2002 Civic Aftermarket Alarm System

When I purchased this car used several years ago, it had an aftermarket alarm system. Last summer my key fob buttons stopped locking/unlocking car, but horn still beeped when buttons were pushed (as usual). With cooler weather, it started working properly again. This summer, it stopped working again. Suddenly now, the key fob still doesn’t lock/unlock car, but randomly the horn starts honking like I had hit the panic button, and I have to get my key and turn off the horn/alarm. I’d like to fix or disable, but don’t know how to do either. Suggestions anyone?

As you have discovered, aftermarket alarm systems and remote starters tend to be extremely troublesome as they age, and they can cause all sorts of problems. My suggestion is to locate an authorized dealer/installer for the brand of alarm system that you have, and that you pay them to remove the system and restore the car’s wiring to its original configuration.

@vdcdriver I could not agree more. A few years back I was in a parking garage and just brushed against a Pontiac Grand Am with such a system. It set off the alarm and there was no way to stop it. I lived in Asia for 5 years and these systems were very popular. It was hard to sleep in on Sundays as my apartment was near a car lot and dogs set off these alarms repeatedly.

First step: Look at the driver side door panel where the lock/unlock button is. You might have to remove the whole door skin to do this. I suspect it’s not locking/unlocking because the plug to the switch has worked loose over the years and needs to be re-secured.

Depending on what aftermarket alarm you have, it might get confused when the doors don’t lock right, which could make it sound the alarm when it shouldn’t.

I do not agree that aftermarket alarms are themselves troublesome provided you get a good-quality one rather than the plethora of cheap, crappy ones on the market, and provided that you either know what you’re doing or hire an installer who does.

I had a Compustar alarm installed on my MR2 10 years ago because people kept breaking the door window to rummage through the storage bins. The only problem I’ve ever had with it is that the windshield-mounted antenna’s mounting tape failed and I had to put a new piece of tape on it. It’s been otherwise entirely flawless, but Compustar is a very good brand and my installer was very good - taught me a few things about wiring that I use when I install audio in my cars.

“I do not agree that aftermarket alarms are themselves troublesome provided you get a good-quality one rather than the plethora of cheap, crappy ones on the market.”

Sorry but it’s been my experience that all of the aftermarket security alarms are crappy. Even the ones that are installed as original equipment are not that great and usually fail after they age. Besides…security alarms are usually worthless because no one pays attention to them anymore. They are just a 20th century nuisance that has crept into the 21st century.

Many of the aftermarket alarm systems on the market include a solenoid that’s installed in the drivers door that actuates the door locks, thereby making the car think there’s a person turning a key, and unlocking them all.

What happens if you put your key in the door and try to unlock/lock the doors? Do they unlock and lock?

It’s possible this actuator has failed, and that’s the solitary source of your problems.

Thanks for your comments. The system came on the car. The key fob says Silencer but know the company or who installed it. The key is the only way to lock/unlock the door, but it’s a problem when the alarm goes off at 3 a.m. for no reason. Could the fob battery be failing and cause the alarm to activate?

Are you saying you only have one key fob ? And did you mean you don’t know who installed system ? Any auto alarm shop should be able to solve your problem.

Yes and yes. Just checked, and the estimate is $200-$300 just to disable/remove. Battery checked out to be good, but I did find dust and moisture inside the key fob that may contribute to the midnight alarm episodes.

If something in the car goes bezerk – like the alarm coming on at midnight with you nor the fob nowhere near the car – and without pressing any buttons on the fob, that’s unlikely to be a problem with the fob.

But there could still be a problem with the fob causing the other symptoms. How did you determine the fob battery was ok? If I had this problem, the first thing I’d do is replace the fob battery just to see if any change to the weird behavior occurred.

Even the ones that are installed as original equipment are not that great and usually fail after they age.

Original equipment from the factory on vehicles fails as it ages. Everything fails as it ages. Things, especially electronic things subject to the vibration and temperature changes in a car, breaking after they get old is not an indication that the things were of poor quality. My factory radio in my MR2 failed - this is not indicative that Toyota made a bad product, but rather that 20+ year old electronics tend to die.

The trouble is that there are a very small number of good aftermarket alarms out there, and a plethora of cheap, crappy alarms. Guess which ones you see in your shop more and which might well color your opinion on aftermarket alarms?

OP, Silencer is the brand of your alarm. It’s known to be, bluntly, junk. It’s not at all surprising that it’s malfunctioning. Your best bet is to spend the money to have it ripped out. Be sure to check on the reviews for the installer you contract with - a bad alarm tearout can cause more problems than it solves.

Alarms are available with different options. It’s possible that your alarm has a shock sensor on it which is malfunctioning and telling the central alarm computer that it’s being hit.

It’s also possible that the car is being hit – shock sensors have adjustable sensitivity, and if turn the knob too far, just a cat jumping on your hood is enough to set them off.

However, based on the fact that both of these problems are happening at once, I’m more suspicious of electronics degradation in the main alarm module. If that’s the case, it will continue to behave more and more erratically until you have it removed.