NEED HELP W/ FACTORY ALARM REMOTE...

[firebird99]

The remote to my factory alarm is on the brink. I noticed it was harder to arm and disarm a few days ago. Then a couple nights ago it would not disarm and I ended up having to open the door w/ the key and drive home w/ my alarm going on & off and lights flashing.(It's not the battery because I put in a new one when the problem started.) So I opened the remote and wiped off the contacts(the black dots behind the buttons) w/ a rag and the remote started working again but only for about a day. Is there a better way to clean these off or is it time to hit the dealer up for a new remote? Anyone else have this problem? [img]graemlins/toto.gif[/img]

[Andy H]

you could try some kind of contact cleaner but I would probably just get a new remote.
BTW. you can get some CRC contact cleaner at home depot in the electrical section if you want to try that.

[Matt-MAN]

Ok, here is my thoughts.... First off, you should have TWO remotes. :) Try the other first to confirm that it IS the remote. After all, it could be the alarm unit. I know on the after-market alarm systems, you have an antenna wire. I understand that if the antenna wire touches ground, it stops picking up anything. Makes sense. So if it's not the remote, then check that out. You mentioned that you drove it home with the alarm going off??? Wait a second!! I know on my car, the alarm turns off as soon as I put the key in the ignition and switch it on. If your car has the "Chip" on the key, then it should be the same way. That might cause me to consider the possibility that the alarm itself was malfunctioning.
Ok, you said you replaced the battery, did you clean the battery contacts? I'd suggest using a piece of sandpaper on the battery contacts if you see ANY corrosion. Also, make sure the spring is tight against the battery so that it's making good contact. Finally, replacing the battery doesn't mean the new battery is "Good". The one thing I hate about watch-style batteries is that the ones you buy up town are almost NEVER as good as the origional battery. You never know how long that thing sat on a shelf somewhere either.
If it were me, I'd use gater clips to attach a 1.5 volt AA battery to the remote to confirm that it's getting sufficient power. Or check the battery with a voltmeter.

If you go to the dealer for a remote, you will probably pay a hefty price. Call and get a price and then check ebay and maybe even a junkyard. Ebay auction has the price around $5-$10. Most any GM remote should work. And setting it to your car isn't hard. I think all I had to do was put the key in my ignition, switch it on and then hold the unlock and lock buttons at the same time. Or something silly like that. It's in the owners manual I think. Anyhow, that's my $.02 for what it's worth.
-Matt

[Mister_Johnny99]

Forget about the remote.
Once you put the key in ignition, the alarm should disarm.
You got a problem with the system.