Mystery Bongs of the Autoroute

[strictly4laughs]

If anyone is out there, just back from a 4-day road trip from Calais to Caen via Champage, the Southern Rhone and the Loire. Car plein de vin. Clink clink.
Kept the speed around 85 to 90, no probs, guess we were lucky.

But, several times, it seemed to happen when inadvertently speeding particularly where the limit was lowered for stretches round towns, amid some confusion with lots of signs and signposts (I know I know no excuse officer), then the car sound system suddenly went bong bong bong. This seemed to be some sort of electronic invasion of our space to indicate either that we were speeding or that we should pay attention to the signage.
Has anyone else had this? Been googling for hours without result. Now watching the post with some trepidation waiting for a love letter from les flics.http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/12.gif

[magooagain]

Sat nav warning of speed camera's? Illegal if you have on in France ( i think). or maybe its just a warning of a change of speed limits.

[strictly4laughs]

I don't think it was the Sat Nav, at least it's never warned me about anything before, and it doesn't have the French speed cameras in, standard TomTom map of France.

[Fatt McMissile]

My TomTom is set to warn me if I exceed the limit by more than 5% for 30 seconds or so, or something similar. It's useful and not as annoying as you might think because after two or three consecutive warnings, it decides it's intentional, and shuts up.
Despite this I picked up another fine and lost point a fortnight ago at a camera that I knew was there. Stupid I know, but in a powerful diesel with loads of torque idling along at 1800 rpm or so, the tiniest movement on the accelerator puts you over 100 rather than below 90. Officer.
Six months after my last lost point, I got a dreaded blacked-out envelope in the post and thought I'd picked up another flash without realising it, but no, because I'd stayed clean, they were giving me my point back. Which was nice.
Incidentally, anyone tried the new? gov.fr website for paying fines on line? It relieves you of your cash very smoothly, brightly and cheerfully, and is available in all likely languages.....If you're not French it feels like an extension of their tourist industry. https://www.amendes.gouv.fr/portail/index.jsp
Steve

[strictly4laughs]

It wasn't the TomTom!

[jke11y]

I had something similar in a 2006 BMW 335i on a trip south on the autoroute; I wasn't speeding but it sounded a bit like when you plug an aux in to a stereo and the volume is turned up, and you touch the metal bit of the lead. Like a bassy BRRRRR noise.

[strictly4laughs]

I was in a 330. Maybe it's a straight 6 detector.

[strictly4laughs]

Seriously though, was your experience recent? The last time I drove in France was in summer 2013 and nothing like this happened. I believe it is some fiendish new French invention.

[jke11y]

It was maybe 3 or 4 years ago. It sounded like electrical interference then I went under a bridge and saw a cop car hiding.

[strictly4laughs]

Thanks. I wonder if they are using some frequency which we don't in the UK which gets into our electronics in some way. We need more pistoneers with similar experiences.