A3 1.8T Alarm goes off...... silently?

J

JB_A3_Turbo

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I recently bought an A3 1.8T sport (1999). I thought I'd try out the alarm the other day to check it worked (standard a3 alarm). I've set it off however it makes no audible noise, just all the indicators flash- any ideas what I need to check? Does the alarm system have a separate horn for the alarm (instead of using the car horn). The interior car horn only becomes active on ignition- could it be a fuse?

My haynes manual does not mention the alarm

Any help appreciated!

Thanks,

Jon.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I recently bought an A3 1.8T sport (1999). I thought I'd try out the alarm the other day to check it worked (standard a3 alarm). I've set it off however it makes no audible noise, just all the indicators flash- any ideas what I need to check? Does the alarm system have a separate horn for the alarm (instead of using the car horn). The interior car horn only becomes active on ignition- could it be a fuse?

My haynes manual does not mention the alarm

Any help appreciated!

Thanks,

Jon.

[/ QUOTE ]
Just to confuse things, A3s were fitted with both types of alarm horn setup, integrated into the normal horn in some cases, and on a separate siren in others. I'd be willing to guess that yours is a separate siren if your horn is working from the steering-wheel push. I did think that a separate siren was mainly a post-facelift thing though - maybe on certain pre-facelift central locking / ATW systems there were separate sirens - I guess you've got a flippy-key?

If it's a separate siren, there are I suppose a number of possible causes for it to be silent, but as always it'd probably useful to check basic connections first. I'm pretty certain that separate alarm sirens were either bolted-onto or fitted-nearby the central locking control unit, which is found in the passenger's-side rear quarter.

A quick scan with VAG-COM would probably be quite useful, perhaps there is a user near you who might be able to help out - it's a million to one shot, but if you're anywhere in Lancashire, or the Bolton side of GMC I can help out on that side...

Also, AFAIK it's totally normal that the horn can only be sounded from inside the car unless the ignition is on - either that or mine's broke too!

Regards,

Rob.
 
Hi,

Yes the horn works on ignition and I have a remote flip key. I had a quick look under the bonnet but couldn't see a separate horn anywhere. I'll check out the rear quarter and see what I can find back there.

Unfortuntately I'm in the Cambridgeshire area!

Cheers for your help!

Jon.
 
Rob is right.. The alarm is located in the boot (Passenger side). Its not uncommon for them to go faulty and I believe you may have to replace the whole thing.

Have a search around as I'm sure this has been covered before.

HTH
Rich.
 
Hi,

Had a look here on the forums but can't find anything specific to this. People have had proplems with alarms going off but not silently!

I'll have a look in the boot a bit later and see what I can find (hopefully a loose connnection!).

When you say I might have to replace the "whole thing" you mean the whole alarm system? surely I can pick up a replacement alarm horn maybe even from a scrap yard?

Thanks,

Jon
 
I think I've found the alarm horn? In the boot , passenger side compartment. At the top there's what looks like a horn type unit (above the level of the sub woofer about half way between the tail lights and the subwoofer) - black plastic unit with a similar sized metal bit bolted onto it?

Is this what I'm looking for?
 
I thought the alarm thing was next to the cd stacker in the rear left luggage area - AndyMac will know - try a search for his posts and see what you find
 
Yes that's the area where I'm looking. It's a bit difficult to get in around it to see if it's all connected up ok, corroded connections etc... If this is bust are they not a spare bit you can buy?
 
sounds like you have correctly located the alarm siren unit - it's a bit of a sod to unbolt from the mount!. the siren unit costs around £80 new from the dealer. contained within the unit are some batteries which can leak and corode the whole circuit board inside (this is what happened to mine)
 
ok thanks, I'll see if I can disconnect it myself rather than letting Audi charge me for 1 hours labour to remove!

Is ther just the one connector? I can currently see a yellow coloured connector only.

Thanks,

Jon
 
there is only one connector - a plug which you need to remove with the aid of a screwdriver
 
I recently had exactly this problem. I took the car to my local car electrics garage and they changed the alarm siren for £100 all in. I was going to have a go at changing it myself but after speaking to the guy at the garage afterwards im glad i didn't...he said it was a b@#$ard of a job!!!.....difficult to get to for removal.

Fortunatly he had already given me a quote before fitting so he had to honour it even though it took him alot longer to fit than he expected

Sounds like the £20 labour i paid was worth the money for saving me the hassle.
 
[ QUOTE ]


Sounds like the £20 labour i paid was worth the money for saving me the hassle.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is tricky to reach. I had the rear trim off mine to fix the washer pipe, and had to get the rear boot trim, all the grab handles, the side trim, the cd changer, the subwoofer and the central locking pump out to do it: the siren is buried below the pump in a tight corner. It took me a couple of hours just to stick a pipe back together.....
 
[quote
I did think that a separate siren was mainly a post-facelift thing though - maybe on certain pre-facelift central locking / ATW systems there were separate sirens - I guess you've got a flippy-key?

I

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine is pre-facelift, 1999 (model year 2000), with a flip key and sepearte sirem.
 
mine is pre face-lift (W/2000) and has the seperate siren unit
 
my '99 1.6 SE is silent too.... would this be the same issue? i thought it was coz it had been turned off or something using the VAG COM software?!

i'm gonna check for the siren box now!
 
My alarm is silent to only the lights flash seems another common /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/swear.gif problem!!! might have a go myself cant be that difficult to change. Does the button on the door pillar drivers side just turn the alarm on and off? or has that something to do with the sound??
 
Most likley the same problem.
I thought about looking into buying a different siren because the standard one is a little pathetic but in the end i needed to get it sorted quick so didn't bother looking into it...my neighbours told me recently they saw a car pull up at the end of the road, a guy jump out, run up the street and bang on my door and bonet as if checking out the alarm sensitivity before running back to the car and driving off.

Understandibly it made me a bit paranoid so i wanted it sorted quickly for piece of mind.

For the week following this incident i was taking my fuel pump fuse out every night as a precausion!!
 
ok in the boot as u stand looking in, the sub box is on the left. is the siren the little box wrapped in foam just next to the sub box on that side? just under the rear light?
 
[ QUOTE ]
oh right!! so what does it look like when there switched on?? cheers

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah that button just deactivates the interior sensors - if u press it a little light comes on, then lock the car & they're disabled. the sensors, not the children /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

i'm pretty sure that it switches back to normal when u unlock the car, so you don't leave it off forever?!
 
interesting always wondered what the point of it was!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
ok in the boot as u stand looking in, the sub box is on the left. is the siren the little box wrapped in foam just next to the sub box on that side? just under the rear light?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, that's the central locking pump, the siren is to the left and below that, right low down in the panel.
 
[ QUOTE ]
how far down? is it defo on that side? can anyone post a pic so i know what i'm looking for?!

cheers /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


Yes, that side. You'd be hard pushed to get a pic without taking all the trim out. It's right at the bottom, behind the wheelarch, below the pump.
 
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