Driving home yesterday, for the first time in my life I mused, “how does the car make the tick tick sound when you indicate. Is it clockwork? Is it a synthesiser these days? If it’s mechanical, how does it work? Why do all cars make the same sound? Is there a single mechanism that all cars use? Who owns the patent? Has it really always sounded the same in every car I’ve been in for sixty odd years?”
I’ve not yet googled the answer. Without googling, do you know how it works?
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Aha! Someone else who wonders daft stuff!!
I wondered that a couple of years ago, and googled it so I already know :-)
What I want to know is if the man who invented the road work cone gets any royalties, and whether he owns the company responsible for churning them out. If so he must be rich!! (I have a modest interest as my dad always said he had the idea first!)
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I know it's synthesised through the audio system on my Volvo.
All sound failed on a long drive home when the radio threw a wobbly when I cancelled a traffic alert. It took me some time to realise that not only had the radio failed, but I was getting no warning sounds either.
Apparently a known if not common problem on various Volvos. Left to quiesce overnight, and rebooted the following morning all was OK (and it hasn't re-occurred).
It was most inconvenient. Without the ICE I had to talk to listen to SWMBO.
(Incidentally, the synchronised indicator sound on my car is not "rhythmical", every now and again it misses a beat - deliberately to stop the sound disappearing into background thought).
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Indicator Sound? dont think its fitted on my BMW, never heard it.
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Apparently indicators are on the options list of many BMW models.
However. the faster BMW models you would need to source 3rd party flasher units.
They were dropped from the options due to lack of demand.
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Pretty sure that in my early cars, Minis, it was the relay against the sounding board of the underbonnet metalwork.
These days it's synthesised. The Berlingo's upped it's volume a notch if left on too long.
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In the old days it was a. by-product of the relay clicking, I suspect that it proved so useful that modern cars synthesises it when the relay was made redundant.
Back in the eighties when bikes had non cancelling indicators we could wire in an electronic unit to beep loudly !
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Can’t remember the last car that had a physical “clicker “ relay / flasher unit . Pretty much everything uses synthesiser noises through a speaker in the dash or the driver door speaker. Interestingly, you can’t have the lights on buzzer and the indicator clicker working at the same time. BMW and Audi models need a stronger blinker fluid to make the noise louder. Adding horn fluid often helps .
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I believe that it's synthesised on the Tucson.
There is a separate small speaker in the dash, near the hazard warning button for warnings so if the radio is removed, the warnings still work.
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The XC40 had the annoying habit of muting all sounds on its own. Regular source of complaints on the forums
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>> Back in the eighties when bikes had non cancelling indicators we could wire in an
>> electronic unit to beep loudly !
I believe was banned from production bikes, because if they were stationary at traffic lights with pedestrian control crossing, a blind person could confuse the bike beep with the audible signal to cross.
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>> In the old days it was a. by-product of the relay clicking
SWMBO couldn't hear the one in an old Fiat 850 we had, resulting in her leaving a left indication on when leaving a roundabout and slamming into the side of a car that was turning right out of a junction ahead. Her road had a left-hand curve, hence failing to self cancel the indicator.
I fitted a sounder in the next car we had.
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I believe that, certainly on more luxurious cars, focus groups are held at the design stage to choose the "best" sounding indicator tick-tock sound from several alternatives.
The MGs we sell will override a ticking indicator with a warning bong for open door, unfastened seatbelt etc. The tick-tock also disappears if the screen goes west (a common warranty issue).
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The Toyota Yaris Cross indicator repeater is hardly audible and no option to adjust volume that I have found so far. I have purchase a 12 v piezo sounder, but volume is insufficient if boot mounted, Must get a bigger one. (The story of my life).
Reminds me I must do my 3000 mile review.
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"The Toyota Yaris Cross indicator repeater is hardly audible"
Are you sure its not your hearing? It's one of those things that caused me to get a hearing test.
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>I believe that, certainly on more luxurious cars, focus groups are held at the design
>stage to choose the "best" sounding indicator tick-tock sound from several alternatives.
On BMWs you can change the warning tones for indicators etc. to "Rolls-Royce" via the OBD port.
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I sat in a Phantom when they were new. The seatbelt bong was the same as the one in a 116d!
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I've only owned Golfs since 1992 and I'm pretty sure all of the different marks have used the same sounding indicator.
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>>Golfs...
I enjoyed the GTI that I had as a hand me down from work for a short time in the early 2000s.
Enjoyed the Audi 3.2l carbrio even more.
Recently considered a Polo GTi because it is now only marginally smaller than the 2000's Golf, but I don't need to change my car at the mo.
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>> On BMWs you can change the warning tones for indicators etc. to "Rolls-Royce" via the
>> OBD port.
I have, and the sat nav voice to Rolls Royce. She sounds terribly polite and posh.
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>>Back in the eighties when bikes had non cancelling indicators we could wire in an electronic unit to beep loudly !
I could do with one of those for the MX-5. It's used mostly with the roof open and I don't hear the clicking.
Absurdly, the volume can be adjusted - but only between quiet, and very quiet.
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Indicator sound - smokie
