disabling the annoying key-in-ignition buzzer!

[StephanieD]

Is it possible to disable the annoying buzzer/bell when I leave my keys in the ignition and have my door open?

Sometimes when I'm unloading my jet skis I like to leave the tunes cranked and the doors open. But that buzzer is just so irritating.

I understand it is there to warm me about leaving my keys behind or leaving the lights on, but please, I'm on it, let me worry about that!

Thanks.....................

[sestivers]

You could open all the doors except the driver's door. Or you could just open the windows instead ;-)

[Kiwi-Corolla]

As far as I know, yes, you can disable it. There should be a plug located somewhere under the dash, can't give you the exact location though unfortunately as I've never removed one on a Corolla before. Bear in mind that this will more than likely disable the headlight warning sound too (when you accidentally leave your lights on), so you might want to take that into consideration.

Considering the reason why you want to disable it in the first place, you may as well just hook your head-unit directly up to the battery. This will allow you to play your tunes without the need for the key in the ignition barrel. The only downside is that you'll have to manually push the 'off' switch on the head-unit every time you lock the car up, or else it will always remain on.

[StephanieD]

Thanks for the ideas and speedy replies.

I guess there are other reasons I like to leave the driver's door open when unloading the skis - I have to jump in and out quite often to move the car around - backing in and out of the water, moving the trailer around, getting my gear outa the car, etc.

If the buzzer were a little less annoying, I would probably be content to leave it as-is. And yeah it does also warn me about the lights. I'm willing to accept the risk.

If anyone happens to know the exact location of this irritating little device, please let me know (even if this thread gets old with no replies, please post the answer if you know - I'll never get used to this sound! : - ) ). THANK YOU!

[Kiwi-Corolla]

No worries. I'm just glad we don't have a warning bell like that when we get to 105kph (65mph) because that would really piss me off, lol. I was thinking about the door warning bell yesterday and there may actually be a plug coming off the ignition barrel (since it only comes on when your key is in the ACC position or the off position with the key still in the barrel). So it might be a good idea to start looking around that area. It's 6:09am here right now but I'll have a look for my Haynes manual when it gets a bit lighter and see if it shows where the plug is on one of the dashboard wiring diagrams. I'll post back here if I have any luck.

[StephanieD]

6:09 AM - that's when I do my best sleeping!

Don't go too much out of your way to answer my question - jet skiing season is still a few months away here. Thanks for any info you send my way though 'mate'! (they say 'mate' in NZ right? Or is that just Australia..)

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Haha, I don't mind doing a bit of leg work in order to find an answer for you. I actually popped into an auto electrician on the way home today and spoke to a very knowledgeable guy there. He said that there will be a small module under the dash (driver's side) which controls the door beeper and headlight beeper, and all you have to do is simply unplug the module and the beeping will stop.

Apparently there is no wire as such coming off the ignition barrel as it is all controlled through the fuse-box (unfortunately there isn't just a single fuse you can pull out either as it would service more than just the beepers). What year is your Corolla anyway? He said that on the later models they have a slightly more complex module that controls almost everything, which makes it a bit trickier to disable.

The best thing he said to do would be to get down on your hands and knees while the door is open (while it's beeping) and locate the module by listening to it. I just tried doing that on my 1993 Corolla and the beeper definitely gets louder when you get your head under there, unfortunately I can't see up under the dash because all the plastic is still in place, but it sounds like it's right near the ignition barrel. Might be a fun little project for you this coming weekend, lol. Let me know how you get on when you get around to it .

P.S. Yep, they do say 'mate' here, although it probably originated in Australia .

[StephanieD]

Thanks very much for checking on that for me! My car is a 1999, but it's probably similar to yours. I'll give it a try this weekend. If I find it I'll report back here for anyone who searching for this in the future. THANKS