Disabling a Factory Car Alarm (1995 Toyota Corolla)

Hello everyone. I have been encountering many problems with the factory alarm installed in my 1995 Toyota Corolla. I am looking for a way to completely disable, not to simply disengage, the alarm.

My remote doesn't work well anymore, and replacing it is expensive and thus out of the question.

Does anybody here know anything about disabling a factory installed car alarm on this kind of car? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-LN

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Reply to
L Neely
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Have you tried eBay, etc. to see if you can replace the remote?

Alarms are built to be difficult to disable.

I'm sure that there must be a way to program it not to arm.

Reply to
Noozer

Thanks for the quick reply.

...And you know what? That's so simple that I didn't even think to do that. I found a couple universal car alarm remotes for Toyota Corolla, Camry, and MR2 for about $30 (as opposed to the $100+ price quote I was given at my local auto store).

The only problem, then, is that I don't know how to program the bloody things. Are there any documents to which I can refer if a user manual doesn't come with the remotes? I've been Googling with little luck, and I only ask because that kind of thing is never really guaranteed through eBay.

If there are any armchair car thieves out there, please do feel free to give your advice, also. :)

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L Neely

Terribly sorry for the double-post... but it seems that I mis-read the post. The item for sale is actually a new "universal car alarm" /with/ two car remotes, not two universal remotes. So, no luck on eBay quite yet. I'll keep looking.

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L Neely

What kind of problems have you been encountering with the factory alarm? Toyota factory alarms are very pretty reliable. If the remote does not work, assuming that you have replaced the battery, try cleaning the contacts on the mini circuit board and the back of the rubber buttons with rubbing alcohol.

Even without the remote, the factory alarm should be disarmed by unlocking one of the front doors with the key. If opening one of the front doors with the key does not disarm the alarm, then check the switch connected to the lock cylinder for continuity.

Reply to
Ray O

I will try cleaning the contacts. The problems lie in the fact that the alarm is *too* reliable. :) See, the way I disengage the alarm is via the remote. Problem is, the alarm re-engages itself while I'm driving every once in awhile.

I would love for this to be the case, but unfortunately it is not. When I unlock the front door with the key, the alarm goes off and does not disengage unless I have the remote handy. Furthermore, as mentioned, sometimes the alarm engages itself while driving.

You say the switch connected to the lock cylinder? I'll look into that. It would certainly make sense for that to be a problem. What should I look for? Please bear with me because I know little about cars and alarms.

-LN

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Reply to
L Neely

I have never heard of a Toyota factory alarm engaging itself while driving, which is why I am wondering if the alarm may be aftermarket.

IIRC, on a factory alarm, when you turn the key, the tab that connects the lock cylinder to the lock rod also contacts a momentary contact switch that is mounted on the cylinder.

Reply to
Ray O

Ray, just a "FWIW" bit of info...

I haven't yet been in the situation where my Prius has needed to be unlocked using the mechanical key instead of the remote; and it is now dark+wet outside, so going and experimenting... well, forgive my reluctance. But... Handbook and sales-bod gave me to understand the alarm would go off if doors were locked by the remote (and hence the alarm was set) but unlocked by the key. (This can happen if, say, the fob battery fails.) It would shut up once the fob was inserted into the fob dashboard recess. This may be the Coming Thing, given Toyota's new way of handling user validation (ie, as in Prius & IIRC Yaris).

(Will _try_ to remember to check this, next time I can.)

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

Let us know what you find out!

Reply to
Ray O

Seems there was a communications failure and I misunderstood how the Prius' alarm and locking mechanisms interact. Here's how it looks, after some brief experiments.

The car can be locked and its alarm set, using either the key-fob remote or the mechanical door-key stored in the fob. The remote allows "double locking", whose advantages I am not clear on.

The car can be unlocked and its alarm disarmed, using either the key-fob remote or the mechanical emergency door-key. IOW, if the fob's battery fails, one can open the driver's door with the key without the alarm throwing any fits, then stick the fob into the dashboard hole and drive the car in the normal way -- perhaps to the nearest place selling fob batteries.

Is it safe to assume the new Yaris works the same way?

HTH.

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

Probably, because other than the double-locking, that is how every other Toyota factory security system I've seen works.

Reply to
Ray O

Thanks a lot, everyone. I'll try all of this, but will continue to keep an eye on this thread in case something new comes up. :)

By the way, speaking of this thread, anyone else having problems receiving the previous messages of this thread? My client says "no longer available on server." Huh. Good thing I archived it...

Thanks again.

-LN

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L Neely

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