Topic

Our F has developed a problem with the Alarm System, making the car unusable

-The dashboard LED remains constantly On
-Will not Lock / Unlock or Arm / Dissarm the Alarm system using the Fob
-If a door is opened then the LED on the dashboard flashes at 1 sec On / Off, other than that there's no change in the LED
-Door locks / unlocks manually with the key

- If key is turned to start position then the warning sounds

The story so far....
-Battery changed in the Fob, but unable to Lock / Unlock / Synchronise or anything with the Alarm system

-Clutching at straws now....... Batteries changed in ALL the spare Fobs.........Still no joy

Could this be water ingress following the rain, but never happened before (the problem, not the rain)
No more Fobs.....No more batteries......No more ideas

We don't want to end up with a sunny day only car, as we use(d) it all year

Help please

This is a good starting point How to..
You should lock the car with the key and press unlock on The fob until it unlocks.
Also check your boot hinge loom for broken wires.

Hi and welcome to the forum

Sorry to read about your problems.

Where abouts are you?

If local I can plug in my scanner and have a look.

James

Thanks for the reply.
The offer of the scanner is really appreciated, the problem is that we're down in the SW, but it's the SW of France.

I'll be in NE Spain in August.

Clutching at straws, I'd sort of convinced myself that the (possible) damp problem might have dried out by now, but just checked and the problem remains the same.

As usual, when it was working I didn't take note, but is the LED supposed to flash, or remain constant, when the system's working properly please ?

I have heard of this problem, behind the center console under the heater controls there is a little box of tricks forgotten what it is called but there are some electrical box's in there, I am sure this is what caused the problem I heard about, maybe worth a look, any damp can cause havoc with it, hope this helps you out, good luck and have a great Christmas.

Graham1,
I've got various "black box" bits coming over, so as I open the F up, I'll check for signs of damp, before changing anything.
Cheers and thanks for the help.

Hi,
After locking the car, the red indicator on the instrument panel will rapidly flash whilst the alarm system arms.

After 10 seconds the indicator light adjusts to a slower frequency, about 1 to 2 times a second. This acts as a deterrent and shows that the alarm is armed.
When the car is unlocked, the indicator ceases to flash.

Your fob may need re synchronising with the car, so;
Unlock the car with the key
Press the handset lock button at least 4 times, or until the door locks operate. The fob should then work normally.

Failing that, check the wiring loom in the boot around the left hand hinge. Take off the trunking and any tape covering and check it out. It is a very common problem, one that I have experienced and repaired.

Cheers
David

Check the fuse under the bonnet that controls the cdc system.

We had a problem similar last year and it was a combination of broken wire in boot loom, something in the passenger door mechanism and a blown fuse in there.

your welcome, I had near enough the same problem and it turned out to be the wiring on the left-hand side of the boot just under the hinge, 3 of the wires where broken, it is a pain to get too but it is worth a try. there are so many things it can be, it is a challenge, now you now why we do it for the love of it, you really could do with a computer readout, that way you won't be guessing, that would save all the hassle. this is the first mgtf I have ever worked on, and if it wasn't for the advice I got from everyone on here I would still be stuck, but once you get the gist of the car you will find it a breeze, again good luck.

if this only happened when you changed the battery in the fob, it just needs resetting, follow to the T everything the lads tell you about resetting it, all should be well.