Indicator lights/alarm

Hi all

I have a 1990 mk2 gti 16v - all been running fine no issues until this evening.

stopped the car and all indicator lights were on and would not go off even with key out of the ignition. Put key in started the car and tried to turn on the indicator and the internal light stayed on, no ticking, and indicators did not flash at all. Also alarm stopped engaging with the fob and central locking not working. Also lopemed bonnet and the alarm went off and would not turn off at the fob so I disconnected at the battery. Indicators had drained the battery in a few hours before alarm went off

 

Is this a period original alarm/immobiliser that was installed back in the day?

If it is, I would recommend you rip that thing out.

I had one in mine and ripped it out to avoid this kind of thing - it was no harm as the standard of the install was complete garbage.

 

It’s a scorpion alarm been in the car years before I took ownership of it and was working fine. So I don’t know if something drained the battery and caused the indicators to go funny or the alarm caused everything first and then went off

 

Does sound like an alarm issue. Get searching for the wiring of it. There will be some fuses to it all taped up in the loom normally near the alarm control unit itself. Pull these out and see if it cures it. But as above, rip the bloody thing out

 

Thanks yes I saw a fuse on cables going to the alarm. If it has to go it has to go but I did kinda like opening the car with a fob rather than key but if I need to get a modern alarm to replace I will get one fitted

 

Alarms will sound if the battery is flat. I think its because they sense someone is trying to tamper with the car

 

Pull the fuse and let it have a rest..... refit the fuse and se eif it is happier. The shame is nowadays there isn't much choice for aftermarket alarms, so hopefully yours will be fine. Give me a Toad AI606 alarm any day

 

Hi everyone so the auto electrician says it’s the alarm and removed it completely, but now the central locking has a problem. From the driver door using the key it unlocks all doors and as the key returns to the middle position all the doors except the driver door locks again straight away. Anyone had this or k ow how this could happen - the auto electrician was quite happy handing me back the car like this which I have challenged being I assume the petrol flap will also have locked again if every other door has ? Not a happy bunny .

 

Not seen or heard of that before and that is weird behaviour - if it opens, it opens and that should be it, nothing closes until you lock the door again.

I had one episode in my old 16V, where I was literally driving and the central locking was opening and closing while I was driving - it only did it once and I never found the reason for it.

 

I’m wondering if because the battery was disconnected for almost a week if the central locking needs to re train itself - it says in the workshop manual that you should spend and shut several times if not used for a while. That’s a guess of course, but I’m taking it away tomorrow regardless

 

It's worth a go for sure and see if that sorts it.

 

Hi everyone so I have the car back after a week. So the scorpion alarm is completely gone from the car and the auto electrician was trying to give me the car back with the central locking not working so challenged this. He also was trying to tell me it had non standard central locking and electric windows but I knew it had both from new from Vw. Anyway long story short the scorpion alarm had a door motor that sat on the Vw central locking in the driver door and controlled the mechanism with rods, so when he tried to open the doors without the alarm it resisted and pushed al the locks closed again becoase it had no power. Door card off and removed the electronic motor and rods and everything works as it should so happy bunny. No alarm anymore which isn’t too big a deal I guess but alarms are expensive so may go for some crude method of protection. Anyway the auto electrician said most thieves know how to bypass alarms and that I should just fit a concealed kill switch. Said there’s no many ways to stop the car starting and so many places to conceal it’s better than an alarm for theft. What’s everyone’s thoughts on this ?

 

Quick and free method remove the rotor arm when parked.

 

Having to pop the bonnet and remove the rotor arm when parking up is just ballache - I'm inclined to agree with you regarding a concealed kill switch it's a better and more convenient option.

 

I'd a few MK2's in the late '80's and early '90's... things were a bit more innocent then, so this'll likely fool no one today, but I'd a second fog light or rear window demister switch wired to be a cut out / swopped in for one of the blanks.

 

... and yes I did occasionally get it wrong and kill the engine while driving.