Horn doesn't work when car is off

TailgatingBMW · 12-11-2016, 03:12 AM

When I sold my X5 E53 and got my E91 LCI 320d, I noticed something annoying about it: when you press the start/stop button once, windows go up and down, iDrive works, you can flash the high beams, indicators work? but no horn. In this situation (first turn of the key), the horn would honk on the X5.
In the 3 Series, I can only honk with the ignition on (another press of the start/stop button) or obviously with the engine running.
Most of the time when I'm sitting in my car I only press the engine start/stop button once, because I want to listen to music. However, the other day, someone drove past me and hit my rear view mirror with his. Thankfully I could put it back in place and it didn't have a scratch (kudos to BMW for that) but I couldn't honk my horn to let the guy know. He just left.

Is there any way to make the horn work without ignition? Please tell me if you have a solution.

Efthreeoh · 12-11-2016, 06:02 AM

I doubt there is a way to change it, but maybe with the newer cars it can be programmed. I'd throw this question out in the Coding subforum. Every BMW (4 in total) I've ever owned has operated this way.

CoffeeBean · 12-12-2016, 04:56 PM

I had 2 08 328's which I'm pretty sure the horn worked without the ignition. My 07 335 does not. I thought it was something changed in 08, but you have a 2012 so...

TailgatingBMW · 12-13-2016, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RossTheBoss

I had 2 08 328's which I'm pretty sure the horn worked without the ignition. My 07 335 does not. I thought it was something changed in 08, but you have a 2012 so...

Weird. It's a shame there doesn't seem to be any solution to change it.

Beamer97 · 12-14-2016, 05:33 PM

I have a 07 323i and mine is the same, honking won't work unless the car is turned on, weird, but don't think i would ever need it while its off

techwhiz · 12-14-2016, 07:52 PM

I've had lots of BMWs and the horn only works with the car on.
Multiple generation M3s, 530i and my 335 all work the same way.

STR8-6IX · 12-15-2016, 03:01 PM

why do you need the horn when your car is off? why is this so concerning that you just had to make a thread about it? my horn did not work while my car was off until i cycled the ignition on and off.

sea6speed · 12-15-2016, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beamer97

I have a 07 323i and mine is the same, honking won't work unless the car is turned on, weird, but don't think i would ever need it while its off

Sometimes to save gas I'll turn the car off on a long downhill stretch. It's good to have the horn in case I blow through a stop sign or a school zone.

Wilt · 12-15-2016, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sea6speed

Sometimes to save gas I'll turn the car off on a long downhill stretch. It's good to have the horn in case I blow through a stop sign or a school zone.

...and the assist for your brakes and steering...???

The horns are supplied by the JBE, so the trick is to get the JBE to activate the horn circuit. It seems that the horn might need some rewiring, to come off Terminal 15F control and be put onto Terminal 30B control. Just a first pass guess, that it is not simply coding but overcoming the way the car Power Management functions.

Beamer97 · 12-16-2016, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sea6speed

Sometimes to save gas I'll turn the car off on a long downhill stretch. It's good to have the horn in case I blow through a stop sign or a school zone.

Doing this will damage your car don't do it.

Mr. Tasty · 12-16-2016, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beamer97

Doing this will damage your car don't do it.

He is pretty obviously joking.

PTinVT · 12-16-2016, 03:12 PM

I've noticed my brake lights don't work with ignition off in either my '07 E92 or '02 E46.

R608 · 12-20-2016, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

why do you need the horn when your car is off? why is this so concerning that you just had to make a thread about it? my horn did not work while my car was off until i cycled the ignition on and off.

In a word, safety. I was backed into when I had my '06 just after parking and shutting the car off. Very low speed in that case and fortunately no apparent damage, but it probably could have been avoided altogether if BMW hadn't decided that the horn shouldn't work when the ignition was turned off.

STR8-6IX · 12-20-2016, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R608

In a word, safety. I was backed into when I had my '06 just after parking and shutting the car off. Very low speed in that case and fortunately no apparent damage, but it probably could have been avoided altogether if BMW hadn't decided that the horn shouldn't work when the ignition was turned off.

my horn still works if i just turned the car off.

12-11-2016, 03:12 AM	#1
TailgatingBMW Enlisted Member 12 Rep 47 Posts Drives: BMW E91 LCI 320d Touring 2012 Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Paris iTrader: (0)	Horn doesn't work when car is off When I sold my X5 E53 and got my E91 LCI 320d, I noticed something annoying about it: when you press the start/stop button once, windows go up and down, iDrive works, you can flash the high beams, indicators work? but no horn. In this situation (first turn of the key), the horn would honk on the X5. In the 3 Series, I can only honk with the ignition on (another press of the start/stop button) or obviously with the engine running. Most of the time when I'm sitting in my car I only press the engine start/stop button once, because I want to listen to music. However, the other day, someone drove past me and hit my rear view mirror with his. Thankfully I could put it back in place and it didn't have a scratch (kudos to BMW for that) but I couldn't honk my horn to let the guy know. He just left. Is there any way to make the horn work without ignition? Please tell me if you have a solution.
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12-11-2016, 06:02 AM	#2
Efthreeoh General 17317 Rep 18,738 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	I doubt there is a way to change it, but maybe with the newer cars it can be programmed. I'd throw this question out in the Coding subforum. Every BMW (4 in total) I've ever owned has operated this way. __________________ A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
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12-12-2016, 04:56 PM	#3
CoffeeBean Lieutenant 226 Rep 553 Posts Drives: 640i M-Sport GC Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: AL iTrader: (2)	I had 2 08 328's which I'm pretty sure the horn worked without the ignition. My 07 335 does not. I thought it was something changed in 08, but you have a 2012 so...
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12-14-2016, 05:33 PM	#5
Beamer97 New Member 0 Rep 19 Posts Drives: BMW 323i Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	I have a 07 323i and mine is the same, honking won't work unless the car is turned on, weird, but don't think i would ever need it while its off
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12-14-2016, 07:52 PM	#6
techwhiz Colonel 453 Rep 2,973 Posts Drives: e90 335i Sedan - Arctic Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Bay Area, Ca iTrader: (4)	I've had lots of BMWs and the horn only works with the car on. Multiple generation M3s, 530i and my 335 all work the same way. __________________ Arctic Metallic\CF Splitters, Spoiler, Mirror Covers\LED Tails\LSD\Tinted\Coded\Apex Square SM10-19"\LED Angel Eyes\Gloss Black Grill\Integrated V1 & Galaxy Tab\M-Performance Brakes\Cobb Tuned\xHP Flash\Resonator Removed and -> is your friend.
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12-15-2016, 03:01 PM	#7
STR8-6IX Banned 536 Rep 2,825 Posts Drives: RWD 528i N52 Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	why do you need the horn when your car is off? why is this so concerning that you just had to make a thread about it? my horn did not work while my car was off until i cycled the ignition on and off.
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12-16-2016, 03:12 PM	#12
PTinVT armchair enthusiast 221 Rep 1,019 Posts Drives: 18 340xi, 02 325Cic, 93 850Ci Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Burlington, VT iTrader: (3)	I've noticed my brake lights don't work with ignition off in either my '07 E92 or '02 E46. __________________ '18 340i xDrive EB/Dakota, 6-speed manual, M-sport '02 325Cic vert AW/Montana leather, 5-speed manual, premium/removable hardtop '93 850Ci Oxford Green/Parchment, auto '71 Buick Riviera, 455 V8 land yacht
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