False Start

[belfastmark]

Hi All
I have a laserline 212 Category2-1 Alarm upgrade fitted to my MK4 Golf 2001. I have been plagued with problems, car automatically locking and arming, false activations, interior sensors etc.
I was awoken this morning to the sound of the siren.
Using the alarm's diagnostics, I deduced that the problem was a false activation caused be the ignition key sensor. If I had an aftermarket immobiliser, I could understand the possibility of this activation but as I dont, it has baffled me.
The car came with an immobiliser as standard.
I have read the instalation manual which tells me that there is a purple wire connected to a switched ignition key supply ?
At the minute, dont know if it is a yet another problem with the alarm or with the car's ignition.
Please help !!!!

[Crasher]

That suggests that the line 15 on your car came live for no reason so if your alarms ignition live sensing wire is the purple wire you mention (I know nothing about Laserline, just Toad, GT and Textron) then you need to find this purple wire and trace it to where t is connected. If it is connected to a black ire on the cars harness this is a non fused ignition live and if it is on a red/black, this is a fused ignition live (usually) so when you have identified which wire it is connected to, post the details.

[belfastmark]

Thanks for the quick reply Crasher.
I am not sure if this is relative or not.
I had previously posted that I was getting problems with the immobliser, basically there was times when she would not start and the light would flash on the display and other times she would be fine. Someone mentioned that adjusting the rake on the steering wheel, pulling her out to clean etc may have pulled the wires or put tension on them. ? Since I have been using a different key there hasn't been a problem. I cant do anything about it until Tuesday though.
From my experience of laserline alarms, I wouldn't be a fan.
Cheers !

[Crasher]

It could be a faulty ignition switch, your previous immobiliser issues are to do with the barrel chip sensor or key chip, which are effectively separate components; I do not think the two problems are connected. If you receive the same trigger notification again, you will need to trace the ignition live sensing wire. If you think Laserline are bad, you should try Clifford, they are THE most annoying alarms in the world! My car was owned previously by a mobile Clifford installer (I found loads of job sheets under the rear seat) but in his three years of ownership he did not install one in his on car!...

[belfastmark]

Cheers Crasher
I will have to get the installer out asap, I cant even wire a plug !!!
Trying to get him out is like getting blood out of a stone.
He can do the packed in ultrasonics that he was ment to do in August aswell. Will keep you posted. Whats the point of having a £240 insurance alarm if it doesn't work !
PS. You mention a possible ignition problem ? Should I get a fault code read done ?

[belfastmark]

I think I may have a possible answer to my problem.
As you know, the alarm diagnostics told me the ignition sensor was the cause of the alarm condition. Now, my drivers door has been giving me problems for about a year, when the drivers door was open, the car was telling me it was closed. About a week or two ago this changed with the car telling me the door was open when it was closed. I had this problem rectified and now everything has sorted itself out.
I have noticed that when I open the drivers door with the key, there is an audible buzzing tone lasting about 3 secs, which seems to be coming from the ignition area.
My thought is that the dodgy drivers door may have sent some sort of signal to the ignition causing the ignition sensor on the alarm to create a condition ??????
What do you guys think ???
Crasher ?

[Crasher]

The convenience unit is in the area of the buzzing. Did you have a new door lock fitted?

[belfastmark]

Hi
Yes Crasher, I had a new drivers door lock fitted, though this was done after the false alarm condition. What is a convenience and what does it do ? Why does it make this buzzing noise ?Do you think there may be a link as i say ??
Haven't armed the alarm since the said alarm condition.

[Crasher]

The convenience unit controls the locks, windows, mirrors and alarm and contains relays that can click if faulty or if the signal is dirty.

[belfastmark]

Hi
Just a wee update.
Haven't armed the alarm for over a year now and am considering having it taken out. The main purpose of having it fitted was for the remote central locking. I now know that I can get a remote central locking kit without a siren for beer money.
My advice would be that if the car doesn't have a factory fitted alarm, be careful in the world of aftermarket alarms.
Thanks Crasher for your input.

Marko.

[Crasher]

I have been fitting after market car alarms and immobilisers for 33 years since I was 17 when I fitted a Selmar system to my Fiesta and professionally since 1988 and I very rarely have any issues and even then they are one off's. The biggest problem is switches and yours will be wired into the factory switches but unlike the factory system you cannot see them working easily, the Laserline may have some primitive form of trigger identification. When fixing other peoples installs in every case I can ever remember the problem has been install or existing switch related, never the actual alarm CPU itself. I would lay money on your problem being to do with either the bonnet or tailgate switch. Once I had to swap a CPU on an Textron alarm I did as the remote range went very short and twice I had to put new CPU's in Toad Power Key immobilisers as a dodgy batch of aerials damaged the receivers, that's how rare problems are. The most reliable alarms I ever encountered were the Moss range, their Pro Fit 740A being a spectacularly reliable unit, they were utterly brilliant but were underspecified in the immobiliser area so when Thatcham came along, they died a death. These days I fit Scorpion but I only do a few a year now, mostly replacing old systems that need upgrading on classic Mk1 and Mk2's but they cost about £1K a time fitted and this is where the problem is. To fit an aftermarket alarm properly takes a lot of time, a Mk2 install can take me three full days especially if I have to repair an appalling rats nest of bodges accumulated over a quarter of a century of hi-fi's, phone kits and alarms, the mess of bullet connects and Scotch locks (evil things) and twisted together wires insulated with Cellotape (yes, its common) can even make me wince. So the problem (in my opinion and it is going to be contentious) is customer driven and totally their fault. What the customer wants is the alarm at the cheapest possible price as it is not exactly what you might call a luxury or desirable purchase and so the fitter (who has to make a living) is up against all the other fitters trying to make a living fighting against each other for the cheapest possible price to get work and this leads to one thing, poor fitting, there can be no other result.

There is some usefull info here including a way to get in contact with the importer.Laserline alarms and immobilisers Thatcham approved security systems (http://www.thatchamsecurity.co.uk/laserline_alarms/index.htm)

[belfastmark]

Thanks for the in depth reply Crasher. It made interesting reading.

Marko.

[Crasher]

The drunken drug fuelled rantings of a mad man! :alcoholic