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mac500
13-09-2007, 09:35 PM
Does the anti theft alarm system fitted to the 06 Passat provide proper protection?
Since purchasing my new Passat in March 06 I have endeavoured to set off the alarm and have not succeeded and the VW Dealer could not do so either. Apparently all the diagnostic tests carried out on the system are normal yet the alarm will not activate. I am now informed that VW assert that in order to avoid false alarms the alarm system fitted to the 06 Passat is designed to activate by a change of air pressure within the car as would, according to VW, occur if a thief broke a window. Locking oneself within the car and swinging one’s arms about would only move the air about within the cab without changing the air pressure and, therefore, would not activate the alarm. That is what I have been told. The functionality of the system has still not been demonstrated.
Having had a car stolen and written off about 10 years ago I am not happy with this situation.
I would like to know if other owners of 06 Passats are satisfied with the anti theft alarm system fitted and if they have found a way to activate it (without breaking a window) so as to demonstrate that it is working.
Thank you

Ben
13-09-2007, 10:47 PM
I to wondered if my car had an alarm and what it sounded like.

I forund this out by accident

To test.. Lock car as normal, then unlock and keep the unlock button on the fob pressed so that the windows open. pretend you've left something in the car and reach in through the window. This is how i found out i had an alarm and what it sounded like.

Do you have the button on the pillar by your right elbow? mine has 2 functions. one is to turn off the anit tow. If the car is being lifted at the front or rear it lets you know about it unless you turn it off. Turn this feature off also when on a ferry as the pitch of the boat may also activate. The second function is if i leave an animal in the car, I can disable the sensors so that the animal does not attract attention.

mac500
14-09-2007, 02:46 PM
Thanks Golfmk5GTTDI

The test you describe worked on earlier models and, I am told, on the 07 Passat but it does not trigger the alarm on the 06 Passat. At least not on my car. The VW owners manual lists 10 actions that should trigger the alarm if carried out when the car is locked. None of them appear to work on my car. That is why I am anxious to hear if other owners of 06 Passats have the same problem. If so, are they satisfied that their car is adequately protected?
The two buttons, which are provided to deactivate the interior monitoring system and the anti-tow alarm, light up when pressed but could not be effective on a system if it is already deactivated.
Regards
mac500

BenR
16-09-2007, 10:05 AM
Mac500 - does it really matter? If somebody wanted to steal your Passat it would be a professional job for export in a seafreight container or for breaking up, so they would certainly know how to get around the alarm.

Why not lock yourself in and burst a balloon? This would probably produce a shockwave similar to that caused by a breaking window.

mac500
16-09-2007, 04:22 PM
Hi BenR
I t does matter to me. I had a car stolen & written off by joy riders who were not professionals. They knew how to defeat/break the steering lock and hot wire the ignition though.
Yes, bursting a balloon inside the car should simulate the effect of breaking a window and for the hell of it I will try it. I’ll be very surprised if it triggers the alarm when waving my arms about and clapping my hands inside the car does not.
I have little doubt that the alarm in my 06 Passat is not working and has never worked. Motion & tilt sensors, Door sensors, Windows & Pressure Sensors & Shock Sensors – None of these are working as far as I can ascertain.
I am still asking other 06 Passat owners to please let me know, whether they have or have not the perceived problems that I seem to be having with the anti theft alarm.
Thanks

sathound
17-09-2007, 09:47 AM
Mac500

I have a May 2007 170PS SEL Estate. In my first week I inadvertently parked the car and locked it with my 2 golden retrievers in the back. Needless to say the alarm triggered within minutes. I realised that I had locked the car by pressing the key twice (deadlocked and alarmed). If I lock the car by pressing the key only once then the alarm does not trigger with the dogs in the car.

mac500
17-09-2007, 04:24 PM
Hi Sathound
On the 06 Passat the interior monitoring system is deactivated by selecting a button (provided for that purpose inside the car), before locking the car with the remote control lock button. If the button is not selected one press on the remote control lock button will lock the car and activate the interior monitoring system.
According to VW there were changes made to the alarm system in the 06 Passat range in order to prevent false alarms. I am told that the alarm would be activated if a thief broke a window. I can’t accept that. I feel that I am being fobbed off especially when none of the motion & tilt sensors, shock sensors or Windows & pressure censors appear to be working either. I am also told that these changes to the 06 range were reversed in the 07 Passat range.
I am still hoping to hear from 06 Passat owners.
Thanks for your comment.
Regards

sathound
18-09-2007, 09:48 AM
Certainly I have no internal switch on a May 2007 SEL Estate.

chrisvw
18-09-2007, 04:36 PM
Yes, I have the same problem in my 06 Passat. It worked for a week when I had it from new, ie, if I locked it with the window open and reached in, the alarm went off. A week later I locked it with the windows open and later noticed my son and his mate chucking a ball through the open windows. When I tried it, no alarm and nothing I did set it off.

(The alarm does still go off if I lock the door without deadlocking it - press the key button twice- and then open the door).

It went in for the wiper recall and I told them the alarm was faulty and asked them to check it out. When I picked the car up, I was assured they'd sorted it but apparently they haven't as it still doesn't go off with the windows open like it did when I first got it.

I'm planning to tackle VW again when it goes in for its first service shortly.

mac500
19-09-2007, 02:09 PM
If your alarm stopped functioning after a week it obviously has developed a fault which may be limited to the interior monitoring system. However, are you sure that the deadlock is not deactivated when checking the alarm by reaching through an open window? As I understand it, with the system working properly, deactivating the deadlock will also deactivate the interior monitoring system and anti tow alarm system but leave the rest of the anti theft alarm system active. That is how it is supposed to work. The alarm being activated by opening a door when the deadlock is deactivated is I believe perfectly normal but the deadlock would have to be activated to enable the interior monitoring system.
I have just checked my car and yes I can set off the alarm by opening a door. I now know that at least there is an alarm fitted in my car. The interior monitoring system is, however, not working whether or not the deadlock is activated.
Apart from the interior monitoring system ,to quote from the VW Booklet 3.1 “The anti-theft alarm triggers an alarm if unauthorised movements are detected around the vehicle” I have tried bouncing my car, rocking it, slapping the roof & doors etc. and I can’t set my alarm off. Motion and Tilt sensors don’t seem to be working. There is something amiss somewhere. Have you any evidence that they are working on your car?.
Many thanks for your reply.
Regards
MAC500

carl s
19-09-2007, 03:18 PM
If your alarm stopped functioning after a week it obviously has developed a fault which may be limited to the interior monitoring system. However, are you sure that the deadlock is not deactivated when checking the alarm by reaching through an open window? As I understand it, with the system working properly, deactivating the deadlock will also deactivate the interior monitoring system and anti tow alarm system but leave the rest of the anti theft alarm system active. That is how it is supposed to work. The alarm being activated by opening a door when the deadlock is deactivated is I believe perfectly normal but the deadlock would have to be activated to enable the interior monitoring system.
I have just checked my car and yes I can set off the alarm by opening a door. I now know that at least there is an alarm fitted in my car. The interior monitoring system is, however, not working whether or not the deadlock is activated.
Apart from the interior monitoring system ,to quote from the VW Booklet 3.1 “The anti-theft alarm triggers an alarm if unauthorised movements are detected around the vehicle” I have tried bouncing my car, rocking it, slapping the roof & doors etc. and I can’t set my alarm off. Motion and Tilt sensors don’t seem to be working. There is something amiss somewhere. Have you any evidence that they are working on your car?.
Many thanks for your reply.
Regards
MAC500


Just checked my car and it does exctlay what your car does mac500 :(
If I leave a window open and deadlock (one click of fob) waving my arms around in the car or clapping does not set it off.
The only way i can set it off is by not useing deadlocks(double click on fob) then reaching in & opening door. As you say at least i now know what it sounds like. The car was built late '06, registered '07

Are we sure this isn't how they're supposed to work? Although I do have two buttons on the door pillar one for towing, one for the interior sensor, so theey must be fitted surely?

mac500
20-09-2007, 12:38 AM
Hi Carl s Thanks for your comments.
I have been told by the VW dealer when my car was in to have the alarm checked that all of the diagnostic tests failed to indicate any fault. He said he also checked 4 other 06 Passats that happened to be in for servicing at the same time as mine and he could not activate the alarm on them either. He said he had contacted VW and they told him that changes had been made in the 06 range with the result that the only way to demonstrate a working alarm would be to break a window. Strangely he did not tell me that the alarm could be activated by opening a door as I have now discovered. The fact that it does makes me a little less concerned than I was. However, I don’t think that the motion and tilt sensors are working on my car and that still concerns me greatly.
I also have the two buttons on the door pillar. Presumably their function is to allow the car to be locked without activating the deadlock system. If the buttons are not pressed the system would be deadlocked immediately on locking the car and If movement within the car could, as used to be the case, set off the alarm before you had time to deactivate the deadlock. Since movement within the car does not activate the alarm whether deadlocked or not I presume these buttons no longer perform any function.
Movement within the car did activate the anti theft alarm on previous Passat models and I am told also does on the 07 range. I don’t know for sure if the alarm on 06 Passats is performing as it is supposed to do.or whether there is a system fault endemic in 06 cars.
In his post Chrisvw has reported that when his car was new, he was able to set off the alarm if he reached in through an open window with the car locked. A week later he could not. Working at all would seem to indicate that it was intended to work and stopped working when a fault occurred.
I would like to hear from other 06 owners whose alarm system can be activated now, or at any previous time, by reaching in through an open window on a locked car.

MalcQV
20-09-2007, 07:46 AM
OK just my personal take on this, please do not be offended.

Firstly I have never tested the alarm on my 03 Passat. Now my thoughts on car alarms. Basically they are a complete annoyance and useless as a deterrent. I hear that many car alarms going off even if I saw somebody under the bonnet I would probably not challenge them because a) It is most likely their car and they are trying to shut the damn thing up or b) They are trying to nick it and will possibly stove my head in when challenged.

Car alarms are analogous to a word cliche. No one notices them other than the annoyance caused if they go off when you are supposed to be sleeping.

Immobilisers are the key I think, they are quiet and get on with the job brilliantly. If your car is on the drive and the thugs want to steal it they will impolitely ask you for the keys as I think it is safe to say they will not get around a modern immobiliser.
I have an old car fitted with an after market immobiliser (fitted in 2000). I have had one or two small starting issues so when the car was in being serviced with the specialist I asked them to look. In essence they said they would have to remove half the dash to follow the wires to find out which systems were immobilised. To the point that the labour involved for me was not worth it. Making it IMO difficult for the average thief to steal. This is classed incidentally as a CAT2.

I admit there is less piece of mind about your car being broken into, but then so long as you leave nothing valuable in the car then you need not worry, and in any case even with an alarm these days the thieves are so spaced out half the time :D they will most likely smash the window anyway. Happened to a neighbour of mine seconds after going in the pub she came out to find the rear window smashed.

Now the other thing is insurance, however in your case Mac500, VW have said the alarm is functioning normal.

Although you have had a bad experience in the past I am pretty confident with the immobiliser on your car that is unlikely to be stolen (other than by professionals) without you knowing.

chrisvw
20-09-2007, 04:28 PM
I would have believed the VW reply if mine hadn't worked properly in the first week.

Messing around with my new car like you do, I found the alarm went off if you locked all the doors with the window open and reached in, and also the alarm went off if I got in the car, locked the doors, sat dead still for a minute and then waved my arms around. Sad I know.

The buttons on the door pillar are to disable the tow/tilt alarm in the event of a breakdown and to disarm the interior alarm so that you can leave something like a dog in the car without it setting off the interior sensors. Why would you need to turn them off if it was only sensitive to breakage of the glass? While I was messing, I found the buttons disabled the interior alarm exactly as they are supposed to, but now they seem to make no difference.

I presumed I'd messed up my interior alarm by fiddling with these buttons somehow. It looks like I'm going to have trouble convincing VW the alarm is actually now faulty

I'm not sure whether the tilt alarm works or not as I haven't sussed a way of testing it.

mac500
20-09-2007, 11:18 PM
Thanks again chrisvw.
If your alarm is not faulty how can the dealer explain away the fact that during the first week the interior monitoring system, picked up movement within the car and now it does not?. In otherwords it was performing as specified in the VW Booklet 3.1 page 43 Controls and Equipment, and now it is not. Obviously it has developed a fault.
Now when you press the fob button once it locks the car but fails to activate the internal monitoring system as it should do. The internal monitoring system can only be activated if the car is deadlocked
The buttons on the door pillar are provided to allow the car to be locked without turning on the internal sensors and the tow bar sensors but since these appear to be permanently turned off the buttons are not serving any purpose that I can see.
When the alarm is set, the tilt sensors are normally very sensitive to any rocking or tilt movement. eg. the alarm can be set off by attaching or unattaching a trailer. I know that the suspension on the passat is very stiff but you should be able to press down on the rear of the car sufficiently to set I off. Rocking the car from side to side, rolling the car a few feet if that can be safely done should also activate the alarm if it is working.
These sensors should deter a thief from eg.using a recovery vehicle to hitch up the rear of your car and tow it off. They are an important feature of the anti theft alarm system.
Actually my car was nearly 12 months old before I realized that my alarm was not working in the manner specified.
Please let me know if you can get satisfaction from your Dealer
Regards

mac500
20-09-2007, 11:24 PM
Hi MalcQV
I am not at all offended. You are entitled to your view. However,I think they are a worthwhile deterent. I live in a city and often hear house burglar alarms going off eg during thunder storms but I very rarely hear car alarms going off. A car alarm is defective if it goes off spontaneously without an external stimulus. The alarm on your 03 Passat eg is apparently not prone to disturbing the tranquility in your neighborhood..
Regards

MalcQV
22-09-2007, 10:19 PM
Mac500,
I do have a house alarm too, one we paid a far price for many years ago. I believe now you have to have one of those just so your house is as awkward to break into as the one next door.

They too can be a nuisance. The difference here is that your house never moves (you hope) so your close neighbours get to know if your alarm is a good one or not.

I suppose that works the same with your car alarm. So I guess I will reverse a bit on my previous statement in that at home is serves a purpose.

Your car is new and I completely agree it should work properly and understand your concern to make sure it is. I hate anything on the car that does not work regardless to it use, a good example being an annoying bulb out on the dash.

Hope you get your problem solved, I was just making the point that IMHO a car alarm is not so effective ;)

chrisvw
14-05-2008, 02:43 PM
Did anyone ever get to the bottom of this alarm business? I've just taken my car in for it's first service and raised the question again about the alarm not triggering when the car is locked with the windows open or when sat in it with the doors locked.

They seem to have agreed it's not right but aren't sure what's up with it so they are going to try replacing the interior sensors.

chrisvw
16-05-2008, 02:40 PM
Interior sensors have been replaced and alarm now seems to work as it should. It takes about a minute to activate the interior sensors after locking the doors/sertting the alarm and if I then lean in the open window the alarm sounds.

PNS2007
16-05-2008, 08:59 PM
Hi Chris where are the interior sensors?

I have a 2006 TDI sport and my alarm won't go off if I sit in it or wave my arms through an open window. The only way I can get it to go off is if I open a door from inside when the car is not deadlocked!!!

On my B5.5 passat the sensors were on the central door pillar above the seat belt.

I also only have one button on the central pillar just below the drivers seat which according to my book is an anti tow and interior sensor switch which your are to press till it goes yellow to de-activate.

I'm confused now.:confused:

chrisvw
17-05-2008, 12:30 PM
Hi, the service chappie when I picked it up was a bit vague but thought the sensors were in the overhead console near the glasses case/holder.

It looks like it's a common problem but one which you never know about unless you actually try to set the alarm off and how many people bother doing that?

Mine only has 1 button on the door pillar but it's in 2 halves, ie the top half has a picture of the car with a wiggle inside for interior, the bottom half has a picture of a car tilted. So you press it up to turn off the tow interior alarm or down to turn off the tow alarm.

bundao
02-06-2010, 09:54 PM
I can't get my alarm to go off either.
VCDS isn't showing a fault at all but in the measuring blocks the interior monitoring is showing as "Not installed".
The deactivation switch functions in so much as it lights up when pressed.

Will try and have a look to see if there are sensors in the car at all. It should be located above the sunglasses holder/behind interior lights.

The sensors (3 of) come together with the control module as one part unfortunately and at a cost of about £100 from the dealer.

Would be interested to know if everyone else can get their interior monitoring alarm to go off or not.