Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Auto Addict on 17 April 2013, 08:53:33

Title: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Auto Addict on 17 April 2013, 08:53:33
Only seem to activate at speeds over 50 mph.

Didn't think I'd got any at first.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: STMO123 on 17 April 2013, 14:06:46
Only seem to activate at speeds over 50 mph.

Didn't think I'd got any at first.
You're not pretending that you went over 50mph? ;D
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: henryd on 17 April 2013, 15:46:44
Only seem to activate at speeds over 50 mph.

Didn't think I'd got any at first.

My Signum does it at any speed :y
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: TheBoy on 17 April 2013, 18:11:31
Every Insignia I've driven has it working at all speeds, thus I guess thats the default. Please read the manual or press some buttons, see if there is a setting.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: STMO123 on 17 April 2013, 19:15:59
Even my crappy old box has them.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Auto Addict on 17 April 2013, 20:29:47
No separate settings for it.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: 2woody on 17 April 2013, 21:36:21
think yourself lucky they don't work all the time - I really can't think of anything more pointless and annoying
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Del Boy on 17 April 2013, 21:56:30
I think they're an excellent invention  :y.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: YZ250 on 17 April 2013, 22:17:28
I think they're an excellent invention  :y.

So do I.  :y

I miss them when I'm in the Omega.  :)
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Andy B on 17 April 2013, 22:55:30
..... I really can't think of anything more pointless and annoying

You could say the same about electric windows, electric seats in fact you could easily remove most of the modern day electrickery from a car. It'll reduce weight & therefore increase fuel economy etc. Lane change indicators might take a little time to get used to them, but as others have said, I miss them when driving the Omega.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: henryd on 17 April 2013, 23:00:45
..... I really can't think of anything more pointless and annoying

You could say the same about electric windows, electric seats in fact you could easily remove most of the modern day electrickery from a car. It'll reduce weight & therefore increase fuel economy etc. Lane change indicators might take a little time to get used to them, but as others have said, I miss them when driving the Omega.

I like them too  :y
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: joshwyatt on 17 April 2013, 23:12:37
I find the 3 flash 'lane change' quite annoying on motorways. I was always taught that the number of flashes should mirror your speed, i.e. at 70, you should give approx 7 flashes starting from the centre of your lane until you're fully in the desired lane, 6 at 60 etc etc. The 3 flash is only really good for around town driving. Overtaking on a NSL A or B road, and they're perfect...but that's probably the only time I think they're any good.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Entwood on 18 April 2013, 09:34:18
I find the 3 flash 'lane change' quite annoying on motorways. I was always taught that the number of flashes should mirror your speed, i.e. at 70, you should give approx 7 flashes starting from the centre of your lane until you're fully in the desired lane, 6 at 60 etc etc. The 3 flash is only really good for around town driving. Overtaking on a NSL A or B road, and they're perfect...but that's probably the only time I think they're any good.

Half agree with you here .... motorway bit I fully concur .. but the "around town" bit I don't ....

Indicators are exactly what they are called ... they "indicate" your intention to move .. they are not a statement of fact .. "I am moving" ... they therefore need to be seen BEFORE the event .. not during it.

It is easily argued that with the additional distractions to ALL drivers of other vehicles, pedestrians, traffic lights etc etc .. that MORE use of indicators is better, rather than less. 3 flashes are pointless as they may well not be seen by a driver watching a pedestrian with a pram as an example.

The old adage .. Mirror, signal, manoeuvre, cancel, seems to require a few more than 3 flashes .. less than 2 seconds ????

Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Kevin Wood on 18 April 2013, 09:51:39
I think the driver should be in control of when he starts to indicate and when he stops indicating, personally. My kit car doesn't even have self-cancelling indicators, and I much prefer that to the Omega's self-cancelling indicators.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Andy B on 18 April 2013, 09:58:18
I think the driver should be in control of when he starts to indicate and when he stops indicating, personally. My kit car doesn't even have self-cancelling indicators, and I much prefer that to the Omega's self-cancelling indicators.

Move the indicator till it clicks then ...... as per 'normal' indicators. SWMBO doesn't evr use the lane change bit cos she's too heavy handed to know how to gently push the lever.  ::)  ::)
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: kev2b4 on 18 April 2013, 10:03:29
I used to on my cortina's and capri's invariably remove the self cancelling on my indicators on the basis that if you put them on , you put them off when YOU want to, not when the self cancelling decides. 
Have got the 3 flash thing on the Caddy van -- but I don't use it-I put them on when I want for as long as I want
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: tigers_gonads on 18 April 2013, 10:56:06
Disconnect it totally and pretend your a BMW driver  :-X :D :D
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: pscocoa on 18 April 2013, 13:00:03
You also need Side Scan blind-spot monitor to go with that sir :y
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: tunnie on 18 April 2013, 13:06:48
still unsure of the point of them, i just press the indicator stalk for maybe 1 or two seconds anyway when changing lanes  :-\
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Taxi_Driver on 20 April 2013, 19:03:55
My passat has them.....i like  :y
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Taxi_Driver on 21 April 2013, 18:02:54
Had a quick looky on the interwebby for you Mr Custard.

It appears strangeness with indicators can be fixed with latest firmware for the ecu.

Also a possibility, they should flash 6 times when you have pikey van attached, so question is did it already have a factory fit pikey bar and electrics or did you have them fitted by a non vx place?
Wondering if fitted by non vx place or even vx place  ::) they've done something to the wiring or added the incorrect canbus relay and its upsetting the canbus for the indicators?   :-\ Dont know whether pulling the added canbus relay would prove anything but might be worth a try  :-\

Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Auto Addict on 22 April 2013, 06:41:57
Had a quick looky on the interwebby for you Mr Custard.

It appears strangeness with indicators can be fixed with latest firmware for the ecu.

Also a possibility, they should flash 6 times when you have pikey van attached, so question is did it already have a factory fit pikey bar and electrics or did you have them fitted by a non vx place?
Wondering if fitted by non vx place or even vx place  ::) they've done something to the wiring or added the incorrect canbus relay and its upsetting the canbus for the indicators?   :-\ Dont know whether pulling the added canbus relay would prove anything but might be worth a try  :-\

It was an aftermarket canbus system, fitted at the dealer premises by the dealer approved towbar fitting company.

It could, I suppose have affected the indicators, I'm not too bothered as the indicators work OK in the conventional way, but I may take a trip to the dealers to see what they say.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Auto Addict on 09 May 2013, 05:42:56
Thought I would try something - and it worked :y

Held the indicator stalk down until I felt resistance, put my foot on the brake pedal and then switched on the ignition.

Lane change indicators now work, 3 flashes driving solo, 6 flashes when towing.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: aaronjb on 09 May 2013, 09:49:04
I had these automagical lane chance thingies on a VW I hired in Prague - confused me for a while as to why the indicators seemed to stay on when I wasn't asking them to  ::) :-[

I think the driver should be in control of when he starts to indicate and when he stops indicating, personally. My kit car doesn't even have self-cancelling indicators, and I much prefer that to the Omega's self-cancelling indicators.

Move the indicator till it clicks then ...... as per 'normal' indicators. SWMBO doesn't evr use the lane change bit cos she's too heavy handed to know how to gently push the lever.  ::)  ::)

Half the time when I try gently pushing the lever in the Omega I get a lovely electrical arcing sound as the contacts don't quite meet up properly :oops: The BMW is much nicer in that regard, it has a much more obvious 'point' you push to if you just want them to flash while held.. though I'm sure newer ones have replaced that with the automagical dooberries :( (that's just to prove that I do actually use the indicators in the BMW, btw.. ;D )
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Andy B on 09 May 2013, 10:19:07
....
Half the time when I try gently pushing the lever in the Omega I get a lovely electrical arcing sound as the contacts don't quite meet up properly :oops:  ....

Ah! It's not just my Omega then!  ;)
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 09 May 2013, 11:15:46
You will hear an electrical arc on any system where the switch actualy switches the indicator lamp current. e.g. as per the Omega and all cars of the 90's and earlier design era (except maybe jags with thier millions of relays in all corners of the car which also always failed due to water etc!).

Later systems signal to a CAN controller which switches the current so no (very little) arcing occurs and hence no noise.
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Andy B on 09 May 2013, 11:36:13
You will hear an electrical arc on any system where the switch actualy switches the indicator lamp current. e.g. as per the Omega and all cars of the 90's and earlier design era (except maybe jags with thier millions of relays in all corners of the car which also always failed due to water etc!).

 ......

All my cars up until the Merc been pre 90s  ::) and the Omega is the only one to do it ....... it's worse indicting one way than the other too - cheap switch fitted IMHO  ;)
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 09 May 2013, 12:06:09
Unlikely.

Bottom line is that there is a set of contacts which are switching a current, when not closed fully they will arc.

This will happen on any vehicle with such a setup, now wether you can hear it is a different matter  :y
Title: Re: Lane change indicators on an Insignia
Post by: maracus on 09 May 2013, 16:08:57
My Astra has these stupid 3 flash indicators, a year on and a many million miles, I can safely say I hate them!!!

I'm forever looking down approaching roundabouts to make sure that they are still on, clicking them on twice, turning them on thinking I've turned them off, I've pushed them too hard when I want only a few flashes and they stay on, you cancel them as they self cancel and you end up re indicating, the other day a biker nearly went up my arse, I was turning into my drive and has to be done slowly off a main road as its a tight swing, I know I put them on and I think they stayed on, but I still had that shadow of a doubt wether they were on or not even though i know i indicated, because of this damn system! (If he had of hit me it would have been his own fault for being so close, or not paying attention, or whatever he was doing, I was sure to give plenty of slow down, no sudden braking etc, but regardless) I'm always cursing these indicators!

They are especially a pain when you also drive non half-clicky indicator cars, old habits die hard!
Just causes too much confusion!

Can they be deactivated??  :y