I have a 2012 Honda CR-V that I bought off someone recently. The only problem is the alarm system is too sensitive and will go off whenever a large vehicle passes by or a car door slams. It’s starting to become a problem as it wakes me and neighbors up.
The alarm is an after market brand called Code Alarm and has a small push button under the steering wheel. Is there anyway I can change the sensitivity or at least temporarily disable the alarm until I can find a shop to fix it for good?
Other than google and trying to figure how to change the settings on the alarm, you can take it to an aftermarket stereo/alarm shop to see if they can fix it. It might be cheaper/easier just to disconnect the alarm and call it a day.
Think if you need a full-featured alarm in a place where you live.
Find a manual for your alarm and check how to put it in “valet mode” or other type of disabled state. That small button you found controls the security system, but usually it is a very limited set of commands you can do. Quite usual is to have a long press with ignition turned on to enter valet mode.
If you are lucky, instruction will include procedure how to bypass individual sensor inputs permanently - that will be the fastest “fix”, otherwise, place it in disabled/valet mode until you decide what to do next.
It is quite unlikely that that this small button would give you any sensitivity adjustments, it’s more likely that you have to look for the “shock sensor” somewhere under the dash or under some body panel, which would have 1-2 adjustment screws. The search may be quite frustrating unless you identify security system main block and retrace the wires… but then if you found the block, you are one step away from removing this stupid thing altogether
The manual may not help, because you never know where the installer put the sensitivity adjustment knob. If he did it right, it’s under the dash, probably somewhere behind the glove box area. It’ll be a little knob. Sounds like it’s turned up way too sensitive. Twist it counter-clockwise a bit. You’ll need to do a lot of experimentation to figure out what setting you want. The alarm should go off if you give the A-pillar a fairly good whack (not, obviously, enough to dent it) with the side of your fist (from the outside), but not if you just lightly smack it with the flat of your hand.
If it has some 3-wire or 4-wire sensor like this, it should be safe to remove the sensor, it should not create any ill effects other than not detecting vibrations
I would not recommend removing security system control module, as it may have starter kill relay deployed
There’s often a semi-hidden “valet mode” switch for car alarms in the area of the driver’s knees. Get out your flashlight, get on your hands and knees, and see if you can find it. If you can then probably all you have to do is set it to valet mode, which disables the alarm system.
They just bought the car, so we don’t know if it’s good or not. We do know it’s aftermarket, so it could be good, could be bad/cheap. I’d remove it because it’s already causing problems. If the OP wants to keep it, then take it to a good alarm shop and have them check it out.
I believe this thread had recommendations for both how to adjust it and to how to disable it.
I really feel for @Alec_Galindo neighbors who would definitely be annoyed by his “perfectly good alarm”, so the priority would be to make annoyance stop ASAP, one way or another, then OP can decide on what to do next.
Nothing against the people here that give excellent advice . But if this was me who bought this used vehicle and had that problem I would call the previous owner first. No help there , then find the nearest Viper dealer and get this solved . No dealer for Viper close , then calling alarm shops next.
In my neighborhood, we leave extremely nasty notes on windshields of repeat offenders who won’t fix and/or remove their overly sensitive aftermarket alarms
When I lose sleep . . . or can’t even get to sleep . . . because of this problem, it’s no longer funny
There are some particularly bad people who know their aftermarket alarm is too sensitive and apt to go off at almost any time, almost without cause, and instead of parking it in front of the curb on their house, they park it down the street, or on a different street altogether, so that they themselves can get some sleep, and it’ll be somebody else’s problem
Those kind of people definitely deserve nasty notes
in Russia, I’ve seen a movement called in translation “stop rogue”, who would try to deliver a “mild” civilian punishment to the vehicle owners with clear anti-social behavior, like having car alarms screaming at nigh, driving on pedestrian walkways, parking across entrances, etc…
what they do: they ordered big round “stop rogue!” stickers, made of paper, which get easily torn and they apply it on the windshield, right in front of the driver
that’s thing is nasty to remove, but makes no permanent damage, it’s merely a nuisance in payback of the nuisance delivered by the vehicle owner.
I’m not making suggestions… but consider it funny way to deal with such people in a non-violent way
From what I’ve got off YouTube, it’s not even about tough glue residue, but mostly about printing these stickers on such a fragile paper that you try removing it and you tear it, then you lift another piece and once again you detach a fragment and it gets torn again. They wanted that to be an exercise, not the easy “peel it off” thing, but they wanted to make it removable with bare hands… probably not to get the matter as something owner would escalate through police
