alarm trouble. can anyone help?

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jessicafay28
Joined: Mon 22 Apr, 2013 13:18
Posts: 88

  Z3 roadster 1.9

alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by jessicafay28 »

I don't know if this is quite strange or a common problem but my alarm keeps setting off at night about once an hour. Never happens in the day. Is there anyone who's had this problem or might know what causes it? My neighbour keeps getting woke up and has mentioned it more than once haha

Thanks in advance :lol:
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XVar
Joined: Thu 24 Mar, 2011 17:58
Posts: 475

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Derby

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by XVar »

One thing you could try is holding down the red light/button on next to the heating controls after turning the ignition off, this disables the interior sensors. You'll have to do this every time you park up for the night but you'll at least be able to rule those out.
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Robert T
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Joined: Mon 12 Jun, 2006 10:35
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  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Robert T »

Not sure if anyone warned you before you bought it, but zeds have feelings and they get lonely if you leave them on their own at night. You need to buy another car to keep it company. :wink:

More seriously, it could be the bonnet switch and when it gets cold at night the metalwork of the car contracts just enough to trip the alarm. You can unplug the switch to test this.

Cheers R.

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Arctic Silver '99 Z3 1.9 & Black '59 Frogeye 1275cc
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jessicafay28
Joined: Mon 22 Apr, 2013 13:18
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  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by jessicafay28 »

Thanks for the advice. Ill try both those over the next few nights. And it's funny you should say about buying another, almost did yesterday but decided not to be greedy. :)
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Brian4
Joined: Mon 19 Dec, 2011 19:02
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  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Hinckley

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Brian4 »

Might be worth checking if there is any water in the passenger side boot well where the tilt sensor for the alarm sits. BMW always put electrical bits at the lowest point of the car.

I noticed from the photo your car is parked on the kerb so tilts the car over and may allow water to get to the tilt sensor.
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
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  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by BladeRunner919 »

I'd put money on the bonnet switch, as Robert says. Mine is permanently unplugged because of the alarm going off all the time - no problems since I unplugged it.
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jessicafay28
Joined: Mon 22 Apr, 2013 13:18
Posts: 88

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by jessicafay28 »

Hi thanks for the replies. Thought id update. Nothing wrong with the alarm, if anything its too good. The culprit, I found out from looking at our cctv, was taxi drivers flying up the road, about an inch away from my car, tut tut. But thanks for the help anyway.

Now if anyone has any ideas on how to deal with them, that would be appreciated haha :D
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Badman gee
Joined: Sun 14 Nov, 2010 10:45
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  M roadster S50

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Badman gee »

Shove a banana up their exhaust !
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The 'BEAST' 666
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jessicafay28
Joined: Mon 22 Apr, 2013 13:18
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  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by jessicafay28 »

Haha. Or an exhaust up their "banana".
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Badman gee
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  M roadster S50

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Badman gee »

Yep
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Badman gee
Joined: Sun 14 Nov, 2010 10:45
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  M roadster S50

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Badman gee »

You could find out where there taxi office is.

Drape some cling film down there bog!
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Jonco
Joined: Sat 04 Jun, 2011 07:24
Posts: 402

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Jonco »

You may be able to get a `stinger' off ebay - that should slow them down :twisted:
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jessicafay28
Joined: Mon 22 Apr, 2013 13:18
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  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by jessicafay28 »

Cling film. Thats a good one

And id like to get a stinger but don't think the neighbours would like that too much haha
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Batchem1
Joined: Tue 23 Apr, 2013 08:17
Posts: 128

  M roadster S50
Location: Taunton, Somerset

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Batchem1 »

Hi folks,
I'm having a slight alarm crisis here.
Have owned my Z3 Roadster for a couple of months of faultless and enjoyable driving.
Today, after a run from Norfolk down to Suffolk for lunch I got as far as perusing the restaurant menu when the alarm went off. I went out and reset it, and about 5 minutes later off it went again - and again.
I'm now back at my holiday rental cottage and guess what - every 5 minutes the alarm goes off.
I've followed this thread and checked the boot floor - bone dry.
I've taken a look at the bonnet alarm switch, no obvious faults, but I wouldn't necessarily expect to see one.
I can live with the problem till I get home and have time to get the bonnet switch out - just wondered if anybody has a view on the regularity of the fault. Without fail, the alarm will go off after 3-5 minutes of setting it.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
Jonco
Joined: Sat 04 Jun, 2011 07:24
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  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Jonco »

If it is going off regularly at a nuisance level you can silence it until you get home, but you need to have the right key ( see this thread http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =5&t=38352)
Batchem1
Joined: Tue 23 Apr, 2013 08:17
Posts: 128

  M roadster S50
Location: Taunton, Somerset

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Batchem1 »

Thanks, but I don't have one of those.
I've just locked the car with the key instead of the remote.
It won't be alarmed, I know, but it is secure here outside the cottage.
billz
Joined: Mon 22 Mar, 2010 20:09
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  Z4 roadster 3.0si
Location: nottingham

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by billz »

Not sure if its the same as ours but we started having problems with ours last week and i traced it to the bump stops in the boot lid.
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Batchem1
Joined: Tue 23 Apr, 2013 08:17
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  M roadster S50
Location: Taunton, Somerset

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Batchem1 »

OK, will take a look, thanks!
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Robert T
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  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Robert T »

billz wrote:Not sure if its the same as ours but we started having problems with ours last week and i traced it to the bump stops in the boot lid.
Really? You might like to enlighten us on that one... :shrug

I had a problem with my alarm going off randomly at one point - it stopped doing it after a little while and I found a sticker with "EWS 3G" in the footwell shortly after - my guess is that the sticker came loose and was wafting about in front of the sensor in the slightest air current. :lol:

If it isn't water in the tilt switch, then the alarm should only go off if it has been set, so for the time being, lock it with the key instead of the remote. The usual suspects are the bonnet switch, which appears to operate normally, but in reality the bonnet doesn't push it down far enough and a gust of wind is enough to move the bonnet so that the switch operates. The stereo switch is a microswitch and can behave similarly. The door switch buttons can wear enough that they can trigger the alarm, but normally the interior light will come on if they do (unless of course you have it in the "off" position) - you'd normally find that the light also comes on whilst driving. Finally the interior movement sensors can play up, but on both alarm systems they can be disabled independently either by pressing the alarm led button (on the housebrick remote type) or by pressing the lock button twice (on the later integrated remote type).

I've not heard of the boot lid switch being a problem, but there is always a first time. The switch is in the boot lock and operated by the conical pin on the latch. It is not in either of the plungers. If you have a phone or camera with video mode, you could pop it in the boot and jiggle the back of the car around a bit to see if the light comes on.

Cheers R.
Arctic Silver '99 Z3 1.9 & Black '59 Frogeye 1275cc
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billz
Joined: Mon 22 Mar, 2010 20:09
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  Z4 roadster 3.0si
Location: nottingham

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by billz »

On our 2001 model there are 2x plunger like Bump stops, they have a metal cap on the end which looks like a type of contact. There are no wires to them so i assume they short out within the boot lid to deactivate the boot light
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=60&hl=24 Part Number 7
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Brian H
Joined: Tue 16 Dec, 2008 19:55
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  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Brian H »

billz wrote:On our 2001 model there are 2x plunger like Bump stops, they have a metal cap on the end which looks like a type of contact. There are no wires to them so i assume they short out within the boot lid to deactivate the boot light
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=60&hl=24 Part Number 7
I believe part 7 is there just to raise the boot slightly when unlocked, there is no relationship between these and the light. The boot light is controlled from the latch itself, there is an integral switch which is activated by a spike (for the want of better words).

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billz
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  Z4 roadster 3.0si
Location: nottingham

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by billz »

Well it must be a coincedence as we couldnt stop our alarm from going off, car never moved, changed the buffer and now no problem with alarm.
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BladeRunner919
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  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by BladeRunner919 »

Batchem1 wrote: I've taken a look at the bonnet alarm switch, no obvious faults, but I wouldn't necessarily expect to see one.
There is no visible sign of failure - just unplug it and see if the problem disappears.
Batchem1
Joined: Tue 23 Apr, 2013 08:17
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  M roadster S50
Location: Taunton, Somerset

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Batchem1 »

Folks, thank you so much for all of your guidance and suggestions re my alarm problem.
I'll be back at home on Tuesday and will post an update once I've had chance to unplug the bonnet switch, etc.
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Robert T
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Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Robert T »

Sorry, Bill, reading that back now, I may have come across a being a little offhand. It is possible that the plunger may have been causing the boot lid to sit slightly raised on one side and thus cause the microswitch to not be fully depressed, as it isn't quite in the centre of the boot lock. The plungers have nothing directly to do with the alarm. They can be adjusted, and BMW did this for me when I first got my car as they were a little strong and prevented the lid latching when being closed.

Cheers R.
Arctic Silver '99 Z3 1.9 & Black '59 Frogeye 1275cc
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billz
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  Z4 roadster 3.0si
Location: nottingham

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by billz »

No offence taken rob.
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Batchem1
Joined: Tue 23 Apr, 2013 08:17
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  M roadster S50
Location: Taunton, Somerset

Re: alarm trouble. can anyone help?

Post by Batchem1 »

Here's an update on my alarm problem.
On a trip to Norfolk last week the alarm, which had worked perfectly in the couple of months I've owned the car, started going off for no obvious reason about 5 minutes after I'd set it.
Since I got home last Tuesday, the car has been parked in the garage locked by key with no alarm set until I had time to take a look at it today.
I re-read the correspondence above, and was prepared today to remove and disconnect the bonnet switch to see if that cured the problem - and if so, to replace the switch.
Earlier today I set the alarm and waited, expecting it to go off in about 5 minutes.
Well, it didn't!
I've since unlocked the car, then relocked and reset the alarm a few times - and still no fault.
Whatever the problem was, it seems to have corrected itself.
I've thought about the possible causes. The Norfolk trip was the first time I've fully loaded the car, so perhaps the boot lid might not have closed as firmly as before (although it was closed and locked), which might possibly have unsettled the boot alarm switch? The bonnet had been opened just before I left on this trip to check fluid levels, but it had been opened before and was closed properly throughout.
Any thoughts from those better informed than me?
Thank you.
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