# Alarm Problems



## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

We now have a 16 plate Bailey Autograph 625 on a Peugeot Boxer base & we paid £700 to get a Thatcham Cat 1 alarm fitted to our new van before we collected it. 

It all works fine on the original Peugeot key but not on the additional Autowatch remote control fob supplied with the Autowatch 695RLC alarm & I think they gave Phill a load of flannel the other day when it went back for some other work to be done.

When you use the Autowatch remote to lock & alarm the van all works as it should, both cab doors & the hab door lock. However, when you use the Autowatch remote to unlock/disarm it unlocks the cab doors but not the hab door. You can see it trying to unlock the hab door if you are inside the van but it doesn't work & you have to unlock it with the key.

What Phill was told was "You need to press the unlock button on the Autowatch remote & then you have to open one of the cab doors to clear the memory & then use the key to unlock the hab door." Personally I think this is a load of b*ll*cks & they are just too lazy to sort it out.

Can anyone offer any advice on this please?


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## jagmanx (Sep 28, 2018)

*If it is that EASY*

THEY should be able to fix it for you in 5 mins under guarantee.
Their install or sale their problem at least for now !

Take it back park it in a prominent place ready to COMPLAIN LOUDLY if they do not sort it
Including setting the alarm off deliberately !

That might wake them up.
Have a few notices printed.."This vehicle was supplied by this company" for display again if need be.


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

jagmanx said:


> THEY should be able to fix it for you in 5 mins under guarantee.
> Their install or sale their problem at least for now !
> 
> Take it back park it in a prominent place ready to COMPLAIN LOUDLY if they do not sort it
> ...



I know how to complain thank you. I was hoping to find someone who had experience with this alarm or had similar problems.

Phill has already told them that I wouldn't be happy with what he was told & I believe he said "She's like a Rottweiler." I'm hoping he didn't mean in the looks department!


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## RoadTrek Boy (Sep 28, 2018)

You hit the nail on the head there Sharon , they are talking utter b*ll*cks, ask to talk to the MD and tell him to get somebody with sufficient knowledge to sort it out..


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## jagmanx (Sep 28, 2018)

*Just trying to help*



Sharon the Cat said:


> I know how to complain thank you. I was hoping to find someone who had experience with this alarm or had similar problems.
> 
> Phill has already told them that I wouldn't be happy with what he was told & I believe he said "She's like a Rottweiler." I'm hoping he didn't mean in the looks department!


?!?


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

The installer is telling me that it is the same on all motorhomes they have fitted that alarm to!!

A complication is that when you use the fob & then the key to open the door the system thinks you have disarmed the alarm but not opened any doors, so it then re-arms itself & goes off when I move around inside. He offered to remove the re-arm setting.

I told him that if they sorted the issue of the hab door not unlocking from the fob then the complication would not exist.

Installers are Redline Technology (UK) Ltd of Hereford.

Has anyone else had a problem like this with an alarm?


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## st3v3 (Sep 28, 2018)

Try and find another installer of that alarm and ask if they would be kind enough to talk through the problem with you.


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

st3v3 said:


> Try and find another installer of that alarm and ask if they would be kind enough to talk through the problem with you.



Good idea, I'll try that thank you!


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## QFour (Sep 28, 2018)

I fitted an Autowatch alarm to our Pilote and then removed it when I sold it and fitted it to the Laika. The alarm is wired into the CanBus and looks for the activity on the CanBus of you using the vehicle key. As soon as it reads the lock door command it enables the alarm and waits to see if it is followed a couple of seconds later by the same command. If it is it stops the internal sensors working. It then sits and waits for the next command. Ie open door. As soon as it reads the command it turns the alarm off.

The Autowatch Alarm is just a listener and does not send any commands to the ECU which is why it’s own remote will not lock the doors. All it does is arm or disarm the alarm system.

Only way you can get the alarm to work with two keys is to buy another Fiat key and get it programmed into the system.

When I fitted mine I fitted radio sensors on the door and windows. These work really well unless you get up and open a window or door without turning 5he alarm off. Once activated the alarm can be a bit of a sod to stop.

Ours went off on a campsite in Spain about 8am. We pressed the unlock button and it stopped it. I then opened the door and off it went again. Stopped it again but it was still armed so evertime we opened the door or closed a window it went off again.

After what seemed like an age it finally reset itself.

..


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## Chris356 (Sep 28, 2018)

If you arm the alarm with the autowatch remote then immediately unlock your hab door with the key try pressing the autowatch disarm button you will probably find it locks your hab door both on arm and disarm


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

QFour said:


> When I fitted mine I fitted radio sensors on the door and windows. These work really well unless you get up and open a window or door without turning 5he alarm off. Once activated the alarm can be a bit of a sod to stop.
> 
> Ours went off on a campsite in Spain about 8am. We pressed the unlock button and it stopped it. I then opened the door and off it went again. Stopped it again but it was still armed so evertime we opened the door or closed a window it went off again.
> 
> ...



I can help you there. If you trigger the alarm you press the button once to stop it sounding but you must press it a second time to disarm it. The first press only stops the alarm sound, it doesn't disarm the alarm itself.


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

QFour said:


> I fitted an Autowatch alarm to our Pilote and then removed it when I sold it and fitted it to the Laika. The alarm is wired into the CanBus and looks for the activity on the CanBus of you using the vehicle key. As soon as it reads the lock door command it enables the alarm and waits to see if it is followed a couple of seconds later by the same command. If it is it stops the internal sensors working. It then sits and waits for the next command. Ie open door. As soon as it reads the command it turns the alarm off.
> 
> The Autowatch Alarm is just a listener and does not send any commands to the ECU which is why it’s own remote will not lock the doors. All it does is arm or disarm the alarm system.
> 
> ..



But............... the Autowatch remote does _lock_ the hab door, it just doesn't _unlock_ it so it must be sending a signal.


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## Chris356 (Sep 28, 2018)

Does your fiat remote have a 3rd button which only opens the hab door on it's own ?


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

Chris356 said:


> Does your fiat remote have a 3rd button which only opens the hab door on it's own ?



Err can't remember, it's with Phill at the mo. I'll check later. Does this make a difference?


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## QFour (Sep 28, 2018)

Does the Autowatch keyfob undo the cab doors. If it doesn’t then it’s not talking to the CanBus system and they must have wired it to lock it only.


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

QFour said:


> Does the Autowatch keyfob undo the cab doors. If it doesn’t then it’s not talking to the CanBus system and they must have wired it to lock it only.



It Locks all doors.
It unlocks the cab doors only.


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## Papillon (Sep 28, 2018)

*Try emailing the company*

Autowatch 695 CAN BUS Universal Alarm System


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 28, 2018)

Papillon said:


> Autowatch 695 CAN BUS Universal Alarm System



I have spoken to them. They say if it locks it should unlock. My problem is the waffle from the installer saying differently.


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## Val54 (Sep 28, 2018)

ah........Autowatch mmmmmmmm

It would take too long for me to tell you the full story of the alarm system fitted to our van from new. Let’s just say that after 2 attempts by the auto electrician at the dealers, plus 3 attempts by a more local installer brought in by Autowatch to fix it, they finally sent a senior tech from London up to our home in Cheshire. In the end he basically reinstalled the system but hardwired all the sensors. His comment was that they have had loads of problems with the radio gear.
That said, it has been fine for the last 12 months.
Dave


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## Canalsman (Sep 28, 2018)

I have this alarm on my Ducato.

The Fiat key has three buttons.

Unlock
Lock
Unlock side door

Use of the Lock button locks the vehicle including the habitation door and sets the alarm. A second press soon after the first disables the internal sensors.

The Unlock button cancels the alarm and unlocks the cab doors.

The third button unlocks the habitation door.

The Autowatch fob has Arm and Disarm labelled buttons which do just that. There's another button, bottom left, which I cannot remember its function.

The fourth button is for boot release. This does not unlock the habitation door since it is not a boot lock. Presumably the Canbus system differentiates between van side door and boot lock.

According to the dealer that fitted it, it is not possible to unlock the habitation door with the Autowatch fob but it does lock.


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 29, 2018)

POI Admin said:


> I have this alarm on my Ducato.
> 
> The Fiat key has three buttons.
> 
> ...



This what I've been told and I am seriously p*ssed off that they fitted an alarm with a fob that wouldn't work properly. I think I will be asking for some of my money back.


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## Val54 (Sep 29, 2018)

After my rant, just to be more helpful.......... ours is the same 

ie the Autowatch fob is useless, it will arm, but only disarms the passenger door not the hab door... so we don’t use it except in emergencies.
The Fiat fob works fine on all doors.
Dave


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## Canalsman (Sep 29, 2018)

It's only a minor inconvenience really.

I don't use the Autowatch fob but keep it as a spare. Bear in mind that the alarm is designed for use on cars not vans. You might be able to persuade the dealer to fit another system but is there one available and is it worth the hassle?


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## Chris356 (Sep 29, 2018)

POI Admin said:


> It's only a minor inconvenience really.
> 
> I don't use the Autowatch fob but keep it as a spare. Bear in mind that the alarm is designed for use on cars not vans. You might be able to persuade the dealer to fit another system but is there one available and is it worth the hassle?


Yours isn't a cat 1 it's a 2 to 1 upgrade that arms and disarms with vehicle remote the autowatch remote is only used as a emergency back up for disarming


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## Sharon the Cat (Sep 30, 2018)

Chris356 said:


> Yours isn't a cat 1 it's a 2 to 1 upgrade that arms and disarms with vehicle remote the autowatch remote is only used as a emergency back up for disarming



Autowatch said that to me & I took pleasure in reciting the text off their web site.
"However, if your vehicle has only one remote control supplied as standard, adding an additional Autowatch remote control will prove more cost effective than buying an original remote control. "


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## Chris356 (Sep 30, 2018)

It can be done with 2 x 5 pin relays connected to the hab door locking  motor it's what's called "motor interupt" both the wires that go to the hab door locking motor are both negative at rest i have fitted car alarms since the 80's


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## Sharon the Cat (Oct 15, 2018)

*Update*

I argued with  the dealer & installer basically saying that it was unacceptable for them to fit & supply something which didn't work properly & caused multiple false alarms because it was re-arming itself.

We have agreed to go 50/50 on the cost of a new 3 button key for the van so that we can both have fully working alarm keys (we are currently sleeping in the van on the drive).

I have an auto-locksmith coming this week to supply & code the new key for £170.


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## Deleted member 5816 (Oct 15, 2018)

Sharon  You should have had one of these when I offered you mine  cheap


YouTube

Alf



Sharon the Cat said:


> I argued with  the dealer & installer basically saying that it was unacceptable for them to fit & supply something which didn't work properly & caused multiple false alarms because it was re-arming itself.
> 
> We have agreed to go 50/50 on the cost of a new 3 button key for the van so that we can both have fully working alarm keys (we are currently sleeping in the van on the drive).
> 
> I have an auto-locksmith coming this week to supply & code the new key for £170.


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## yeoblade (Oct 15, 2018)

I have a Sigma alarm fitted on mine.

If I lock with the Sigma fob All doors lock (and it's alarmed)

Then unlock with Sigma fob  ONLY cab doors unlock.(alarm off)  Same as yours.

I then press the Third button on the Fiat fob,( I think this looks like a boot symbol) this then unlocks the hab door, and in I go 

I've got use to having to press 2 buttons if I want to get in the Hab door. But never use the key.

Edit it's a Gemini alarm, but I think that is the same as Sigma


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## Sharon the Cat (Oct 16, 2018)

Alf said:


> Sharon  You should have had one of these when I offered you mine  cheap
> 
> 
> YouTube
> ...



Love it Alf! I like the way he disposes of the thief as well for you.


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