Best and Worst Warning Chime

[Soup DeVille]

When you get out of the water you need to dry off right away to avoid catching a cold.

A towe is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a brush, but very very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc, etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

[Rupert]

[2o6]

I live Nissan's Mid 90's "twinkle" in it's cars.

Skip to around 1:30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNG8vXGNMKY

[giant_mtb]

One thing I like about the Prelude is it as two very distinctive chimes, one for the keys and one for the lights. Of course, I more frequently forget to turn the headlights on than I do forget to turn them off (gauges are always lit, so if I start in a well lit parking lot I don't notice that they aren't on).

That's one thing I don't like about DTRLs.  People constantly are driving around with just their DTRLs on because not only are the gauges lit, but - on a lot of cars I've seen, anyway - the main headlights are (dimly) lit.  LOOK I HAZ HEADLIGHTS ON. 

...then I flash them.

(not saying that's you, though...just made me think of it)

[TBR]

That's one thing I don't like about DTRLs.  People constantly are driving around with just their DTRLs on because not only are the gauges lit, but - on a lot of cars I've seen, anyway - the main headlights are (dimly) lit.  LOOK I HAZ HEADLIGHTS ON. 

...then I flash them.

(not saying that's you, though...just made me think of it)

I have gotten to where I turn the lights on before I am even in the seat so that I don't forget. I don't have DRLs though so if I am not in a well lit parking lot or on a well lit road I notice pretty quickly.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

They do?  How do you check oil level??

BMW wants you to bring the car in. Then they will drain the oil pan and let you know how much oil is in the car. Can you say cha-ching? 

[Speed_Racer]

BMW wants you to bring the car in. Then they will drain the oil pan and let you know how much oil is in the car. Can you say cha-ching? 

And I think it has an electronic dipstick, accessible through the car's computer.

[Raza]

That's one thing I don't like about DTRLs.  People constantly are driving around with just their DTRLs on because not only are the gauges lit, but - on a lot of cars I've seen, anyway - the main headlights are (dimly) lit.  LOOK I HAZ HEADLIGHTS ON. 

...then I flash them.

(not saying that's you, though...just made me think of it)

I have DRLs, but my gauges aren't lit until I turn them on fully.

[Rupert]

I think that's typical. It is of the DRL cars I've driven.

[93JC]

Many newer Hondas and Toyotas have gauge lights on all the time.

[Laconian]

Many newer Hondas and Toyotas have gauge lights on all the time.

The Accord's gauges get DIMMER when you turn on the lights!

[Rupert]

I think the thinking is that it's better to have a smaller difference in brightness between the dark outside and the gauges so it's easier on the eyes. Also, bright gauges can be distracting. They're brighter in the day because they wouldn't show up at all if they were dimmer.

I still think that's silly, though. I always turn my dash lights up all the way. Not that either of my cars have bright dash lights...

[TBR]

The Accord's gauges get DIMMER when you turn on the lights!

As do mine (though you can over-ride it). The glare off the windshield is very distracting when they are on full brightness.

[Raza]

I think the thinking is that it's better to have a smaller difference in brightness between the dark outside and the gauges so it's easier on the eyes. Also, bright gauges can be distracting. They're brighter in the day because they wouldn't show up at all if they were dimmer.

I still think that's silly, though. I always turn my dash lights up all the way. Not that either of my cars have bright dash lights...

I'm so glad my Passat and Jetta have dimmers.  I had almost forgotten what nightvision was like after two years in my Mercedes.

[Soup DeVille]

Many newer Hondas and Toyotas have gauge lights on all the time.

Many newer cars also have those electroluminescent gauges that are completely black when the car is off, so there's no way for them to be unlit.

[Soup DeVille]

I think the thinking is that it's better to have a smaller difference in brightness between the dark outside and the gauges so it's easier on the eyes. Also, bright gauges can be distracting. They're brighter in the day because they wouldn't show up at all if they were dimmer.

I still think that's silly, though. I always turn my dash lights up all the way. Not that either of my cars have bright dash lights...

If the gauges are lit red or orange, its not too bad. Green isn't bad either, but I do like to have those dimmer. Any car with blue dash lights is almost annoying enough to me to be a deal breaker. Those are always dimmed as far as I can tolerate.

[Soup DeVille]

I'm so glad my Passat and Jetta have dimmers.  I had almost forgotten what nightvision was like after two years in my Mercedes.

You couldn't dim the dash lights in your mercedes?

[Raza]

You couldn't dim the dash lights in your mercedes?

Not to my knowledge.  Can't do it in my mom's S either.  Unless there's some way deep in the menus, I can't recall any way to dim the lights.  I remember Car and Driver complaining that the W220 S class's lights were too bright and affected nightvision. 

I really want to drive a Saab with Night Panel at night.  I think it would be cool.

[Soup DeVille]

Not to my knowledge.  Can't do it in my mom's S either.  Unless there's some way deep in the menus, I can't recall any way to dim the lights.  I remember Car and Driver complaining that the W220 S class's lights were too bright and affected nightvision. 

I really want to drive a Saab with Night Panel at night.  I think it would be cool.

a: That's utterly shocking.

b: what's Night panel?

[2o6]

a: That's utterly shocking.

b: what's Night panel?

Saab's feature that blacks out all lights except those that are essential. (The speedo)

[Soup DeVille]

Saab's feature that blacks out all lights except those that are essential. (The speedo)

I don't think I'd trust the Swedes to know what I considered essential.

That being said, I miss the peterbilt I use to drive that had an individual dimmer knob for every gauge.

[Raza]

a: That's utterly shocking.

b: what's Night panel?

I didn't even know that cars came with dimmer switches until I got my Passat.

Night Panel:

[Soup DeVille]

I didn't even know that cars came with dimmer switches until I got my Passat.

Night Panel:

I don't think I'd like that.

I always thought dimmers were one of those things that all cars had to have regardless of what else they lacked. My Nova had panel dimmers, as does the '59 Volkswagen in my driveway: and that's a car that lacks everything!

[Raza]

I don't think I'd like that.

I always thought dimmers were one of those things that all cars had to have regardless of what else they lacked. My Nova had panel dimmers, as does the '59 Volkswagen in my driveway: and that's a car that lacks everything!

Mercedes knows best.  I still think it bothers them that they have adjustable seats and mirrors. 

[the Teuton]

Best:  Subaru because it's virtually non-existent.

Worst - Old school:  Honda -- Beep-beep-beep-beep!  Beep-beep-beep-beep!  Beep-beep-beep-beep!  Beep-beep-beep-beep!

Worst - New school:  BMW -- It gets louder through the radio speakers just to piss you off.  And it goes off for anything!  And it's just so annoying!  Bwo-ong!  Bwo-ong!  Bwo-ong!  Bwo-ong!

[Laconian]

Face it, if Subaru had an air raid siren for a buzzer, you'd still think it was the best.

My Camry's buzzer wasn't triggered by the lights. My battery was drained on several occasions because the parking lights were on and I wasn't made aware of it.

[the Teuton]

Face it, if Subaru had an air raid siren for a buzzer, you'd still think it was the best.

If I didn't notice it, sure.

[Raza]

I should start a thread on turn signal volume.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I should start a thread on turn signal volume.

Did you know that turn signal flashers started out as thermal mechanical switches that actually clicked just because of the mechanical action of the bimetal switch, but have since been replaced by solid state electronics that are naturally silent? However, even with the loss of the mechanical switch, drivers demanded to continue hearing the clicking sound, so manufacturers had to create artificial turn signal flashing sound effects.

[Soup DeVille]

Did you know that turn signal flashers started out as thermal mechanical switches that actually clicked just because of the mechanical action of the bimetal switch, but have since been replaced by solid state electronics that are naturally silent? However, even with the loss of the mechanical switch, drivers demanded to continue hearing the clicking sound, so manufacturers had to create artificial turn signal flashing sound effects.

I could swear that I've read those exact same words somewhere before.