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Old Apr 11, 2013 | 04:07 PM
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ThinkRob
Joined: Jan 2013
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Default Re: Faulty alarm, probably door switch?

Originally Posted by Infinity
There are a few things to check....

1. On the door itself there is a trim piece held in by one screw that surrounds the latch. Make sure it is sitting properly on the door. This trim is what strikes the pin switch and if it is missing or is not seated properly it may not take up enough room to activate the switch.

2. The door pin switches simply provide a ground connection when elongated thus triggering the lights and alarm. Make sure each switch is moving with tension on it, if it is loose you may have an issue.

3. You can fold back the carpet and check to make sure noting is happening behind the switch if you want.

4. Now I am going to tell you to do something you may not have thought about....Remove the switch in the glovebox! That's right unplug it and see if your issue remains.

5. If you are in good with your dealer they can plug into the car and read the security codes and it will tell them what is causing the issue.

I chased a random alarm issue for nearly a year before my dealer indicated there was a series of codes that do not present themselves with my friend's diagnostic machine (not a basic obdII reader) and a quick check revealed the glove box switch was acting up. The design of the switch is really not that strong and over time the spring begins to loose tension and the button on the relay that triggers the alarm gets tripped. Heat and cold would cause the car alarm to go off. I changed out the horn, tore the car down to check everything over that year and even attempted to simulate conditions all with no conclusive evidence. My dealer read the codes for free and the part was 25.00 for the switch.
Thanks.

I just heard back from the fine folks at the dealer again.

They're saying it's a bad locking pump which is causing the driver-side door not to fully lock. This matches my experience (that the driver side won't auto-lock when the car is under way), but does seem a little odd.

They quoted 1300 USD for the part. That is funny. I laughed. The service rep did not know that was a joke. He did not laugh. Still, that price is unrealistic, especially since the top prices on eBay are around 600 USD (and ones can be had for 290 or so shipped).

They're going to re-enable the sounder (how sweet of them... well... sorta. It took some persuasion.) After that I'm looking at another 1.5 hours of labor (since they'll count their failed attempt towards the 3.5 hour replacement) at 115/hr.

Ugh.

So first I'll check your suggestions. Maybe that solves it, maybe not. If it doesn't, then I'm going to order the part (since they're confident that's the cause) and get them to install it. Normally I'd do it myself, but the only way I have a prayer of that 200 being anything but a waste is if I get them to do the install...
 

Last edited by ThinkRob; Apr 11, 2013 at 04:09 PM.
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