Hi all,
I've had an 1996 x300 for ever, it's been a wonderful car at over 300,000 km.
Very occasionally and often in the middle of the night when nothing is stirring, not even a mouse, the car will emit a musical little series of chimes, not being musical I can't tell you what notes they are. It only occurs once and may be months before it does it again. The car runs well and leaves no evidence of its nocturnal musical performance. The car is never locked and keys always in the ignition.
Is it trying to tell me something or is it having musical dreams
Is this the beginning of consciousness? Will I have a 2001 type experience with car.
Jokes aside, has anyone any idea what the car is doing?
Al

 

Hi Al,
I don't know but it's amazing I fancy an x300 now.
You also live in a decent neighbour-hood, I take it.
Good Luck in finding a solution. I've never heard anything like it, but you have me hooked!
I'll be watching this post!
Take care out there Al. Regards, Stu

 

My '95 was trying to tell me something too...it locked me out with the engine running. Twice.

 

Al, whatever stuff you and your car are on, I want some as well!

And now seriously: how loud is it (I mean more like the alarm or more like a mouse being hit with a shovel). And how did you manage to observe this? Have you been sleeping in the car or did it just wake you up in middle of the night? Or maybe it's just an alien (like Transformers) and it's trying to call home (like E.T.)?
Damn, that wasn't very serious... But still, we want more details, man!

 

It could be the passive alarm sounder intermittently going off due to a small fault.

 

Its just bored and likes to whistle

 

For fire crow,
The car is parked below our bedroom in a garage, hence we can hear it do its nocturnal tunes.
The sound is definitely a chime about the same volume as the average squeak most cars emit to the outside world when being centrally locked/unlocked by a remote
It's a little riff of about 6 or seven note, quite deliberate and musical
I have not heard it at any other time
Reference the contributor who has been locked out of a running car, I live in fear of such things.
The worst this car has every done with my wife is have the boot opener fail. It had her surgical instruments in it and she needed access for the next day when the boot refused to open by key or remote. Was approaching crow bar stage or hole drilled in what seemed the right spot when at last it yielded to some brute force. A plastic clip in the operating rod inside the boot lid had failed
God but I hate plastics. What idiot decided to put plastic cam chain tensioners in, plastic water pumps, thermostat housing. I am surprised there's not more consumer back lash with such expensive cars to have them ruined by plastic bits breaking. XK8 coolant tank cracked and could have ruined the engine.
Rule should be no plastic engine parts under any circumstances
That's my rant
Regards all and thanks
Al

 

Mine too!


I stepped out of the car, removed the keys from the ignition , and starting washing the car with a pressure washer. All of a sudden I hear this weird little melody I've never heard before. It was definitely the alarm doing it.. And all of a sudden the car was locked as well. Good thing I removed the keys from the ignition.. It was just like Alan said, 6 or 7 notes..


Also here the other day, I started the car, went inside while the engine was running, came back, and it was locked! I had to find the spare keys to open the doors again.


I think there is something funny with the electronics in my car. Sometimes when I start to drive, the doors will automatically lock after several minutes.. And sometimes they lock immediately, like they are supposed to.