amadeus00

I think I may have a glitch in my alarm system. While driving from CA to TX after picking up my car, we stopped at a Best Western Hotel and thru out the night my alarm system kept going off every hour or so. At first I thought someone was messing with my car. It was a long night for me sleeping with one eye open. I finally got frustrated and sat in the car and I noticed the DVD was whirling. Is this normal? I ejected the Nav DVD and disabled the motion sensor. The alarm never went off again. I also had my phone plug in the cigarette lighter. Could that have caused a voltage change to set off the alarm?

subterFUSE

No..... your car was just lonely.

Rudy

I think the phone was the culprit. On my E39, when my phone was in the car and the alarm was set, the alarm would sound if the phone rang. I'm not sure if it was the phone vibrating or the sound waves of the ringer but I always suspected that the motion sensor was picking up the disturbance and triggering the alarm.

I don't think it's a voltage thing because it's likely that the car went into sleep mode after about 16 minutes. (I do recall something about a certain software version not allowing the car to sleep when a phone was charging through the lighter socket so maybe that is an issue for you.)

Finally, the nav DVD spinning up when the car is awake is completely normal. I don't think that had anything to do with your troubles...

P.S. -- Then again, maybe everything I just said is completely off base and the car was just not happy at the Best Western? (could't pass it up...)

amadeus00

Hey! That's a Best Western Suites! It's was the best in town. Come to think of it, it might have been upset since it slept for two night at the W hotel in SFO with $50 overnight parking.

I think the phone was the culprit, I have it sitting in my garage without the cell phone and no false alarms. Tonight I am going to plug my phone in and see what happens.

Rudy

To test things thoroughly, be sure to call your phone (once while the car is still awake and once while the car is asleep.)

The car is asleep when the amber light on the transmission gear indicator goes out...