Is it feasible to swap the beeper for my car's lock/unlock sound?
April 25, 2022 9:17 AM Subscribe
I own a Toyota 4Runner, and the lock/unlock beep has the same pitch and cadence as nearly every current Toyota and Subaru car. Is it possible to swap just the beep mechanism to one with a different pitch?
I have a 2018 4Runner, and the remote locks only seem to work on about 75% of button presses, and frequently I'll need to press the button more than once, and I depend on hearing the beeps to confirm my car did lock. The problem is if another person with a Toyota or Subaru is nearby and locks their car. The tones are identical, and then I need to lock again, and visibly confirm the lights flash to tell me the car is locked. I can't quite explain why, but this tends to irritate me.
What I would like to do, if possible, is swap the beep with one that has a different pitch, as to make it distinct from the hundreds of thousands of cars with my stock beep. I don't know if this is feasible. I don't know where the beeper is located, or what would be involved in swapping it.
Is this possible? What part am I looking for? My google-fu has failed me thus far. Thank you!
I have a 2018 4Runner, and the remote locks only seem to work on about 75% of button presses, and frequently I'll need to press the button more than once, and I depend on hearing the beeps to confirm my car did lock. The problem is if another person with a Toyota or Subaru is nearby and locks their car. The tones are identical, and then I need to lock again, and visibly confirm the lights flash to tell me the car is locked. I can't quite explain why, but this tends to irritate me.
What I would like to do, if possible, is swap the beep with one that has a different pitch, as to make it distinct from the hundreds of thousands of cars with my stock beep. I don't know if this is feasible. I don't know where the beeper is located, or what would be involved in swapping it.
Is this possible? What part am I looking for? My google-fu has failed me thus far. Thank you!
I admit that this is entirely a guess, but I'm pretty sure the "beeper" is not a separate device in the way you seem to be imagining it. It's a speaker connected to a computer. So in that sense, it could play any sound imaginable... however, changing the sound would mean messing with the software in your car, which is somewhere between "not feasible" and "a bad idea"
posted by timdiggerm at 11:13 AM on April 25, 2022
posted by timdiggerm at 11:13 AM on April 25, 2022
If you can locate the actual speaker, you could physically nick the cone or glue something to it to add some distortion. This is what old blues players used to do to get dirty fun sounds out of their amps.
If the speaker does anything else (eg alarm sounds etc), those will obviously be altered too.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:36 AM on April 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
If the speaker does anything else (eg alarm sounds etc), those will obviously be altered too.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:36 AM on April 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
This might be a good question to either search through or post on a 4Runner forum (there are a lot of them, they've got quite the following).
posted by box at 11:55 AM on April 25, 2022
posted by box at 11:55 AM on April 25, 2022
I would ask the service manager at my local dealer and then offer him say $20 to do it.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:58 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:58 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you just want the fob to work reliably try opening it up and cleaning the undersides of the buttons with an eraser. Over time they get all gunked with grease from your fingers.
posted by mannequito at 3:23 PM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mannequito at 3:23 PM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't believe this is possible, but you have now given rise to a new nightmare for me: a reality where every person has a different "ring tone" when they lock their car doors and I have to hear every single one of them from my 3rd floor apartment near the parking lot......
posted by tacodave at 4:19 PM on April 25, 2022
posted by tacodave at 4:19 PM on April 25, 2022
Response by poster: but I'm pretty sure the "beeper" is not a separate device in the way you seem to be imagining it. It's a speaker connected to a computer.
What I imagine is that the speaker is a component on the circuit board of a computer module. But I don't necessarily know which module, or whether the module can be safely opened. That's what I'm trying to determine. If I can determine what needs changing, I'll consider a purchase a spare of the necessary component that needs modification. I've just not found any sort of guide, manual, diagram, anything on where the speaker is located or what is involved.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 9:32 AM on April 26, 2022
What I imagine is that the speaker is a component on the circuit board of a computer module. But I don't necessarily know which module, or whether the module can be safely opened. That's what I'm trying to determine. If I can determine what needs changing, I'll consider a purchase a spare of the necessary component that needs modification. I've just not found any sort of guide, manual, diagram, anything on where the speaker is located or what is involved.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 9:32 AM on April 26, 2022
« Older Have you taken an online graphic design course or... | Help me find the lightest-weight slightly poofy... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
However, you may be able to increase the consistency of your key fob working. Replacing the battery is pretty easy, but what most people don't know, is that the quality of button cell batteries changes a lot between manufacturers. I'd spring for a name brand button cell battery from a hardware store and replace it.
As batteries run out, they don't just stop working immediately. I too had the experience, over months, of the key fob only working 90%, then 50%, then 25% of the time.
posted by bbqturtle at 9:35 AM on April 25, 2022