Alarm going off randomly (No chirp/flash while locking/unlocking)

[crabapple555]

Few days back the alarm went off while the car was sitting on the driveway for no apparent reason and I simply pressed unlock and made sure everything was locked properly the alarm stopped and forgot about it.

Later, when I tried to lock the car after parking, I could hear the doors locking but there was no chirp/flash. Strangely, when I locked next time, the chirp / flashing-light magically came back and I assumed everything was back to normal.

But, this morning again the alarms were going off like crazy and I frantically ran outside unlocking/locking again and again, opening/closing all the doors, starting the car, putting in drive etc., just basically trying to get the car to STFU . After few min it stopped and back at it again.

Then I decided to drop the car of at the dealer for diagnosis now that my neighbors realized that the ultimate driving machine was having a fit and while I was still getting out of my neighborhood, the alarms were still going on/off randomly.

I will post an update when the dealership calls me. (I strongly think it is the new COVID variant)

[Qsilver7]

Unfortunately its too late to do some free diagnostics...so hopefully you’re still under warranty (can’t tell because you have no model/model year listed). But sometimes you can look at the way the DWA (anti-theft alarm siren) red LED is flashing. When you lock the vehicle with the remote or CA (comfort access)...the red LED (clown nose below the interior rear view mirror) should flash slowly & continually. If it flashes fast for a few seconds then slows down...its and indication that something is not right.

Also, can’t tell if you may be having a power issue (battery) because we don’t know how old it is. If ambient temps have been low and you don’t drive enough to keep the vehicle’s battery charged up...its voltage may be low which could be setting off the alarm.

Also, if the battery inside the remote (if you have CA) are low, it can cause irregular lock/unlock. BMW remotes have historically showed signs when its battery drops below 2.6 volts...it will unlock the doors but may not lock the doors.

[crabapple555]

Thanks QSilver7,

I will update models years on the profile. It is a 2015 with 58k milas.

The tech just sent an video, looks like some corrosion on the pins, see the pics. Yes, I have 3rd party warranty from carchex (platinum with high tech package).

Im guessing this may not be covered, sometimes they blow smoke and say rust or corrosion is not covered. Need to see how it goes.

[Qsilver7]

Wow...corrosion could cause issues. What area of the vehicle are the pics taken?

Hopefully cleaning those pins up will fix the issue...and hopefully its covered by your warranty.

[crabapple555]

The area of the car appears to be near the visor, and I forgot to mention the sunroof was acting as well.

Yup, fingers crossed spray some solution and wash it away should be the fix.

I am waiting for the call back from the service advisor who will advise me to replace god knows what. I will update this thread accordingly.

[c00lbeans]

In my volvo this same thing happend. The wire to lock the drive door wore out and broke inside the rubber houseing that holds the wires inbetween the door and body. The door cant lock so it wont chirp to confirm being locked and if you open the door while the alarm is on before comfort access can unlock everything the alarm will go off. Carefully check that each door is actually locking when you lock it.

[crabapple555]

Quick update:
The FZD module needs to be replaced and reprogrammed. Once that is done they will be able to open the sun roof to locate the leak. At this point the total cost for replacing/programming/locating the cause of leak is $1650. The good news is my insurance company will be able to cover the replace/reprogram of the FZD, locating the cause of leak diagnosis and fixing it will probably be out of pocket.