Expert: INSTALLSUPPORT - 11/2/2007

Question
My '98 Toyota Camry car alarm goes off at random times for no apparent reason.  I know this is very vague, but it's all I know that's happening.  What could be the problem?  Do alarms, over time, just get too old to function correctly?

Answer
There's alot of things that could be going on
but to make an educated guess,
most likely, it's an after market system
from your description.

Probably dealership installed when
it was purchased originaly.

The shock/impact sensor seems the culprit here.
It's likely to be found under the dash area, blinking
when anything taps on the underpanel.
Locate and either unplug or turn down.
To simply disarm it, locate and use the
valet/overide switch.

To start, look under the dash area for a button or,
a toggle switch. When you locate it, turn on the
ignition key, press and hold in the button (little
spring loaded micro button, red or black possibly)
until the alarm chirps 1 time. This should over ride
the system, and only the keyless entry part,
if installed, would still be operating.
The LED (light emiting diode) light in the dash
should also go on solid.=VALET/OVERIDE

This stops the alarm except for the keyless
entry if installed. The next step is to
either remove the alarm or, try to identify,
and get new remotes for it.

But once in Valet mode, it will allow the car
to start and operate like there was no alarm at all.

Let me know how it goes.

ALARMTEK
CARALARMMAN.COM