I have a Fabia Silverline (basically a classic with electric windows and central locking, plus a few other extras thrown in).

Twice in the past couple of weeks the buzzer that normally warns that the lights are still on has gone off for no apparent reason.

The first time the car was stationery and the buzzer started when I opened the door (but the lights weren't on). I tried switching things on and off but it made no difference. The buzzer stopped when I closed the door and wasn't present when I moved the car and parked it again.

A week later, I'd just turned a corner and was accelerating in second or third gear. I pulled over to the side of the road to investigate. I couldn't find the cause of the buzz but it went away on its own and didn't come back when I drove off again.

Can anyone think of any reasons, other than a fault with the buzzer, for this to happen? No warning lights were on on either occasion.

I have tried the manual but it's not a specific one for my car: it's for the whole range and mentions some features that mine hasn't got.

TIA

Maybe a fault with the headlight switch?

yep a h/light switch fault me thinks.

I reckon you could have left the indicator stick in left/right mode - my buzzer goes off when I do that... ??

yep that as well jason.

The buzzer while moving could possibly have been caused by the handbrake being on slightly as this sets a buzzer off too.

I forgot to turn the indicator off once after stopping! Wondered what was going on when I opened the door. Took me a coupl eof minuts to realise what I'd done!

Indicators are always a good cause of a "WTF?" moment when the warning beep goes off!

If the second time it happened you had just come round a corner, maybe it was an oil level warning or something? I assume that would make it beep! (My old Manta would flick the oil light on sometimes if you really went for it on corners... erm... so i was told...)

Thanks for the suggestions folks. The indicator seems a likely candidate although I thought I'd checked that. I did try to reproduce the buzz by fiddling with various switches and opening the door but may not have thought to try the indicators.

It was only a day or so since I'd checked the oil, and there's a warning light for that but I'll check the fluids and see if it happens again.

The handbrake possibility might explain why it didn't happen when I moved off again. I'll experiment when I get the chance although I'm not into doing handbrake turns.

I've had the car for nearly a couple of months now and, overall, I'm pleased with it so far.

Glad you're still pleased with it. Hope the paintwork is as shiny as mine - I recently autoglymed, and its never been so shiny. I nearly dumped mine in the river yesterday though, with my gearbox seizing, but it was my fault anyway, as most people now know. :( The indicator left on is defintitely a W.T.F moment when you try and leave the car and.. BEEEEEEEEEP!! Normally happens when I dive into a spot on the road at speed. VROOOM! INDICATE! SCREEECH! turn off engine, BEEEEEEEP! (i'm not really that abusive with it)

"(i'm not really that abusive with it)"

Where's a smilie for "scratches chin in disbelief" when you need it?

Dunno...

I've just experimented with the indicators and the buzzer does go off if I open the door with them on so thanks for the tip Jason. Just need to try out the handbrake thing now...

No worries, welly - us silver Fabia owners have to look out for one another, ya know...

PS: I could suggest a good way of testing the handbrake thing, but I'd get some :nono: 's from other people in here, I expect

Originally posted by devonutopia in this post

No worries, welly - us silver Fabia owners have to look out for one another, ya know...

PS: I could suggest a good way of testing the handbrake thing, but I'd get some :nono: 's from other people in here, I expect

The buzzer is kinda scary in the Fabia. I mean doing 70ish on a motorway 3 bleeps because the washer bottle is low is not exactly what you want to hear. I was in a very hilly area a few weeks back when the washers were low and as you can expect -uphill noise came on, down hill it went off, so when you went uphill again you got the noise! It drove me insane! The indicator thing is because it also acts as a parking light. If you go outside of the car ignoring the noise you'll see that the headlight and the rear light of the side your indicating towards is lit.

Well, I've learned something new today. I didn't know there was a buzzer to tell you the washers were low... Good idea that, and I've yet to see that happen on mine yet...

Puts me in mind of an Alfa 75 Twin Spark I drove years ago. I was coming down the M6, watching the trail of bits that the car left behind it in the mirror, when a buzzer went off, and a big orange light started flashing on the dash. There was also a warning light with a peculiar symbol on. I pulled over, thinking that one of the bits that fell off was important, and got the manual out.

Turned out that he screen wash was low! Obviously an Italian warning system, getting hysterical over nothing.

Italian Electrics, dontcha love 'em?

Phil

Not in Fiats I don't - Everything seems to go wrong with them. And everyone knows an Alfa is just a posh fiat...

Its put me off Italian cars, except Ferrari, perhaps, for the rest of my life.

My dad had a Fiat Strada, and I had a Fiat Marea company car - I will never, ever, ever, buy a Fiat!

(or an alfa, or a lancia (umm, maybe an integrale), or a ferrari)

Originally posted by Tavia4x4 in this post

My dad had a Fiat Strada, and I had a Fiat Marea company car - I will never, ever, ever, buy a Fiat!

(or an alfa, or a lancia (umm, maybe an integrale), or a ferrari)

Ferrari's arent too bad... better than other italian crap...

You'd think so wouldn't you?

Remember the edition of Evo on buying a 25k supercar - there was a 348 in there that sold for 30k....

Well my mate bought that very car, and it cost a fortune, every week something else went wrong on it, beautiful car, beautiful noise, but put me right off ever owning any ferrari.

He only ran it at weekends, only in the dry, had a cavalier SRI for day to day, but still it was falling apart!

I think if I had the dosh for a ferrari, I'd go for the equivalent Porsche every time. You can't fault German build quality, can you?

Originally posted by Tavia4x4 in this post

He only ran it at weekends, only in the dry, had a cavalier SRI for day to day, but still it was falling apart!

this is the prob... same with tvr / lambo even porsche... if you use it every day it doesnt break.. but cost a f?:ing fortune to run

Hmm - I can picture the phone call now.

Insurer: " Hello, Tesco Insurance, How can I help"

Me: "Yes, I'd like to get a quote for my new car, please"

Insurer: "Certainly. What type of car is it, please?"

Me: "A Porsche 911 GT2"

Insurer: "Ahem, and how old are you?"

Me: "24"

Insurer: "HA HA HA" - Click, Bzzzzz

Me: " :cussing: "

I think you'd be surprised Jason - if you were serious, then they would sort you out cover.

It'd cost you a 'king fortune, but they'd figure at that age to be driving one of those you

could afford it!

Seem to recall there's a regular poster on Pistonheads who's a year younger than me

and has a Ferrari. Pays about 10k pa insurance though...

Rob.

insurace is easy...

wife is 23 tvr tusc full comp @ 1100 (wait till the renewal!!!)

my 348 used to cost 1450 f/c when i was 26 + not married

its just a case of shopping around.