Classic Sigma alarm problem !!!!
 

Guys,

I have just purchased a Uk classic wagon as a run around and as many of you will be aware there was a problem with these alarms which was fixed under warranty for anyone who had problems at the time. The problem basically was that the alarm worked on the same frequency as police stations and radio masts, so consiquently if you parked near these your alarm key fob didint work and the car wouldnt start. Push the car away for the source and evrything worked fine. The warranty fix comprised of shielding the alarms brain apparently.

Obviously all classics are well out of warranty now and I was wondering what would be the cheapest way to sort this problem now ? I have been into my local Subaru dealer who tells me they can send the brain of the alarm away and get it shielded or upgraded bla bla bla which sorts the problem for £130.

Can anyone suggest how I can fix it cheaper ? Dont like paying for something which was a fault on those cars but because the origional owner didnt bother making the claim I now have to pay for it.

Any suggestions ????

Ricky !

Although posted before, it's probably worth posting again for anyone new to the forum and to give some background to Radio Lock-out for anyone else who may be suffering from this.....

Radio Lock Out:
All alarm systems manufactured for use in the UK in ’99 were required to operate on the frequency of 433MHz. Subsequently, in late 2000, the government allowed the introduction of the “Tetra” radio network for telecommunications companies, the military, police, fire and ambulance services etc, which was allocated the 420-430MHz bandwidths.

Although not exactly the same frequency, these “Tetra” transmitters are licensed and so are allowed to operate at around 20,000 watts, compared with the alarm systems 0.5 watt radio key (necessary so that your radio keys remain exempt from annual licensing fees!)

As a result, when you are near a transmitting “Tetra” mast you can get a degree of “bleed over” as their signal is so much stronger and this can swamp the transmission from the radio key.

This problem is not exclusive to this system and can occur on any number of manufacturers systems produced prior to 2001.

The receiver boards were redesigned to focus more accurately on the 433.92HHz frequency as soon as this problem became evident, however, systems manufactured before 2001, with the older receiver boards that may have experienced this problem, are not faulty and were not considered eligible for warranty.
However, as a goodwill measure, customers who suffered from “exceptional” radio lock-out (ie lived or worked below a mast) were offered an upgraded receiver board whilst the vehicle was still within the warranty period.

This goodwill period was extended for a further 12 months after the 3 year warranty period expired, but ended in December 2004.
The later ECUs are available from Subaru, but these are now chargeable (part number SACC 3465 and will be IRO £70). If the problem only occurs occasionally then getting to grips with the PIN overide is your most cost effective option, but if it is a regular occurance then the the convenience may be worth the £70.

Avoidance:
There are a few points that should be remembered:

- All vehicles that passed through the import centre from January 2001 are equipped with the latest receiver boards that are "Tetra Resistant" and so should not experience this problem.

- A keypad is fitted to ALL models with the UK standard fit alarm system (from 99 MY) as an emergency override, in the event of loss, damage, flat radio key battery etc. (The keypad also allows the driver to access a number of features and is a complete programming tool for the dealers) and so pushing/recovery of vehicle’s should not be necessary provided you know your override PIN and ow to operate the keypad.

- The keypad can NOT be affected by "Radio Lock-Out", as it is hard wired into the system and does not rely on a radio transmission.

Keypad Use:
- The keypad allows only THREE PIN attempts and then will "Lock Up" if an incorrect number is entered a third time. This is a secuity feature to prevent random attempts at steeling the vehicle, however, it is also an inconvenience if you are suffering "Radio Lock Out" and enter your PIN incorrectly.

- The PIN number should not be entered too quickly or too slowly - when a digit has been pressed the small LED built into the keypad will illuminate briefly as confirmation and only then should the next digit be entered.

If an incorrect digit is pressed or the delay between entering digits exceeds10 seconds, then the LED above the keypad will flash rapidly and the PIN attempt should be aborted and started again after 30 seconds.

Due to the small size of the keypad some users may find a rubber tipped pencil easier to use. DO NOT use the sharp tip of a ball point pen etc, or press excessively hard on the keypad as this will only damage the membrane and cause a digit to remain pressed, causing a continual incorrect PIN.

Summary:
My advice is to read the alarm system's instruction manual and practice entering the PIN before you need it. If you do not know your PIN, or bought the car second hand (in which case the PIN may have been changed by the previous owner) you can change the PIN to one of your own choosing, using the keypad, provided that you have a working Radio Key.

Changing your PIN:
- Arm and then Disarm the system using a working Radio Key.
- Within 30 seconds of disarming, type into the keypad: *17856*92*wxyz*wxyz# (where wxyz is your new PIN code)
- Arm the system with the Radio Key
- You should now be able to disarm the system using the new PIN code

Ensure your keypad is operational before you need it on a dark night!
If this is an intermitent problem, use of the keypad should overcome the problem. However, if the problem is more frequent it may be worth considering a new control unit - An SACC 3465 should cost in the region of £70 from a Subaru dealer and your existing keys can still be used.
Although installation may take around 30 minutes, do not pay over the odds for programming the system, as this can be done in 5 minutes using the keypad.

Sorry that this is such a long-winded post, but I hope that it answers the questions raised and will keep everyone mobile.
SS

Wow !!!!!

Sam...... many many thanks for your reply. It has answered anything I need to know. We dont have the problem very often and as we bought the car second hand we have no instruction booklet or indeed the origional keypad code. But after having a quick read over your post I believe I can now get around this. Will try to change the PIN later when my finance gets home from work. Me thinks you have just saved me £130....... Ha !

Regards and thanks again Sam !

Cheers !

Ricky !

i have an aftermarket m30 fitted to my my94 wrx which was fitted summer 2004, i am having similar problem but with cold, remotes refuse to work when temp is cold.
occasionally when i start car i get one chirp from siren, am i right in thinking this is a low car battery warning?
would a low battery on car stop alarm from working as this is starting to annoy me and my neighbours having to set alarm off to use override every morning if this cant be sorted i see no choice but to fit new alarm system that works...

All Sigma M30 systems, whether aftermarket or OE fitment, manufactured from 2001 have the later receiver boards that are resistant to "Radio Lock-out", so unless the system you had fitted in 2004 had been sitting on someones shelf for a very long time I doubt this is the same problem.
Just to try and get a rough age of your system, do your remotes have the round "screw down" battery cover on the rear (AC38) or are they the later type with three led sections at the end of the remote and the sigma stickers on both sides (AC110)?
If the siren chirps when cranking the engine, then this is an indication of low vehicle battery voltage. This is always more apparent at this time of year due to the increased current required by the starter motor to turn over a cold engine. Obviously the alarm unit itself ideally requires 12v to operate, including the receiver, however, if you have enough battery power to turn the engine over then there should be plenty for the alarm to operate, so I doubt that the vehicles low battery voltage is the sole reason for the remotes playing up.
Have you tried replacing the batteries in the remotes themselves? If so, and this didn't help, then it may be the systems aerial connection/location that is the cause of the problem.

SS

i have been in contact with a guy at tg21 which is the new toad/sigma company he has confirmed the serial number on my unit as a new/sheilded alarm, i do have the three led remotes and also have fitted new batteries, i reckon it is just duff, it has gradually got worse and now the remotes dont do anything, also looking inside the unit all solder joints and pcb connections look fine nothing burnt and no tabs lifted so i will probably just have to buy new alarm

Just wanted to say a thanks for this info!!!!!!!!

My '01 WRX has been having a nightmare locking in Oxford of late. so I've ordered a new unit from the dealer, and all the work should come in at under £150.

thanks for this very important info

At the moment my keypad is flashing when im driving it ,after i got lockd out near a transmitter last saturday night andwas towed home (saveda gallon of fuel :D:D)

and as soon as i got it home the alarm worked but what my worry was that the keypad would not respond to my code being tapped in thus a breakdown call

Its a MY00 Do you think the unit is on its way out?

hi mate ive been having a problem with the alarm fitted on my my99 impreza, when the car is opened without disarming the alarm only the indicators flash but the alarm sounder unit makes no sound! is it possible that the alarm sounder itself has been turned off somehow using the keypad if so is there a code or something that can be entered to reactivate it?
its really starting to bug me now knowing that some scumbag could try and steal my car without me hearing!

It's likely to be a faulty siren. On a cat 1 alarm you generally cannot turn the siren off completely.

took off the siren today and the battery inside was badly corroded and had damaged the circuit board!! does anyone know of anywhere i could get a new siren for it? all i know is its a sigma alarm but havnt got a clue about the model!

Subaru or Sigma will be able to supply you with a new one. At a guess it will probably be around the £50 mark

in nthe past ive had a toad alarm fitted for about £120.00 by a friend with his own business who used to work for toad

a cat 1 was about £180.00


before u ask he is in fife,scotland

you have lost me :wonder:

the guy is looking for info on a sigma siren so where did toad come from ?:)

basically trying to say sigma are not too good and that I have always gone for a toad being as the guy is already talking about spending £50.00 ...

Sigma and Toad are the same company.

More problems with the alarm today on a a MY00

light is flashing in the glovebox most of the time when driving


keypad will not operate when type in code


went of 4 times today in the car park at work


Do you think after 8 years its dying

is there a subaru system or do i ring a few alarm companys and get a new system installed ?

which are the best for the money as its garaged everynight and park only once a week at work in my reserved place so pretty safe

Can you bypass the alarm all together ? -

sounds like your pin is wrong and the alarm has locked you out of using the keypad.

Cost of a replacement system from subaru is likely to be £120-£150. This is only for the main brain of the alarm so it is quite expensive.

A local alarm installer will probably be able to supply a complete alarm system for £200-£300 fitted.

Managed to bypass an alarm before so the answer is yes. Altho it was only temp before a different alarm was fitted.

These guys Car Xtreme Security supply sigma remotes/ and accessories.

I have had my wrx for 4 weeks and has fitted an AC110. After unlocking / disabling the alarm I have about 30 secs to start the car. If not started it is again immobilised. I do not have the code for the keypad but if I change it using the instructions above would enterring the code allow me to start the car without having to arm/unarm the system using the keyfob?

Sorry to bring up a very old thread, but having these issues on my recent purchased early '01 bugeye. Guessing its alarm system predates the shielded pcb upgrade.

Haven't got a sigma ac38 owners manual, but have my code.....need to know the procedure for disarming the alarm using the keypad?

Same problem on mine in certain places.

When the car is alarmed - use the key to manually open the door.

This will set the alarm off.

Open the keypad drawer and enter your 4 digit pin code - nothing else. Any incorrect attempts and you'll have to start again mate :) You should then have approx 30 seconds to turn the key in the ignition before the immobiliser kicks in again.

You can enter the pin code with the keys in the first position and then fully turn to start after the pin has been accepted.

Hope that helps!

Jai

Can the siren on my99 be changed is it just a plug and play ?

It can be changed but it has to be Sigma SN30 siren

Paul.

Yea got one from main dealer much better than old one 70.00 fitted and working sweet