4 beeps after starting engine?

[Jimbertmate]

I would like to get peoples ideas as to a strange phenomena that has started recently on my A2.

About 3-5 seconds after starting the engine there are 4 loud 'beeps' emanating from the rear of the car - it sounds like it is coming from the under floor area where the battery and electrical gubbins are stored.

This has happened on and off for the last 3 weeks but this morning after the 4 beeps sounded, they increased in frequency into what I recognised as the alarm sounding! Remember this is while the engine is running. So I switched off the engine, hit the lock button on the remote to silence the alarm and restarted the car. Very bizarre.

I have a Y reg 2001 1.4SE, 70k, no parking sensors (as a friend first suggested it could be).

Anyone got any ideas as to what is causing this?

Many thanks,

James.

[Eagle]

Do you have reverse sensors, If yes, are you starting in reverse gear? If yes then thats normal.

[spike]

Hi James
Do you normally use the tailgate before opening any of the other doors. If so, its possible the microswitch in the boot lock is faulty, causing the alarm to go off.
Check the boot light is working. If it does not come on immediately the tailgate is opened, the switch is sticking. If it is the alarm, I don't understand why you only get 4 'beeps' but the microswitch theory is worth a try

Cheers Spike

[Jimbertmate]

Do you have reverse sensors, If yes, are you starting in reverse gear? If yes then thats normal.

Eagle - as mentioned in my post there are no sensors on the car.

Spike - no I don't open the boot first, always the driver's door only. I will however check the bootlight tonight. But surely the alarm shouldn't go off whilst the engine is running?!!

Anyway, thank you both for your replies.

[Skipton01]

Sounds like a faulty alarm controller to me - that is the only unit back there capable of beeping, if you don't have reversing sensors.

Obviously, if it is a faulty unit, then it could quite easily be setting off the alarm whilst the car is running, so that's not a surprise.

Cheers,

Mike

[Jimbertmate]

Thanks Mike, that does sound like the probable cause. I guess it's a quick trip to the stealer for a quote - then get VW or an independant to do the work!

[Skipton01]

There is an alarm module on Ebay at the moment:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Elektronische-Sirene-Hupe-VW-Golf-5-V-Passat-3C-Audi-A3_W0QQitemZ220014042990QQihZ012QQcategoryZ53899QQ cmdZViewItem

Although it's not an 8Z part, it is the same controller and can be coded up the same. It's also a lot cheaper than the £50-odd Audi want.

Cheers,

Mike

[saxon]

[QUOTE=Jimbertmate]I would like to get peoples ideas as to a strange phenomena that has started recently on my A2.

About 3-5 seconds after starting the engine there are 4 loud 'beeps' emanating from the rear of the car - it sounds like it is coming from the under floor area where the battery and electrical gubbins are stored.

This has happened on and off for the last 3 weeks but this morning after the 4 beeps sounded, they increased in frequency into what I recognised as the alarm sounding! Remember this is while the engine is running. So I switched off the engine, hit the lock button on the remote to silence the alarm and restarted the car. Very bizarre.

I have a Y reg 2001 1.4SE, 70k, no parking sensors (as a friend first suggested it could be).



James i have the same problem in my 14 TDi the beeps sound like an old Ross alrm i had on a ford Capri just after the war

[ecoangel]

Are you sure there is no other warning flag on the DIS? Maybe your washer bottle is empty or oil level needs checking or a bulb has gone? Perhaps the fuel gauge thinks the tank is near empty?

[Jimbertmate]

Alas, I don't have DIS on my car and no other warnings appear on the dash when it happens.

I'm getting more convinced it is to to do with the alarm contoller though. Must take it in to be looked at....

[spike]

Hi Jimbermate
Did you ever resolve the beeping alarm problem ?


Cheers Spike

[spike]

My car alarm has started to occasionally gives 4 beeps after starting the engine. It is very intermittent and can go a few days without sounding then for no obvious reason it starts again.
I've been advised the 4 beeps is just a general 'warning' to make owners aware the alarm system is faulty. Also there is a small, non replaceable, back-up battery in the alarm unit located in the boot. This deteriorates with age and may be the cause of the warning beeps.
Skipton suggested it could be the alarm unit in previous posts but it would be helpful to hear from anyone who has had similar problems fixed.
Up till now a VagCom scan has not shown any stored fault codes.
I've also contacted Jimbermate. His car still has the problem but it has not developed into anything serious as yet. He plans to get it looked at when time allows

Cheers Spike

[DaveS]

There is a similar problem with TTs with the alarm siren module's backup battery.

http://www.tt-forum.co.uk/ttforumbbs/viewtopic.php?t=69011&highlight=beep

Our TT doing this after a long period of inactivity. Fine now I'm using the car regularly again. So perhaps the same can happen with the A2 version.

[spike]

Hi Dave
Thanks for the info on similar problems with TT alarm sirens.
Access looks relatively easy on the TT but for the A2 it seems like much of the boot trim needs to be removed to get to the alarm. I have the service CD's but can't find much about the alarm system there.
Has anyone seen any removal guides on the German A2 club site ?
Any advice greatfully received

Cheers Spike

[Skipton01]

If you have the hands of a small child, then it is possible to remove the alarm box through the opening for the offside rear light cluster.

If not, then you need to remove the offside boot trim panel, which involves the removal of the boot back panel, the false floor bracket (if fitted), and the plastic trim around the offside passenger door, which necessitates the removal of the seat.

Once in, there is a single nut (14mm from memory) holding the black box in place, and a 3-pin connector for the wiring. Remove this and fit the new box. Installation is the reverse of removal (as they say!).

Cheers,

Mike

[spike]

Hi Mike
Thanks for the info. I was convinced it was on the passenger side - having fitted the boot mounted CD changer a couple of years ago and having no recollection of seeing the siren behind the trim. The removable trim for acces to the rear light is a fair bit larger with the CD changer side panel installed so hopefully I might just be able to get to the siren without needing the major strip-down.

Cheers Spike

[spike]

Alarm siren replacement
-----------------------
Although still random, the beeping alarm was getting to me so I bought a new siren unit at the weekend. The Dealer had 2 in stock, suggesting this is a fairly common problem. The original part 8LO.951.605 had been superceded by 8LO.951.605A. List price is £68.29+vat. The TT link above warned about the centre bolt changing from M6 to M8 so I was aware the bracket would need drilling out. A larger nut is also required as none comes with the siren.
As Skipton said, the alarm is located on the drivers side, directly below the rear light unit. Thankfully I have the boot mounted CD changer and the removable panel for access to the rear light bulbs is larger than the standard one. Once the moulded sponge insulation was pushed to one side, it was just possible to see the alarm unit. Spanner and hand access is very tight but I was able to get a 10mm offset ring key onto the nut. Once removed the unit can be lifted out and unplugged. The bracket is held in place by a single bolt and after pushing more sponge out of the way, access was relatively easy. A second hole in the bracket locates over a large guide pin and it took a bit of jiggling to release it. The bracket hole was drilled out to suit the new siren.
Replacement was easier as the new unit is slimmer, though I did have to play about with the wiring loom to prevent the cable pulling tight when the connector was plugged in.
No coding of the module was required

It's early days but the alarm is working normally again

Cheers Spike

[Skipton01]

Fingers crossed for you Spike - fairly cheap fix (by Audi standards) if it's done the trick.

Can't believe that I mistook a 10mm nut for a 14mm one though!

Cheers,
Mike

[spike]

Hi Mike
You were correct on the nut size. My 2001 car had the old style alarm module with the small dia fixing stud. The replacement unit, which is no doubt the same as your later car, had the larger dia stud and nut.

For future reference, cars without the boot mounted CD changer and associated side trim with larger access panel will almost certainly need to remove most of the boot trim panels to get to the alarm. For anyone interested, this is covered in Shezlee's fitting guide for the CD changer
(See Forum under fitting guides)

Cheers Spike

[Richie]

Can anyone confirm that changing this alarm module fixed the four beeps as mine has started to do this now. It mainly happens when I haven't used it for a few days so it would tie in with a dodgy rechargeable battery.

I did mention it when I took it in to have the cambelt changed recently but the dealer didn't suggest anything.

Thanks

Richard

[spike]

Hi Richard
I can confirm that the replacement alarm siren unit fixed my car - No more beeps when first starting and no random alarm activation.
I see that VagCom are now listing the siren unit and modified mounting bracket - the bracket only being required if you have an older model car. Sorry I don't know when they changed the design

Cheers Spike

[Richie]

Thanks for the info Spike. Mine's a 2001 A2 so it's probably the earlier design.

I found the "A2 Alarm Siren" on the vagparts website. Do you know if it needs any programming with vag-com or do I just plug it in and it will work?

Richard

[spike]

Hi Richard
Mine is also a 2001 model - so you will need the bracket and a larger nut. Sorry I meant VagParts and not VagCom in my previous mail. The new siren wont need any programming though it's worth clearing the stored fault codes if you have access to vagcom.
I think I mentioned this in a previous mail but unless you have the factory boot mounted CD changer, the drivers side boot side panel will need to come off for access to the alarm. We have a CD changer fitting guide on the forum and this explains how to remove this trim - see link
http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3270

Don't forget that members get extra discount from VagParts if they have our £5 window sticker and discount card pack. Note the card needs to be registered with vagparts befor any parts are ordered to qualify.

Cheers Spike

[humps]

Hi Spike, my car is giving me the 4 beeps from the back now! Have you tried to take apart the old siren unit and see what battery it uses and if it is replacable at all? That might save me £70 for a new siren! Also, will the car run without the siren? thinking if I attempt to take it apart to replace the battery and failed to resamble it....

[Skipton01]

Unfortunately, the alarm box is a sealed unit (and I do mean sealed - I have taken one apart and it took me an hour with a soldering iron, melting through the plastic casing!!!).

Once inside, there is no user-replaceable battery anyway - it is a specialist unit that I haven't even seen in the RS catalogue (and they stock most things).

Cheers,

Mike

[spike]

Hi Humps
I tried to open up the alarm module but found the same as Mike. Normally 'sealed' units are fairly easy to break into but this was like Fort Knox - no clips, no weak glue line, nothing - almost like it was moulded in one piece.
I'm not sure about running the car without the alarm unit. It may be possible but don't forget your insurance is probably based on the car having a fully working CAT 1 alarm unit so its not worth the risk.

Cheers Spike

[Skipton01]

There are 2 types available, both priced at £81.71 from a dealer.

Interestingly, the part numbers are 8L ones - that is old style A3. You may be able to source one cheaper from a breakers.

Cheers,

Mike

[humps]

There are 2 types available, both priced at £81.71 from a dealer.

Interestingly, the part numbers are 8L ones - that is old style A3. You may be able to source one cheaper from a breakers.

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks Mike and Spike. Good point, will see what a breaker has in stock ;-)

[humps]

My siren stopped beeping for a few months so I didn't try replacing it. But yesterday night, the car's alarm went off randomly, for many times until I had to get some sleep (yes, I now live in a very quiet area and I could actually hear the siren!); I had to leave the car unlocked overnight...

So I tried to get the little unit out and get a replacement from the dealer, but there was the tricky part! How on earth do you remove it without removing most of the rear trim panels? I managed to take a pict and located to possible places. May be skipton or spike can point me to the right place.

http://www.a2oc.net/pictures/data/500/medium/SNV30929.JPG

I'm thinking if I could undo the nut at 'B' but I just couldn't get the smallest spanner i have to lock on the nut! How about 'A'? will I be able to remove the siren with the bracket all together?

[Skipton01]

Unscrew 'A' and the entire bracket and alarm will come out as one.

If you can get your hand in to take this photo, then the chances are that you can get the nut undone and remove the unit through the hatch to access the lights. Otherwise, you'll have to fold back the right-hand side boot liner as you said before, which involves removing the plastic panel at the rear of the boot (3 x T25 screws) and then the T25 behind the roller cover.

Cheers,

Mike

[spike]

Hi Humps
You'r lucky that your car has the boot mounted CD changer as the side trim panel has the larger removable inspection panel for access to the rear lights. Without this you have no chance of getting to the alarm siren without taking out the whole side panel.
As Skipton indicated, unscrew bolt A and the alarm / bracket assy can be removed. There is a lot of foam padding in the way which makes spanner access to the bolt difficult. I dropped this bolt and had one hell of a job recovering it - so for the next attempt I looped some thin string round the bolt before putting it back then pulled the string free after the first few threads were engaged.
As your car is a 2001 model (same as mine) I'm fairly sure you will need the new bracket and mounting nut to go with the new shape alarm siren (VagParts list these extra bits on their web site) Don't rely on the dealer knowing anything about these extra bits.
Best of luck with the installation


Cheers Spike

[humps]

thanks guys, I give it a shot once I have the parts ordered. Spike, your tip on screwing back on the nut is ace! I must remember that.

BTW, the volume of the siren is actually not that bad after I have tested the siren itself with the foam and rear lights cluster removed. In case anyone is concerned about the volume, your cheapest mod is to take it out of the foam covered hole. It should be at least acceptable!

[humps]

Just an update to the continuing saga of this alarm business. I'm too lazy to order the alarm (yet) so I decided to unplug the siren. I thought the alarm triggered randomly will go away - for now.

However, I noticed it was still triggered (lights flashing) randomly. It got so bad one night that it went off a few minutes after each time I deactivated the alarm and re-armed the car. So I thought this is must be something other than the siren unit. Eventually I switched off interior motion sensor and re-armed the car. As if magic, it stopped going off!

I have repeated this for the past week or so everytime I spotted my car's alarm went off and it fixes it. So I'll have a dig at ElsaWin tonight to see which sensor I need to order :-(

So what I learnt from this? Get a VAG-COM to check the fault code

[minimorgie]

Just an update to the continuing saga of this alarm business. I'm too lazy to order the alarm (yet) so I decided to unplug the siren. I thought the alarm triggered randomly will go away - for now.

However, I noticed it was still triggered (lights flashing) randomly. It got so bad one night that it went off a few minutes after each time I deactivated the alarm and re-armed the car. So I thought this is must be something other than the siren unit. Eventually I switched off interior motion sensor and re-armed the car. As if magic, it stopped going off!

I have repeated this for the past week or so everytime I spotted my car's alarm went off and it fixes it. So I'll have a dig at ElsaWin tonight to see which sensor I need to order :-(

So what I learnt from this? Get a VAG-COM to check the fault code
Hi Humps,

I'm new to this forum but I found it because my A2 has started the '4 beeps on engine start' problem. I haven't experienced the alarm going off but having scanned through all the posts to this thread I guess it's something I should expect. I'm not really mechanically minded and my husband is even worse, so, firstly I guess I need to go to an Audi approved garage to get the computer analysed for a fault code - would that be correct? Secondly, did the replacement of the interior motion sensor resolve the problem for you?

Any advice on a suggested course of action would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Minimorgie

[humps]

Hi minimorgie,

I've been lazy and busy and have not yet tried to resolve the problem. However, my car has NOT beeped for a while, even before I pulled the siren unit out. It makes me wonder if the 4 beep is actually a signal for fault detected on ANY alarm triggers/sensors. However I have repeatedly seen my alarm going off randomly and every time I switch off the motion sensor, it stays quiet.

So my advice is to get a computer diagnostics at the dealer or any VW garage. If you're not comfortable with what the garage tells you to fix, you can always come back here with your fault codes and diagnostics output and I'm sure we can give you some suggestions.

[spw]

Hi

With the slightly colder weather I'm now starting to get the 4 beep Alarm issue with my A2 so I've just ordered a replacement.

I had a look at the inspection hole in my standard 1.4 petrol and there seems to be no way of getting to the siren due to some other mechanical stuff( some sort of leaver and bar) in there. Taking the bulb assembly gives a little more space but you still can't see to get at the nut or repalce the nut if I did get it off. Does anyone know if it would be possible to get better access through the hole for the light lense ?

sw