Car Alarms: 1997 BMW 318ti car alarm, 1997 bmw 318ti, bmw 318ti

Question
I have recently found out that my car alarm on my 1997 BMW 318ti is suddenly going off on it's own sometimes in the middle of the night.  I have not witnessed it myself, but have been told by neighbors at my apartment complex, but apparently the alarm will go off on it's own for a minute or two and then turn off again.  Then it will make a clicking sound for a little while and then silence.  I've getting many complaints about it.  I've been told while this is happening, the parking lights flash and the alarm horn will sound.  Can you give me an idea of what's wrong with it?

Answer
It's an after market system from your description.
Probably dealership installed when
it was purchased originaly.

The shock/impact sensor seems the culprit here.
It's likely to be found under the dash area, blinking
when anything taps on the underpanel.
Locate and either unplug or turn down.
To simply disarm it, locate and use the
valet/overide switch.

To start, look under the dash area for a button or,
a toggle switch. When you locate it, turn on the
ignition key, press and hold in the button (little
spring loaded micro button, red or black possibly)
until the alarm chirps 1 time. This should over ride
the system, and only the keyless entry part,
if installed, would still be operating.
The LED (light emiting diode) light in the dash
should also go on solid.=VALET/OVERIDE

This stops the alarm except for the keyless
entry if installed. The next step is to
either remove the alarm or, try to identify,
and get new remotes for it.

But once in Valet mode, it will allow the car
to start and operate like there was no alarm at all.

Let me know how it goes.

ALARMTEK
CARALARMMAN.COM