E36 Alarm Issues

[NashB]

Hello

Since my car has come back from the bodyshop I have been experincing alarm issues. I have worked out that the battery backup in the siren is the cause of my issues. The car battery died whilst in the bodyshop which meant that the backup was coming on until eventually it died.

BMW no longer supply the siren.

Anyone have any ideas on how ot repair the the siren? replace battery in the siren?

I really want to keep the original alarm.

99 328i SPORT, 3G EWS Alarm system.

[Evo Joe]

Be careful. When the back up battery fails in this alarm it has a habit of creating an under bonnet fire. The loom leading from the alarm control unit (usually behind the glove box) and the siren starts getting very hot in some cases when the back up battery dies. I would be inclined to unplug the siren in the interim.

In my opinion it is far better to get a new alarm fitted or remove the 3G. They were dealer fitted, not factory fitted anyway and any secondhand siren will be on borrowed time.

[iSore]

Evo Joe said:

Be careful. When the back up battery fails in this alarm it has a habit of creating an under bonnet fire. The loom leading from the alarm control unit (usually behind the glove box) and the siren starts getting very hot in some cases when the back up battery dies. I would be inclined to unplug the siren in the interim.

In my opinion it is far better to get a new alarm fitted or remove the 3G. They were dealer fitted, not factory fitted anyway and any secondhand siren will be on borrowed time.

This. It takes me a couple of hours to remove a dealer fit alarm and 9.9/10 they were nicely fitted at the dealer, complete with proper snap connectors. The alarm on mine started playing up last year - locked on the key, fine. On the key, it would randomly go off. So I just removed the siren.....

[NashB]

I have disconnected the siren and pulled it out.

The alarm does look like it has been fitted well as you say. I just didnt want all the wiring to have to be pulled out etc and quite like the idea of keping the original bits.

[NashBM]

Do you guys think it may be possible to split the siren and replace the battery inside?

[MitchT]

Interesting thread. I have the 3G EWS on my '99 T 318iS coupé. The alarm is a pain in the backside for triggering entirely of its own accord on a regular basis. I've put up with it for many years but it would be nice to get a resolution.

[NashBM]

There is a really good guide on bimmerforums.co.uk all about e36 alarams. Lots of information. Well worth a look and try a couple of the things mentioned on there. For example disconnecting the ultra sonic sensors from the module to see if that resolves your issues.

Let me know if you cant find it and ill dig out the link.

[MitchT]

Thanks - done a quick search on there and found a ton of interesting reading!

[NashBM]

No worries