[nickharman]

I was in the car looking for some stuff and suddenly the alarm went off.

I put the key in the ignition and turned to on, but the alarm kept going (and mysteriously the battery was flat when I tried to start, despite it being a brand new battery a month old and the car being driven only yesterday)

Then the alarm stopped on its own and then started again. I could not stop it by key in ignition or locking up using remote or physical key

It went through the on and off cycle at least six times before it finally stopped on its own and every neighbour had come out to have a go at me.

The only clue I have is that just before the alarm went off the first time there was a rapid clicking from somewhere in the dash.

2005 Aero

I'm in fear now it might do it again in the night.

is there a fuse I can yank?

And what on earth happened to the battery?

I bought this new one because the old one went suddenly flat but I thought (!) maybe it was knackered, Maybe not.

Thx

 

[jimbab5]

I was in the car looking for some stuff and suddenly the alarm went off.

I put the key in the ignition and turned to on, but the alarm kept going (and mysteriously the battery was flat when I tried to start, despite it being a brand new battery a month old and the car being driven only yesterday)

Then the alarm stopped on its own and then started again. I could not stop it by key in ignition or locking up using remote or physical key

It went through the on and off cycle at least six times before it finally stopped on its own and every neighbour had come out to have a go at me.

The only clue I have is that just before the alarm went off the first time there was a rapid clicking from somewhere in the dash.

2005 Aero

I'm in fear now it might do it again in the night.

is there a fuse I can yank?

And what on earth happened to the battery?

I bought this new one because the old one went suddenly flat but I thought (!) maybe it was knackered, Maybe not.

Thx

The alarm is probably acting up because the battery went flat. You need to see why that is happening. Either it's not getting charged (should have about 13.5 volts at battery when engine running) or there is a parasitic drain you can check for with ammeter between negative battery terminal and cable with engine off. Should be less than a couple hundred milliamps or so.

 

[Saabula]

Sounds like you need to replace the alarm siren batteries.

 

[APC900]

Those packs can be a monumental pain in the a** when the internal battery starts to degrade. The units are usually hidden behind the inner fender flap closest to the base of the 'A' pillar.
On the earlier cars you could sometimes pull the turn indicator marker out and use a long angled pick tool to remove the wires.

 

[Kilkenny]

I was in the car looking for some stuff and suddenly the alarm went off.

I put the key in the ignition and turned to on, but the alarm kept going (and mysteriously the battery was flat when I tried to start, despite it being a brand new battery a month old and the car being driven only yesterday)

Then the alarm stopped on its own and then started again. I could not stop it by key in ignition or locking up using remote or physical key

It went through the on and off cycle at least six times before it finally stopped on its own and every neighbour had come out to have a go at me.

The only clue I have is that just before the alarm went off the first time there was a rapid clicking from somewhere in the dash.

2005 Aero

I'm in fear now it might do it again in the night.

is there a fuse I can yank?

And what on earth happened to the battery?

I bought this new one because the old one went suddenly flat but I thought (!) maybe it was knackered, Maybe not.

Thx

The Theft Alarm is more trouble than it's worth. It is difficult to turn off as removing the appropriate fuse also turns off the aircon compressor. Disconnecting the alarm produces the “Service Theft Alarm” message each time the ignition is switched on which is annoying. My solution is to open the alarm unit and cut the four connections to the two sirens. The unit will still appear to be operative and no fault message will appear.

 

[nickharman]

The Theft Alarm is more trouble than it's worth. It is difficult to turn off as removing the appropriate fuse also turns off the aircon compressor. Disconnecting the alarm produces the “Service Theft Alarm” message each time the ignition is switched on which is annoying. My solution is to open the alarm unit and cut the four connections to the two sirens. The unit will still appear to be operative and no fault message will appear.

Yes all car alarms seem pointless. A lot of noise that no one comes to investigate!

Your idea might be a good one!

N