My Horn keeps cutting out. one day it works the next, nothing.
checked the connection at the horn and it on there ok. Any thoughts

 

Is this your stock horn? Is the horn's trumpet facing downwards?

 

hey I have the same problem for the past month,
I took to the dealer and they said the horn is bad. It worked on and off for a month then finallydied. bringing it back that week for install. they had to order it.
this is a easy job, but might as well let them do it since its under warrenty. and the dealer is right across the street from my work

 

why does the horn have to face down??? I turn it forward, did that ruin it

 

It may have, if water is allowed to get into the inner workings of it and not be allowed to drain out. Horn units areusually not designed to be water proof. The internal works are fairly exposed and volnerable to damage by water infiltration. They're pretty basic and old-school technology. They haven't made any real improvements in years... probably 50-60 yrs @ that.

 

Like virgin1 said the reason the trumpet of the horn is facing down it to keep water from collecting in it. I know people who installed better horns in their 3's and faced them upwards. after a good rain the horn didn't work anymore, though it did again once it dried out. It sounds like that may be a contributing factor for you but that there might be something else going on with your horn.

It most certainly is an easy job to do. The down side of having the dealer do it is that yous till end up with the OEM "clown" hi-tone horn. It's very simple to augment or replace the stock horn so that you end up with something far more robust and noticable.

 

Why does everyone seem to have such a problem w/the stock horn? ( lol) OK, it could be louder and more "commanding."
I guess I just don't put much stock in horn usage, and when caught in a precarious situation out on the streets am too busy trying to avoid it to think about using the horn.
I did install air horns on one of my cars back in the '80's, and they were satisfying. But they had a hard time working correctly in the winter and one diaphram cracked while trying to use them during a -30F cold snap.
If you're on a budget, like I am, good ole' JC of Whitney has a large selection of (claimed) +110db horns for around $20/pr, or less for individuals. But if connecting two in any modern car, you might want to consdider also installing a horn relay. Traditional vibrating units are not very efficient and draw a lot of power to work. The wiring in cars today is not made for that kind of power pull, unless already equipped w/duallies.

 

HaHa! I'm laughing because not only was the horn facing straight froward, I took the plastic black and silver cover off. So the horn is completly exposed to the weather... No Wonder its dead.

Virgin1 here in south florida people drive like idiots, they cut you off all the time. its really bad. I grew up in the northeast and hardley ever used my horn.
Maybe I should just get a new one at Advance Auto. Screw the dealer. I'll have to leave the car all day and still have the tiny beep beep.
Should I get the Low tone instead of the High tone??? I'm dont want to spend alot.

 

Virgin1 my thoughts on the horn are that sometimes when something happens (say someone cuts you off, etc.) then you can't always be the one to do all of the evasive maneuvering. The other driver needs to know that there's a danger and that's what the horn is for. I don't have air horns in my car, and really my car sounds about like what you would expect a normal car to sound like.... it's just that the stock high tone is not sufficient.

I personnaly replaced the stock horn (it's a Fiamm high tone btw) with a set of Fiamm dual-tone Freeway Blasters. It's two seperate horns (one hi, on low) and I think the're rated at 118 db. It's a fairly easy install. They cost about $35 total from Advance Auto Parts. If I were going to do it again I would probably get the stebel nautilus compact dual-tone air horn. It's an all in one unit with the compressor built in, and it's about the size of two cans of red bull.

Incidentally I've been running my Fiamms off of the stock wiring with no problems whatsoever. I also know many people that have run other horns without the use of relays with no problems. Most horns don't pull that much power, and even if they are they're used for such brief periods of time that it shouldn't hurt anything. Add into that that in some foreign countries the 3 comes with both high and low tone horns (the low tone mounted in the same place, only on the passenger's side) so the system is probably made to work with the demands of dual horns anyway.

 

At the risk of soundinglike the ol' curmudgeon that I am,it's my impression that most ppl (Americans especially) these days don't give a damn, or are just oblivious to everything but their own needs.
About the Fiamm horns: JCWhitney has them, well, ones that are specifically called Freeway Blaster Horns, rated @ 130db for $17.99 ea. they do "recommend" the relay for them "if installed in pairs."
I agree w/you that when used sparingly the wiring may be able to take the extra load, and usually I agree with your post alot more than not. But an electric vibratinghorn is very nearly a direct short circuit. I think you might be surprised just how much current they can draw compared to the usual output.
Based on what you'd said about Euro 3's having two horns, and others that have only one, but on the RS, has anyone checked to see if our cars (N north American) are pre-wired for two? I know I haven't.