Factory alarm doing the midnight dance

[3erGoon]

My alarm on my 97 328i has recently started going off on its own in the middle of the night. Every time it goes off, I'll look out the window to make sure its not an actual break in, and I've never seen anyone actually near the car when it happens. It's never at the same time, but it is always at night. I haven't had a chance to check fuses, connections, etc. Anyone had this issue and have a quick fix? I read a previous thread about one certain connection that corrodes away.
:dunno:

[Pirate_copy]

Hey buddy, welcome to the fest

Have you got anything dangling inside the car (like an air freshener) that could have triggered the motion sensor?

[Bimmer_Angel]

The other thing that can trigger the alarm is if the air vents are left open.

You ought to have my alarm Buddy - it goes off even is someone looks at it, if a leaf falls on it. When it goes off you know damn well there is nobody there but you still have to get up and have a look. This is most annoying as it not only disturbs my beauty sleep but it also annoys the hell out of my neighbours:mad: Thankfully, my alarm only goes off for about 20 seconds then it resets itself.

Is your's a factory fitted alarm? Mind has been replaced with a Clifford Concept 600. The instruction manual is 16 pages long:yikes: I only just managed to understand page 1 that tells you how to put the blessed thing into 'valet/sleep' mode. It has a really bright strobing blue light which is very impressive but it is also like a huge neon sign which tells would be robbers "I'm over here Dude":hi:

If you wish to see how sensitive my alarm is have a look at this thread posted by my son Pirate_copy - you think you have problems:rofl:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196319

[3erGoon]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Nothing is hanging inside the car though, and this just started happening 2 weeks ago, every other night or so. It is just the stock alarm, so it shouldn't be too wild as far as sensitivity goes. Any other ideas?

[Bimrpwr]

could be a sensitivity issue, maybe a animal is messing with it. or the unit is starting to go bad.

[DominguesE30]

some1 hitting it for a laugh then doing a runner?

[Bimmer_Angel]

could be a sensitivity issue, maybe a animal is messing with it. or the unit is starting to go bad.

Not such a stupid suggestion. Years ago we have a Peugeot that did that. We discovered that there was a fly in it - can you believe it:yikes:

[ChipB]

I have found that the microswitch under the hood can be a problem. When you shut the hood the arm on that switch may be deflecting just barely enough to close the contact and allow you to set the alarm, and then the contact may momentarily open during the night, causing the alarm to go off. Try buildibg up the thicjness of the conatct arm with some tape and see if that fixes it.

[3erGoon]

Good call on the hood switch. I'll tape that sucker real good! Funny stuff about the fly. I guess it could be an animal. I've got a killer work schedule this weekend, so I won't be able to do any real stuff till tuesday, but I'll update the post if I find anything solid. Thanks for the ideas and keep em coming!

[pracklam]

I have a '94 325is coupe and had to replace my driver's side door strike. There is a switch in this that kicks the window down then up when opening and closing the door. Not sure yours has this switch. My window would randomly kick down and up and would set off the alarm. Easy fix and cost is about $30.

[Bimmer_Angel]

I have a '94 325is coupe and had to replace my driver's side door strike. There is a switch in this that kicks the window down then up when opening and closing the door. Not sure yours has this switch. My window would randomly kick down and up and would set off the alarm. Easy fix and cost is about $30.

That's a point really worth 'saving for later'! Never thought of that one:thumbup:

[SCANDINAVIAN13]

Does your alarm also have a backup battery that kicks on if the power is cut? Generally, if the alarm kicks over to the backup battery, it will go off because it means the lines have been tampered with. In your case, however, it might just be an electrical problem where the power is lost on the hard connection so it sets the alarm off. It could also do this if there's no backup battery, but the alarm senses a drop in power. I don't know what your setup is, so I'm not entirely sure.
That's just another option.

[julesjp]

i've got a 1999 323is i've got the same problem, and it's driving me nuts - in the later evening, usually between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. the alarm goes off - it's the factory installed alarm - i see these posts are over a year old - what did you do for final solution? Thank You for your help.

[E36 Phantom]

i've got a 1999 323is i've got the same problem, and it's driving me nuts - in the later evening, usually between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. the alarm goes off - it's the factory installed alarm - i see these posts are over a year old - what did you do for final solution? Thank You for your help.

Ooh, cool. A time traveler. So whats it like in year 2008?
(these posts are from May of this year ;))

First off, if you have a 99 323is, I believe that's an E46, so some of the things here may not apply. But, I would def check the things mentioned in this thread, any number of them could be triggering it.
If its aftermarket (or factory and got misadjusted) and has a very high sensitivity, it could even be something like a freight train or jet landing close or something that could trigger it if its at a specific, recurring pattern.

Also, like mentioned, could be
-animals
-pranksters
-connections corroding
-window switch (oops, do the E46's have that?)
-something moving in car
-hood or door switch not quite catching
-perhaps the radio connections are coming loose and the car thinks the radio is being stolen? just a guess on that one :dunno:
-alarm backup battery

Good luck with your problem, but I honestly think the best solution may be just having a tech inspect it if you're not electrically inclined. There are so many possibilities it could take quite a long time to sort out. Hope this gives you some ideas to go off, though.

[efanton]

Dont be temped to disable it completey.

there was a car theft gang in Dublin when I was living there. they would target a really nice car and set the alarm off every night a couple of times. Eventually some owners would disable the alarm. Needless to say when the gang discovered that the owner had thoughtfully disabled the alarm for them the car had disapeared by morning.

[Pirate_copy]

Think the 99 323is is an E36 mate, dont worry :)

Dont forget the air vents being open can cause the alarm to go off if there is a gust of wind

[3erGoon]

I haven't fixed the problem yet- have just been trying to live with it while experimenting. For a little while it seemed to coming on at the same time at night, so to test the backup battery theory, right before falling asleep I would unlock and lock the car. Whenever I do that, the alarm does not go off at night on its own. But I don't know if the factory alarm even has a backup battery so?

Funny story about the car thieves tho! In my neighborhood I didn't feel comfortable turning the alarm off anyways.

[ricekikr]

ive had this problem for around a year, only free solution i found was to lock the doors with the key, and unlock it with the remote, at least i still have keyless entry.. hehhe

if i remember right, there can be several issues that can cause this problem,
*glass sensor defective
*door switch defective
*hood switch defective
*alarm too sensitive, alarm itself can be thinkered with (dip switches)

=ive all doors (except drivers) and hood open, then set the alarm, it still went off..

hope someone finds a solution i want to use my keyless lock, convenience and reduces scratches near key hole..

edit: i also turned off motion sensor (i think its the motion sensor or maybe tilt sensor) alarm still goes off

[ricekikr]

http://member.rivernet.com.au/btaylor/BMWText/technical/AlarmFalsingAlpineE3695On.html

this might help some, havent tried it.. too lazy

[ricekikr]

just opened up my alarm unit (siemens) and when i shake it very lightly i hear this faint tick. its probably the spring that senses motion..

anyone know how to fix it? or has a diagram of this type of alarm (part # 61.35-8 369 482)
etk lists this part as an "uncoded module"

[Bimmer_Angel]

It must the the time of year:rofl:

The other night mine went off FOR NO APPARENT REASON. Then it went off at 05:30 because the milkman in a Ford Transit tore off down the road. The at 8am when Pirate went off [my car hates his exhaust!!] and then at 8:30 when hubby went off in the Peugeot :mad::mad:

The only thing I can think of is that the car was parked on the grass lawn NOT on the concrete drive and I do not know whether or not earth produces more vibration :dunno::dunno:

Obviously with mine, the sensor is set too sensitive - will have to read the 16 pages of the manual to find out.

STOP PRESS.... as I am typing this my alarm has bleeped - now what the hell is wrong with her now. Think she does not like being out in the wind and rain :cry:

Or a bird flew past and the vibration of its wings set her off - not unless she ducked to avoid being bombarded with poooh :rofl:

[Pirate_copy]

Sure...blame my exhaust!

[jreaton]

How about the neighbors cat dancing on the roof to his honey.?

[BMWredneck]

Would a bad ground cause this?
im not too buffed up on the alarm systems beings my car doesnt ahve one. But i have found that the base of most electrical problems lie in the grounding wire. It can cause all sorts of messes with the electronic.