X350 electrical gremlins again.....

[BrianG]

This afternoon I had occasion to sound the horn when some idiot pulled out in front of me, result silence, and despite repeated hard thumps on the horn bar - no horns drat! I can't remember the last time I tooted the horns so when I got back home I consulted the driver's handbook for the fuse number to check, but as these are usually a "last resort" then if blown there will be more serious trouble elsewhere, so I wanted the horn relay number too. Had to consult the electrical guide as this info is not in the drivers handbook (why not?).

From the electrical guide it is a non-replaceable relay on the printed circuit board in the engine bay (thanks JLR), not insurmountable but I really didn't want to start poking around today. Then I had a brainwave for a quick check: set the alarm then deliberately trigger it by opening the rear passenger door (I keep it locked manually as the central locking motor is faulty). Result! The horns sounded loud and clear, so I cancelled the alarm to avoid the neighbours getting annoyed, then just out of curiosity I pressed the previously dead horn push on the column - horns no problem! I tried it several times and it was solid, so unless I've got a dodgy wire in the steering column "cassette" wiring it seems to have magically fixed itself. I will now toot my horn every day just to make sure!