Can the door open " chime " be made to be louder ??

[Esteban]

I am hard of hearing, but even with my hearing aids, I cannot hear the chime when the door is open, or the key is in switch. The high pitch tones are what is hardest for me to hear. Any way to make them louder, or replace with another type.

[djkeev]

As they say, ANYTHING is possible.......all it takes is $$$'s.Find a car with a "chime" you like and order one. It is only a matter of connecting a few wires to make it work (wiring diagram for both would probably help).Many handy people could do it but for a pro it should only take an hour or so. Clip, snip, solder (crimp), plug it in.Dave

[Esteban]

I am going to research that. I have a Ford Focus & everyone things it has a noisy chime, but I think it is fine. Can hear it without hearing aids, too.

[RIT]

GM should offer a "Florida-chime" - sorry for the are-joke, because I am probably older than you. Look into either a Buick or Cadillac chime - opps, another knock at GM !

[Esteban]

LOL. If you older than 60, you are older than me. I lost a lot of hearing in service.

[RIT]

We're close - my "Lottery Number" was 315, so I didn't get drafted nor have to go to "Nam".

[Esteban]

Lottery numbers started when I was already in " Injun Country !"

[joatmon]

I have not seen the set up on a 2010, but on my 2003, the part that made the chime is soldered on the back of the instrument cluster. It was a part that put out a fixed volume fixed pitch sound. The logic to determine if the chime should sound was also in the cluster. If I wanted to get a louder sound, I would take out the cluster, remove the existing beeper and put in a louder one. Instead of mounting the new beeper to the back of the cluster, you could use wires to put the beeper somewhere else that would be easier to hear, not obstructed by being inside the dash. If you did that, you could probably also hook up some sort of light to flash when the beeper sounded.It would be possible to just build a new beeper device, tie in to the wires that go into the instrument cluster. You need access to the wires that tell it that the headlight switch is on, the driver door is open, and the key is in the lock. Then come up with a circuit that makes a sound whenever the driver door is open if the key is in the lock or the headlights are turned on.I don't know what your electronics skills are, or who you know that has such skills. It is not something that you will be able to do simply or easily, as just an average operator. Can't just hit a certain sequence of buttons and double the volume or lower the pitch. (at least nobody here seems to know of any secret sequence) It will take a bit of wiring or soldering. If you are up to that, then we'll help you work through it, but if you're not, you might look into asking the dealer, or perhaps a place that does audio or electronics installsIn the meantime, you can reduce the risk form the headlights by using the automatic feature. I don't know how it works on the 2010s, some 2010 owner correct me if it's different, but on mine there is a light sensor in the top of the dashboard. If the car thinks it's light enough out, it will just turn on half bright daytime running lights, but if it thins it's dark enough, it will turn on full headlights and tail lights. You cna take some tape, or something opaque and ut it over the light sensor so the car thinks its always dark, and will always turn the lights on. That way you never need to turn them on manually, and therefore don't need to remember to turn them off.Can't really offer a way to make sure you don't leave the keys in the ignition, except for some sort of tether, get a retractable key ring, clip it to your belt, so you can't get out of the car and leave the keys in it. Seems like it would inconvenient, but I guess not as inconvenient as locking your keys in the car.

[Whelan]

You guys have door chimes? Not on my Matrix, the picture of the car with the door open is enough, and if it isn't the interior light on is another indicator, and if that is not enough. When I start driving and hear wind or see one of my doors open I know I got an issue.

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »You guys have door chimes? Not on my Matrix, the picture of the car with the door open is enough, and if it isn't the interior light on is another indicator, and if that is not enough. When I start driving and hear wind or see one of my doors open I know I got an issue.Obviously you are not awarae of the purpose of the door chime. It is not to tell you the door is open, as you have pointed out there is an idiot light for that and it is also fairly obvious when the driver door is wide open, especially when driving.When the car is not running and the driver door is opened, it will beep if the headlights are turned on manually. Also, it will beep if the driver door is opened when the car is not running, and the key is in the ignition. THese things are not to indicate that the door is opened. Instead they are to remind you of conditions which may need to be corrected before leaving or locking the vehicle.These cars have auto headlights, and most of the time people tend to not turn the headlights on manually. However, during periods of fog or precipitation, the auto headlights may not fully come on, and safety prodecures would call for manually turning the full headlights on, perhaps not so much to see with as much as to be seen by other drivers. WIth these cars, people get conditioned to not leaving the car with the headlights on, they get used to them coming on and going off automatically. This makes the reminder even more valuable. Used to be people developed the habit of checking the lights were out. Now we're trained to not have to remember. THis is all to prevent an operator from leaving the car with the headlights on long enough to drain the battery and strand the motorist.THe key reminder is useful as well. Again, it is not to alert the operator that th edoor is opened, it is to remind them to not lock the car while the key is still in the ignition. It woudl be possible (and may even be that way) to prevent locking the door with the engine off and key in the ignition on models that have the power lock optiopn, but not all Vibes or Matrixes have that option. With manual locks, it is possible to lock the doors without any computer aided incident prevention. If one has never locked the keys in the car by accident, then that is good, but a number of us have at one time or another. Locking the keys in the car can leave the motorist stranded. It also, if undetected, can have a theft aiding effect, a free car just for the price of a broke n window. These effects are to be avoided, and the reminder chimem is intended to help, even in some small way, to prevent them.Now, for your homework assignement, you are to verify on your matrix the presenece or absence of these features. Open the driver door, reach in and manually turn the headlights on. Note the presence or absence of chime. Turn the headlights off. Reach in and place the key in the ignition. Note the presence or absence of chime. This data will be used to compile a scientific comparison of the presence or absence auditory behavior modifying indicators in the preconfigured operator convenience features of powered self transportation devices based on the same initial condition and subsequently customized by large internal cooperating and simultaneously competing manufacturing corporations

[Whelan]

I have the headlight chime. But no other one that I know of. Now I gotta think of a super-human name. lol.

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »In the meantime, you can reduce the risk form the headlights by using the automatic feature. I don't know how it works on the 2010s, some 2010 owner correct me if it's different, but on mine there is a light sensor in the top of the dashboard. If the car thinks it's light enough out, it will just turn on half bright daytime running lights, but if it thins it's dark enough, it will turn on full headlights and tail lights. You cna take some tape, or something opaque and ut it over the light sensor so the car thinks its always dark, and will always turn the lights on. That way you never need to turn them on manually, and therefore don't need to remember to turn them off.^^^^This^^^^2009+ Vibe has a sensor on the dash, but it is located more near the center than the previous 2003-2008 Vibes to avoid any shadow from the window pillar I believe.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »You guys have door chimes? Not on my Matrix, the picture of the car with the door open is enough, and if it isn't the interior light on is another indicator, and if that is not enough. When I start driving and hear wind or see one of my doors open I know I got an issue.The buzzer does NOT make any noise if the key is in the ignition and the ignition is in the run position. So you wouldn't hear anything if the door was open and you went down the road.Yours should beep when the door is open and you have the key in the ignition and the ignition in off, acc, or run. If yours is not doing that, and you only have the headlight chime then your Matrix is broken. I'd almost swear you should have heard this thing beep by now with as much as you detail your car or whatever. Surely you listen to the radio with the ignition off and sometimes have to open a door.

[cptnsolo77]

Post this in the Audio forum & maybe someone can give you a step by step instructions on how to wire the chime into your stereo. Everyone in your neighboorhood will know you left your door open...lol

[Whelan]

oh wait you mean the digital sounding beep, beep, beep, beep. The four beeps in a row it does. I'm thinking chime like the older cars have where it is a resounding BING.....BING.....BING. I never considered mine a chime as much as a 1990 Casio watch alarm going off.