# Phaeton Accessibility for people with physical impairments, decoding symbols [Photos re-hosted x2]



## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

This post is actually a continuation of an (off topic) discussion that started up on another thread, European SWB Phaeton spotted in Palo Alto, California. I think it deserves a thread of its own.

VW appears to be better than most auto manufacturers so far as making their vehicles easy to use by folks who have physical impairments. Below is a diagram that shows all the different messages that will appear in the display between the speedometer and the tachometer of the Phaeton. Although the Phaeton will make various warning tones and sounds to annunciate an abnormal condition, it is not necessary to be able to hear any of these sounds, because every single condition is also presented visually on the instrument cluster screen. This is quite a big improvement over the old Golf III, for example, which used sounds only to communicate abnormal conditions such as lights left on or a door open. 

I have also noted that much more thought has been given to making the visual displays easy to read for those of us who have reached the age when our near vision focus ability kind of goes away. Compare, for example, the large size of the type and the clear font size used on the Phaeton infotainment screen and the Phaeton instrument cluster to the very small type used on the same cluster in the previous generation Golf IV. I could never read the OAT on the Golf without bifocals, but on the Phaeton, the text is larger, clearer, and brighter.

Michael


*Complete List of Phaeton messages that could appear in the instrument cluster*
_"Analog Display" means that the condition has a dedicated gauge with a dial on it, for example, the speedometer, oil pressure gauge, etc.)_








http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/VisualDisplays.jpg


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## vwguild (Feb 15, 2001)

*Re: Phaeton Accessibility for drivers with physical impairments (PanEuropean)*

It is funny that you mention text/font size...When we had the Jetta V Launch, a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the numbers on the Tach & Speedo for Honda & Toyota are big enough to read... even if you are probably considered legally blind.
More re: VW
We have had the "Mobility Access" Program for over 5 years...Jamie has additional news on this in the Home Page News...


_Modified by vwguild at 6:31 PM 3-3-2005_


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Phaeton Accessibility for drivers with physical impairments (vwguild)*

Peter - how old are you? My guess is less than 42 or 43, which is when a guy's vision starts to change.
Michael


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## vwguild (Feb 15, 2001)

*Re: Phaeton Accessibility for drivers with physical impairments (PanEuropean)*

I was born a few years after those years...


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Phaeton Accessibility for drivers with physical impairments (vwguild)*

Ah-ha. Just wait till you hit your early 40's, when you will discover that although your distance visual acuity remains the same, your eye muscles lose their elasticity, and it becomes difficult to rapidly change focal distance between infinity (out the windshield) and 40 cm (the instrument panel). Then you will really appreciate those nice big, clear numbers on the Phaeton display screens.

I installed an upgraded (high-pixel) European instrument cluster in my 2002 Golf, and found that I could not read the text displays on it without bifocals. There was a lot of information there, but in very small text sizes. I don't have the same problem with the Phaeton.

Michael


*Golf IV Information Display*








http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/HiPixel2.jpg


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## vwguild (Feb 15, 2001)

*Re: Phaeton Accessibility for drivers with physical impairments (PanEuropean)*

M.M. I guess I was not clear...trying to be funny...I am just past the double nickel!!! And have been wearing those famous specs for a long time...That is why I thought the size of the numerals was so funny...First thing that crossed my mind was that the Jetta V was targeting a market that is a bit older and more prosperous than the A4 Jetta, but that the competition was targeting a visually impaired older Baby Boomer generation...


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility.*

My mother in law has very limited mobility, and uses a walker to get around. Recently, she has suffered some deterioration in her ability to get in and out of vehicles, due to difficulty maintaining her balance when transferring from the walker to the vehicle. The Phaeton is better than most cars for a person with limited mobility, because of the large size of the rear cabin doors. Unfortunately, the grab handles above the door aperture are not always of value to people who need assistance transferring in and out of the car.

So - my wife asked me to come up with a fix. I dropped by the machine shop in our town, and the toolmaker and I cooked up an idea and tried it out. The pictures pretty much tell the story. It is a device made from some stainless steel rod and a foam motorcycle handgrip. It drops into the rear door striker plate on either side of the car, and is just held there by gravity. It is very easy to install and remove. Because it is a fairly precise fit to the door striker plate (about 0.5 mm clearance), it does not wiggle when used. It also does not touch the painted finish at any time, all the weight is borne by the door striker plate.

I thought I would share this design with all of you. It cost me about $80 to have this device designed and manufactured.

Michael


*Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility.*








http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/Handle1.jpg









http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/Handle2.jpg









http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/Handle3.jpg









http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/Handle4.jpg









http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/Handle5.jpg









http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/Handle6.jpg


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

Another useful device, if you have to carry around walkers or other assistive devices, is a protective bumper cover that is available as an accessory from VW. It is specifically designed for the Phaeton. There is more information about this part at this post: Protective Cover for Rear Bumper, when loading trunk.

*Protective cover for rear bumper (for use when loading a walker, wheelchair, etc.)*








http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/BumperCover8.jpg


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## digifant_gli (May 14, 2004)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

May I just say that your Phaeton is drop dead beautiful, based on the pictures that you have posted!


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## rmg2 (Jan 23, 2004)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

Michael,
Very cool devise. Great idea.
I could have used something like that when my mother was still alive.
Thank you for sharing.


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## digifant_gli (May 14, 2004)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (rmg2)*

That would be perfect for my Mom...she has had 3 knee replacements and from time to time has trouble getting in and out of her NB.
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif for creating a very usefull and beneficial device


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (digifant_gli)*

VW has come up with another really thoughtful idea for drivers who have physical impairments, in this case, a card that fits on the sun visor and reads "Driver is Deaf". The purpose of this card is to reduce confusion that may take place if the driver is stopped by a police officer, or encounters a communication problem at a tollbooth, etc. - the driver can just show the police officer or tool booth collector the card, and now both parties are aware of the possible need to use a different communication protocol.
You can get a free card from VW of America - details are here: VW Social Action Projects.
Michael


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*'Exterior Light not Working' annunciator*

After I finished installing the equipment to support operation of the rear fog lights on my Phaeton (Enabling rear foglights on a North American Phaeton), I thought it would be a good idea to show my wife how everything works, because she is the primary user of the car. I was in the middle of explaining how all the different buttons on the new light switch functioned when she commented on how thoughtful it was that the Phaeton showed a little 'light bulb' symbol in the Y24 display when the fog lights were turned on.

This was news to me, and I had a look - sure enough, there was a little light bulb in the display (photo below). But, that light bulb symbol means that a bulb is not working somewhere. I did a diagnostic scan of the car (easier than trying to search for the inoperative light), and sure enough, there was a fault code indicating that the front right foglight was inoperative. Any time I turned the front foglights on, the amber 'bulb not working' warning symbol appeared in the Y24 display, in addition to the usual green 'front foglights on' symbol located on the face of the speedometer.

I had a look at the foglight - turns out that the connector was loose, as a result of the recent repair of my front bumper. I plugged it back in and everything worked fine. I am now quite impressed with the ability of the Phaeton to notify the driver if any exterior bulb - anywhere - is not working as it should. If you see this symbol on your car, you can speed up the process of finding the inoperative bulb by just turning the various switches on and off, and seeing when the amber warning light appears and disappears. The warning light will only be present if you are trying to use the inoperative bulb.

Michael

*Inoperative Exterior Light Bulb warning symbol*








http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/BurnedOutLight.jpg


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: 'Exterior Light not Working' annunciator (PanEuropean)*

This is kind of an unusual thread - it addresses two different topics, one being Phaeton accessibility for people with handicaps such as mobility impairment or difficulty hearing, and the other topic (sort of a subtopic of accessibility for deaf drivers) is how to decode all the symbols that the car can present.
To keep this information together, I have merged a post I originally made as a stand-alone post - it illustrates what one of the warning symbols shown in the chart above looks like when it appears. That post is the one directly above.
Michael


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## copernicus0001 (Nov 30, 2004)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

Michael,
This is a great idea... I missed this thread (I was in Roatan, Honduras during March - very unreliable internet/telephone service).
Do you think there are any chances of the door striker plate pulling out or bending with this device?? My father recently has mobility issues and this would be a great help.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Douglas


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (copernicus0001)*

Hi Douglas:
I don't think there would be any problem with stress on the door striker plate. It seems to be a pretty sturdy assembly, and I believe the door striker is designed to be part of the occupant protection system - in other words, it has to be pretty tough, to keep the door in place in case of a side impact collision.
My mother in law weighs about 130 pounds, she puts her full weight on the handle when she gets in and out, and nothing appears to deform at all. The design of the handle is such that any down-force on the handle is transferred to the car as a direct 90 degree pull on the striker plate.
Michael


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## Jack Orr (Mar 15, 2000)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

Tomorrow I'm 76. And, do you all mean to tell me there are letters and numbers in the instrument cluster? And, what are those thing whizzing by around me?


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## rastta (Feb 22, 1999)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (Jack Orr)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Jack Orr* »_Tomorrow I'm 76. And, do you all mean to tell me there are letters and numbers in the instrument cluster? And, what are those thing whizzing by around me?

Best post ever!


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (Jack Orr)*

Jack, that is truly funny. I hope I have the same sense of humour (and good taste in cars) as you have when I reach 76. In fact, I'll be happy just to reach 76 in the first place...
Happy birthday to you, and thanks for all the great contributions you have made to the forum over the past year. 
Michael


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## Paldi (Sep 4, 2004)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (Jack Orr)*

Jack, do you know the difference between an '04 W12, Premier Edition and a '90 Porsche 944 S2? 
Good!
Happy birthday.


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## GripperDon (May 9, 2005)

Tomorrow I'm 76. And, do you all mean to tell me there are letters and numbers in the instrument cluster? And, what are those thing whizzing by around me?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Bitthday JacK!!! Glad there is someone on here that beats me out.
Don


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## GripperDon (May 9, 2005)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

Michael
I have found myself with greatly reduced Mobility double wammy of Lumbar Spine Disc Rupture and 3 Deep Vein Thrombosis. I am now required to use a walker and the transition into the rear of the Phaeton takes every drop of strength I can muster. The device you designed and had made is wonderful. Is there anyway you have a drawing? or a way to contact who made it for you Or anything. By the way the Phaeton of Rollators is made in Canada Dana Douglas I ordered mine and it fits in the trunk of other side of the rear easily.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, consider it a Birthday gift Yep 5/4
Thanks 


_Modified by GripperDon at 4:47 PM 5-29-2006_


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## Jim_CT (Jan 25, 2006)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (GripperDon)*

Gripper Don - Sorry to hear about your problems but congratulations on another birthday! 
I had not seen this post before, so thanks for bringing it back. This ingress-egress helper is a useful device and I also would like one. I could use it when I pick up my father, who has been having some mobility problems lately. 
Jim


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (GripperDon)*

Don:

Email me your postal address, and I will ask my wife to send the entry assist handle (photo below) to you. You can then try it out and see how you like it. You might determine that you want to modify the design a little bit - for example, have the handle sticking out on an angle, instead of sticking straight forward.

I'll get my wife to send it to you via priority courier. I don't think we will need it back in a hurry - she has found that it is easier for her mother to transition in and out of the front passenger seat (with that seat set to the highest possible setting) than it is to transition in and out of the back seat. 

Michael


*Entry Assist Handle*








http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/Paneuropean/Handle1.jpg


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (GripperDon)*


_Quote, originally posted by *GripperDon* »_By the way the 'Phaeton' of Rollators_ (walkers)_ is made in Canada Dana douglas I ordered mine and it fits in the trunk of other side of the rear easily. 

Don:
Let me give you a few tips about those Dana Douglas walkers - my mother in law has one, and I have made more than a few adjustments to it to get it right for her.
*1)* The walker comes with a little allen head key clipped cleverly under the seat. Find out where it is, and buy a spare allen key of the same size, so you are not screwed if/when you lose it.
*2)* My experience has been that all the physiotherapists tend to set the walkers up so that the handles are too high for the person who uses it. The result of this is that the person has to lean forward towards the walker, thus creating what looks like the letter A - with the person being the right hand side of the A, and the walker being the left side (the crossbar in the letter would represent the seat). Because the handles are too high, and because the user is leaning forward towards the walker, the darn walker tends to take off like a skateboard if you are using it on smooth polished floors, like a big shopping mall has.
If you are encountering this problem, the fix is to lower the walker so that the handgrips are at exactly the height of the middle of your palm when you are standing beside the walker. Once you have done that, you can fold the seat forward, push the basket forward, and actually stand inside the walker (the way it was meant to be!). Now, when you walk forward, if you choose to put any weight on the walker, the weight is going straight down, and not trying to push the walker forward, like you were the last man into the sled on the US Olympic bobsled team...
Michael


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## GripperDon (May 9, 2005)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

Michael this was great advice re. the walker. The company makes walker in two configurations, Low and regular the only difference being the height. Tomorrow The local dealer is going to set up the two height units and see which one meets your suggestion to be best for me at 6ft 2inch and let me have the one best. 
The relative seat heights are also interesting. when you need to sit to rest one seat seems to leave you legs dangling producing a lot of pressure on the anterior of the thighs (bad for my leg deep vein blood clots and the other tends to rest your feet on the ground holding them up. The down side is the lower seat makes it harder to get back up to a standing position. Currently I can not really put any force on the left leg at all, and it all depends on the right let to do the lifting. So I have had to get a wheel chair also for now and the walker will be for the next stage of recovery. Finally canes 2 then one and hopefully finally none.
Thanks for the insight. I Will let you know what I end up doing for my height.

Thanks Don



_Modified by GripperDon at 4:50 PM 5-29-2006_


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## gezuvor (Mar 13, 1999)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_VW has come up with another really thoughtful idea for drivers who have physical impairments, in this case, a card that fits on the sun visor and reads "Driver is Deaf"... You can get a free card from VW of America - details are here: VW Social Action Projects.
Michael


_Quote, originally posted by *VW Social Action Project Webpage* »_To get one of these free Visor Cards, contact the Volkswagen Information Center at 1-800 DRIVE VW (voice only).

Is it just me, or is this ironic?


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## GripperDon (May 9, 2005)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

What a kind and generous offer. Fortunately I found the following the "Handybar" http://www.handybar.com (FOR OTHERS WHO MAY BE IN NEED) It fits fairly well and allows does allow for both forward and outward position plus incorporates a seat belt cutter and side window breaker. Cushoned handle.
IT DOES LOOK CLUMSLY as compared to your elegant design solution., however. 
But will work and not deprive you of your device, and the trouble of sending it to me, I am sure your wife has her hands full being the care giver and sure does not need an added choir. I know I have never felt so guilty as having to have my wife do so much extra work taking care of her idiot husband. 
Also it does not have the very close tolerance fit and associated stability of use (no wobble) that your design does.Your being a Phaeton Mill spec fit and this unit being a general fit device produced to mass production tolerances.
Your very kind offer was a real boost on a slightly dampened birthday. It will not be forgotten, very generous







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
I must say we are very lucky living practically next door to the Mayo Clinic and it's fine staff.


_Modified by GripperDon at 1:11 AM 5-5-2006_


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## rrussell (Sep 9, 2003)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*

Great design. I am very impressed.







I might need one for my mom and in-laws.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (rrussell)*

*Archival Note:*
See also this post 'Special Destination' symbols appearing on map display for a list of what all the symbols on the navigation screen mean.
Michael


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## Aristoteles (Sep 21, 2007)

*Re: Entry - exit aid for passengers with reduced mobility. (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_
I thought I would share this design with all of you. It cost me about $80 to have this device designed and manufactured.
Michael 

I would very much like one for my venerable step-father. I don't have your engineering contacts, but would your toolmaker run me one up if I sent him the cost of manufacture & delivery to the UK? Plus a drink of course?








Andrew


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## WhiteLightning56 (Feb 4, 2012)

*Special Destination Symbols*

Can the Special Destination Symbols be reposted? The current link is inactive. 

Thanks.

WhiteLightning56

2004 Phaeton V8
2010 Touareg TDI


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

Photos re-hosted on this thread and the "special destinations" thread requested above.

I have also attached a PDF of the navigation system "special destination symbols list" to this post.

Michael


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

*Moderation note:*

Photos re-hosted.

Chris


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