What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Did you know that moths can cause in-car alarm sensors to activate?

I have a Golf TDi that I have owned for just over four years, my third Golf, all of which have been totally trouble free. I have never experienced this in any of them or any other car for that matter. Whilst parked on my drive the alarm activated two or three hours after dusk and for the next two evenings. I checked the windows, doors and closed the air vents just in case it was the wind that was doing it. I could not find the reason for the activations and when I reset the alarm it would activate one or two hours later. On the morning of the third day, sitting in the car baffled as to the cause, I put on the screen air vents on to clear the screen and up popped a moth. After removing the moth from the car, the alarm has been trouble free.

Asked on 18 February 2012 by PS, via email

Answered by Honest John
Usually, it's spiders crawling over the sensors. Never heard of a moth before.
Similar questions
Why does my 2002 Vauxhall Astra's alarm keep going off for no reason at all?
The car alarm sounded one night in my Toyota Avensis with no sign of external disturbance. The same happened the following night, and as I used the remote to silence the system I noticed a large moth fluttering...
How do I temporally disable alarm while my dog is in the vehicle?
Related models
Plenty of second-hand choice, excellent cabin quality, efficient petrol and diesel engines.
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer