Why do cars "bong!" when you crash?

[Steven Watkins]

They don't even self cancel? Even my rear demister self cancels.

On every single video I've seen?

[Steven Watkins]

Is there no way to turn them off permanently? I guess you could remove the thing that goes bing, but that would make it harder to switch back on quickly when you want to park. If all else fails you could fit a simple switch on the binger.

If they don't bing until 12", that's cutting it damn close for parking. If you're reversing into somewhere and cannot see the wall behind you for whatever reason, you want to be warned WELL before 12".

20 cars leaving a 6" gap instead of an 18" gap makes a space in the queue of 20 feet, or 1.5 cars.

I don't have a problem with someone making a smaller gap as long as it's greater than zero. Or are you one of those type that rolls back when he starts off?

[Bob Minchin]

I had a ford Cmax that would bong if you went over a harsh bump or a pothole. Never quite saw the benefit and never saw reference to it as a feature.

[Rod Speed]

No reason why it should, only fools stop that close to the car in front of them at the lights.

Varys with the car.

[Rod Speed]

Dunno, the owners manuals are a bit thin on the ground.

Mine doesn't. But it does turn off when you turn the ignition off.

Don't believe that every single video you have seen all beep or bong when the car hits something.

[Steven Watkins]

I stop very close if the arse in front is annoying me.

It should be quite a few feet, or you wouldn't get ample warning that you need to stop when parking.

[Steven Watkins]

Almost every car I've had cancels it either on a timer or with a heat sensor (or maybe it's current flow?)

I meant every single video I've seen where it goes bong. There can't be that many faulty ones.

[soup]

Don't know about ALL parking sensors but I feel they would all, like mine, start with a slow beep and as you get closer they get faster and faster until eventually the bings are so close together that it is one continuous note.

Nope but the guy in front of me might be.

Didn't that Wilkinson Sword chappie post a V-similar question? Is this just your latest nym shift Hucker?

[Steven Watkins]

Indeed, and the slow beep must surely be a fair distance off, similar to the distance you'd get to a car in a stationary queue.

That's his problem. That's why we have horns. If anyone rolls on starting, they oughta get an auto gearbox.

Few years ago maybe, but I forgot the answers :-)

Yes.

[Rod Speed]

Yes, you actually are that stupid. Hardly anyone else is that stupid so leaving the parking sensor on works fine.

It isnt there to tell you that there is something in front of you, its there to let you get close without touching.

[Rod Speed]

None of mine have. But I don't buy frog cars.

I didn't say faulty, just that it reacts in a car crash. And f*ck all go boing in a car crash. Yours is the only one of the dozens of crashes I have watched that has done that.

[Rod Speed]

And it isnt for that reason.

Not if he hits you.

Makes more sense to leave more room so that even with the worst drivers, you don't have to do anything.

Irrelevant to what makes sense when stopped in a queue.

Yeah, that whacky weed does that.

[soup]

His problem until he rolls back into me. OK it's his insurance, will have to pay, in the long run but... The front of my car is a LOT more delicate than the rear of his . I am more likely to be the one that can't drive of.

[Steven Watkins]

An impact at that low a speed (1mph I'd imagine - and the closer you are, the shorter the distance for him to accelerate under gravity) will not make your car undriveable, it would only be cosmetic damage. For goodness sake I rammed a stag at about 90mph and the car still worked. Crumpled bonnet and wing, wheel rubbed at full lock, mirror fallen off, one headlamp destroyed, but that was it.

[Steven Watkins]

What's stupid about wanting to annoy bad drivers?

Yes, and you don't want to be told to stop 0.1 seconds before you have to.

[Steven Watkins]

I've had many makes from many countries (in fact my Golf (1998) switched it off itself - didn't yours?). And why are you suggesting a frog car would have something useful that others don't?

That's faulty. It's supposed to react to parking. Crashing is nothing like parking.

Go watch a Russian car crash compilation, you'll soon find some bongs.

[Rod Speed]

Sure, but it makes no sense to stop that close, makes much more sense to stop with a bigger gap so even if some stupid does roll back when moving off or because they forget to keep their foot on the brake, you just yawn and carry on regardless.

And if they have a tow bar, they can do considerable damage. Some stupid woman drove out forward out of a supermarket car slot without looking as I was backing out into the same lane and my towbar completely demolished her from bumper.

[Steve Walker]

Probably there is a bong every time a warning message is displayed. It is likely that at least one message is displayed in a crash - maybe oil pressure low or battery not charging because the impact sensor has cut the engine.

Probably just standard messages that it is not worth coding an automatic skip of in unusual circumstances.

SteveW

[Steve Walker]

Yes, mine intermittently beeps when you are close, getting faster as you get closer, but then changes to a continuous beep at about 6 inches.

The intermittent beep starts far enough away to be annoying when you are deliberately getting close to the car in front - such as if you inch up to give extra room for someone who is trying to squeeze into the gap behind you or to block someone who is trying to push in in front, out of turn in a queue.

It does disable itself the first time you get up to 20mph and re-enables when you press the button or select reverse gear.

SteveW

[Steve Walker]

A car with a towball will wreck your bumper. You then have to prove that he rolled back into you and it wasn't you driving too far forward or setting off prematurely.

SteveW