mickyg

I have just read an earlier post on another part of this site regarding the seat belt reminder chime and how to stop it sounding by disconnecting it (by following the wire to a connector beneath the front of the seat) and i can see why people would want to do it. Does anyone know if this sensor is part of the seat belt pre tensioner electronic safety system, and would disconnecting it make the safety system think no one was using the seat belt and therfore not "fire" the pre tensioner charge ?

rich1068

Forgive me for stating the bleeding obvious but why not just put on your seatbelt?

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RobS

I'm with you Mickey. It annoys the hell out of me. I always put on my seat belt, but tend to fire the car up first - just habit I guess but the sodding chime sounds every time!

Rob

Baker21

LOL!!!

Now that's funny and while I find it funny, I have to say that the seat belt chime winds me up every day!!

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mickyg

I do wear a seat belt, but don`t see the neccesity of a chime to remind me to do so. There are enough pinging chimes going off when you turn the ignition on, when you have not fuelled up, filled up the washer bottle, and the temp is below 4celsius, to keep any avid Jean Michel Jarre fans happy for life, sometimes i wonder if i`ve become part of the film Close Encounters !! Anyway enough of this, anyone know the answer to my question (without "stating the bleeding obvious")
Thanks.

johnjohnhealy

Blimey it only 'chimes' 6 times, not like an Avensis which 'chimes' continualy!

I've wondered about this before, and mentioned it in threads, the general concensus was that it doesn't affect the safety systems such as pre-tensioners and airbags. i'm not convinced personaly as i've seen Superbs involved in frontal impacts where the passenger airbag has not deployed as no one was sitting in the passenger seat. it must therefore detect when someone is sitting in the seat, either by a sensor in the seat (unlikely) or by the seatbelt clasp (much more likely as an airbag shouldn't deploy if you aren't wearing your seatbelt). although the passenger seat doesn't actualy have any 'chimes' its only the drivers side so unless someone can prove beyond doubt i'd live with the 6 'chimes' and the peace of mind knowing the airbags and pre-tensioners will work!

Td-eye

Personally, I'm perfectly satisfied that my airbags etc will still function properly having removed the "seatbelt plug" in my Fabia.

The act of fastening the drivers seatbelt just opens a closed electrical circuit.

Removing the seatbelt plug does exactly the same thing, ie it opens the same closed electrical circuit and the vehicle recieves the same signal as always that the drivers seatbelt has been fastened.... the best bit of this is that there's then no chimes at start up ..... bliss !

Now, I'm not actually advocating that people should do this but I'm happy enough to have done so and not to have my ears assaulted anymore by chimes warning me to do something I do automatically anyway !

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Lummox

Maybe John, but what about a Fabia, doesnt have seat belt warnings now and the airbag still deploys.

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Octygone

Seatbelt, water bottle and fuel went off yesterday morning ............it makes me jittery I'll tell you.........it's not driving me mad .......honest, Hmmmmmmm

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Tiptronic

All you needed is the frost warning, and you would have had a full set!

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Lance

I've solved this problem by inserting earplugs each morning before getting in my car.

Lance

SJFISHER67

Im exactly the same! Or if i have someone new in the car they always say 'whats that?'

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johnjohnhealy

I don't know about the Fabia to be honest, I dont really know about the Octavia or Superb either and that seems to be the problem - no one really does know if it's safe to do so or not. the fabia is a far less technologicaly advanced vehicle though, and this is in the Superb section of the forum.

I can honestly say I have seen a number of Superbs that have had heavy frontal impacts (it's an unfortunate risk of the job & usually drunk drivers) where you would expect both drivers and passengers airbags to have deployed - now it might be pure coincidence but in all cases the airbags on the passenger side only deployed if someone was in the seat (with seatbelt fastened). this would suggest to me that the car is getting some sort of signal to tell it that someone is in the seat with the belt fastened.

Untill someone can prove beyond doubt I personally wouldn't risk it, as I've said before it only 'chimes' for about 4 seconds so whats the big deal

Not to mention the insurance implications if you were involved in an accident - i'm sure most of you will be aware that a seatbelt reminder is one of the things that raises a cars Euro N-Cap safety rating (and infact a car cannot score highly without it), and anyone that does anything to actively reduce this rating (I.e removing the seatbelt reminder) would not be seen in a favourable light by their insurers!

johnjohnhealy

Superb doesn't have a frost warning 'chime' it just shows the temperature with a little snowflake symbol in the display!

westerdam2

Oh yes it does! And it still makes me jump when it goes off in my Superb Elegance in the outer lane of the motorway. Perhaps it should be a little ditty as you can download for your phone? 'Frosty the Snowman' anyone?

johnjohnhealy

Oh no it doesn't , at least mine doesn't anyway!! perhaps it's something they introduced on later models (mines a 53 plate with non-folding rear seats)

I'm glad it doesn't anyway to be honest as like you, I nearly sh*t myself everytime the fuel gets low, or a bulb goes, or the washer fluid gets low etc etc, it's not to bad if your listening to the radio or something, but if your just enjoying the serene peacefullness of the Superb then you get a sudden 'BEEEEEEP' it scares the living carp out of you!

westerdam2

Mine is an 03 - no folding rear seats but tit has that damned gong. Everything is luxurious apart from it! I can hardly hear my 2.8 V6 pulling me along yet this thing goes off and sounds as if you should be in a lift!!

Can't for the life of me remember which car (a good few years ago) had a woman's computersised voice which screamed out 'you are about to reverse into something' 'your fly's undone' or whatever so I suppose we should be grateful some of us only have a ping now and again.

mickyg

Can`t really comment on other peoples car, but ours is also a 53 plate with non folding rear seat 1.9 tdi comfort and when the outside temperature goes below 4 degrees it pings and the symbols flash ( i think it`s meant to be a snowflake !)-bloody hell John, if yours isn`t doing it, just be grateful !!!

SJFISHER67

Same with mine

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spencem

My 55 plate Edition 100 pings for below 4.

My last car a Ren NO laguna had a woman's voice to tell you all sorts of stuf like seat belts, washer bottles and the engine falling out, it was about the only thing to never fail. It also had a mute button which when released would say something like 'systems being check for you now' it never came back to say all was OK, but then if it had of done it would have been a lie.

simonsheil

When I first got the Octavia was driving along happily when the fuel light came on associated with the BEEP, I think if I had been older I would proberbly of had a heart attack the shock it gave me.

Lummox

Technically it isnt, as the latter vehicle most of the electrics system is more advanced that the aged Superb and Octavia 1. Alot of the electrics on the Octavia 2 have been developed from the Fabia.

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johnjohnhealy

ok sorry, what I meant by less technologicaly advanced was that it has less toys or electronic gizmo's, although probably not much less on the top models!

Also I find it strange that i'm the only person who's temperature warning doesn't make an audible beeep, I get the flashing snowflake and the outside temp in the display but no beeep, I get the beep with all other warnings though

Perhaps this is something that can be switched on and off via VAG-COM then, and mine was either never enabled by the dealer or intentionaly switched off? there may be hope for all you potential heart attack victims yet

Edit-
Just been thinking, the actual seatbelt chime is a much softer sound than the other warning chimes, why couldn't they have made the other chimes sound like that too? (but only once not 6 times like the seatbelt).

Kentish

Can also confirm the "ping" at 4 degrees.

Yes the chimes can be annoying, and will make you jump when they appear unannounced...but for a safety sake I will accept them all.

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peterc10

Yep I get the ping too below about 4 degrees. Makes me jump out of my skin sometimes. Maybe yours has been disabled with VAG Com?