Auto lock on factory alarm: turn off?
 

Ok, I've been research this one for a while. My 08 came with an aftermarket alarm that was piggybacked onto the factory alarm system. I had the aftermarket alarm reprogramed through a bitwriter because I wanted to turn the chirps and auto locking off. The chirps are annoying, but the autolocking after 25 secs drives me crazy! Too easy to lock the keys in the car...

After the alarm was reprogrammed however, the auto locking did not stop. They unplugged the aftermarket alarm, and found the factory alarm was the cause of the auto-lock feature. The only time it would stop auto locking is when the factory alarm was unplugged, but then the central locking feature wouldn't work at all. The alarm installer directed me to Honda, and my local Honda dealer said they weren't sure if they could turn it off, but to book a slot (paid, of course) and they'd try to "unplug something" to see if it will turn off. Yeah, I already know that experience isn't going to turn out well.

Do all S2ks auto lock with the factory alarm? Only the late models? Or is this something that's programmable within the factory hardware?

My installer wants me to get a fob for the aftermarket alarm and he said he'll unplug the factory one, and everything will run off the aftermarket alarm with no auto-locking. I'm curious what other people's experiences are.

Pressing the unlock button on the remote will unlock the drivers door and illuminate the dome light for 30 seconds if the switch is in the center position. Pressing it twice rapidly will unlock both doors. Unless a door is opened within 30 seconds all the doors lock.

According the owner's manuals (they're all on-line) this is a feature of every S2000, not just the late models. Verified and timed it 2 minutes ago. Doors lock in exactly 30 seconds if one is not opened. Opening the trunk has no effect on this feature.

This happens if the doors start in the locked or unlocked condition, therefore to lock the car just press either the lock or unlock buttons. The only difference is the 30 second delay when you press unlock.

Everyone has heard a car alarm. No one has ever seen anyone do anything but complain about the noise. :( Aftermarket alarms are notorious for siphoning the battery dry, sometimes in just a few days.

-- Chuck

When the OEM alarm is installed by the dealer, the original key fob is replaced with the alarm key fob. The original key fob
sends commands to the keyless module, but the alarm key fob sends commands to the alarm module, which in turn sends
lock/unlock commands to the keyless module via a wire. That's the reason unhooking the alarm without substituting the
proper key fob caused the keyless entry to stop working.

Thanks for the confirmation Chuck! That's exactly what it does, didn't think to look in the manual, I got distracted by the aftermarket alarm. I was going to have it pulled, but then the shop I went to said they can kill the factory auto lock system and run it through the aftermarket alarm so the auto-lock will be disabled. I left it in to think about this option. Thinking more, and knowing this auto lock is an annoying feature in every S2k, I'll probably pull the aftermarket unit. I'm not a fan of them either, just gotta decide if I hate auto locking or having that electronic parasite in the car worse.

Thanks for sharing, I'm going to give it a shot!

Yeah, except they didn't with mine. They left the oem system hooked up with the oem fob and piggybacked the alarm to it. If they just unhooked power to the aftermarket alarm, the keyless entry still worked and it still auto-locked. These alarms are junk really, not sure if they deter any theft.

What makes you Autolock is annoying? It only happens if you dally opening a door or unintentionally butt unlock it with the key fob in your pocket say outside some tavern and you'd otherwise come out to an unlocked car.

-- Chuck

Call me a control freak :)

Seriously, I don't want automatic crap like this on my car, that's why I bought an S2k. What bugs me is the possibility of locking keys in the car when I get out to get something out of the trunk etc. I grew up in a windy place and always carry the habit of immediately shutting a car door when I get out, otherwise the wind can blow it open/off.

Disable it if you want. :)

Automatic RE-lock won't lock your keys in the car. Only auto RE-locks if (1) you unlock the car with the remote (which you can't do if the key is in the ignition) and makes no sense to do if you're opening the door with the inside door latch and (2) don't open a door in 30 seconds. I see no way you can have automatic RE-lock lock the keys in the car this way especially since you're climbing out of the car via the door meaning you opened it.

I can think of any number of ways to lock the keys inside the car but the RE-lock ain't gonna do it. It only auto-RE-locks if unlocked with the remote and no door is opened in 30 seconds.

You can lock the keys in the car by manually locking the driver's door as you exit by pulling the inside latch about 1/2 way and pressing the inside lock. But that's you that did it, not the auto RE-lock sequence activated only when unlock on the remote is pressed.

-- Chuck

@Chuck S So I did a little more testing. Typically when I'm going to my car I unlock the doors and open the trunk at the same time. Sometimes, because my garage is in a condo, I unlock the car, stick my keys in my jacket pocket, toss it in the front seat and close the door while I head back to the trunk or under the hood. In this case, the keys can easily be locked in the car. This wouldn't be an issue if I was the only one in the garage, but I try not to leave the car doors open to draw less attention to myself breaking the condo regs by working on the car.

After leaving the S sit for a month due to travel, it barely started, the aftermarket alarm had worn the battery completely down. That's the first time I've ever left it sit so long, but a month is still way too short. So I decided to pull the alarm. Still working on the final bits (see the other thread I posted in this forum), but it's an easy job. I thought it would be complicated, but it isn't.

Hopefully it goes back to standard once the extraneous alarm is removed.

I made it a habit to always have my car keys in my pants pocket, not my jacket. Many years ago a guy borrowed my jacket and left before I finished dinner. Yep, the last time my car keys were in my jacket pocket! :) (The story is much more interesting but we need a couple of beers!)

-- Chuck