The Thoughts of Cory LaViska

When I was little, someone showed me how to peel a banana the traditional way: from the top down.  Without ever challenging this concept, I’ve spent the last two decades struggling with stubborn bananas, hoping that each one I peeled would submit without strife.  Some would give in easy, but others would bruise and become mushy at the tip, and I really, really hate mushy bananas.

A few months ago, I was enlightened by a friend who, upon witnessing my drama with a cantankerous banana, made my life easier by turning everything upside down.  Literally.  So there you have it.  Turn the banana, pinch the tip, then peel it.  It’s so easy: Turn, pinch and peel.

This lesson is symbolic.  It shows us that there are often simpler, more effective ways of achieving our goals, even if that means turning everything in our lives upside down to do so.

I finally delved into the owner’s manual of my F150 an realized that yes, you can disable the annoying seatbelt chime without altering hardware or adversely affecting other warnings/indicators.  It’s right in the manual, which is the last place most people will probably look (at least, it was for me).  This is said to work on other Ford vehicles, as well.

Temporary, One-time Disable

After you have started your vehicle, buckle and then un-buckle your safety belt.

Permanent Disable/Enable

This is a multi-step process, so read it over before you get started.  Before disabling/enabling BeltMinder, make sure that:

• The parking brake is set
• The vehicle is in park (automatic) or neutral (manual)
• The ignition is off
• All doors are closed
• The driver’s safety belt is un-buckled
• The parking and headlights are off

Then, follow these steps in order.

1. Turn the ignition switch to on, but don’t start the vehicle
2. Wait for the safety belt warning light to go off (about 1 minute)
3. Within 55 seconds of the light going off, buckle and un-buckle the safety belt 9 times, ending with the belt un-buckled
4. Wait for the airbag light to flash on, then back off
5. Buckle and unbuckle the seat belt one more time
6. If done properly, you will see the safety belt warning light 4 times per seconds for 3 seconds indicating that the enable/disable is complete

Now, just because I told you how to do it doesn’t mean you should do it.  I am also not encouraging anyone to not wear (or wear, for that matter) a seatbelt.  This information is provided as-is for anyone who is simply wishes to disable the BeltMinder feature in the way that the owner’s manual suggests.  Your vehicle may vary, so for complete instructions refer to your owners manual.  For my 2004 F150, this information can be found on page 119.

I recently called “The New AT&T” to merge my BellSouth and Cingular services into one bill in an attempt to save money. When I agreed to let them enable long distance service on my account they told me that after the call they would transfer me to a third party company. This company would, effectively, confirm my long distance changes and life would be great from thereon after.

Well, I ended up staying on the line only to be disconnected moments later. The next day I got a voicemail stating that the confirmation failed and I’d have to call and have them transfer me again. So I called…and waited…and waited…and waited. Finally, the rep picked up the phone and (after another 10 minutes of researching my account) stated she was going to transfer me to the third party service again.

I quickly asked her if she had an extension that I could call her back on in case I got disconnected again, which she said she didn’t. She did tell me, however, that if I got disconnected again I should just call the same number and dial the option for New Customers, and that this would get me to a representative almost immediately (she also mentioned that she wasn’t supposed to tell me this).

I know this isn’t really anything profound, but it’s kind of funny hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth: once you’re a customer, you’re pretty much on the back burner. So now you know the trick and you shouldn’t feel bad using it. I know I don’t.