[Fuctifano]

I have Googled a lot, and can't find anything about this so I'm hoping some hero on here knows what's going on. I don't really know anything about cars other than how to drive, and the people I've asked (few mates and my dad - hardly experts either) don't have a clue either.

So I bought a car back in January, and the first couple of weeks I had it everything was fine, then I got a black box installed and a few days later the alarm started going off, no reason whatsoever. Phoned RAC and they sent an 'update' due to it not being the latest software installed; bit silly but understandable. But that didn't fix the problem, so I phoned again and this time they sent a guy out who said something about it being too close to the battery, so he moved it and it was fine again... for a while. Then I thought maybe it was because I was double locking it, so I stopped doing that and it stopped again. Given time it started going off yet again, the only thing more annoying than hearing a car alarm going off at 3am is being the guy responsible for it. The weird thing is I've noticed it only happens when there is anything less than half a tank of petrol. Filled it a few days ago and it hasn't went off since.

So over to you... what is wrong with my car?!

- Peugot 206
- 1.4L
- 2003

[genabi]

The black box is likely to be the problem.

Was it installed correctly?

[Fuctifano]

Originally Posted by genabi

The black box is likely to be the problem.

Was it installed correctly?

I don't think it was at first. When they sent someone out to have a look at it he said it was installed too close to the battery so he moved it and it should be fine - but it wasn't. I'll need to phone them again though, still not sure why it only happens with less than half a tank of petrol lol.

[alan1302]

Originally Posted by Fuctifano

still not sure why it only happens with less than half a tank of petrol lol.

More likely a co-incidence

[Fuctifano]

Originally Posted by alan1302

More likely a co-incidence

I thought that as well but it does only seem to happen when it hits less than half. i.e. it's fine when I fill it, and for however long it takes for it to get to around half way, then the alarm goes every couple of hours until it's filled again.

Thinking it might be something to do with the weight? So rather than specifically being petrol it's how heavy the car/what's inside it is? Either way I'll need to phone RAC when it happens again lol.

[Beelzebub]

I may well be wrong, as I'm not up to speed with the car crime scene, but a 14-year-old Pug doesn't strike me as a prime target. Why not just disconnect the alarm?

[alan1302]

Originally Posted by Beelzebub

I may well be wrong, as I'm not up to speed with the car crime scene, but a 14-year-old Pug doesn't strike me as a prime target. Why not just disconnect the alarm?

I don't know about this car in particular but I believe some older cars are easier to steal than newer ones so sometimes can be a target for someone to steal and have a 'joyride' in.

[AlexLondon]

Hi,

Sorry to revive a dead thread but I was wondering if you had found a fix.

Same exact thing happened to my Renault Wind.
Got a black box fitted and alarm went off just randomly. Mechanic guy had to come back and sort it out, he didn’t have a clue what was going on. After making some calls, he said it was something to do with it being an ‘old french car’. He fixed it and went on his way. Many weeks later it goes off again. I call him back and he tells me to disconnect the negative of the battery for five minutes and reconnect. Then reset the windows because they become all messed up. <- I hope that is relevant to someone having the same problem looking for a temporary fix…

I was just wondering if you found a permanent fix?

Thanks : )

[Runte]

Thank you for sharing such information i got my doubt cleared here.

My Balance Now

[AlexLondon]

wat

…………………

[JamieGen]

Hey — you might want to check the battery & wiring on your alarm system. According to RAC, things like a weak battery, loose connections, or a faulty sensor are common causes for alarms that keep going off.
Also-

• Try locking/unlocking the car with your physical key (not just the fob) to see if that helps reset it.
• If it happens more in certain situations (weather, after a drive, when parked a particular way) look for external triggers first.

[NMNeil]

@JamieGen The original posting is now 8 year old. The OP has either fixed the alarm or got rid of the car by now 😁

[JamieGen]

Ugh, classic. Honestly, dealing with an alarm going off randomly is the most annoying thing, especially for your neighbours!
If you've got a black box fitted, that's almost always the culprit messing with the battery voltage or the wiring around the bonnet sensor. That little sensor can get dirty and trigger the alarm constantly. Try cleaning it up first, or check the earth connection on the battery terminal. A weak car battery is often misinterpreted as a tampering attempt, which sets off the alarm.

Failing that, disconnecting the negative battery terminal for 5 minutes and then reconnecting it can sometimes force a full system reset. It’s worth a shot before paying a mechanic.
P.S. When my old motor was doing this, I had to completely disconnect the battery overnight just to get some peace and ended up needing a substitute for my morning alarm. I found this simple one and it worked perfectly: onlinealarm.co. Good luck getting yours sorted!

[Rolebama]

Back in the 80s we fitted a new all singing and dancing radio in a Range Rover for a customer, along with new speakers, amplifier and other bits and pieces. It was done to the owner's order, so just about every item was from a different manufacturer. Anyway, he picked the car up on the day we finished, which happened to be a Friday. When we opened up on the Monday morning, there he was with the car, and obviously not in the best of moods. Apparently, the alarm had gone off at 3.15am on each morning it was parked on his drive. We checked everything we could think of with no result. The company next door had a nightwatchman, who was a good old boy, and we asked him to keep an ear out that night. Sure enough he told us he had heard the alarm at 3.15am. Cut a long story short, we got the owner to drop off all the Manuals relevant to the equipment, which we split between us to read in the evenings. Around 9pm, I got a call. My colleague had found the culprit. The radio had an alarm, set by default to 3.15am, and of course, when it went off, the car alarm sensed the battery usage, and off it went. We charged the owner for all the time we spent on it, and made him even more angry. But as my colleague told him - should have read the Manual.
For those who know, there is a four letter acronym for this, which is what my colleague actually said.

[NMNeil]

When I lived in Croydon there were garages in an alleyway behind the flats. One evening a car alarm went off, not the new just loudly beeps, but one that simply sounded the horn. The noise went on for about two hours and the volume gradually decreased until it sounded like a strangled pigeon and finally quit as the battery went flat.
Later on we saw the probable owner knocking on doors asking if anyone had jumper cables and could help him start his car because the battery was flat.😎

[Rolebama]

I once worked for a chain of motorcycle shops, and as I lived closest to the branch, I was asked to be a keyholder. I agreed, not realizing this was for all the branches. I was in bed asleep when at 3am I was woken by the Police because the alarm was going off at the furthest branch, and they were receiving complaints about the noise. I got there around 5am and found that someone had left a window open, and a bird had got in setting off the motion sensors. I opened the main doors and got the bird out then checked the panel to see when the alarm had initially gone off. 7pm the night before! I did a final check on the place, reset the alarm and went home. Got home just in time to sort myself out, and leave for work. I handed in my keys and told them to find another mug. In an effort to get me to accept the keys back, I was paid a silly amount for the night and a day off. I was sorely tempted but refused. I stayed for another few weeks before I got fed up with their harassment and cajoling to take the keys before I left. I made it a point not to take keys at my next job.

[NMNeil]

@Rolebama I've had a few jobs where I'd been asked to open up the office the next morning because the staff member who normally opened up had a doctors appointment.
No problem, that was until they later tried to give me a set of spare keys in case they needed me to open again. From past experience it won't take long before I would be expected to open up every day, and it became a regular part of my job, so I politely declined, which led to the classic "I thought you were a team player?" 😎

[Rolebama]

I had the team player rubbish quoted at me once. All I could think was to ask the idiot what position he played on the team, because I had never seen him play. Went down like the proverbial lead balloon. He was the Sales Manager, I was the Service Manager. He had appeared about a quarter of an hour before the guys finished for the day, with a rush job. Around two hours work, and wanted me to instruct one of the guys to stay behind to do it.

[NMNeil]

@Rolebama It's funny that they would always ask you to work overtime 15 minutes before quitting time, even though they had all day to ask you.
This comes back to their idea that you should be a team player, or as they sometimes call it, your 'work family' and that 'family' should take priority over everything else.
They would of course then ask if I had plans for the evening in an attempt to get me to justify my refusal. My reply of "My plan is not to work after quitting time" was never well received, and 15 minutes later I was out the door. 😎