{"id":171598,"date":"2025-05-27T21:25:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T04:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogv2prod.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=171598"},"modified":"2025-08-08T18:51:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T01:51:27","slug":"what-does-a-car-alarm-look-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-car-alarm-look-like\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does a Car Alarm Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><style>.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column171598_e81509-5c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column171598_e81509-5c inner-column-1 qk-look-widget\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-row ultp-block-6f4d68  qk-main-wrap\"><div class=\"ultp-row-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-row-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-column ultp-block-968490\"><div class=\"ultp-column-wrapper\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98\"]{text-align:center;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-family:Inter;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"kt-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98 summary-title wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading171598_8d23d5-98\"><span>Summary<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A car alarm has different electronic components that are wired to the lights on the dashboard and windshield, as well as car horns.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are three car alarm types: active car alarms, passive car alarms, and two-way car alarms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Car alarms alert drivers when people attempt to break into or damage the vehicle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Car alarms are all classified as antitheft systems, but not all antitheft systems include a car alarm.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does A Car Alarm Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A: A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/installing-a-new-car-alarm-in-your-vehicle-a-brief-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"car alarm\">car alarm<\/a> has different electronic components that are wired to the lights on the dashboard and windshield, as well as car horns. The lights activate and the horn sounds to indicate the alarm is armed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Car Alarm Types<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A car alarm by definition makes noise and flashes lights when triggered; thus, where a car alarm is concerned, there is no alarm if no sound is made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are three basic alarm types to keep an eye out for: active car alarms, passive car alarms, and two-way car alarms. While they all alert drivers when someone is breaking into their vehicle, they differ in how they&rsquo;re set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Active Car Alarms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Active car alarms require the driver to press a button to lock the doors and activate the alarm system. This means drivers will need to manually set the alarms to ensure that they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"pro-tip-widget\">\n\n    <div class=\"pro-tip-item\">\n        <figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/f_auto,dpr_auto,q_auto,c_pad\/carparts\/blog\/widgets\/protip\/services-icon\" alt=\", P0442 Code: Evaporative Emission Control System Leak Detected (Small Leak)\" class=\"kb-img\"><\/figure>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"protip-desc\">\n        <div class=\"help-tip\">\n        <p><strong>Pro Tips<\/strong> are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"help-caption\">\n            <p>\n                <strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong>\n                Typically when the doors are locked either with the key, the inside switch, or the fob, the system will be armed and there may be a flashing light on the dash to warn would-be thieves.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Passive Car Alarms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike active car alarms, passive car alarms automatically lock the doors of the vehicle as soon as the driver turns off the ignition and closes the doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Two-Way Car Alarms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two-way car alarms are an advanced type of alarm that transmits information from the car to a remote. This allows drivers to activate and deactivate the alarms as well as lock and unlock the doors from far away via key fobs or even a cell phone app.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These fobs typically come with LCD screens that alert drivers when someone is too close, trying to break in, or if the alarm has been triggered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"article-search-widget\">\n<div class=\"cp-search\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/w_auto,dpr_auto\/carparts\/blog\/wordpress_assets\/CP_LOGO_COLOUR_RGB_Blue\" alt=\"CarParts.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"56\">\n<\/div>\n<form id=\"cpsearchform\" name=\"cpsearchform\" action=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/search\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\" accept-charset=\"character_set\" aria-label=\"search CarParts.com\">\n    <input type=\"text\" class=\"keyword\" name=\"q\" placeholder=\"Search for parts on CarParts.com\" value=\"\" aria-label=\"Search CarParts.com\"><input type=\"submit\" class=\"btn-search\" value=\"Search\" aria-label=\"Search\">\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Makes Car Alarms Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Car alarms alert drivers when people attempt to break in or damage the vehicle. They&rsquo;re an excellent deterrent for would-be thieves and vandals, making them an integral part of any vehicle&rsquo;s security system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Car Alarms vs Antitheft Systems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&rsquo;s important to distinguish between &ldquo;car alarms&rdquo; and &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/security-alarm-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"antitheft systems\">antitheft systems<\/a>&rdquo; because while they&rsquo;re not exactly the same, there&rsquo;s quite a bit of overlap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Car alarms are all classified as antitheft systems, but not all antitheft systems include a car alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And where antitheft systems are concerned, there are passive antitheft systems that prevent the vehicle from starting (chip in the key or fob). These don&rsquo;t have an alarm; they&rsquo;re just used to make it impossible to start the vehicle without a programmed key or fob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then there are perimeter antitheft systems that will trigger an audible alarm and flash the headlights if the hood, trunk, or any of the doors are opened after the system is armed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while practically every production car for the past 30 years has had passive antitheft to prevent the car from being started and driven away by a thief without a programmed key, only some platforms have perimeter antitheft and those that have both systems are somewhat rarer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not all perimeter antitheft systems will be triggered by vehicle movement or by the breaking of a window, so there&rsquo;s that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typically the systems with motion sensors or glass breakage triggers are only found on aftermarket systems or high end platforms.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>What Does A Car Alarm Look Like? A: A car alarm has different electronic components that are wired to the&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-car-alarm-look-like\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1651,"featured_media":171602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1034,52,3758],"tags":[3808,3807,4511,4376],"ppma_author":[2607,2985],"class_list":["post-171598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-auto-repair","category-diy","category-electrical-system","tag-alarm-control-unit","tag-alarm-siren","tag-back-up-alarm","tag-security-alarm-system","entry"],"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Does a Car Alarm Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what a car alarm looks like and its different types in this article.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-car-alarm-look-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Does a Car Alarm Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn what a car alarm looks like and its different types in this article.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-car-alarm-look-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-28T04:25:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-09T01:51:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kinds-of-car-alarms.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1364\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CarParts.com Research Team, Richard McCuistian, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarPartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CarParts.com Research Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-car-alarm-look-like\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-car-alarm-look-like\\\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"$id\":\"1651\",\"name\":\"CarParts.com Research Team\",\"jobTitle\":\"Expert Automotive Writer\",\"description\":\"The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. 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Richard has worked for nearly 50 years in the automotive field as a professional technician, an instructor, a freelance automotive writer for Motor Age, ACtion magazine, Power Stroke Registry, and others (published every year since May 2000). He has developed training courses and written or edited training material for companies in the U.S. Canada, and the Netherlands, and even Bulgaria. He maintained an \u201cask a mechanic\u201d website for 10 years answering questions emailed to him from all over the world.\r\n\r\nRichard has an instructional automotive YouTube channel \u201cMcCuistian\u201d with 13,500 subscribers and over 1,300 videos. Much of his professional work requires photography and videography in shop environments, but Richard also enjoys taking pictures of landscapes, skyscapes, old barns and houses, small towns. He has produced a coffee table book of digital watercolors called \u201cMemories of South Alabama\u201d created from his personal photos, along with a dozen Christian fiction short original novels and a collection of short stories, all available in Kindle or softcover format. Richard has written a 2,500-word Bible study every week for the past 20 years and uses it to teach a small group at his church every Sunday morning.\r\n\r\n<strong>Credentials:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"author-list\">\r\n<li><p>ASE Certified for more than 30 years in 10 categories, including L1 Advanced Engine Performance and Light Vehicle Diesel.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Professional Mechanic\/Technician for 25 years with experience on diesel and gasoline engines, vehicles and equipment (including hydraulics).<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Spent 5 years in fleet maintenance, 20 years in independent shops and dealerships (VW, Mazda, Renault, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln), specializing in driveability and electronics for the last 14 years of his career at the same dealership.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Senior Contributing Editor at Motor Age Magazine, first published in Motor Age in May of 2000 and every year since. He has won two International Automotive Media Awards for technical articles published in trade magazines.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Has attended hundreds of hours of automotive training from OEMs including GM, Volkswagen, Mazda, Renault, Jeep, Chrysler, as well as additional training at events like KC Vision and MACS (Mobile Air Climate Systems Association).<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Taught college level auto mechanics for 19 years.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Has written for automotive training companies (including course development work for training companies in Canada and the Netherlands) and has been hired to teach professional trade show technician courses at multiple training events in Texas and Alabama.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>While still teaching at the college level, Richard launched a new automotive program in Geneva, Alabama, setting up a dual enrollment department in a new building, organizing the shop and classroom, teaching morning classes to high school students for 2 years while still teaching at the college in the afternoon.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Richard\u2019s college program at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College worked at professional shop speed during his tenure to prepare graduates for production level work in the real world.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171598"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=171598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}