Horn/alarm sounds?
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Gaithersburg, MD
2002 C240 6-spd (ret)
Can't help except for descriptions...
I've got a C240, so I assume the sounds are the same on the C230. The horn is typical American big car (2-note), but loud. (My '99 Passat had a 2-note "European" sound - I liked it). The alarm blew me away the first time I tested it. It's a very loud high-pitched siren sound, not the usual "honk honk". Hope this helps.
Something else interesting. Like several other functions in the car, it seems that the horn pad does not activate the horn directly, but some sort of actuator. There is a very slight delay when you push the horn pad, but you get used to it. I'm talking about less than 1 sec. but it is there. This is also true when turning on headlights. I've got the Xenons, and I've wondered whether they put a delay in so the lights don't "flash" when moving the control from "off", through "auto" to the parking light position. If you move the knob at a normal speed, even in dark conditions, the headlights don't come on when you pass the "auto" position. Also, I've moved the knob from "auto" to full on so that I can turn on the fogs, and the headlights do not turn off when passing quickly through the parking light position. Just FYI...
Something else interesting. Like several other functions in the car, it seems that the horn pad does not activate the horn directly, but some sort of actuator. There is a very slight delay when you push the horn pad, but you get used to it. I'm talking about less than 1 sec. but it is there. This is also true when turning on headlights. I've got the Xenons, and I've wondered whether they put a delay in so the lights don't "flash" when moving the control from "off", through "auto" to the parking light position. If you move the knob at a normal speed, even in dark conditions, the headlights don't come on when you pass the "auto" position. Also, I've moved the knob from "auto" to full on so that I can turn on the fogs, and the headlights do not turn off when passing quickly through the parking light position. Just FYI...
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: SonicMS/SF Krew
'08 BMW e92 335i
i think the reason behind the delay in the xenons activating is from the gas that is emitted. i too have xenons and yes it does lag a bit when i turn them on. as for the horn i'm not sure bout that.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Gaithersburg, MD
2002 C240 6-spd (ret)
It's not simply the delay in the Xenons...
There's definitely a delay built in to the switch as I've described. Turn you headlights to "auto" when it's dark outside, and of course, the Xenons will come on. Then, turn the knob to "manual on", which is two clicks past auto. If you move the knob at a "normal" speed, past the intermediate parking light position, you'll notice that the main headlights don't go off and then back on. They will only switch to parking lights if you leave it at that position for a second or two. I've been wondering if the non-Xenons work this way too -- I'm betting they do. In a car with a normal switch, the headlights would immediately shut off when you moved the switch from auto to parking lights, and they would come back on when you got to the headlight position.
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MarkL...
my non-xenons work the same way (with the delay). I like this, because I can switch through the auto-lamp position to the Parking lights position without the low beams coming on. (I don't use auto-lamps at all... old school from a time when wasteful lamp usage meant more frequent trips to store for new battery)
