Alarm Activation
 

Hey guys, I feel silly for having to ask this, but for some reason I can't activate my alarm on my Limited BRZ. I'm starting to think that I just don't have a factory alarm for some reason, even though I do have a Limited.

The procedure that I got from the manual, as well as from here:

1. Both doors and trunk closed
2. Lock doors using armest button (most people say this isn't necessary, but some said to do it, and I'm willing to try anything)
3. Push start button twice (without pushing in the clutch) to get into ON mode
4. Push the unlock button on the armrest and quickly open the door
5. Hold the door open with the unlock button held down for 10-20 seconds

Supposedly this should make the horn honk once and display Al-On on the display. None of this happens and I just sit there for 30+ seconds, with the door open, just to make sure.

Any ideas?

They all have it -- it's not something that yours can 'not have.'

It does need to be enabled when the car is delivered. Most likely, your dealer skipped that step in the PDC. You'll probably have to ask them to fix it.

I also had some trouble enabling the alarm on my car. It took me a few times but I found that it worked when I did all the steps in one fluid motion with no pauses in between the steps.

Yeah the key for me was not to wait very long between the time where you start holding down the unlock button and open the door and continue to hold it.

If you wait too long before you open the door it doesn't work.

Off, ACC, On and Start are modes for the push button start. Without the clutch or brake pressed, hit the start button twice and then go through the steps and it should work.

Worked for me but wasn't seeing either the Al-On display in the dash nor hearing the honk.
All I see is the red "lock" sign flashing in the dash once activated when you shut off engine.

Then I suspect that your alarm system is NOT activated.

The initial flashing merely indicates that the Engine Immobilizer is activated. This system is on all cars, with or without the Subaru alarm.

If the alarm system is ON, then AFTER locking the car, the red lock symbol in the instrument cluster will light STEADILY for 30 seconds, NOT flashing, following locking the car. After this initial 30 seconds, then the lock symbol will begin flashing.

Obviously, this requires visual confirmation following locking the car.

One way to test your alarm to confirm that it is ACTIVATED and ON is to open a window, close the doors, lock the car, remove the key from the vicinity of the car so it is no longer sensed by the car, then return to the car, reach through the open window and unlock the car and open the door. If your alarm is activated, the alarm should sound. If not, then the alarm has not been set.

The "trick" to activating the alarm system is to open the door IMMEDIATELY after first pressing the UNLOCK button. Any delay will result in a failed attempt to set the alarm.

Note: The factory default for the alarm system is OFF. The alarm system is standard on the 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited model only.

Note 2: Read the back of the Subaru Owner's Manual to see a long list of custom tailored options that your dealer can electronically set; these settings are not directly available to the end user.

Just confirmed that the dealership DID arm the alarm like I asked them to; thanks.

From Lee358 who may or may not have gotten it from another post.
So credit is due to whoever actually discovered this:


If anyone has yet to be able to do it here are the steps:

1) Get in the car

2) press the start/stop button two times, with makes the car to be in the start position (all your dash lights light up)

3) Lock the car with the physical button on the door

4) Press the unlock button on the door and open the door while still pressing the unlock door button.

5) Still pressing the unlock button, wait about 10 seconds, the car will beep once for activated and twice for deactivated and the information panel in the cluster will say either "AL on" or "AL off"

This worked for me when I did it last night.

just to clarify, what's this "physical button on the door" and "unlock button on the door" ? same or different?

So that was what confused me before and why these directions helped more for me personally. The physical button on the door is the actual lock itself. The one you manually move - not the button that controls it. Usually when you unlock a door from your door - you just push the unlock button which moves the actual lock. This wants you to manually move the lock itself (the red switch thing closest to the window)Does that makes sense? lol (it doesn't when I read it out loud)

So - step 3 - lock the car manually by moving the red knob/switch/tab [whatever you wanna call it] -
step 4 - then push the unlock button and keep it held while you open the door.

Hope this helps lol. I can take photos if you need more clarification.

None of these work unless im retarded. Any videos on how to do this?? :bonk:

Sorry just double checking, but do you have a limited?

I don't think the premium has the alarm feature. I've done this on at least 4+ other brzs now lol

Video please, yes i have limited :bonk: