Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Why is turning off the alarm an option?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
From the Model S Owner's Guide: "ALARM: If ON, the horn will sound if a door or the front or rear trunk is mechanically opened by non-standard means."

Why would someone want to turn this off? "Mechanically opened by non-standard means" sounds to me like someone is trying to pry the door open. Who wouldn't want the alarm to go off in that situation?

Just curious because it seems like an odd thing to make an option.
 
1. When you're working on the car.
2. So that you can turn it off if it sticks on.
3. Installing your radar detector under the nose cone.

I fail to understand how 1 would set it off unless you're prying the thing open...which would...er...not be recommended. I suppose if the door/trunk/frunk is being serviced by Tesla Rangers, #1 makes sense.

I don't think #3 would set it off...but maybe.

#2: Seems like it would only be the result of a software bug, which could be solved by rebooting...and Tesla subsequently squashing the bug.

I dunno. Maybe it seems like it should be in a more obscure place--like on the restricted access diagnostics page for the car? >Shrug<.
 
I dunno. Maybe it seems like it should be in a more obscure place--like on the restricted access diagnostics page for the car? >Shrug<.

I'm guessing it really depends on what is meant by non-standard opening, how sensitive the alarm is, and what triggers it. For instance if it includes glass-break sensors, then if the correct sound is made, the alarm goes off. This happens with other cars--and sometimes it's just where they are parked. Turning it off is really the only cure for that situation.
 
Why would someone want to turn this off? "Mechanically opened by non-standard means" sounds to me like someone is trying to pry the door open. Who wouldn't want the alarm to go off in that situation?

My alarm went off the other day, here's what happened: Picked up my daughter from school with my wife's great aunt in the car; stopped off at the supermarket for a couple of bits and left them in the car for a few minutes. They started to feel it was too warm and the windows wouldn't open so they opened the door.....At which point they jumped and most of the car park took note.

Much easier if you turn off the alarm when someone is waiting in the car while the driver exits to do something.
 
I'm sure that if the car alarm doesn't already get triggered by motion switch's it will in future updates.
The model S does have accelerometers for other functions in the car.

In this case I will be happy if you can easy turn off the alarm, one of the first announcements on ferries is asking someone to return to their car and turn off the alarm. Never fails.

but at the moment I think it's mainly for prying doors and windows open to remove valuables. Or if the windows are down that the alarm goes off if someone reaches in to open the door form the inside handle.
 
I've never found car alarms to be useful for much of anything. People ignore them or are annoyed by them, but they don't stop someone who knows what they are doing. I especially don't like my car honking the horn as a signal for anything. I'd much rather have the alarm response go to my phone app and not have any audio indicator.
 
My alarm went off the other day, here's what happened: Picked up my daughter from school with my wife's great aunt in the car; stopped off at the supermarket for a couple of bits and left them in the car for a few minutes. They started to feel it was too warm and the windows wouldn't open so they opened the door.....At which point they jumped and most of the car park took note.

OK, so I guess the description in the Owner's Guide is a bit of a simplification. Opening the door from the inside with the doors locked doesn't seem to be what I would consider "mechanically opening the doors by non-standard means". Seems to me this is an issue that should be fixed in a future software update.
 
OK, so I guess the description in the Owner's Guide is a bit of a simplification. Opening the door from the inside with the doors locked doesn't seem to be what I would consider "mechanically opening the doors by non-standard means". Seems to me this is an issue that should be fixed in a future software update.

From the car's perspective, someone reaching through an open window (or using a tool through a cracked window or a jimmy-bar down into the door itself) would be the same as someone opening a locked door from the inside.
 
Interesting, didn't realize that. So does this basically mean that if you're the driver, and you're going to leave the car with some other folks in it, you should always leave the FOB in the car with them?

Well you can always turn Auto lock on walk away off. The car won't lock and the alarm won't be set when you leave with the fob. Of course you then need to push the fob button to lock the car and set the alarm just like most other cars.