[Crashmaster]

I’ve had my 2012 CT w/NAV for exactly one week. One complaint I have is the Daytime Running Lights. I don’t like this. I understand the principle of these lights making you more noticeable, but heck, I can put on the full headlights and become even more noticeable. Perhaps a flashing blue light on my car to be even more noticeable? Well, bottom line is, I don’t like the DRL’s. I like to be in control of my own vehicle and decide if I want any lights on during the day or not. In looking through the owner’s manual I noticed fuse 15 (small red fuse) right above the brake pedal in the fuse box. Well, I pulled that little sucker and ‘poof’, the DRL’s went off. I haven’t noticed anything else on that circuit, so it appears that this controls only the DRL’s. Do this at your own risk, as I do not want to be responsible if you crash your CT because you did not have your DRL’s on. In Kansas, there is no such law for driving with DRL’s, but check your own jurisdiction. Next project, how do I quiet the seat belt buzzer? It appears to be just disconnect a plug harness under each front seat, but that is next weeks project.

 

[edubfromktown]

I'm with you on both counts however DRL's come in handy in parking garages. I live in a major urban area and would have had my front end clipped off at least 5 times by now since I bought my 4WD w/ Nav back in August 2010. I kina got used to it after a while. One colleague in my office actually totaled his car in the same garage- I make sure I get in before him

The seatbelt alarm is truly annoying (and persistent). There are times when you have to unbuckle or it takes a minute get buckled in and I curse every time. It IS for our safety... grrrrh

 

[Meyer1031]

I’ve had my 2012 CT w/NAV for exactly one week. One complaint I have is the Daytime Running Lights. I don’t like this. I understand the principle of these lights making you more noticeable, but heck, I can put on the full headlights and become even more noticeable. Perhaps a flashing blue light on my car to be even more noticeable? Well, bottom line is, I don’t like the DRL’s. I like to be in control of my own vehicle and decide if I want any lights on during the day or not. In looking through the owner’s manual I noticed fuse 15 (small red fuse) right above the brake pedal in the fuse box. Well, I pulled that little sucker and ‘poof’, the DRL’s went off. I haven’t noticed anything else on that circuit, so it appears that this controls only the DRL’s. Do this at your own risk, as I do not want to be responsible if you crash your CT because you did not have your DRL’s on. In Kansas, there is no such law for driving with DRL’s, but check your own jurisdiction. Next project, how do I quiet the seat belt buzzer? It appears to be just disconnect a plug harness under each front seat, but that is next weeks project.

Thats some good info. I didn't know those lights could be shut off. I prefer to go in stealth mode and not advertise my vehicle. What is with your handle and forensic CSI? Is it demolition derby?

 

[Crashmaster]

Hi Meyer1031 and welcome to the CT forum. I have a few jobs, but my most interesting job is CSI (Crime Scene Investigator) vehicle forensics for the Kansas Police and Sheriff departments. Basically, any vehicle involved in a fatality accident; I take the car apart to try and determine cause and origin of the accident. I’m also used for vehicle arsons/fires, theft, vehicular homicide, and other vehicle related issues. I was heavily involved with the Toyota ‘sudden acceleration’ issue and the class action against GM due to Dex-Cool anti freeze. I’m on retainer with Valvoline and Jiffy Lube to assist with oil change problems and also work for the local TV station handling automotive complaints. I’ve been in the automotive field my entire life as a mechanic, service manager, shop owner, and race driver. The police gave me the nick-name of Crashmaster, seems to fit.

 

[gibnihtmus]

do your high beams work?

 

[Crashmaster]

do your high beams work?

Yes, the high beams work fine. It’s been about 3 months now without my DRL (Daytime Running Lights) and I have not noticed any problem whatsoever. All the lights work correctly, low beams, dims, and high beams. Just no DRL’s, which is how I want it. I had contemplated putting in a toggle switch to control the DRL's but when I drive in a partially dark area (garage, tunnel, etc.) I just turn on my dim lights.

In my original posting, I mentioned about the seat belt buzzer being truly irritating and bothering. Well, I partially hesitate giving the work-around I found for this; but on Ebay I purchased what is called – Seat Belt Extenders. They are normally sold for overweight people to give more slack in the seat belt area. Well, many people use these seat belt extenders for other purposes………

If you plug in this seat belt extender your seat belt buzzer and light will be gone. And yes, you can still wear your seat belt with the seat belt extender installed if you like. They are not expensive – about $7.00 including shipping and handling for a pair. I had to order a few different ones to find the correct one that fits. If you want to know the exact model I ordered, either match up the EXACT picture below to one on Ebay or email me. NOTE: Wearing a seat belt is the law and does save lives. Always wear your seat belt!

 

[gibnihtmus]

^lol nice workaround for the seatbelt buzzer

 

[Crashmaster]

Seat belt buzzers and lights are sort of a pet peeve of mine. Yes, I wear my seat belt about 99% or more all the time, but on that occasion I do not wear it, well, I don’t want a glaring red light distracting my driving or a buzzer going off every 20 or 30 seconds. Often in my job, it is necessary that I drive my car in a warehouse and drive 20 feet, get out, drive 20 feet, get out, etc. etc. In that situation, I don’t wear a seat belt. I’ll have to also admit that sometimes after a really really big meal, I just don’t like the seat belt pressing against me. The rest of the time I wear a seat belt.

I first tried looking over the electrical schematic of the seat belt circuitry. I do want to thank Jay1622 for his electrical/mechanical knowledge in this area.

I tested the seat belt plug under the seat and the seat belt harness on the seat belt ratchet mechanism. This did not turn off the light or buzzer or if it did, it affected the air bag controls. I would strongly advise NOT to tamper with the seat belt electrical harnesses. This little ‘Seat Belt Extension’ solved my problem. Just remember to remove it before you ever take your vehicle in for service.

 

[Aceman]

Hi Meyer1031 and welcome to the CT forum. I have a few jobs, but my most interesting job is CSI (Crime Scene Investigator) vehicle forensics for the Kansas Police and Sheriff departments. Basically, any vehicle involved in a fatality accident; I take the car apart to try and determine cause and origin of the accident. I’m also used for vehicle arsons/fires, theft, vehicular homicide, and other vehicle related issues. I was heavily involved with the Toyota ‘sudden acceleration’ issue and the class action against GM due to Dex-Cool anti freeze. I’m on retainer with Valvoline and Jiffy Lube to assist with oil change problems and also work for the local TV station handling automotive complaints. I’ve been in the automotive field my entire life as a mechanic, service manager, shop owner, and race driver. The police gave me the nick-name of Crashmaster, seems to fit.

I'm just reading this now for the first time, and can I just say that this sounds like one of the coolest jobs ever! Finally, something that combines my two loves: DiscoveryID and Speed channel. If you need a Deputy Crash, let me know. . .willing to relocate! ha

 

[Crashmaster]

Aceman, yes it is a fun job, but has its ups and downs. The first fatality that I did about 15 years ago still haunts me. A 16 year old girl, after being yelled at by her parents for being late, rushing home to make curfew and then crashing houses away from her home. Then you have the interesting ones: A woman who partially got out of her car on a icy sloping driveway and caught her leg under the car and actually ran herself over. Fatality. A fellow driving a large tractor on a grass farm who was eating his lunch toward the top of a hill and didn’t see or hear the train coming. Fatality. The 3 day old Harley Davidson who tried to take his motorcycle back to the dealership for a brake repair and had his brakes go out. Fatality. A Dodge parts driver making a delivery and running into a car killing a woman, but claiming his brakes went out. His brakes did go out. A 16 year Kawasaki Ninja owner who accidently hit the throttle lock after a quick acceleration and didn’t know how to unlock it. Fatality. A boat owner who saved a few dollars by using an automotive alternator and had his boat explode. Fatality. I could fill a book with these stories and examples. Five girls in a convertible Mustang turned in front of a van actually splitting the car in two, killing 2 girls. Locals on this board, in this area might even recognize a few of these famous car accidents.

I’m actually about half way through writing a book about these cases. If things stay slow, and I stay away from the Internet a bit (including this forum), I can probably finish it in about 12 more months.

If you are interested in this type of work, there appears to be a market for it. If you have been in the automotive field all your life, have long time mechanical skills, have all your ASE certifications (car, truck, bus, machine shop) along with tons of OEM certifications that include cars, boats, motorcycles, tractors, etc., and have good journalism/computer skills (you have to write detailed reports on each case) then check with your local police and insurance companies. This was actually a job that I didn’t even apply for. I was teaching Transaxles at the local college and the police came in looking for a Pontiac expert. Having just spent 5 years at a local Pontiac dealership, I volunteered to assist. That day back around 1998 started my new career. I don’t have a million dollar lab like the TV show CSI and often I have to dig through piles of burnt out houses (looking for the car in the garage that might have started the fire) and come home smelling like ashes. If you have any specific questions about this type of job, feel free to ask.

 

[Aceman]

Aceman, yes it is a fun job, but has its ups and downs. The first fatality that I did about 15 years ago still haunts me. A 16 year old girl, after being yelled at by her parents for being late, rushing home to make curfew and then crashing houses away from her home. Then you have the interesting ones: A woman who partially got out of her car on a icy sloping driveway and caught her leg under the car and actually ran herself over. Fatality. A fellow driving a large tractor on a grass farm who was eating his lunch toward the top of a hill and didn’t see or hear the train coming. Fatality. The 3 day old Harley Davidson who tried to take his motorcycle back to the dealership for a brake repair and had his brakes go out. Fatality. A Dodge parts driver making a delivery and running into a car killing a woman, but claiming his brakes went out. His brakes did go out. A 16 year Kawasaki Ninja owner who accidently hit the throttle lock after a quick acceleration and didn’t know how to unlock it. Fatality. A boat owner who saved a few dollars by using an automotive alternator and had his boat explode. Fatality. I could fill a book with these stories and examples. Five girls in a convertible Mustang turned in front of a van actually splitting the car in two, killing 2 girls. Locals on this board, in this area might even recognize a few of these famous car accidents.

I’m actually about half way through writing a book about these cases. If things stay slow, and I stay away from the Internet a bit (including this forum), I can probably finish it in about 12 more months.

If you are interested in this type of work, there appears to be a market for it. If you have been in the automotive field all your life, have long time mechanical skills, have all your ASE certifications (car, truck, bus, machine shop) along with tons of OEM certifications that include cars, boats, motorcycles, tractors, etc., and have good journalism/computer skills (you have to write detailed reports on each case) then check with your local police and insurance companies. This was actually a job that I didn’t even apply for. I was teaching Transaxles at the local college and the police came in looking for a Pontiac expert. Having just spent 5 years at a local Pontiac dealership, I volunteered to assist. That day back around 1998 started my new career. I don’t have a million dollar lab like the TV show CSI and often I have to dig through piles of burnt out houses (looking for the car in the garage that might have started the fire) and come home smelling like ashes. If you have any specific questions about this type of job, feel free to ask.

I have a relative who is/was a paramedic and it's impossible to talk to him without hearing some pretty unpleasant things. . .you were giving me flashbacks . . .ha, but you sound like a nicer guy, he's sort of a weirdo!

In a way it's similar to a fantasy career that I think it's too late for me to go back and get the degrees and experience for, I had dreamed of working for the NTSB and help to do things like de-construct airplane and railroad accidents, etc., only because out of every accident there seems to be such a unified human spirit among those working on it and almost every disaster gives birth to new technology, procedures, etc. that save such an enormous number of lives in the future - I mean most "safety equipment" is only ever designed after the fact, regardless of what it's for.

Hmm. . .experience. . .let's just say I could bring my creative resume writing skills up to an extraordinary caliber if the time & need ever came. jk. . .I have a bachelors cum laude in political science & journalism, managed a wine bar for 3 years, and have worked in various aspects of the finance industry (stock broker, hedge fund researcher, options trader, financial planner, insurance, etc.) for about 9 (quit a couple years ago. . .doing random A/V work and stuff as I figure out what I want to do and how).

Unfortunately it never clicked that I should go pursue something I was truly crazy about, like the automotive field. But, I'm 32 and single so maybe there's still time. . .

 

[Crashmaster]

Never too late! But the most important thing is to keep you sense of wits and humor. For example: The brief example of the Kawasaki Ninja above: This 16 year old local boy wanted a fast Kawasaki Ninja for graduation. His parents obliged. His first week out with the bike he gunned it from a start and hit the throttle lock (Cruise Control). He was going through Overland Park, KS residential area around 80 mph with dozens of people calling the police as he was racing through stop signs and traffic lights. When he came upon one intersection 103rd and Antioch he bounced off a Suburban which pushed him into oncoming traffic. A mid-sized Ford ran him over, bike and all. The police called me in as they wanted to know if the kid was suicidal, on drugs or an issue with the motorcycle. That was when I found the throttle lock issue. Anyway, they were not able to find the motorcyclists forearm. They towed the Ford over to my lift as they believed the boys arm must be attached somewhere underneath. There must have been 6 or 7 police officers with me when I raised that car. They all moved to the front of the car expecting to find something, I was at the back of the car. I put my arm over the tailpipe and let it partially dangle. I called the police officers; I yelled: “Hey, here is the arm!” They all turned as I grabbed my own arm with my other hand (for realism). They all walked over as I started to move the dead arm. It’s a good thing I had a bucket there as one officer lost his cookies. We never did find the arm.

If you take the seriousness of what happened too serious, you won’t sleep and you won’t be able to do your job. You have to keep some joviality in the situation. I can’t even begin to tell you the tricks the police did to me my first year working with them. It was good to get them back! Sorry if anyone found that story a bit gruesome.

It is a ‘kick’ working with the NHTSA. I assisted in the Toyota ‘Sudden Acceleration’ issue, the Dex-Cool ‘antifreeze’ issue with GM and a few other smaller issues. It is nice knowing your helping. I also work for the local TV station. A while back we did a local TV segment taking a known good vehicle to numerous repair shops using a hidden camera in and outside the vehicle. Mainly Goodyears and Firestones and other independent shops. Obviously, I cannot take my own (not that I would) car to any of these Goodyear and Firestone shops we crucified on TV.

Which shops tried to sell the woman (assistant producer) things she didn’t need? The results were so good that they turned it into a 2 day segment with their radio station talk show doing Q&A about cars all day long. That was fun, but I’m not the best public speaker. I get the sta.. sta..sta.. stutters sometimes.

 

[accordy2g]

Hey thank you for all your knowledge, Im going t obuy those extenders. Its so annoying to have it buzzing every 30 seconds

 

[Crashmaster]

If you buy the extenders, make sure to buy the ones that EXACTLY match my picture. There are some that look similar but won't work. I went through 4 or 5 sets of ones that didn't quite work. I just checked on Ebay and the seller for these extenders are: ironc10

The current price for a set of these are Buy It Now for $4.39 with FREE Shipping. They will take about 2 weeks or a bit more to get them as they are coming from overseas.

 

[accordy2g]

Thanks so much!! Just bought a pair

 

[DraEagWol]

I just received a pair of "extenders", while I like that they got rid of the annoying seat belt warning... I don't like how hard you have to depress the button to get it to release the seatbelt. I don't know if they will "loosen" up in time with use, or what may help, definately alot stiffer / harder to depress than the oem's.

Also, as a side note, when the passenger's side is plugged in but no one actually sitting on the seat, the passenger air bag warning lite, is lit up. guess it's weight activated.

 

[Crashmaster]

Are you absolutely sure you ordered the exact ones I recommended from the specific eBay seller? They are not all the same. There are some extenders that are slightly larger in size, that I had that specific problem with, which is why I ask. This is why I had to go through numerous seat belt extenders until I found some that worked perfectly. I ended up returning the ones that stuck. Seat belt mechanisms need to release quickly and completely.

I don’t use an extender for the passenger seat. Yes there is a weight sensor under the seat that detects the weight of the passenger. I always insist that any passenger in my car wear a seat belt.

 

[Aceman]

. . .
Also, as a side note, when the passenger's side is plugged in but no one actually sitting on the seat, the passenger air bag warning lite, is lit up. guess it's weight activated.

Is it this light in the middle?

Or the one on the dash? If it's the one in the middle, no worries, that just means the passenger airbag is off. If it's the one in the dash, that means it's probably getting confused having the belt attached but 0 lbs of weight in the seat.

Unfortunately I don't see a good way to take out the "reminder beeper" because it's also used for lights on warnings, parking brake reminder, and key-in warning. Worse yet, it appears to be (I can only see a picture of it from one angle) built in to the actual gauge cluster. . .like one harness connector connects to the whole thing.

 

[DraEagWol]

Nope, not absolutely sure, I just ordered the ones that looked like the ones you posted. Same pic, same measurements, could be different seller though. No biggy, I don't use them for everyday driving, just like you said, when I'm only pulling out a short distance or working in the vehicle and not wanting to hear the annoying sound. So, I plan to only using them "situationally".

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2xCar-Seat-...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item1c1dc7880a

They were only 5 bucks.. so no biggy, since I will not 'trust' them with my life, but for those "situational" uses, they will do. Appreciate your advice none-the-less!

 

[DraEagWol]

Is it this light in the middle?

Or the one on the dash? If it's the one in the middle, no worries, that just means the passenger airbag is off. If it's the one in the dash, that means it's probably getting confused having the belt attached but 0 lbs of weight in the seat.



It is just the one on the center console, and easy fix is to just remove the "extender". Just something I noticed when trying the pair of them out.