Yet another query, in previous cars when we have had the towbar fitted you hear a noise when the indicators come on to let you know that they are working. With the new car we no longer hear this noise, is this normal in new vehicles, its a 2010 Santa Fe that we have purchased
Presumably you mean you hear (or rather don't hear) the sound while towing. It's a legal requirement to have an audible or visible "announcement" that the towing indicators are working, so if you don't hear the beep or see a light (extra to the car's regular green indicator light), then you've a problem. Are you sure the indicators on your caravan are working?
------------- * You never know where you're going 'til you get there...
We have a santa fe 2010 model and it has an audible warning for the indicators but it could be down to who fits the tow bar wether it is an audible or visible warning.
Put the indicators on and look for a flashing light some where around the dashboard and not just in the main view.
Try down on the right where the fog light switches etc are.
But CandP, as Viggo stated, it is still a legal requirement to have an audible or visual "announcement" when the indicators are in use.
Surely with most (if not all) modern cars going the Canbus route the people who design these systems would want to stay within the realms of the law, even if people/companies fit bypass systems instead?
"UK law allows an audible to be accepted. Secondly, this visual tell-tale is to be fitted UNLESS the vehicle is able to monitor the trailer indicators using it's own direction indicator tell-tales. The final, most important requirement is that the tell-tale system MUST monitor failure of all or any of the indicators on the combination. This means the driver has to be informed of any failure of both the car and trailer indicators! The standard rear buzzer installation will NOT do this."
Dedicated systems will monitor the towing electrics.
Hi all , I have the standard rear buzzer fitted on my car, if the 12n socket is not properly pluged in, or a bulb blows then there is no buzzer sound, and the indicators will flash that little bit quicker than normal, telling me there is a problem with the circuit
Hi ebonleigh, you could spray your 12n socket and plug with some WD40 or eletrical contact cleaner, could be dirty conection on them. Find out from your dealer or towbar fitter what system on your car,and what was fitted. If he ommited to fit the warning system, he is brakeing the law,get him to put it right, at no extra cost to you, as this should have been done when fitted and in the oridginal quote. keep us posted.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Take a bulb out of the caravan and see if anything out of the ordinary happens. If there is not a tell tale to say the caravan indicators are working then there should at least be one to say that they are not. If that is the case then everything appearing normal is the tell tale that they are working.
Of course it doesn't tell you if the plug has been left out.
My Galaxy is the same. There is no warning to tell you if the indicators are working, if a bulb fails however, the normal bulb failure system will warn you. This is now usually the norm with dedicated wiring systems on bussed electrical systems.
I have the santa fe 2010 and have no audible or visible notification when towing. I have been assured by the dealer who fitted the towbar / electrics that the car will tell me if a bulb or something is not working. We always check the lights before each journey too!
jeamesA114, maybe when you're checking your lights net time try removing a single lamp from your caravan/trailer and see what it does? I know I would try that so I know what the warning would be!
I'll try it later with my old direct-wired setup and see what happens as I'm curious/potentially confused now about the beeper situation. You learn something new every day!
As other's have said the can bus wiring now make's it so no noise/visual is made unless there is a failure, stop's people waking up i guess when travelling at night lol.
Good point leg's, myself , i usually everynow and again when no one is behind me will flick my sidelight's on and have a quick check to see if the front marker light's are illuminated thus proving to me the electric's are plugged in and then i just let the car monitor for the rest of the journey,obviously check the light's myself before we leave, also on the Ford dedicated kit's you get a error message and the indicator's flash as if a indicator had blown on the car i.e very fast, i assume all can bus systems possibly do this.
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Topic: Indicator Sound When Towing
