ludwigblitz3

Seat Exeo car alarm malfunction

I'm at my wit's end with this car alarm issue! I have a Seat Exeo, build year 2011 with a diesel engine. Recently, the car alarm has completely stopped working. VCDS is showing an error stored in the error memory, but the alarm system itself is without function. I've checked all the fuses, and they seem to be okay. I'm suspecting it might be related to the immobilizer or some kind of power failure issue, but I'm not entirely sure where to start looking. Any ideas what could be causing this? Could it be a battery issue?

4 comment(s)

Sounds like a dodgy alarm control unit. I had a similar issue with my Exeo, although I can't recall the exact error code. Have you checked the battery? A low battery or a sudden power failure can sometimes trigger weird issues with the car alarm and immobilizer.

Thanks for the quick response! I did check the battery voltage, and it seems fine, but I haven't load tested it. What exactly do you mean by "dodgy alarm control unit"? Is it likely a hardware issue, or could it be a software/coding problem? And did you ever have the error that the alarm system is without function?

By dodgy, I mean it could be misconfigured. In my case, the alarm control unit was coded to activate the optical locking confirmation (indicators flash when locking/unlocking). Apparently, if that coding is present, and for some reason it fails to signal correctly, it can throw the entire system into a fit. I'd recommend taking it to a workshop with VCDS and having them check the alarm control unit's coding. That might be your issue too.

I took the car to a local shop, and you were spot on. The alarm control unit was coded for optical locking, which for some reason wasn't working correctly. They recoded it, cleared the error, and now the car alarm is working perfectly again. Cost me 45€, which is a lot better than I was expecting. Thanks again for your help!

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