How does your car alrm work?

[lpquick]

My alarm (factory alarm, dealer activated) doesn't go off if I try and open a locked closed door. If I rock the car it doesn't go off either. When sitting in the car with the alarm on, moving around, banging on the doors or windows doesn't set anything off, but opening a closed door does, but the alarm is not very loud. Does this sound right or is the alarm malfunctioning?

 

[codex57]

It doesn't have a shock sensor. That's why most of the stuff you tried didn't do anything. That's also why I haven't bothered getting it. I really don't think it does much other than beep. To test if it works, open your window. Then arm it. Wait 30 seconds or more, then stick your arm in the car and wave it around. That should set the alarm off.

 

[bmwrocks]

You will notice that when you lock your car with the remote (arming the alarm also), the doors will not open from the outside or the inside. Pulling the inside handle (as many times as you wish) does not engage the door mechanism. Hence this alone will not set off the alarm. However if your motion detector, located on the inside roof in that square do-hickey, is working properly, the alarm should go off when you reach inside to open the handle.

You can get locked inside the car this way also. If you lock the doors with the remote while inside, you cannot open the doors until it is unlocked with the remote. This is one reason BMW tells you to use the lock switch inside the car to lock it when you or anyone else is inside the car.

Also the siren should be LOUD AS HELL when sounding. My X5 which has the same alarm system and siren as your 3-series will break your eardrums if set off inside my garage.

Like codex says, the alarm does not have a shock sensor. Only a motion detector and tilt sensor in case someone tries to tow it away.

 

[lpquick]

bmwrocks, why doesn't my alarm go off when inside, locked and armed by remote and I move around? Also I wish my alarm was as loud as all get out, it's not. I guess a trip to the dealer is in order. Thanks for your responses. Sounds like my alarm isn't working right.

 

[theBMWenthusiast]

bmwrocks, why doesn't my alarm go off when inside, locked and armed by remote and I move around? Also I wish my alarm was as loud as all get out, it's not. I guess a trip to the dealer is in order. Thanks for your responses. Sounds like my alarm isn't working right.

well if u click the lock button once it is armed, if u hit the lock button twice it is deactived, well thats teh way its on the 740iL

 

[bmwrocks]

On our 2003-2004 3-series cars, if you press the lock button once to arm, then again, it will disarm the motion sensor but leave everything else armed. This is so you can leave your dog in there without setting off the alarm.

You also get a visual cue on the clown nose after the second press indicating you have disarmed the motion sensor. The nose will briefly glow steady, then start flashing again.

 

[Bianx]

bmwrocks, I was told the opoosite by my dealer. i was told that the interior of the car remains armed and the car motion sensor (tilting/towing) is deactivated. Reason for this is for example if the car is on a ferry and is swinging gently.

 

[bmwrocks]

I am not sure about the tilt sensor, but I am reasonably sure about the motion sensor. I do not have the siren, motion or tilt sensor installed on my 330 but it is programmed to flash the lights on lock/unlock and the clown nose works too. So the system is active except for those things I do not have installed. I do have the alarm fully installed on my X5. The alarm functions are identical on the 3 and X5 so I can only confirm the motion sensor being disabled for my X5. I can confirm however that the clown nose behaves the same in both my BMWs WRT the steady light indication of the sensor being disabled. I have also left the dog in the X5 and the disable works.

Try the disable I refer to and see if the motion sensor in your car is disabled on the second press along with the clown nose indication.

Sorry for the long post.