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It is a big deal when your street sounds like a parking lot. One toot might not matter to you but when you hear it all day long it is enough to drive someone crazy.
And again this is what happens when tech trickles down from luxury cars to everybody's cars.
My 1995 Lincoln Town Car will give a quick honk sound when you lock with the remote. My 2000 Toyota Tundra SR5 would beep when you would lock with the remote. Not sure about my old 1991 Chevy Caprice Classic, because the remote didnt work on it. Those are the only cars I have ever been fortunate enough to own with remote entry/locking.
I wish there were no dingers, honks or any other of the annoying junk they put into vehicles today. Auto on headlights should be banned too. If someone is too stupid to turn their headlights on when needed, they shouldn't be on the road. Plus half the time idiots leave them on bright, and now the government says they don't know why nearsightness has rappidly increased the last 10 years. DUH, maybe getting blinded by headlights day and night?
My VW Jetta honks when I lock it, and I can't change it.
I recently bought a 2012 VW Jetta Diesel TDI, which honks when I lock it -- and it's a louder beep than I have heard on other cars (not that I like hearing even little beeps). The dealer says that for about $50 (in labor time) they are willing to reprogram the computer so that this will stop. Even so, I'm angry to think that more and more cars are out there beeping. Does anyone know whether there is a government agency that listens to this concern, or is there an advocacy group that is trying to fight this? Furthermore, it seems wrong to have to pay a VW dealer to remove this feature. I would write the CEO to complain, but someone at VW headquarters told me over the phone today that dealers are "advised" not to take this feature out, and I don't want them to get into trouble. Thoughts on this from anyone would also be appreciated.
I recently bought a 2012 VW Jetta Diesel TDI, which honks when I lock it -- and it's a louder beep than I have heard on other cars (not that I like hearing even little beeps). The dealer says that for about $50 (in labor time) they are willing to reprogram the computer so that this will stop. Even so, I'm angry to think that more and more cars are out there beeping. Does anyone know whether there is a government agency that listens to this concern, or is there an advocacy group that is trying to fight this? Furthermore, it seems wrong to have to pay a VW dealer to remove this feature. I would write the CEO to complain, but someone at VW headquarters told me over the phone today that dealers are "advised" not to take this feature out, and I don't want them to get into trouble. Thoughts on this from anyone would also be appreciated.
If you did a simple google search for "2012 VW Jetta disable honk" you'd know that anyone can do this without paying a dealer. Chances are that it's in your manual as well.
I personally prefer the honk for a number of reasons. My car also locks on the first push without a honk and then honks on the second which I do to make sure that my car actually locked. I don't like relying on the first push because if my remote battery is going weak there is a chance my car would be sitting unlocked. The second reason is that it's easier to locate in massive parkling lots.
to answer the OP from 3.5 years ago, we just got a Sonata that honks but you can change it in the settings for "horn feedback". I'm sure someone has already said this but the purpose is to give you an alert that your button press was accepted. If not the honk, it makes a dull sound from the doors locking and that's it. Other manufacturers use the alarm speaker and obviously it's more pleasant (btw, Toyota/Lexus thievaged BMW's sound). So in my opinion the horn honk, already being in place, was the lazy way of doing it. Strange because the vehicle also has the alarm system with a separate speaker. Anyway, on the Sonata, the 1st press of the lock button just locks it with no sound, the 2nd honks the horn. I personally turned it off day 2 and look for the light blink instead - annoying to have to do that, but better than a honk. In the manual it says the 2nd press is simply for audio feedback and does not arm the alarm further.
Anyway, for those who haven't checked, read your manual to see if it's in the settings of your car somewhere. I had to keep the TRIP button pressed a few seconds to get to the settings. The dealer did not mention this during delivery.
Persoanlly I gave up on after market alrams with their universal wiring and problems long ago.
10 cars, ten different alarms, all with multiple remote controlled features (start/windows/sunroof/etc), no problems that an occasional reset won't solve. A good alarm installed properly should not be a problem. But there are too many crap alarms, and far too many crappy installers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wsjop
I recently bought a 2012 VW Jetta Diesel TDI, which honks when I lock it -- and it's a louder beep than I have heard on other cars (not that I like hearing even little beeps). The dealer says that for about $50 (in labor time) they are willing to reprogram the computer so that this will stop. Even so, I'm angry to think that more and more cars are out there beeping. Does anyone know whether there is a government agency that listens to this concern, or is there an advocacy group that is trying to fight this? Furthermore, it seems wrong to have to pay a VW dealer to remove this feature. I would write the CEO to complain, but someone at VW headquarters told me over the phone today that dealers are "advised" not to take this feature out, and I don't want them to get into trouble. Thoughts on this from anyone would also be appreciated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by manderly6
I'm pretty sure I can change the settings on mine to not honk/flash lights without taking it to the dealer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iTsLiKeAnEgG
If you did a simple google search for "2012 VW Jetta disable honk" you'd know that anyone can do this without paying a dealer. Chances are that it's in your manual as well.
I know, right? I understand that some people consider the "audible confirmation" a feature, but why does it have to be so damn loud?
Toyota and Lexus are the only brands that have it right, with an relatively quiet electronic "beep," not the 125 dB honk of a horn that's designed to be LOUD and attention-getting.
Many cars won't honk the horn if you press the button one time. (They only honk if you press the button twice in a row.) That's good. If it's quiet out, I can hear the door locks themselves, so I don't need or want the horn to honk. (And I can always watch for the lights to blink.)
Some other cars honk the horn on the first press of the button. That's bad. (Nissan, GM, Chrysler, I'm looking at you!) Most of the time, there are instructions in the owners manual for turning the horn honk off. I have to do this for many of the cars I rent. I leave it set this way when I return the car, and consider it a public service.
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