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Honk...?

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Doug_G

Lead Moderator
Global Moderator
Apr 2, 2010
17,888
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Ottawa, Canada
Some dufus tried to hit me in the local mall parking lot this morning. Luckily she realized her mistake before it was too late.

What didn't help was the big TOOT I did using the airbag...

Goes to show that when you're surprised, you revert to habit. I sure hope the Model S has the horn where it's supposed to be - in the middle of the steering wheel!
 
I've done this too Doug...I'd much prefer the horn in the "panic" locale of the steering wheel hub!...besides, I regularly hit the horn by mistake in its current placement...

Some dufus tried to hit me in the local mall parking lot this morning. Luckily she realized her mistake before it was too late.

What didn't help was the big TOOT I did using the airbag...

Goes to show that when you're surprised, you revert to habit. I sure hope the Model S has the horn where it's supposed to be - in the middle of the steering wheel!
 
Sometimes, hand over hand turns cause the horn to"mysteriously" honk.
Strange: I only hit the horn by accident on my first day when I was still using my 'lazy' technique of palming the front of the wheel with one hand on tight turns. According to my autocross instructor, hand over hand is best so that you avoid losing control. I've also noticed that hand over hand keeps you on the outer diameter, away from the face where the horn buttons are.

In any case, my preference is that the horn should never be disguised the way that seems to be so popular. The idea of making the entire surface indistinguishable is a serious problem in my book. There should be a discrete button with reasonable contrast and clearly marked as the horn.
Something like this:
20110607-0843.jpg
 
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Yeah, the Roadster's problem is that the horn buttons are discrete, but buried. If you think of them like thumb-operated video game controllers, you'll do much better. Oh, and maybe I use my horn a 'little much' as practice. Just sayin'.
 
Came very close to hitting a pedestrian yesterday and despite many times practicing hitting the horn, I instinctively went for the airbag. This guy was in a suit, talking to his friends behind him and not looking left as he darted out between tall vehicles into my lane, only a few feet in front of me. I swerved fully into the left lane and went for the horn which wasn't there. Very disturbing. I'm thinking of installing my own horn switch somehow. The look on that guy's face will stick with me for awhile. He'd never encountered a silent car before. I was only going about 15 mph and the road was very smooth.
 
A taxi reversed into me in a traffic queue yesterday. I was stationary when I saw the reversing lights come on. I did manage to find the horn and was frantically hooting away as the taxi drove serenely back onto and up the front of my car.

Afterwards she said she just didn't see me and thought the car behind me was the closest vehicle. She seems not to have heard me using the horn.

Luckily the damage is very very slight as far as I can see. Question: it looks like superficial paint damage only, but how do you assess the possibility that there is underlying carbon fibre or structural damage? Nearest Tesla Store is 500 miles away.
 
A taxi reversed into me in a traffic queue yesterday. I was stationary when I saw the reversing lights come on. I did manage to find the horn and was frantically hooting away as the taxi drove serenely back onto and up the front of my car.

Afterwards she said she just didn't see me and thought the car behind me was the closest vehicle. She seems not to have heard me using the horn.
Bad news!

My uncle had a small car that everyone ignored, so he installed a big horn from an 18-wheeler on 1-second delay. A normal tap of the horn button would only sound the original OEM horn, but if that didn't work then holding the button longer would add the trucker horn and seriously wake anybody from their slumbering drive. I never figured out what he had in there, because most trucker horns are air horns, and they require some source of compressed air to work. There are a few products that have little compressors so that the horn will work on a vehicle without air brakes.

Anyway, that whole idea stuck with me over the years, and I think of it any time a small car has a small horn that doesn't get any respect.

Question: it looks like superficial paint damage only, but how do you assess the possibility that there is underlying carbon fibre or structural damage? Nearest Tesla Store is 500 miles away.
Sounds like a question for your insurance agent, but I guess they don't want to pay. Hopefully, you have the taxi's insurance, and your insurance should act on your behalf to get a good settlement. Still, it never hurts to do your homework since nobody will look out for your interests as well as you will for yourself.
 
A taxi reversed into me in a traffic queue yesterday. I was stationary when I saw the reversing lights come on. I did manage to find the horn and was frantically hooting away as the taxi drove serenely back onto and up the front of my car.

Ouch!!! For some reason when they're backing up, people rarely seem to realize that you're honking at THEM. Over the years I've had a number of close calls with this - twice in the Tesla. Doesn't help that it is low to the ground.

I really hope the damage really is superficial, but unless this is just a paint fix it's pretty much impossible to repair carbon fiber.
 
Luckily the damage is very very slight as far as I can see. Question: it looks like superficial paint damage only, but how do you assess the possibility that there is underlying carbon fibre or structural damage? Nearest Tesla Store is 500 miles away.
My sense is carbon fiber tends to flex reversibly until it cracks/shatters. If there are no cracks, it's probably just paint damage. Ask Tesla if they can recommend a local body shop. They outsource this kind of work anyhow.
 
I install a pair of these babies (one high tone and one low) on my motorcycles - 130dB wakes up even the most brain-dead driver. Amazon.com: FIAMM 72112 Freeway Blaster Horn: Automotive They're available at most auto parts stores but make sure you get the Fiamm brand ones. They're electric so just wire them in. On my bikes I add a relay and power them directly off the battery - never added one to a car so maybe you could just reuse or add to the current setup.
 
Same thing happened to me about a year ago. Some guy backed into me at a stoplight ... he was trying to change lanes and "didn't see" me sitting behind him despite pounding on my horn. Tesla reccomended a good place in LA to get the repairs done and then inspected the car afterwards to ensure no other damage (there was none). In the end, the only damage was one plastic headlight cover, paint on the hood, and some of the plastic paint-guard stuff. Guys tires were actually up on top of the hood too!
//dan.