This Is What Makes The Ticking Sound Of Your Indicators

Ever wondered what's actually making that ticking sound when you put your indicators on? Watch this guy take apart two different types of indicator and you'll find out...

Matt Robinson

Updated: 10 Oct 2024

There are other kinds of systems out there (many indicator ‘ticks’ are made through speakers), but regardless, it’s cool to see these two taken to bits. On the subject of taking things apart, did you have any idea that the inner workings of windscreen wipers were so complex?

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

I’m sure BMW drivers never heard of that clicking sound..

…

The relay…

It’s weird that they are still mechanical unless I guess you need an auditory cue they are on as well as a flashing light on the dashboard.

Nowadays though we’re shifting to transistors inside an ECU and the audible sound is sent through a speaker.

Never ever heard this noise in my BMW?

What even is an indicator?🤔

This is not the first, and won’t be the last time this dead horse is beaten in these comments…

I just read the title and the first thing I thought was that someone would have said this joke….. Assumption.. Correct

Few slightly triggered I see 😶😶

[insert overused BMW joke here]

Waiting for that day when manufacturers start using the speakers to produce the ticking sound and purists all over the world go nuts because of that

You really shouldn’t have thought that out loud…

I guess they do use speakers to produce the sound. On my mom’s 2014 Proton Iriz for example, the indicator will stop ticking(the sound of course not the lights) everytime the seatbelt reminder turned on, and for that which only buzzed for 3 seconds every 5-10 seconds interval period. I didn’t dare to strip the electronics, because the car still have a 5 year vehicle warranty with 10 year electronics warranty so I have no idea why it stops ticking.