Darn the alarm

[Sailor]

I hadn't changed the battery in the Lude for three years, and it was time. I have, though, removed the old one at least once to use it elsewhere, so I was surprised to find the job wasn't as simple as it should have been.

Step One (doors unlocked but closed): Remove old battery and replace with new.
Outcome: the (aftermarket) alarm went through a sequence of horrid noises I'd never heard before

Step Two: Disconnect the battery. Lock and unlock the doors (ie: not on central locking). Reconnect the battery.
Outcome: the noise continued, with ever changing screeches and whistles.

Step Three: Repeat Step Two, but this time try starting the car.
Outcome: even more burps and farts and screeches. These don't stop but the car starts.

Step Four: Disconnect the battery. Put ignition key into last position (just before 'start', dash lights on). Have assistant reconnect the battery. Start the car.
Outcome: things work as they used to.

The alarm is scary. But it's clearly not immobilising. What's the point of it when you can tow the car away quietly just by disconnecting the main battery?

[firstlude]

i got to say never been a lover of alarms no one really pays attention to them going off either much prefer just an immobiliser, my 4th gen had an aftermarket alarm fitted soon took that out aswell as a nasty in car phone kit

[wurlycorner]

Car alarms are an asbolute nightmare come battery change or needing charging after going flat (with the car locked/closed). It's a massive scare factor even touching the car to reconnect the battery or charger!

I'm lucky that the oem alarm on the Xantia has a key switch that isolates the siren (so if the alarm goes off, you just get the lights flashing) that at least that saves the ears and flushed cheeks!


As for yours not immobilising the car... Alarms and imobilisers can be seperate things - yours might literally just be an alarm, not an imobiliser?