2011 Buick Regal: Any way to turn OFF the alarm?

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I know, you're saying to yourself, "Self, why does he want to turn OFF the factory alarm?" Actually I just want to modify it; you'll see.

A few days after I bought the '11 Regal, I noticed that, if I used the actual blade-type key in the driver's door lock, the door would open, but then the horn would begin to beep and headlights flash. A press of the remote, either the lock or unlock button, stops the noise. This behavior is not the normal routine in the owner's manual. The manual says, "If there is an attempt to open the doors, trunk, or hood without first pressing [Unlock] on the transmitter or unlocking the driver door with a key, the system alarm will be activated." In other words, it still goes off even if I open the door with the key.

Now let us suppose that the battery in my remote has gone dead. I can open the car, sure, and drive it. But without the remote there is apparently no way to turn off the alarm for 30 seconds. (It only lasts that long according to the manual. I'm glad I wouldn't be driving down the street with a car that is proclaiming to all law enforcement, "Hey! This guy stole me! Hey! This guy stole me!")

Is there any way in the personalization menus to change this behavior, so that, say, the alarm does not immediately come on when I open the door with the key? Must the dealer do it (if they can)? I don't want to get rid of the alarm; if somebody jimmies the door, sure, I'd like it to go off. I'd just like it not to go off if I do something normal like opening the door with the key.

(I cross-posted this on Buickforums.com, and so far no response.)
 
Originally Posted By: HoosierJeeper
Are you sure the alarm won't turn off if you start it? That's how my Liberty and LR3 are.

No; I'll try and report back. It just seems odd that it should go off at all when you do the normal thing (well, once upon a time it was normal) of inserting key and turning to unlock.
 
Yeah, it's annoying as all get out when you have to unlock it the 1800s way and it blares off. Wish I could find a way to disable it on the LR3 since it goes through remote batteries fast. But starting both of them shuts it off immediately.
 
Simple fix... and the way it is designed... use the fob... that's what it's for.... OR don't lock it WITH THE FOB - and it won't set the alarm... ie... push lock button on door or push down lock manually.... no fix needed....

BurrWinder
 
Sounds like you just have a bad lock switch. Usually there is a switch on the back of the lock cylinder that tells the car the key is being used to unlock.
 
I'm guessing that since the key is the "secondary" or default means of access to the car, that the alarm is designed to go off. Probably the thought process being that if someone tries to "jimmy" the lock, the alarm is to go off. System probably not sophisticated enough to determine the difference between a pick and the lock, since the tumbler has no way to read the chip in the key.

You probably will have to use the fob.
 
Just checked, and the car now behaves as the manual indicates, i.e., locked with the fob (so apparently the alarm is on), opened with the key, and no alarm noises! "Most illogical!"
 
Originally Posted By: Tdbo
I'm guessing that since the key is the "secondary" or default means of access to the car, that the alarm is designed to go off. Probably the thought process being that if someone tries to "jimmy" the lock, the alarm is to go off. System probably not sophisticated enough to determine the difference between a pick and the lock, since the tumbler has no way to read the chip in the key.

You probably will have to use the fob.

Oh, I've been using it happily for 3 + years. It just seemed strange to me that the alarm would sound under a normal unlocking condition.
 
Originally Posted By: SF0059
It is a Buick... doesn't everything turn on and off with a "Clapper" like at grandma's house?

grin.gif
 
I found myself looking for similar knowledge with respects to my car's factory alarm. I was down to only 1 FOB working to lock/unlock the doors (and arm/disarm the alarm by extension), but now that working key FOB is beginning to fail as well. The car is too old for me be concerned about utilzing that blaring alarm. I just want to be able to lock the car and then unlock it and drive away, all without having the alarm alert everyone within 3 city blocks that I'm breaking into my own car.

I couldn't find any way to disable the alarm, and I am not willing to drop almost $200 for a new one that is programmed to work on my car, nor am I willing to buy some aftermarket ones off Amazon and pay to have them programmed to my car only to have them eventually go out as well, but after much less use than the OE ones (which the best case scenario I can expect with the aftermarket ones evidently.

I finally just unplugged the horns and tried it again - lock car with door button to arm alarm, unlock door with key fob key to set alarm off - and whaddya know, it worked!!

The headlights will still flash on and off as the alarm foes off, but with the horns unplugged the ear-piercing sound of the horn isn't there anymore HOORAY!
 
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