Avant Alarm woes.

[orb]

Hello chaps.

Some of you may remember that I was having a little bit of a problem with my A4 and its central locking system (pump had shat itself)

Well while it was out of action I used the key on the boot and left the car unlocked most of the time. (Car is secure where it is parked)

I noticed that the boot lock is very stiff to use with the key, I guess this is because it has never been used in the past.

I robbed a new pump for my Central Locking out of an era correct A4 that we took in as part of the scrappage scheme and installed the motor into my curent unit. Hunky dory the Central Locking now works well.

But....

Every now and again, I lock the car and the little LED in the top of the lock pin flashes for a bit then goes normal and the alarm goes off. (The alarm seems very quiet to me but I guess that is another story?)

What are your thoughts?

Boot lid related?

 

[low610]

I had an alarm problem with mine a few years ago and it turned about to be the sensor on the bonnet.

Might be worth checking.

 

[tazzy baby]

i had a problem like that it turned out to be a spider nesting next to my sensor and set it off all the time

 

[AndyMac]

Just disconnect the alarm, it is pathetic & prone to failure. If you still want one then far better to go aftermarket.

 

[orb]

Just disconnect the alarm, it is pathetic & prone to failure. If you still want one then far better to go aftermarket.

how does one do this then??

simple to do?

 

[olds_kool]

always wondered what happens to scrappage cars do they have to go straight into crusher or are they stripped first?

nothing wrong with o.e alarm system i certainly wouldnt fit an aftermarket one but your sirens probably past its best
do indicators flash when you lock car? any fault codes logged in pump

 

[orb]

Scrappage cars: They come in to us (dealers) and sit in the compound. The scrap yard boys have 2 weeks to come and destroy them and provide a certificate of destruction to us in order for us to get paid our thousand pounds from the government. We have had some interesting cars in to say the least. We had a landrover defender delivered to us from a farmer as part of the scrappage scheme, the car had the two chassis rails, two axles and a rotten cab that was from a different car. It had 2 plates and a MOT. The car qualified so thats that. One of the mechanics took a complete engine from a V8 Disco. So a little thing like a CL pump is easy to go missing. I am SURE that the breakers do not crush them, they strip them down so that they cannot go back on the road and thats all that is required. They are not bothered what is left on the car as it is money for old rope to them as even a shell is worth 70 quid.


My A4: I dont get any indicator flashing at all, and I have a very quiet siren when the alarm does go off. I have an OBD-II cable and some software thgat I got from Ebay for 20 quid but I have not worked out how to use it yet in order to get into the fault codes. Is this easy?

 

[aragorn]

Check the fault codes mate.

The central locking module will log why the alarm went off.

 

[Rallyman]

Depending on the frequency of the alarm going off it could be the internal self powered siren, that battery goes and there is sweet fa you can do about it, replacement from the stealers is the only way.....

Michael

 

[AndyMac]

nothing wrong with o.e alarm system

Not strictly true, it's pathetic, sounds like a clock radio. Aftermarket will provide full closure, channel hopping, Cat 1 and a proper siren that you will actually be able to hear.

 

[aragorn]

OE already does full closure, and the stock immobiliser its pretty decent, seen as its tied directly into the Engine ECU.

OK the siern could be better, but still i wouldnt see the point of spending hundreds of pounds fitting another alarm to the car.

Rallyman: If it is the siern, you can open it up and replace the batteries. Not particularly difficult. Alternatively you can fit a siern from a newer car from the breakers.

 

[olds_kool]

try unplugging bonnet switch, its built into lock on facelift, unplugging will disable it
if it still happens try unplugging interior sensor control unit (its under rear seat bench)

as aragorn said try battery replacement, or the later siren which i use (and does make your ears ring so i think its down to its location)

had a cat 1 recently fitted to my mx5 and that would be easier to defeat than the oe audi system had it fitted when 2 cat immo played up and it took 10 mins to remove and start car

theoretically you could remove alarm completely by recoding with vagcom but not actually tried it, how much attension does anyone actually pay to an alarm going off

 

[aragorn]

Just read the fault codes, no need to randomly replace/disconnect parts!

 

[AndyMac]

I meant single blip for full closure, not holding down the button to achieve it.

 

[orb]

seems to have sorted itself out!!