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Disable alarm?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by rydot, Dec 20, 2004.

  1. rydot

    rydot New Member

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    On Saturday, I got a call from my complex's security-- my Prius had taken upon itself to be "that awful car" with the unattended car alarm. Worse yet, my neighbors had to endure an additional two hours of auditory hell, as I was visiting relatives on the other side of Los Angeles.

    The whole situation was not without karmic justice-- by the time I got back to my Prius to shut it up, the (presumably) blaring horn had reduced itself to a pathetic "blearpt, blerght..", as the incessant honking and flashing had drained the 12v battery. (I had to resort to a Roadside call to boost the car back to health, since I was parked head-in in my parking garage.)

    This was the first time (in any car) that this has happened to me, and it got me thinking-- people don't give ANY attention to car alarms here in Los Angeles..what purpose, other than the potential harassment of my neighbors, does it really serve?

    More importantly (and, so as not to start a debate, let's just view that last question as rhetorical, ok?), is it possible to DISABLE the alarm without sacrificing normal usage of my keyless entry, Smart Key System, normal horn and lights operation, etc?
     
    #1 rydot, Dec 20, 2004
  2. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I think that for situations such as the one you described, it might be a good idea to be able to disable the alarm. If you had been on a one-week business trip, one would have to wonder how long your car would have sounded? Until the main battery is completely drained?

    You won't get an argument from me. I think that all things have a reason and a purpose even if we are unable to envision them at this point in time.
     
    #2 TonyPSchaefer, Dec 20, 2004
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Technically, the alarm is programmed to shut off after 1 minute. If it goes on until the battery dies, I'd be concerned
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Dec 20, 2004
  4. rydot

    rydot New Member

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    Hmm.. mine certainly did NOT shut off after 1 minute (no idea if it paused in between fits of honking, a behavior I've observed in other cars). Is that something you read in the owners guide?

    In any case, I'd just as soon my alarm NOT disturb people. Is there a fuse that I can pull to disable it (without disrupting anything else) or a programming change I can ask my dealer to make?
     
    #4 rydot, Dec 20, 2004
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I believe it is in the owner's manual.

    I guess you could disable the wiring to the alarm horn (not the steering wheel horn). So all the car will do is flash the lights
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Dec 20, 2004
  6. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    a couple of the guys I work with have put a 130 decible horn inside their cars, these are used in the forklift industry for use in noisy enviroments. I had earplugs in and you couldn't stay in the car. Foam ear plugs are only 22 decible reduction and it's LOUD in there. There is no way anyone without hearing protection would stay in there any longer than the time required to get out and slam the door. Probably a better option in your case than disabeling the alarm.
     
    #6 Frank Hudon, Dec 20, 2004
  7. rydot

    rydot New Member

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    I honestly don't think that distributing ear plugs wherever I park is a better solution; it's not even a practical one!!

    I'm not looking for a louder, more obnoxious alternative to my alarm. I'm asking if there's a way to DISABLE it!
     
    #7 rydot, Dec 21, 2004
  8. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

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    By default, the alarm sounds the regular horn, not just the alarm horn.
    Just to let you know, unless my dealer was mistaken, dealer customized setting requires a 2-1/2 programming. I had that done to enable passive alarm setting, only to find out I could have enabled that with a dance. The service tech was suprised as I was that it took so long.

    Checked the wiring diagram, the theft deterrent is integrated in the body ECU, no separate power wire, let alone a separate fuse.

    Also checked customizable parameters, only passive on/off, entry delay for passive, warn by horn (regular horn in conjuntion with alarm horn), and glass sensor on/off.

    Do you have the glass sensor option? That might be set too sensitive, though the alarm still should reset in a minute.
    Then again, the state diagram suggests that if the alarming condition still exists (door still open) that the alarm may still continue going off.
     
    #8 DanMan32, Dec 21, 2004
  9. rydot

    rydot New Member

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    Hmm, I'm almost willing to pay that, if it means I don't have to worry about the alarm ever again! ;)

    Shoot, so does that mean that there's no programmable "disable alarm" mode? I don't know if I have the "glass sensor" option; I have whatever was included in the 2005/Pkg 6. (I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know the "theft-deterrent" specs for the Pkg 6!)
     
    #9 rydot, Dec 21, 2004
  10. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    The glass sensor is not included in the BC (9 in 2004, 6 in 2005) package. It is a port or dealer installed accessory.

    Do you have any idea what may be setting your alarm off? You may have a malfunctioning sensor. In just over three months, my alarm has never activated.
     
    #10 IsrAmeriPrius, Dec 21, 2004
  11. rydot

    rydot New Member

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    To my knowledge, it's only gone off that one time. But, it got me thinking: Does the alarm actually DO anything for me? The answer (for me) is no-- I personally don't believe that the alarm is going to do any good, should the unfortunate occur. People around here ignore car alarms and I figure any thief who is intent on breaking-and-entering is just going to plug his/her ears and get on with the job. :(

    So, I arrived at the idea of trying to deactivate the alarm based on that reasoning.
     
    #11 rydot, Dec 21, 2004
  12. DaveG

    DaveG Member

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    Same here. The only ways to trigger a prius alarm are if someone tried to force open the doors or break the windows after the alarm was armed.

    There's no motion or impact detector like some other car alarms have, so if the alarm was sounding for 3 hours, there's definately a problem somewhere that needs to be corrected.

    Dave
     
    #12 DaveG, Dec 21, 2004
  13. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    the glass breakage sensor is just a microphone attached to the alarm system. If it kept sounding all the time and not cycling off and on then there is something wrong in the alarm. If it was cycling then you have a senson (door switch, hatch switch, hood switch) that's making contact. I would definatly ask the building manager if it occasioally stopped and then re-started. That will help to get to the root of the problem, rather than just disconnect it.
     
    #13 Frank Hudon, Dec 21, 2004
  14. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

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    The hood also has a sensor, and of course there's the hatch.
     
    #14 DanMan32, Dec 22, 2004
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The alarm will sound when the windows are broken only if the Glass Breakage Sensor is installed.
     
    #15 Tideland Prius, Dec 22, 2004
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