt cars should have had an auditory signal for low oil pressure at least. And sounding an alarm for FLASHING CEL or perhaps for low tire pressure (TPMS equipped vehicles) and for high coolant temp would be good too.

Reply to
1 Lucky Texan

Interesting idea. The question is really what constitutes an anomaly serious enough to be buzzed. The most serious (and some oddly trivial) ones cause the ECU to turn on the check engine light (CEL), and this is usually bright enough to (hopefully) attract the driver's attention.

It would be simple enough to use the CEL signal to trigger a buzzer with a reset button.

You could check the after-market for OBD2/CANbus devices that might provide the additional functionality you want.

But surely you check must your speed and gas level sometimes. Would it not just be easier to get into the habit of looking at the other instruments (coolant temp, oil pressure if fitted, CEL) as well?

SD

Reply to
Stewart DIBBS

You're right. An idiot-light popping up suddenly on the instrument panel would likely accomplish that. Gauges are a bigger problem because they don't grab your attention as readily as a sudden light. I still think that an additional audible alarm would be even more useful.

You might be right about that, too. I think though that the car's computer should provide the signal for such a buzzer and I don't think it would be a significant cost item if it was included in the design right from the getgo. I suspect there are some car models out there already(Mercedes, BMW or Volvo?) that do have that feature. I just don't know for sure.

Of course it would, and I try to do it all the time. Still, I often catch myself skipping it for extended period of time in heavy traffic or when my mind is on something else. Let's face it: there is not much incentive to keep looking down to the dashboard when your tank is full, the engine purrs normally and you flow with the traffic. That's when your mind tends to wonder and drive almost subconsciously.

Reply to
Cameo

The alarm exists yet. In my impreza '06 an alarm-like beep sounds when you don't put yourself the security belt AND start running. There is only needed a conection between the panel lights (red motor) and the buzzer.

Reply to
gamo

You're right. But the buzzer I am talking about would be one you could turn off manually as a form of acknowledgement.

Reply to
Cameo

I changed the oil one morning in my nearly new 1985 Jetta because we were going from New Britain CT to Boston and back again that day. After the return trip we were getting off the highway and the OIL light came on, with a buzzer.

I pulled over and the crankcase was full according to the dipstrick. VW couldn't figure out why the oil pressure dropped. .

Reply to
Hachiroku

Well, I still would rather have it come up with a buzzer even when it's wrong than without when it is right. Just as long you can manually shut that buzzer. Could you?

Reply to
Cameo

When the light went out the buzzer went off. I have to admit, it was nice having the buzzer as well.

If you're feeling ambitious you could wire a buzzer into the wiring harness that would buzz when a light lit on the dash. You could use diodes for each light and just use one buzzer.

Reply to
Hachiroku

My Audi A4 and Honda Odyssey both have an audible warning when a dash fault light comes on. It's basically a 2-second or so chime and it comes on every time you start the car with the fault still present. The Audi is especially useful, as a light will come on for anything from the CEL to a light bulb being out.

Dan D '99 Impreza 2.5RS (son's) Central NJ USA

Reply to
Dano58

So my question wasn't that unreasonable after all. If Honda does it for the Odyssey, why not for the other models? Or maybe they already do for recent ones, I don't know. I'm not so surprised about Audi because German carmakers tend to think of things like that. I'd almost bet that BMW and Mercedes also has that feature.

Central NJ? Way back I used to live there too, not far from Montclair State.

Reply to
Cameo

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