Alarm went off...WTH?

[IlliniX5]

Sitting in a drive thru today with vehicle (‘15 X 35i xDrive) in neutral, running, (after a 20 minute highway drive) and the alarm went off. At first I thought it was the restaurant’s alarm, but saw the light on the rear view mirror flashing. Had no idea what triggered the alarm, nor how to shut it off. I finally shut the engine off and the alarm quit. Never had this happen before, but I will say the alarm is loud. Any idea what might have caused this?

[ponytuning]

Originally Posted by IlliniX5

Sitting in a drive thru today with vehicle (‘15 X 35i xDrive) in neutral, running, (after a 20 minute highway drive) and the alarm went off. At first I thought it was the restaurant’s alarm, but saw the light on the rear view mirror flashing. Had no idea what triggered the alarm, nor how to shut it off. I finally shut the engine off and the alarm quit. Never had this happen before, but I will say the alarm is loud. Any idea what might have caused this?

My 2016 x6 alarm also went off last saturday, thankfully it was garaged and during daytime. I suspected the battery but voltage was 12v+
Checked codes with ista and didn't make sense of anything: antitheft alarm was indeed logfed but few years ago per the timestamp. Other events also which happened sooner like hud not working were also repored on the wrong date. Weeeeiiiird......
Alarm didn't go off since.
However, I do suspect it went off due to battery issue as I didnt have the battery tender connected for about a week.wifes x5 was also not tendered for the same amount of time but her battery was replaced last year. Mine was 3 years ago.

[IlliniX5]

Originally Posted by ponytuning

My 2016 x6 alarm also went off last saturday, thankfully it was garaged and during daytime. I suspected the battery but voltage was 12v+
Checked codes with ista and didn't make sense of anything: antitheft alarm was indeed logfed but few years ago per the timestamp. Other events also which happened sooner like hud not working were also repored on the wrong date. Weeeeiiiird......
Alarm didn't go off since.
However, I do suspect it went off due to battery issue as I didnt have the battery tender connected for about a week.wifes x5 was also not tendered for the same amount of time but her battery was replaced last year. Mine was 3 years ago.

I do know my batteries are original, but I have a CTek connected every night as it isn’t driven every day, and this event happened after a 20 minute drive. We had only been sitting for maybe a minute. The only other anomaly is an erratic idle after a cold start which, after a Google search, seems to not be all that uncommon with X’s. Gotta love the weirdness that is BMW...

[Gkacmaz]

This happens to me from time to time but it's my fault. The key is inside my pocket and with the other keys I have in there it presses against the Alarm Button which will set it off

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by IlliniX5

Sitting in a drive thru today with vehicle (‘15 X 35i xDrive) in neutral, running, (after a 20 minute highway drive) and the alarm went off. At first I thought it was the restaurant’s alarm, but saw the light on the rear view mirror flashing. Had no idea what triggered the alarm, nor how to shut it off. I finally shut the engine off and the alarm quit. Never had this happen before, but I will say the alarm is loud. Any idea what might have caused this?

Was the light flashing rapidly or the slow continuous flash?

Could you have accidentally activated the alarm system during the time you were sitting in the drive by pressing the alarm siren button on the remote? Was it in your pocket?

[ponytuning]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Was the light flashing rapidly or the slow continuous flash?

Could you have accidentally activated the alarm system during the time you were sitting in the drive by pressing the alarm siren button on the remote? Was it in your pocket?

In my case it was flashing rapidly, but the keyfob was in my jacket hanging from a hook, so...

[IlliniX5]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Was the light flashing rapidly or the slow continuous flash?

Could you have accidentally activated the alarm system during the time you were sitting in the drive by pressing the alarm siren button on the remote? Was it in your pocket?

I’ll bet this is it. I wear my fob clipped to a belt loop on my right side. I had just taken my large cup of water from the center console drink holder and wedged it in between the center console and my hip to make room for the incoming cups from my order. I’ll bet anything I moved enough that the panic button was pressed in the process. Thanks Qsilver7!

[turboawd]

I'm wondering why you switch to neutral?

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by turboawd

I'm wondering why you switch to neutral?

Good question...the first thought that comes to mind is...is this another way to prevent the ASS (auto start/stop) from kicking in? The OP wrote that they were in a drive thru...and not wanting the engine to cut off would be a reason to move the gear shift lever into N.

Although, prior to coding this feature off on my BMWs...my quick fix for turning off ASS (especially when pulling into the garage or up to my mailbox) was to just press the gear shift lever over into the M/S gate. When in the SPORT or MANUAL shift mode...ASS is automatically turned off (if anyone didn't know or realize this already).

[IlliniX5]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Good question...the first thought that comes to mind is...is this another way to prevent the ASS (auto start/stop) from kicking in? The OP wrote that they were in a drive thru...and not wanting the engine to cut off would be a reason to move the gear shift lever into N.

Although, prior to coding this feature off on my BMWs...my quick fix for turning off ASS (especially when pulling into the garage or up to my mailbox) was to just press the gear shift lever over into the M/S gate. When in the SPORT or MANUAL shift mode...ASS is automatically turned off (if anyone didn't know or realize this already).

Putting the vehicle in neutral/park is something I usually do when the wait is long, and the weather is hot. I have ASS coded off, so that’s not a problem. Just a habit.

[turboawd]

Originally Posted by IlliniX5

Putting the vehicle in neutral/park is something I usually do when the wait is long, and the weather is hot. I have ASS coded off, so that’s not a problem. Just a habit.

It's pointless. You could have a trans in gear stopped forever and no wear occurs. You cause more wear going in and out of gear.

[MissVito]

Originally Posted by IlliniX5

Sitting in a drive thru today with vehicle ('15 X 35i xDrive) in neutral, running, (after a 20 minute highway drive) and the alarm went off. At first I thought it was the restaurant's alarm, but saw the light on the rear view mirror flashing. Had no idea what triggered the alarm, nor how to shut it off. I finally shut the engine off and the alarm quit. Never had this happen before, but I will say the alarm is loud. Any idea what might have caused this?

My 2014 has been doing this from time to time. It would also give me random warnings the hood was open/engine hot, while driving. It wasn't open and engine wasn't hot. Like I just only drove 5 minutes...I knew it had to be erroneous readings..... After doing some research, I put two and two together, and found out a faulty hood switch will cause this. It wasn't my fault or the boogie man's after all. I just open the hood and slam it down, then it's good for a couple of months. I'm bringing it in to the dealer have them replace it while it still has a warranty. If you wanted to, you could probably replace it yourself. There's YouTube videos on it. I'd do it myself if it didn't have the warranty.

[JamesInSJ]

Hood switch on many 2000's BMWs (incl my E46) is a common problem 10+ years old. Frequent, random false alarms, depending on whether the worn switch contacts hit the right spot or not the last time you closed it. It's just a plunger switch mounted at the top/back of the engine bay, and the hood pushes it down. $60 OE for it, super easy to replace, and plenty of chinese versions for cheap (Alibaba $13 one has worked flawlessly on mine for >1 year now).

I tried to see if there is an equivalent F15/F16 switch, but didn't fine it quickly on FCP or RealOEM. I'm sure it's there somewhere, and I haven't looked in my own engine bay yet to see if they used a similarly simple switch design there.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by JamesInSJ

Hood switch on many 2000's BMWs (incl my E46) is a common problem 10+ years old. Frequent, random false alarms, depending on whether the worn switch contacts hit the right spot or not the last time you closed it. It's just a plunger switch mounted at the top/back of the engine bay, and the hood pushes it down. $60 OE for it, super easy to replace, and plenty of chinese versions for cheap (Alibaba $13 one has worked flawlessly on mine for >1 year now).

I tried to see if there is an equivalent F15/F16 switch, but didn't fine it quickly on FCP or RealOEM. I'm sure it's there somewhere, and I haven't looked in my own engine bay yet to see if they used a similarly simple switch design there.

On the f15/f16...the hood switch is incorporated into the engine compartment lid contact switch. The same switch that warns if the hood is open...also sends data to the anti-theft alarm siren system if the hood is closed or open.

See highlighted info below for this switch's location in the f15/f16 (and other F chassis models, too):

[ponytuning]

That's likely what it is in my case, I've kept the hood open for months at a time while trickle charging, so maybe the sensor is going bad. On my wife's x5 it also sometimes complains that the hood is open even after I shut it hard, but at least alarm doesn't go off (yet).