This little DIY gave me a fresh spark of confidence.
BHPIAN F10D_ESTILO recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Repairing my snail horn and upgrading the horn wires with automotive grade wires
Shortly after reinstalling my dual horns, one of them suddenly stopped working on the road. My first suspect? The wiring and horn terminal setup—mainly because I’d used regular household wire, and the terminals were only crimped to the copper strands without gripping the insulation. I figured the wire might’ve fatigued and snapped off from the terminal due to the constant vibration of the horn.
After reaching home that night, I popped the hood for a quick inspection. It was blazing hot under there, and with the compact engine bay, everything felt tightly packed. I didn’t do much beyond wiggling the terminals—no luck.
With a packed weekday schedule, I only get time for car work on weekends. But the thought of using household wiring in such a high-temperature environment was haunting me. Especially after feeling how hot it was under the hood. Thankfully, Microsoft Copilot had earlier suggested a few stores in Koti where I could find automotive-grade FLRY wires and heat shrink. I was thrilled with that info and headed to Koti the very next day.
Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side.
I had a few shops in mind—SM Cables & Connectronics and BG Tronics. BG Tronics was closed that evening, so I tried SM Cables first. The experience? Let’s just say it left a sour taste. I simply asked for automotive-grade wire suitable for a horn, and instead of helping, the guy started quizzing me on specifications like he didn’t really care to sell anything. I asked about heat shrink, and he looked at me like I’d asked for moon rocks. When I requested 2.5 sqmm wire, he handed me a 19-meter bundle—turns out they don’t sell loose lengths. I tried a few other nearby stores, but the story was the same. Left Koti a bit disappointed.
Since I was passing through Masab Tank anyway, I thought I’d swing by Royal Motors—I’d sourced some rare-to-find parts for my Estilo there in the past. They didn’t have the wire, but the guy suggested I try Diamond Motors next door. Worth a shot.
And bingo! Diamond Motors had exactly what I needed: a box of Roots heat-resistant wires (rated up to 105°C), 1.0 sqmm thick. Just what I was hoping for. Considering my setup pulls only 13 amps and the wire supports up to 15 amps continuous, it was spot-on for the application. I picked up 5 meters—enough to also redo the horn wiring on my Discover (though that’s a tale for another day).
Roots Wire box
Back home, I rewired everything from scratch. As suspected, one of the wires was barely hanging by a few strands—so that was definitely a failure point. Replaced every wire with the new Roots wire, hooked everything back up, and finally, the moment of truth…
Pressed the horn—only one side worked.
Checked every connection again and again. Everything seemed perfect. Ran a direct battery feed to the non-working horn and boom—nothing. That’s when I realized the horn itself had failed. Completely unexpected, especially since it was fairly new and hardly used. But with daylight fading, “Project Horn” had to be postponed.
While browsing online for alternatives, I stumbled upon the Hella Chrome horns and found myself drawn to them. But then a different idea struck—why not try repairing the existing one? I watched a few YouTube videos on PIAA horn repairs and was surprised by how straightforward it looked.
So today, I’m rolling up my sleeves and giving horn repair a shot. Worst case? I go ahead and get a new set—already budgeted for. But this little DIY journey gave me a surge of confidence and a renewed appreciation for solving things hands-on
DIY Horn Repair procedure
- I started by unbolting the non-working horn from its bracket. To confirm it was dead—and for a baseline—I hooked it up directly to the battery using a pair of wires. No sound, not even a crackle. So we were sure: the horn itself wasn’t working.
- Next, I pried off the dust cover behind the horn to access the contact adjustment screw (Highlighted in Image). Used a flathead screwdriver to carefully lift the cover, then chipped away at the old sealant until my Phillips head could grip the adjustment screw without slipping.
Contact Screw
- With that sorted, I fully loosened the screw, then began tightening it gradually—one turn at a time—checking in between by reconnecting it to the battery. After a few tries, the horn finally blared back to life. Success!
Now that it was working again, the next step was reassembly—which brought up an important issue: resealing the contact screw. Without it, the horn’s internals would be vulnerable to water ingress and damage. Unfortunately, I had no sealant on hand, and I’m also not entirely sure what type is best suited for this.
That said, I’ve brainstormed a few potential solutions:
Windshield Bonding Sealant: I could request a small dab from a friendly neighborhood body shop. Might be the most durable option.
Cheap Gasket Maker (like Anabond): Easy to find, but I’m skeptical whether it’ll hold up to vibrations or keep the screw from backing out over time.
Fevicol Shoe Fix: Readily available and could form a decent seal, but again, I’m unsure of its vibration resistance.
Hot Glue Stick (like on Uno Minda D70): Interestingly, the contact screw on my Discover’s Minda D70 horn is sealed with what looks like hot glue. Simple and effective, so definitely worth trying.
I’ve temporarily put everything back together without sealing the contact screw but plan to finalize this soon.
Fellow BHPians, I’d love to hear your insights or alternate sealing methods you’ve successfully used. This little DIY gave me a fresh spark of confidence, and I’m curious how others have handled similar repairs.
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