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Did a moth set off my Toyota Avensis' car alarm?

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 about inside the car. I ejected him and have not had any false alarms since. Is the internal intruder sensor so sensitive that it can be activated by a moth?

Asked on 10 August 2010 by glossterline

Answered by Honest John
Yes. They can also be set off by spiders crawling over the sensors. In summer, with a window open, mirror pod spiders can get blown inside cars and trapped there. They come out to hunt for food at night.
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Solid car. Sophisticated multi-link suspension deliberately unstressed for long life. Quite quick T180 diesel from July 2006.
 

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