Car Alarm goes off each time i open the door

[lbk123]

Hello,

 

Since yesterday each time i open my car door the anti theft alarm goes off. It doesnt stop until i get in the car and switch on the ignition and engine which is quite frustrating. Perhaps it could be doing this as the remote lock on my keys is no longer working (i think the battery may be dead). Does anyone know a fix for the this? Im not very savvy when it comes to this stuff. I just want to know whether there is a method in which i can fix this before seeking professional help.

 

My car is Skoda Rapid Spaceback 2016, 1.4 TDI.

 

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Kenny R]

Try putting new battery in the remote fob, and using it to unlock/ lock and alarm won’t go off.

[lbk123]

9 minutes ago, Kenny R said:

Try putting new battery in the remote fob, and using it to unlock/ lock and alarm won’t go off.

Hello Kenny, thanks for the quick response.

 

So you reckon the fault is with the dead battery in the key? Best bet would be to just get someone to assist as i have no clue where to start 😕

[nta16]

6 hours ago, lbk123 said:

Hello Kenny, thanks for the quick response.

 

So you reckon the fault is with the dead battery in the key? Best bet would be to just get someone to assist as i have no clue where to start 😕

Not so, the Driver's Handbook should tell you.

 

You may also need to resynchronise your keyfob(s) to the car, again the Driver's Handbook should tell you.

 

But have you tried using the other keyfob (if you have one and its battery is good).

 

You may also want to check you haven't run the car battery down too as that can cause the computers to get their panties in a twist which could include all sorts of issues including alarm, if not now later.

 

Edited 11 November, 2021 by nta16

[johnh510]

I have recently changed the battery in one of the key fobs for my Rapid.

 

It was a CR2032 CR2025 battery*, and the biggest difficulty was getting the cover off -

I ended up using the outer end of the other key blade in the slot positions "B" as shown in the attached picture.

A little twist in alternate "B" ends until you can remove the cover by hand.

 

The battery pings out with a bit of leverage in the cut out hinted at in the picture.

 

When the key is working the red LED opposite the key release button flashes when you press a button.

 

I had no issue with alarms, but it was not my usual key with the flat battery.

 

 

If the key needs re-synchronising here's a cut and paste from the handbook:

"If the buttons on the remote control key have been depressed several times
beyond the effective range of the equipment or the battery has been replaced
in the remote control key and the vehicle cannot be unlocked with the remote
control, the key must be synchronised.
› Press any button on the remote control key.
› Unlock the door with the key in the lock cylinder within 1 minute of pressing
the button."

 

 

Regards

 

John H

 

 

* CR2032 CR2025 can be found in the £shop, or equivalent discount place, on a card with 2 or more

batteries of that size. Plus a number of CR3032's, and some CR2015's which find use in some of the books

my grandchildren enjoy.

 

Premium branded batteries may well last longer.

 

Edited 30 November, 2021 by johnh510
Wrong battery size originally posted... se also discussion below

[camelspyyder]

My rapid key takes thinner CR 2025, not the 2032?

[mydadscar]

Aha, just started having problems with my 2011 Octavia 1.6tdi and its alarm but it has happened very occasionally in the past. I lock it and walk away, a few minutes later I'm told by keener ears in the house, the alarm has sounded (briefly) but the lights are still flashing. (The car battery is 12 months old and slightly more powerful than the original).

So I've discovered the red alarm light flashing when locking on the drivers door but it then should take on a steady slower rate of flashing showing it is running okay. What is happening is that after initial locking and fast flashing, the red light stays on which appears to be when there is a fault.

On other posts here I read about quick double pressing the locking tab on the key fob which seemed to work for me sometimes.

Last night I wondered if it could be a drained key fob battery and am reading in this post to maybe change the batteries....must be done to eliminate almost everything before reaching out to Skoda!

[edbostan]

Interesting. My fob battery is the original now 8 years old: just wonder how long it will last

[nta16]

17 minutes ago, mydadscar said:

Last night I wondered if it could be a drained key fob battery and am reading in this post to maybe change the batteries

That's a basic first, and install them correctly and fully, my wife had a a remote keyfob that had had the battery changed at a Dealership service and become difficult to use I "repaired" it by just pushing the battery fully home, then as I always do I resynchronised the remote to the car.

 

Have you tried using the other remote?

 

I recommend alternating the use of remote keyfob and blade keys as this means you know where the "spare" remote or key is and that it work, it also evens out the wear on remote keyfobs, key blades, key locks and batteries.

 

If you let the remote keyfob battery go too low you will also be pressing the buttons harder and more times so also wearing out the remote keyfob quicker.

 

If you don't know what a car door key blade is ask yer dad 😁 - and read the Owner's Manual about possibly using the key blade and resynchronising.

 

[mydadscar]

1 minute ago, nta16 said:

That's a basic first, and install them correctly and fully, my wife had a a remote keyfob that had had the battery changed at a Dealership service and become difficult to use I "repaired" it by just pushing the battery fully home, then as I always do I resynchronised the remote to the car.

 

Have you tried using the other remote?

 

I recommend alternating the use of remote keyfob and blade keys as this means you know where the "spare" remote or key is and that it work, it also evens out the wear on remote keyfobs, key blades, key locks and batteries.

 

If you let the remote keyfob battery go too low you will also be pressing the buttons harder and more times so also wearing out the remote keyfob quicker.

 

If you don't know what a car door key blade is ask yer dad 😁 - and read the Owner's Manual about possibly using the key blade and resynchronising.

 

Ah, re-synchronised..hmmm........many years ago I had to buy a relacement Nissan Primera key (Ebay £12 and it worked) and found online advice how to 'match it' (is that resyncing?) to my car which was a big plus as Nissan would have charged around £70 to do it. It entailed inserting the key, changing gear, pressing a peddle etc in a direct order off the downloaded instructions, a five minute job that saved me a handful of coinage.

I shall peruse the Octavia handbook for re-syncing....cheers

[nta16]

17 minutes ago, edbostan said:

Interesting. My fob battery is the original now 8 years old: just wonder how long it will last

That does seem a very long time but perhaps you unlike my wife use the remote near the car and it is a good quality battery.  Some think a all batteries are the same (like all oils are the same and all beers are the same!!??!) and think the sheet of 100 batteries for a £1 are just as good (and who knows sometimes some just might be good).

 

As above alternating use with the "spare" also helps.

 

[nta16]

32 minutes ago, mydadscar said:

(is that resyncing?)

Not really that's, er, I've no idea of correct term so I will say initial installation (perhaps initialising, a sort of coding perhaps).

 

Anyone under the age of 30 look away now - on my wife's previous car I would almost always resynchronise the keyfob the few times I used the car as I would (shock, horror) use the keyblade in the driver's door (permanently) exposed key lock rather than using the remote, my wife always used the remote and often not when close to the car.

 

[mydadscar]

Two new Duracell batteries for both keys. The door alarm red flashing light worked very well initially but the alarm still went off after I'd gone inside the house. It has now taken half a dozen attempts to lock the car for the alarm not to trigger.

In the manual I found (on page 45).... 'When the alarm is triggered' and a reference to 'Angle of the vehicle'..see page 45 ? I think it refers to the angle of a towed vehicle in the 'NOTE' section but it isn't really that clear to understand!

Also on page 44 is a paragraph 'Syncronisation of the remote' and to do this....press any button on the remote control....and then 'pressing of the button means that the door will unlock with the key within 1 minute'.

I'm still flummoxed!

And how is the key re- coded after installing a new battery...?

[nta16]

Provided the Duracell aren't knock-off they should be fine.

 

It's just terminology, just do as Page 44 - "...  or the battery on the remote control was replaced. This means it is necessary to synchronise the code as follows:

• Press any button on the remote control.
• pressing of the button means that the door will unlock with the key within 1 minute."

I think what they mean is to resynchronise /code the key fob remote you push any button on it and (possibly, so ****-poorly written) you then within 1 minute use the key blade to unlock the door (I think) as that's what is done for my wife's Fabia - "Unlock the door with the key in the lock cylinder within 1 minute of pressing the button".  Try doing this.

 

When using the remote normally please to save battery life and not confuse the  computer programs be close to the car not the other side of the car park or street.  And it is not against the law to use the key blade, hush my mouth!  but you then have to get the key in the ignition and switched on within 15 seconds (see Page 45), oh the jeopardy, what fun, or the alarm goes off.

 

Also bear in mind when parking - "The operation of the remote control may temporarily be affected by interference from transmitters close to the car and which operate in the same frequency range (e.g. mobile phone, TV transmitter)."

 

Page 45 I think they mean the angle alarm is to prevent anyone lifting the vehicle to towing it away.

 

Also bring me too is there anything in the car that might move and set the alarm off, paper Xmas decorations waving around, you've locked a kid in there or much worst still an animal?

 

If the alarm goes off again try turning off the interior alarm bit instruction Page 45 - "Switch off the interior monitor and towing protection monitoring" or this video one of many on Octavia Mk2. -

 

 

 

Other useful videos. - 

 

 

 

Edited 22 November, 2021 by nta16

[mydadscar]

Thanks nta16….I had seen the videos which re explained the interior alarm switch ‘off’ position.

yep, Duracells from Wilko not a corner shop.

wouldn’t it be great if car manuals where clearly written and self explanatory!

[nta16]

I thought our Driver's Handbook was written by a German engineering student with him translating it to English but I think yours was done by him after a Friday night out no wonder you couldn't follow it.

 

If you have not got a scan tool another 'trick' you could try is to disconnect the car battery, and straight away with the battery disconnected turn the lights on and some other bits for a few seconds to drain the last dregs of electricity that might be in the car, turn all back off, and leave the battery disconnected for a few hours.

 

Or better still take the battery out of the car at least overnight and give the battery a long slow and low recharge.

 

When you reconnect the battery you will want to resynchronise both remote keyfobs (again) and anything else the books says needing doing after disconnecting the battery but hopefully this will reset the computers including the alarm.

 

Not always but very often, very simple and no or low cost very low tech methods can give the solution rather than the sexy, clever, look at me, special tools, high tech solutions.

 

[mydadscar]

Its a fairly new battery, replacing one that drained away while I was in lockdown elsewhere....thanks about resynchronising, thats next.

[nta16]

24 minutes ago, mydadscar said:

Its a fairly new battery, replacing one that drained away while I was in lockdown elsewhere....thanks about resynchronising, thats next.

Don't forget new or not a battery is just a store, it's like your bank account you can't keep drawing out without also putting some back in.

 

And don't replace a battery until you have tried recharging it, a long low slow recharge especially if that is how it discharged.

 

I would resynchronise (both) keyfobs even if it wasn't mentioned in the book as I prefer easy, quick and free prevention at my convenience rather than later possible remedial action which Sod's Law will be at an awkward time causing unnecessary hassle when it's cold and raining, your headaches, you're in a rush, etc., etc., etc.. 🙃

 

[mydadscar]

The battery was 10 years old, time to go!

[nta16]

Well done, very good service life compared to many/most.

 

[johnh510]

On 15/11/2021 at 12:09, camelspyyder said:

My rapid key takes thinner CR 2025, not the 2032?

I suppose nothing should surprise me by now - check before you replace...

 

Change from the 1.2 to 1.0 Model?, despite both being registered 2017 (Is yours a Toledo?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[camelspyyder]

Toledo, yes, maybe the different fob is because it's keyless entry.

[mydadscar]

On 23/11/2021 at 13:07, nta16 said:

Don't forget new or not a battery is just a store, it's like your bank account you can't keep drawing out without also putting some back in.

 

And don't replace a battery until you have tried recharging it, a long low slow recharge especially if that is how it discharged.

 

I would resynchronise (both) keyfobs even if it wasn't mentioned in the book as I prefer easy, quick and free prevention at my convenience rather than later possible remedial action which Sod's Law will be at an awkward time causing unnecessary hassle when it's cold and raining, your headaches, you're in a rush, etc., etc., etc.. 🙃

 

How is a key resynchronised?

im still getting intermittent problems with this damned alarm!

[nta16]

Stand next to the car with the remote keyfob (do one at a time to save confusion) don't be near a radio/telecommication mast or have your mobile with you just in case and be wearing tinfoil underpants.

 

• Press any button on the remote control
• then within 1 minute use the key blade to unlock the door
• that's it - done, finished
• don't forget to do the other keyfob

Did you also try turning off the interior alarm at that button to see if that worked/helped?

 

[mydadscar]

Thank you…..