ANNOYING car alarms can keep the whole street awake if they do not turn off by themselves.
Thankfully, most modern cars will stop sounding after around 20 minutes but some older vehicles can only be turned off manually.
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Here's what you can do if your street has a got an alarm that won't give up.
Under usual circ*mstances, a car alarm would go off if the shock sensors detect move or an intrusion above its normal threshold.
The modern car alarm is made up of a computer, a receiver that responds to your key code, a loudspeaker and several different sensors.
Usually, voltage sensors are used in basic car alarms which are triggered when the voltage in the car drops suddenly, when the lights are turned on or the doors are opened.
When thealarm is switched on and a sensor receives a response, the alarm sounds and when the sensors don’t record any unusual activity, the car alarm remains active but silent and unnoticeable.
The average car alarmbattery lastsabout one year before it needs to be replaced.
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This design choice is so that is to deter thieves who may tamper with your vehicle while you are away from it for even a short time.
On occasions, cars can to continue to sound even when there’s no battery left and the car is disconnected.
If you or your neighbour have an alarm that continues to sound after it should have stopped, it is likely one of the following things is happening.
Either you are driving a vehicle that has an electronic keyless entry remote or central locking system, someone has tampered with your starter motor or it is an old car that requires a manual turn off.
In some cars, you can also press a button to turn on the car alarm manually which can very helpful if you've lost your car in a huge car park.
Most councils require both car and home alarms to automatically to turn off after 20 minutes.
If the alarm doesn’t shut off, in extreme cases the owner can be fined for continuous disturbances on multiple occasions.
The best thing to do in the case of a relentless alarm is to file a noise complaint via your local council's website.
The council can issue a warrant to get into the car or building if communicating with the owner to get it stopped fails and the alarm continues for hours, potentially keeping residents awake.
Nowadays, car alarms do normally turn off after less than 20 minutes.
But in the past, the car alarm could keep going off for a day or even until the owner turned it off.
To make sure your car alarm doesn't persist for hours in your absence bothering your neighbours, it's important to get your car regularly serviced.
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It comes as angry residents blasted a driver for keeping them up all night - after a car alarm sounded on their street for "10 hours" straight.
Neighbours living in Lansdowne Place in Brighton, East Sussex, left three furious notes on the black Audi when they woke up - threatening to pummel it for revenge.
