Reverse beep modifications

[Godiva]

PDF document on how to turn off the reverse beep and how to install a backup warning buzzer to warn pedestrians.

Cost: Less than $10 with parts from Radio Shack.
Time: Less than an hour.
Difficulty: Very easy.

[mandoprius]

Imust be doing something wrong - I've been searching all over the Forum and can't find it. How do I ge the PDF?

[Charles Suitt]

Maybe he's SELLING the PDF and you buy the parts at Radio Shack.

[Whiplasherman]

Found the PDF in the old forums.

I'm reuploading the attachment here, because it's just so DAMN GOOD!

Thanks Godiva!

[efusco]

Thanks for reposting that article. Somehow I'd forgotten about it. A long while back I was considering installing a back-up alarm, but just never did. At that time I found several interesting alarms at JC Whittney. Some of them talk, some play songs, some have a light that flashes along with the alarm...one even sounds like a train!! I think that would be fun on my Prius!

Thought I'd share that link here...I'm sure there are a bunch of others out there too...

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Search?...&searchbtn.y=12

[DanMan32]

What we need is one that sounds like a car revving, since ours backs up electrically.

[efusco]

Originally posted by DanMan32@Oct 28 2005, 09:28 AM
What we need is one that sounds like a car revving, since ours backs up electrically.

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Nah, no fun in that...it's the irony that's a blast!

Actually, I chickened out on the train alert and got the talking one "Announcement, this car is backing up". I know, kinda geeky and boring, but it's what suited me.

BTW, I ended up buying that from Amazon.com where it was much cheaper and I got free shipping with a couple other things I needed. Found a few back-up alarms on Ebay but not as many as you might expect and not for as cheap as you might hope.

[efusco]

Just installed my back-up warning device. I went with the "Attention Please, This Car is Backing Up" buzzer. Got it on Amazon for about $12 I think it was.

I didn't really relish having the alarm inside the car thinking it would both be louder inside than out and more annoying to me and less helpful to those outside.

What I did was found round holes just underneath the car the driver's side storage compartment next to the main hidden cargo area--the triangularish shaped area. Look in there. There are 2 rubber 'stoppers' in the metal of the bottom of the car that you see once you take the black plastic 'box' out. One is about 1/2" diameter. Note where that is b/c when you crawl under the car you're going to pull it out to run your wires through there. While you're in the hatch go ahead and pull the cover off the area by the tail light and get all your stuff ready as in the main PDF instructions.

Now, crawl under the car just beneath the tail light and small cargo area....

So, on the bottom of the car is a plastic 'cover' There's one spot that has 2 round holes about 1/4" diameter about 1" apart and those are just behind a 3"x2" rectangular opening that's just big enough to get your hand into.

Reach in there and feel for that 1/2" rubber plug you saw from above. Grap it with your fingers and just pull down--comes out pretty easily.

Crawl back out......
Get an extra piece of wire about 2' long. Thread it through the hole where the plug was (from above). Once you have a good 1' or so through secure the wire from the top side so it doesn't fall through--or have an assistant hold it.

*Note:You'll need the wires for your beeper to be about 2' long to have enough slack to get the storage box in and get the wires to the tail-light area...add extensions now if needed. Also, be sure the beeper you choose is weather resistant and has a means to secure it to the undercarriage.

Crawl back under the car.....
Reach back through the rectangular hole and find your wire you just put in through the top. Grab in and thread it through one of the 2 small round holes just behind the rectangular opening.

Now, wrap the wires for your beeper around the wire coming through from the top.

Crawl back out or have your assistant gently pull the beeper wires through the hole in the body to the inside of the car and secure them so they don't fall back through.

At this point you can either connect the beeper to the tail light wires first or secure the beeper under the car while you're there then connect the beeper wires. I used the second smaller round hole as my connector point for the 5/16" bolt that came with my beeper. The hole was a little large but it worked OK...I don't think the beeper will go anywhere.

Now I can barely hear the alert going off but it's quite noticable from outside the vehicle. And I won't be so paranoid about squishing a kid in the Wal-mart parking lot who didn't hear the car b/c I was in EV mode while I backed out of a spot flanked by a pair of H2s!

[BrianTheDog]

I've been thinking of getting a back-up buzzer. To those of you who've installed one (talking, beeping, or buzzing), can you describe how loud they are? I don't want something that is obnoxious, since I'm backing out of customers' driveways.

Also, the PDF says to disable the reverse beep first. Is this necessary to install an exterior one? I actually like the interior reverse beep as a safety feature. (I realize that an exterior version may be loud enough for me to hear inside the car, but just in case I can't....)

BTW, my co-workers are (jokingly) complaining that my car is too quiet. One suggested that I install something that would make it sound like the engine is running. Yeah, right.

[JackDodge]

Perhaps you could get one of those airhorns that the railroads put on their locomotives. Maybe your coworkers could hear you coming then eh Brian?