[ROCKCENTER]

when I lock / arm my car, 3 seconds later, the alarm sounds... if not, a few hours later... it sounds nonstop... I disarm, it does it again - within seconds. Basically, the car cannot be left unnatended. I had to cancel my weekend plans to leave town as a result and am not a happy camper. I can still salvage by leaving tomorow morning if someone can tell me how to turn the alarm off, disable it, whatever!!! please help me! thank you.

 

[offroadr35]

i hate to ask such an obvious question but are you doing the arming/disarming with the big button or the small one?

 

[Patricko]

I had the same problem and it was that I had left the radar detector on and it was discharging the battery and that was setting the alarm off. Check and see if you have anything that is causing a drain on the battery.

I have not had a problem since...

 

[ROCKCENTER]

the big button, what's the difference? nothing draining my battery power btw...

 

[xxxotic]

PG 33 of the manual tells how to manually disarm the system.
you need to follow the instructions that are on the little alarm sheet that has your alarm pin number code on it. it is done by turning the ignition kety off and on after a certain number of blinks appear that correspond with your alarm PIN code

Is the alarm going off or is it a buzzing noise? If you set the alarm and the interior light is set to the off position, then the alarm will buzz for about 45 seconds to let you know that it is not fully armed. Also if you attempt to arm it with something open like a door, it will buzz and that sensor will be disabled.

You can try to resych your transmitter (see pg 35 of the manual)

Make sure that the trunk is closed, and that nothing metal is in the cargo net that could interfer with the motion sensor. There are also sensors on the front cover panels, so make sure that they are not loose. I think if you put the key in the igintion, turn it to on, and then hit the little button it will go to valet mode and the alarm and immobiliser wont work.

Dumb question, do you have anything like fuzzy dice hanging, from your rear view mirror that might sent off the motion alarm?

OFL had a mouse in her car, maybe a stray animal may be lurking in yours.

It says the motion sensor is some sort of microwave based thing. I have no idea of how they work. Do you have a pacemaker that could be setting it off, or if your are using a microwave in your house maybe it is setting it off? Dont know if this is posible or not but who knows

 

[kenp]

Maybe it's just lonely and wants to be driven.

 

[MattG]

There's no need to disable the alarm. You can lock the doors using the key (the lever will not drop down but the door WILL be locked, if I remember right), and the immobilizer will automatically activate after a short period of time (30 sec?).

You could try deactivating the motion sensor to see if that's causing your alarm problem. Flip the interior light to the off position, this'll kill that sensor. When you then try to activate the alarm, your car will make a high pitched, single tone beep for a while. According to the manual, it should shut off shortly (i've never tested whether it shuts off), this is just how it tells you that a sensor has failed.

 

[TimMullen]

When you turn off the alarm after is has triggered, it will flash a code indicating the reason it triggered. Check this thread for the alarm manuals from Cobra.

 

[tonykomo]

Had you worked under one of the front service panels before the larm started doing this? This is a usual problem and requires the service panel to be undone and reattached again. The only other problem like this that I know of is when a slightly leaking microwave oven sets off the alarm.

 

[pinmagic]

Did you try disabling the interior motion sensor? Set the alarm with the large button, then (within 20 seconds), press the small button TWICE, pausing between presses. You should hear a BEEP after each press.

Also, try closing the dash vents before setting the alarm, to avoid wind coming thru and setting off the alarm. That's what the manual says to do, tho I doubt anyone actually does it.

Or, as MattG said, you can simply lock the doors with the key.

 

[Cale]

OK, this sounds really stupid, but when I went to pick up my car last Friday, the saleswoman said that the alarm was sounding after each time she locked the car. She called the technician who knows all things Lotus at the dealer and he told her to make sure that the light that is between the two seats on the rear bulk-head is in the pointing down position. It toggles believe it or not and my car's was in the mid position. Once we put it into the down position, it solved the alarm problem. How the light is connected to the alarm, I do not know. Hope this helps.

 

[TimMullen]

Once we put it into the down position, it solved the alarm problem. How the light is connected to the alarm, I do not know.

It's in the manual.

With the light in the down position (lights when the door is open), the motion sensor is activated. I'm not sure what the other positions do, as I simply leave mine down...

 

[pinmagic]

OT: According to the install manual for the alarm, there's a light-delay feature on this system (presumably to keep the interior light on for a few seconds after the door closes). IIRC, the wiring diagram shows a wire for it.

Does anyone have any idea why Lotus didn't make use of that feature? How easy would it be to enable?

 

[Goose]

Okay, alarm experts:

Xxxotic's post refers to "manually disarming the system", shown on page 33 of the manual. Am I correct in concluding that the alarm can be completely "shut off"?

Alarms and I don't get along, and I'd like to just remove it from the picture (without physically removing it). Can this be done?

Thanks

 

[Miguel]

Goose, I don't know but the alarm full manuals are at:

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6450

 

[Keeper]

FWIW, my microwave oven sets off the alarm.

Re: the original post:

I imagine a nearby bank alarm or other uwave device could set it off.

The warning tone that sounds under certain conditions when the alarm is activated could be confused for the alarm.

-Shawn

 

[Tyger]

Okay, alarm experts:

Xxxotic's post refers to "manually disarming the system", shown on page 33 of the manual. Am I correct in concluding that the alarm can be completely "shut off"?

Alarms and I don't get along, and I'd like to just remove it from the picture (without physically removing it). Can this be done?

Thanks

You can program the alarm so that the immobiliser does not come on automatically. That way the alarm (and immobiliser) will only be activated when you lock the doors using the key fob.
Look for my earlier post on "automatic immobiliser" if you want to do this.

 

[usofrob]

I currently have an oversensitive alarm system, and if I leave the alarm on at work, it goes off about once a day. I learned to just lock the doors, but...

On multiple occasions I would try like people here have suggested to disable the motion sensor, and it caused the alarm to go off. So, my guess is that you currently have the light switched up, and it needs to go down. I have not figured out exactly why this works, but it has for me multiple times.

 

[Tyger]

I currently have an oversensitive alarm system, and if I leave the alarm on at work, it goes off about once a day. I learned to just lock the doors, but...

On multiple occasions I would try like people here have suggested to disable the motion sensor, and it caused the alarm to go off. So, my guess is that you currently have the light switched up, and it needs to go down. I have not figured out exactly why this works, but it has for me multiple times.

My light doesn't affect my alarm system, so I guess Lotus has figured out that silly problem. Do you know what is setting your alarm off all the time? Is it the motion sensor?

 

[usofrob]

I don't believe the light thing to be a problem, it's just a feature I don't understand. My car alarm has gone off for just about every code. Some day I'm going to figure out how to adjust it, but that day is not today. I've been given an informal notice from my HOA to trim my hedges and cut my lawn. I think I have an angry neighbor.