How do I turn on my car alarm system?

[xcgames]

Both of my cars were broken into last night and neither alarm went off. I took my corolla to a shop and they said the alarm was off because the red light was blinking. So i took a look at my solara and there is also one blinking red light in the dash board (i think its factory alarm).

However, i was unable to find a switch to turn it on. Could someone give me a hint?

The car is a 2001.

[MCOjerry]

The red light means your alarm is on. The way it blinks can tell you if your car was messed with. You turn it on with your key fob, locking the doors trns it on. Also, mine turns on by itself after a few minutes.

I have never heard of an alarm light that blinks when the alarm is off...I could be wrong, but it sounds like that guy doesn;t know what he's talking about.

[xcgames]

How can i test it to make sure it works? I've actually never hear the alarm going off except when I press on the panic button

[Courtster]

Set your alarm with the remote with the windows down. Wait about 30 seconds until the security light changes from solid red to blinking and then reach in and unlock the door through the open window. The alarm should go off. The alarm goes off only when the door lock is unlocked, so if they broke a window but didn't open the door, it won't go off.

[xcgames]

Whenever i unlock or lock my car by remote, security light do not change blink pattern. It's always blinking at the same speed.

and I just did the test, and the alarm did not go off.


I locked my door, waited about a minute, went ahead and unlocked it by hand and opened the door. Alarm did not go off and the blinking pattern did not change.

[Somedude]

you should have a new car alarm system installed if your current one does not work.

My family used to have one Honda whose alarm system didn't work because the sun fried the system. The car was always parked outside.

[xcgames]

Thanks for the suggestions guy... so I suppose there's no ON or OFF switch for the solara?

anyone have a recommendation for a good alarm system?

damn car thefts took maybe 50 dollars worth of stuff in my glove compartment and left me with 1000 dollars damage...

[MCOjerry]

XC, it's possible that you don't have an alarm. You may just have an immobilizer, but no audible alarm.

Some of the other guys that have gen 1s can probably confirm the possibility of this for your year.

I do remember some of the guys talking about their gen 1s not coming with alarms...in that case, you'd need to buy one if you wanted an audible alarm.

[NeFaRiOuS_SLE]

Whenever i unlock or lock my car by remote, security light do not change blink pattern. It's always blinking at the same speed.

and I just did the test, and the alarm did not go off.


I locked my door, waited about a minute, went ahead and unlocked it by hand and opened the door. Alarm did not go off and the blinking pattern did not change.

What year car do you have? If it's a pre-04, the light in the tachometer that says "SECURITY", the light is actually for your immobilizer-equipped key (the kind where there's a bulgy-type plastic at the base), as in it'll stop blinking once you have a coded key inserted and will let you start your car, whereas a non-coded key (e.g. metal all around) would keep it blinking and only crank your engine but not start it.

The light may or may not mean you have an alarm, which once you lock your car with the keys from the outside or use your keyfob (might not work if you just push the power lock button on the door or even the lever) and the light goes on steady for 30 seconds, that should mean you have an alarm, but I don't know if it stays the same for those without.

[Sp33d]

any suggestions for car alarms for him? ive heard some good things about the viper 791 vx, can anyone vouch?

-mark

[krook]

any suggestions for car alarms for him? ive heard some good things about the viper 791 vx, can anyone vouch?

-mark

that's a good alarm. i've installed a whole bunch of them at work, and nearly NONE of those customers come back for troubleshoots. i have the Clifford Matrix 3.5 which is pretty much the same thing.

any DEI product is pretty good. Viper/Hornet/Sidewinder/Clifford/Python...all fall under the Directed Electronics (DEI) umbrella.

[krook]

I took my corolla to a shop and they said the alarm was off because the red light was blinking.

does the corolla have an aftermarket alarm? (you'd know right off the bat if the LED is NOT part of the car)

more likely if it had an aftermarket alarm, the LED would still blink to remind the user what zone had been triggered, in the event of an alarm trigger. (zone memory)

but it usually stops when you start the car, so that could mean the ignition tap for the aftermarket alarm is f*cked. in either case, i'm pretty sure you have an aftermarket alarm and it didn't work. get a new one.

as for your solara, you probably just got a keyless entry remote. get an aftermarket alarm; it'll come with a general shock sensor that protects impact to the vehicle.