Alarm system on BMW 330i ?

[Brandon]

This seems like a crazy question to ask -- but does an alarm come
standard on a 2002 330i? I am under the impression that the red 'clown
nose' light on my rear view mirror should blink when the car is
locked...i have never seen it do that.....

B

[Joe C]

On my 2002 325ci the "clown nose" does indeed blink.
There is also a small red blinker in the radio area.

"Brandon" <jbh30306@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1116642090.021265.159290@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
> This seems like a crazy question to ask -- but does an alarm come
> standard on a 2002 330i? I am under the impression that the red 'clown
> nose' light on my rear view mirror should blink when the car is
> locked...i have never seen it do that.....
>
> B
>

[Brandon]

Jim wrote:
> "Brandon" <jbh30306@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1116642090.021265.159290@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
> > This seems like a crazy question to ask -- but does an alarm come
> > standard on a 2002 330i? I am under the impression that the red 'clown
> > nose' light on my rear view mirror should blink when the car is
> > locked...i have never seen it do that.....
> You don't have the full version of the alarm system. The light on the rear
> view mirror only blinks when you have the additional stuff installed.
> Yes, it is prewired (meaning that all you need to do is plug the module into
> the wiring harness). However, you don't get the audible alarm (including
> motion sensor).
> Jim


Thanks for the info. So how would I connect the module to the wiring
harness? Is there a way to test to see if the alarm is active?

I did buy it used...but it's hard to beleive that a car that originally
listed for $42K doesnt come standard with an alarm system....

[Darryl Okahata]

"Brandon" <jbh30306@yahoo.com> writes:

> Thanks for the info. So how would I connect the module to the wiring
> harness? Is there a way to test to see if the alarm is active?

Installing the alarm is a simple enough DIY, but you'll probably
have to get it activated by the dealer once you install it:

http://www.my330i.com/mod8.php

However, the usefulness of the alarm is questionable. The only things
it'll probably protect against are (maybe) wheel theft, (maybe) stereo
theft, and (maybe) preventing your car from being stolen via tow truck.
It won't protect against a smash-and-grab, and the existing security
features prevent the car from being hotwired. Even without the alarm,
to steal the car, a thief will have to (1) tow the car, (2) social
engineer a dealer into having a duplicate key made (which supposedly
requires ID and registration, although these can be forged), or (3)
stick a gun in your face (there are other rumors about ripping out and
replacing the car's computer, but I don't know how credible this is).

[ And, for $DIETY's sake, if you get the alarm installed, don't have the
alarm programmed to deactivate if the driver's door is unlocked. If
enabled, that's one of the easiest ways for a thief to disable the
alarm. ]

> I did buy it used...but it's hard to beleive that a car that originally
> listed for $42K doesnt come standard with an alarm system....

None of the E46s come standard with an alarm.

--
Darryl Okahata
darrylo@soco.agilent.com

DISCLAIMER: this message is the author's personal opinion and does not
constitute the support, opinion, or policy of Agilent Technologies, or
of the little green men that have been following him all day.

[JRE]

'tis true, though. The alarm is an extra-cost accessory. There are
three things to be plugged in. The alarm itself, the motion sensor, and
the tilt sensor. They all plug in to the existing wiring. The alarm
goes under the microfilter housing, the motion sensor in the middle of
the headliner under the cover made for it, and the tilt sensor goes
behind the trim to the right of the battery in the trunk.

The easy way to see whether the alarm is installed: Get in the car and
lock it with the remote. Wait 20 seconds. Wave your arms around. If
it's still quiet, you don't have one. Or, take the cover off the
headliner. No motion detector, no alarm.

JRE

Brandon wrote:

> Thanks for the info. So how would I connect the module to the wiring
> harness? Is there a way to test to see if the alarm is active?
>
> I did buy it used...but it's hard to beleive that a car that originally
> listed for $42K doesnt come standard with an alarm system....
>

[Brandon]

Thank you for all of the information, I really appreciate it.

As for me, I live and work in downtown Atlanta...so security is
somewhat of a concern....Really all I want is some sort of theft
deterrant like I had on my ...err....hondas.....meaning an alarm sounds
if someone tries to break a window or open a door without a key

Do they not have car theft in germany? Is this a burden of capitalism?
;) .....

[fbloogyudsr]

"Brandon" <jbh30306@yahoo.com> wrote
> Thank you for all of the information, I really appreciate it.
>
> As for me, I live and work in downtown Atlanta...so security is
> somewhat of a concern....Really all I want is some sort of theft
> deterrant like I had on my ...err....hondas.....meaning an alarm sounds
> if someone tries to break a window or open a door without a key
>
> Do they not have car theft in germany? Is this a burden of capitalism?
> ;) .....

Since the car is immobilized without a key, it's not car theft
you need to worry about, it's theft of possessions in the car.

Floyd '01 330xi

[Dori A Schmetterling]

No car theft at all in Germany, which is not a capitalist coutry.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---

"Brandon" <jbh30306@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1117680891.858938.175460@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
[...]
>
> Do they not have car theft in germany? Is this a burden of capitalism?
> ;) .....
>

[Darryl Okahata]

"Brandon" <jbh30306@yahoo.com> writes:

> As for me, I live and work in downtown Atlanta...so security is
> somewhat of a concern....Really all I want is some sort of theft
> deterrant like I had on my ...err....hondas.....meaning an alarm sounds
> if someone tries to break a window or open a door without a key

Well, the cheapest way to get the alarm is to install it yourself
(IIRC, I think the cost is around $250-$300 for the kit) and then pay
the dealer to activate it.

Alternatively, if your car supports it, you could just pay the
dealer to have the red "alarm clown nose light" (under the mirror)
activate when you lock the car (basically, a fake alarm light). I don't
know if you can do that on a 2002, although it's possible on newer
3-series cars.

> Do they not have car theft in germany? Is this a burden of capitalism?
> ;) .....

Oh, they do have BMW car theft in Germany. I'd guess that it's an
even bigger problem over there, as there's a demand for BMW cars/parts
in the former USSR. The European car theft gangs certainly seem more
organized (and, rumor has it, much more capable). My guess is that an
alarm wouldn't slow them down much.

--
Darryl Okahata
darrylo@soco.agilent.com

DISCLAIMER: this message is the author's personal opinion and does not
constitute the support, opinion, or policy of Agilent Technologies, or
of the little green men that have been following him all day.

[Brandon]

Thank you for the detailed replies. All is helpful information.

The fact that the car is immobilized without a key is helpful -- it
addresses my first concern. My second concern is that I wouldnt want
anyone to break in the car and vandalize it...or even sit in it
;)......so if i got the red light activated, that would be a good
deterrant.....

Thanks again....:)

[Marcio Watanabe]

"Brandon" <jbh30306@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Thank you for all of the information, I really appreciate it.
>
>As for me, I live and work in downtown Atlanta...so security is
>somewhat of a concern....Really all I want is some sort of theft
>deterrant like I had on my ...err....hondas.....meaning an alarm sounds
>if someone tries to break a window or open a door without a key
>
>Do they not have car theft in germany? Is this a burden of capitalism?
>;) .....

I don't know if Atlanta is like Los Angeles, but here, except for
being annoyed, no one pays any attention to car alarm sounds. In
fact, I'm in favor of laws to ban car alarms. The standard BMW
security system is very good. When I bought my car, I asked how much
discount I'd get to install an alarm. The answer was no discount.
That tells me how much the insurance company values an additional
alarm system. I don't have an alarm in any of my cars, and one car is
a convertible.

[JRE]

To me, the major value of the alarm is:

1. It's really likely to wake me up if tripped, since the driveway is
outside my bedroom window. Given that a 330i was stolen in our
neighborhood last year by being towed away at night, this is good enough
for me. (At work there are security cameras and virtually no theft. In
fact, most people don't even lock their cars there.)

2. It provides an audible indication that the doors and trunk are all
locked.

I don't expect any beneficial effects whatever beyond those two.

Marcio Watanabe wrote:

> I don't know if Atlanta is like Los Angeles, but here, except for
> being annoyed, no one pays any attention to car alarm sounds. In
> fact, I'm in favor of laws to ban car alarms. The standard BMW
> security system is very good. When I bought my car, I asked how much
> discount I'd get to install an alarm. The answer was no discount.
> That tells me how much the insurance company values an additional
> alarm system. I don't have an alarm in any of my cars, and one car is
> a convertible.

JRE

[Kingwoodboy79]

This seems like a crazy question to ask -- but does an alarm come
standard on a 2002 330i? I am under the impression that the red 'clown
nose' light on my rear view mirror should blink when the car is
locked...i have never seen it do that.....

B

I was asking myself the same question and I did some digging around, i have the TILT Sensor installed but not the ULTRASONIC Sensor that goes inside the cabin. When I get home I'll check for the siren, could it be possible that my car has the alarm? It doesn't shirp nor the clown nose blink... There is also in the back trunk lid of my car a button that says it's "prewired" that means the wires are there so why would they install the TILT Sensor???

any feed back would be welcome!

[Sabir]

Hi, This post is very informative, however I would like some specific information. If someone can help me then please send me a private message. Best Regards,