SL/R230: alalrm activated
#1
alalrm activated
My alarm activates and turn signals are flashing for no reason. This morning opened my garage door and lights were flashing. Replaced key batteries but it did not help. Any advice will be highly appreciated. 2004 SL500
#2
Senior Member
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Just as something cheap and simple to try: open the hood, then smack it shut with a bit of "conviction." Might be the alarm gizmo in the latch mechanism. This is just a wild *** guess based on a similar experience with wife's E350. I always shut the hood on her car by letting it settle onto the latch, then pressing down just enough to trip the latch into the secure position ... the way you close Porsche hoods. Since smacking the E350 hood shut with a bit of gusto: no more bogus alarms.
#6
Super Member
#7
Junior Member
I just learned my lesson on the alarm siren issue.
Lesson learned: Never by a used one of Ebay since you just delay the inevitable. These sirens seem to have a service life of 10 to 12 years until it fails. I have a 2004 which started to make noises like a dying bird under the hood. I got myself a used siren of eBay and found out that this was bad as well. The siren function was ok but it came up with lower control module communication error. The symptom was that I could not lock the care anymore without the lights blinking and the siren blaring. Just great if you are invited for dinner and you park your car in your friends driveway.
The $180 for a new siren are well invested since it solves the problem for the next 10 years and you do not have to do all the work twice.
Lesson learned: Never by a used one of Ebay since you just delay the inevitable. These sirens seem to have a service life of 10 to 12 years until it fails. I have a 2004 which started to make noises like a dying bird under the hood. I got myself a used siren of eBay and found out that this was bad as well. The siren function was ok but it came up with lower control module communication error. The symptom was that I could not lock the care anymore without the lights blinking and the siren blaring. Just great if you are invited for dinner and you park your car in your friends driveway.
The $180 for a new siren are well invested since it solves the problem for the next 10 years and you do not have to do all the work twice.
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#8
Super Member
mbwolf - sorry to hear of your misfortune. Mine was just the opposite. Obviously if it does not work you would get your money back, but not your time. I found that there are many MB alarms that work, not just the R230 model. For the price of a new one I could buy 6 used ones!