Is headlight reminder buzzer behind instrument cluster & easily accessible?

[sh0rtlife]

obd wont tell you anything about the headlight warnings or door sensors

funny tho i want to find this buzzer just to "hush" it some..im not sold that they are the same unit due to the change in sound for headlight key and seatbelt/seat weight

[RMcG]

Originally Posted by sh0rtlife

obd wont tell you anything about the headlight warnings or door sensors

funny tho i want to find this buzzer just to "hush" it some..im not sold that they are the same unit due to the change in sound for headlight key and seatbelt/seat weight

Thanks sh0rtlife,

I checked with O'Reilly's Auto Parts who does free OBD checks, but their OBD checks only work if the check engine light is on.

Regarding the buzzers being the same for key and headlight, I didn't really think about whether the sounds are the same or not until the headlight reminder failed. So I can't compare them, although based on my memory, which is fallible, I seem to think they sound the same or similar.

I think I am going to call a dealer and repair shop and just ask what they think it would cost to diagnose and fix the problem.

Some workarounds: 1) Buy a Car Battery Starter, like this one or another one.

Or 2) a simple EASY, Headlight reminder buzzer install DIY would probably work. You wire to the fuses in the fusebox. In thinking about this, if you trace the flow of current, and connect the buzzer wires to the correct "sides" (+ or -) of the fuses, you should not defeat the purpose of the fuses. In other words, you can make the current that flows through the buzzer also flow through the fuses. Since the buzzer probably does not draw much current, this should also not effect the car much. This buzzer for example, draws only 16 mA (milliamps) at 12 volts

Both of these workarounds probably cost less than a shop repair of the problem. Edit: I just called one reputable non Dealer repair shop and they said only a Dealer could diagnose & repair this problem. And I called two local Toyota Dealers and the diagnostic part of the job alone would run about $200.

Thanks,

R.

[RMcG]

Originally Posted by RMcG

Thanks sh0rtlife,

Some workarounds: 1) Buy a Car Battery Starter, like this one or another one.

Or 2) a simple EASY, Headlight reminder buzzer install DIY would probably work. You wire to the fuses in the fusebox.

Both of these workarounds probably cost less than a shop repair of the problem

Thanks,

R.

Just to give an update, I have concluded the best thing to do is buy a battery jumper starter. They're cheaper than the $200+ it will cost to get a dealer to fix the problem. But there are some caveats: you have to worry about a jumper starter's operability at the extremes of temperature, see this Consumer Reports article.

There are many other online articles to guide a purchase of a jumper starter. Here are some: a Popular Mechanics article and a CNET article

Regarding the other workaround, I looked at the fuses under the left dash (with a volt meter connected to a ground) and there is one 10 amp fuse, called TAIL that powers "on" (i.e., 12 volts) when the headlights (and other lights) are "on." But I could not identify a fuse that would work as a ground, in other words, is powered "on" when the ignition key is "on," but "off" when the ignition key is "off." So I don't see how I can use the fuse box strategy I cite above. I have a base model, 3 door hatchback and it may be that there is an empty slot that would work as the "negative" fuse. But I don't have the time right now to identify it.

There is another DIY method described here on youtube by Julian Edgar the author of the book Car Electrical and Electric Systems, which is in the public library here. He uses the overhead light as a "ground" for his method. It may be possible to do something like that with the Yaris using the Front Door Courtesy switch that turns the overhead light on and off (depending on whether the driver's door is open or closed). But that would require taking some of the indoor paneling off the car and I don't have time for that right now, even though Chilton's information in the library here describes how to take paneling off the inside of the car.

Here's a youtube video by somebody who did such an installation on a Toyota. It appears to be an older Toyota. Something like this makes a whole lot more sense than paying a dealer hundreds of dollars, especially for the type of people who read this forum.

Any comments from anybody else, including perhaps using the headlights on switch on the steering column as part of a DIY solution will be appreciated.

Thanks,

R.

[RMcG]

Originally Posted by RMcG

Regarding the other workaround ( Headlight reminder buzzer install DIY ), .....
......... I don't have the time right now .......

There is another DIY method described here on youtube by Julian Edgar the author of the book Car Electrical and Electric Systems, which is in the public library here. He uses the overhead light as a "ground" for his method. It may be possible to do something like that with the Yaris using the Front Door Courtesy switch that turns the overhead light on and off (depending on whether the driver's door is open or closed). But that would require taking some of the indoor paneling off the car and I don't have time for that right now, even though Chilton's information in the library here describes how to take paneling off the inside of the car.

Here's a youtube video by somebody who did such an installation on a Toyota. It appears to be an older Toyota. Something like this makes a whole lot more sense than paying a dealer hundreds of dollars, especially for the type of people who read this forum.

Any comments from anybody else, including perhaps using the headlights on switch on the steering column as part of a DIY solution will be appreciated.

Thanks,

R.

Just as an update, I plan to pursue one or more of the workarounds described above on youtube when I have more time. A dealer repair of $400 to $500 + is too much I think. In the meantime I will buy one or more portable car jump starters to carry in my car.

I checked out the book Car electrical & electronic systems by Julian Edgar. It really just mostly has basic information in it, nothing particularly relevant to the headlight on reminder alarm problem. Julian Edgar does refer to books by Robert Bosch Gmbh for more detailed information on automobile electrical systems and there are 4 such books in Amazon, 3 of them look like they might be helpful, an older (2007) edition of one of them (Automotive Handbook) is in the library here:

1) Bosch Automotive Electrics and Automotive Electronics: Systems and Components, Networking and Hybrid Drive (Bosch Professional Automotive Information) (September 24, 2013) by Robert Bosch GmbH (Author) , Robert Bosch GmbH (Editor)

2) Automotive Mechatronics: Automotive Networking, Driving Stability Systems, Electronics (Bosch Professional Automotive Information) (August 25, 2014) by Konrad Reif (Editor)

3) Bosch Automotive Handbook by Robert Bosch GmbH | Feb 19, 2019

4) Diesel Engine Management: Systems and Components (Bosch Professional Automotive Information) (July 18, 2014) by Konrad Reif (Editor)

Thanks,
R.