Please advise on factory security system problem
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Please advise on factory security system problem
I am struggling to understand the following intermittent problem on a 2000 Outback Sedan Ltd:
If the car sits in the sun for several hours and one goes to arm the factory security system, within a few seconds the horn begins to intermittently beep every other second. If I engage the alarm system in the morning while the car is still cool and let it sit all day in the sun, no problems. But if I then disarm and rearm the system, the horn begins intermittently sounding every other second. At this point I have to switch to valet mode to lock the car.
The dealer could neither reproduce, nor troubleshoot and I was dumbfounded by the mechanics initial claims, "you must have improperly set the hand held remote when you changed the battery" among others. At that point, I had not identified the sun/warm weather as the culprit. All the aftermarket alarm shops I have contacted said they cannot troubleshoot the factory installed system. I dread the thought of returning to the dealer.
Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Tom
If the car sits in the sun for several hours and one goes to arm the factory security system, within a few seconds the horn begins to intermittently beep every other second. If I engage the alarm system in the morning while the car is still cool and let it sit all day in the sun, no problems. But if I then disarm and rearm the system, the horn begins intermittently sounding every other second. At this point I have to switch to valet mode to lock the car.
The dealer could neither reproduce, nor troubleshoot and I was dumbfounded by the mechanics initial claims, "you must have improperly set the hand held remote when you changed the battery" among others. At that point, I had not identified the sun/warm weather as the culprit. All the aftermarket alarm shops I have contacted said they cannot troubleshoot the factory installed system. I dread the thought of returning to the dealer.
Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Tom
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 10,029
From: Sacramento CA
Car Info: 02 Impreza WRX sedan
Are you the original owner of the car? If so, how long has this problem been occurring? Have you ever changed the battery in the remote transmitter? Sorry, I don't mean to repeat what the service tech said but I'm trying to narrow it down.
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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
Registered User
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 10,029
From: Sacramento CA
Car Info: 02 Impreza WRX sedan
You might try re-installing the battery or replacing them with fresh one and once again going through the sequence to program the transmitter. I doubt that this is really the problem but it is possible that your replacement battery was old or weak. I've gotten watch batteries replaced at a jeweler's and it went dead within two weeks of use - free replacement and it lasted for years.
You could also try another dealership if there is one within the area.
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
You could also try another dealership if there is one within the area.
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
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Update
Given my discomfort with the local dealer, and the next nearest dealer some 15 miles away, I went ahead and took it to a local independent mechanic who acknowledged in advance they he might not be able to do anything. I let it sit in the sun all day and took it in, able to reproduce the error, now. They ran a 20 step diagnostic for the alarm system and stated it failed four of the tests. When I mentioned the dealer stated they could do nothing until I could reproduce the malfunction, they were astonished that the dealer did not at least perform the diagnostic tests. They also indicated that they were able to confirm the security system was installed by the dealer I purchased the car from and not Subaru. I do not know how important this is. They said that the first step for each of the diagnostic test failures was to ensure a working security system control module. They said there was no guarantee that my having them replace the control module would solve the problem but I went ahead and had them order it and will hope for the best. I am in for $45 for the diagnostic test and $236 to replace the module, some time next week. Thanks for your replies and if there is anything you can further recommend I would appreciate it.
Tom
Tom
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