When the subject of spiritual car alarms inevitably comes up, the discussion is always polarized. One group believes that motion-activated alarms don’t have intrinsic meaning and are only coincidentally spiritual experiences; the other group maintains that all things in life have inherent meaning.
The truth probably lies somewhere in between. A cursory examination of both sides reveals some interesting points. Whether we like to admit it or not, those purposeless beeping melodies known as car alarms go off all the time. In fact, they go off nearly once every 90 seconds in the United States.
While this number can seem both surprising and shocking, there are many underlying meanings that arise surrounding this occurrence. In this article, I hope to uncover the deeper meaning of car alarm sounds When a car alarm goes off, it is a warning. It is telling you that something is not right.
It is telling you to pay attention and to be careful. If you hear a car alarm going off, recognize that this may be a sign from your spirit guides that something is out of balance in your life—that there are things that need to change or be adjusted. If the car alarm goes off repeatedly and won’t stop, it could be a sign that you need to take action now!
Your spirit guides are urging you to do something differently—or they may even be urging you to move on entirely. If the car alarm goes off when no one else is around (and especially if it’s late at night), this could be a sign from Spirit that someone close to you needs help or guidance of some kind—and may need it urgently. The spiritual meaning of a car alarm going off is that you need to take a moment to reflect on your life. You may be feeling confused or out of place in some way, or you may feel like you’re not doing enough with your time. If this is the case, then it’s time to start asking yourself what’s really important to you and how you can balance your life so that you have time for those things.
Spiritual Meaning Of Car Alarm Going Off
You may have arrived at this page listening to your own car’s piercing siren blaring in the background after frantically Googling for things like, “Can a low battery cause a car alarm to go off?”
Even though you’ve checked and found no hoodlums around your car, the alarm persists. If you can’t turn it off with a key fob, read the section about how to turn the alarm off first.
If you keep finding yourself in this predicament (often in the middle of the night, when people are sleeping), it’s helpful to understand how a vehicle security system works, some possible causes of an alarm that won’t stop going off, and how to fix the problem to avoid these rude interruptions.
How Does a Car Alarm Work?
Although there are many possible vehicle security systems, the basic design is the same.
A computer (sometimes the car’s ECU, sometimes a separate module for the alarm system) receives input from sensors throughout the car and from the receiver. The receiver “hears” commands from a remote key fob via radio signals and responds by directing the vehicle’s battery-powered loudspeaker to emit the alarm sound when needed.
The security system sometimes has a backup power source in case a potential thief cuts the battery cables to try to make a quiet getaway.
Basic alarms sense a big drop in voltage, like if a door is opened, an attached trailer with an electronic connection to the car is detached, etc. The computer can then react.
What Can Trigger a Car Alarm?
Door/Trunk/Hood Latch Sensors
Newer cars have more sensors than older cars, though most alarm systems have at least door, trunk, and hood latch sensors to tell when these are opened.
These sensors use a spring-activated button or lever to close the circuit (which lets the power flow) when the door opens. This power illuminates the dome light and sets off the alarm if the computer deems this necessary.
Shock Sensors
Shock sensors detect the movement of the car by using metal contacts that touch one another when the car is sufficiently bumped to complete the circuit.
More advanced systems can determine the severity of the bump as well, leading the computer to respond appropriately. Sometimes this means that if a passerby bumps into the vehicle, they’re given a little honk of the horn and loud wailing if they hit the car with a crowbar.
It’s very helpful to have a system that can tell the difference between big and little bumps. A cat may occasionally jump up onto the hood and set off a sensitive or basic alarm, which will probably wake up the entire neighborhood.
Sometimes very loud noises can set off the shock sensors because of the sound waves pummeling the vehicle.
Tilt Sensors
Some thieves are more clever and will simply tow the vehicle away to avoid triggering the alarm system. More advanced alarms, however, have found a way to deal with this.
Tilt sensors detect when the car is tipped by using mercury as the conductive metal liquid to close the circuit.
Pressure Sensors
Even if the ambient air pressure inside and outside the vehicle is the same, breaking a window briefly increases the pressure inside the cabin. Pressure sensors detect this small change in pressure and signal the computer.
Sometimes the sensors are a separate device, but in some cars, the built-in speakers can actually be used to “hear” the pressure change.
Speakers make sound by moving back and forth to vibrate the air, creating sound waves. Therefore, in reverse, the sound waves move the speaker and the wires send a signal.
Microphone Sensors
These listen to sounds and have been programmed to only notice and signal for breaking glass.
Proximity Sensors
These are really only used in very advanced systems, like in expensive vehicles. They can detect when someone is too close to the car and give a pre-recorded verbal warning.
Spiritual Meaning Of Dead Car Battery
This morning, I was told that my wife’s car would not start. It had been hard to start for a week or so now and we have been putting off the inevitable purchase of a new battery. It’s funny that every time something goes wrong with your car, you think the worst and my wife does this well. She said, “I hope it’s not the alternator.”. I am not sure if she really knows what the alternator is or does, but it sounds worse than a dead battery. But this got me thinking about our spiritual lives and I thought I would draw out this analogy.
A car’s electrical system is a lot like our spiritual life. It is all tied together and certain things can make us unable to run and, in some cases, even unable to start.
The battery is our free will. Although it comes fully charged, unless it is in a car that is fully functional, it is nothing but a bunch of useless chemicals. Put it in a car that is fully functional and it becomes a major part of the car’s ability to function. But by itself, the battery has no power at all. It must be charged in order for it to come to life. The factory puts the charge on the battery, but unless something is available to continually charge it, it dies.
The car has a charging system and the alternator is that which provides power to the car when it is running and charges the battery so it stays fully charged and is able to start the car. This is our relationship with God or God’s will. The battery starts the car, and then the alternator takes over. If you tried to run the car without the alternator, the battery would soon die, and the car would cut off and not start again. So the alternator is what really provides power to a functioning car. The battery is only the starting power and the alternator is the staying power.
Our free will as Christians is constantly used to try to start our Christian life each day. That is a hard task and takes lots of power. If our spiritual batteries are not fully charged, sooner or later we will not get started at all with what God wants from us. Our free will must constantly be given over to the power and will of God in order for us to continue running as intended. It is then that we take the load off of our own abilities to function as designed and allow God to be the driving force.
As long as the car is running, even if the battery is dead or taken out of the car, the car will still run because the alternator is providing all the power. But when you cut the car off, and we all have to do this from time to time, the dead battery makes it impossible to get started again without something happening.
Often, the answer is what we did for the last couple of weeks. We just used jumper cables and got some starting power from another vehicle. Other Christians can do this and in cases where the battery was just drained due to leaving the lights on while the engine was off, it might be all that is needed. But do this too often and the battery will go bad. And don’t forget that over time all batteries go bad. They just are not perfect, kind of like our free will.
In the case where the battery dies, it is easy for people to jump to the wrong conclusion and say that the alternator is bad. These things rarely go bad and in the case of God’s will, they never go bad. But when we struggle as Christians, Satan is there to tell us that it is the worst-case scenario. This is kinda like my wife’s thoughts. I am not calling her Satan; it just works for this analogy. When that happens, we can do a couple of things. Listen to your husband, the wise Christian, tell you that it is not as bad as you think. Getting godly advice is like listening to someone who knows cars. They can help calm you down when Satan attacks with his lies.
But every car comes with an owner’s manual and they often give some very simple troubleshooting tips. In this case, the owner’s manual would say that the most likely problem is the battery. The Bible, our owners manual, will tell you that our free will is most often the problem to our challenges in life. Every now and then, we need to replace the battery. When we need to replace the battery, we go to the parts store and tell the person that we have a problem and need a new battery. If we go there and tell them that we don’t have a problem, they can’t fix it. So the obvious must be stated. This is our prayer life and God is the person to fix our dead battery.
We must confess our sins. 1 John 1:9 says. If we confess our sins, God is faith and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Unrighteousness is our free will. Forgiveness is God’s will. When God replaces our will with His will, we can begin to start our days again without the whining and groaning of a dead or dying battery. Remember this: the quicker a car starts, the sooner it runs off the alternator’s power and stops draining the battery.
There is nothing wrong with replacing a battery. It must be done from time to time. Free will is the same way; it can work for a while to do God’s work, but even under the best conditions, we must replace it from time to time. Dead car batteries are powerless. Dead-free will is too. God’s will is the life-giving power to keep our free will full of power.
Alarm Going Off Meaning
A car alarm that goes off randomly with no rapscallions around can have another underlying issue.
1) Malfunctioning Key Fob
Since the key fob sends commands to the car’s computer relating to the alarm system, a fob with issues can send false alarm signals.
First, try replacing the battery in the key fob if you haven’t done so recently. It’s a good idea to change the batteries once every year or two just in case. The owner’s manual for your vehicle should include a section on the exact battery replacement interval you should expect.
If the problem persists and you suspect it’s the key fob, try resetting the fob. You may need help from the manufacturer to do this or the procedure instructions might be in the manual.
The car can also be hooked up to an OBDII reader to scan for codes. This can be done at most auto parts stores for free. Not all key fob issues will throw a code, but it’s worth trying.
2) Low or Dead Battery
The car alarm is not only used to deter thieves or find your car in a gigantic parking lot! It can also be an alert from your car to you to tell you when your battery is low. If the alarm goes off while you’re starting the car, it may be trying to tell you something.
Check the voltage on your battery with a voltmeter. If the charge is at least 12.6 volts, the battery isn’t the problem.
3) Corroded, Rusty, or Dirty Battery Terminals
If the charge can’t flow properly from the battery to the cables, the computer might interpret that as “low battery” and alert you. Of course, the terminals should be clean for optimal function and the lifespan of your battery. If there is any debris on the terminals, disconnect the battery and clean them.
4) Debris on Hood Latch Sensor
While all sensors can get dirt and gunk on them, it’s most likely to happen on the hood latch sensor because of its location at the front of the car. This can cause a false alarm because the computer may interpret debris on the sensor as an open hood.
If there is oil, grime, or dirt on the sensor, try cleaning it by gently scrubbing it with brake fluid and drying it with a microfiber cloth. If the problem persists, the sensor may need to be replaced.
5) Dirty or Malfunctioning Door Lock or Trunk Sensor
These may be trickier to access as they are inside the door or trunk, but you may be able to check the voltage with a multimeter to see if any of them are causing false alarms.
6) Wiring Problems
If one of the sensors is not properly connected to the computer, signals can get weird. First, try disconnecting and reconnecting the hood latch sensor, as that is often the culprit. If the other sensors are accessible, you can do the same for those.
7) Incorrectly Installed Alarm System or Faulty Alarm Module
The alarm module is the security system-specific computer. Some drivers prefer to install an aftermarket alarm system, but either those or factory systems can be installed incorrectly.
8) Shock Sensors Are Too Sensitive
If the sensors are programmed to care too much about smaller bumps, you may be having more false alarms. Sometimes it’s possible to reconfigure or reprogram the alarm system yourself to decrease the sensitivity; check the manual.
You may be able to reprogram it by plugging a diagnostic tool into the OBDII port or there may even be a dial underneath the dashboard somewhere.
How To Turn the Alarm Off
Assuming you’ve tried the key fob alarm button and it didn’t work, there are a few strategies to try to stop that terrible shrieking.
1) Turn On the Car
Sometimes simply getting into the car and turning it on with your normal key or fob is enough to stop the alarm.
2) Lock/Unlock
Try using the lock and/or unlock buttons on the key fob to remotely stop the alarm. If this doesn’t work, use the physical key (every key fob should have one tucked inside) to lock and unlock the car door.
3) Shut-Off Switch
This is probably only an option in some aftermarket alarm systems, but there may be a switch hidden near the driver’s feet to shut off the alarm.
4) Disconnect the Fuse
If none of the other things worked, you may just need to disconnect the fuse to cut the power to the alarm. Check the manual for fuse location in a factory system, but in most aftermarket systems, the fuses are too hard to access.
5) Reset the Alarm System
It is sometimes possible to reset the alarm system if it seems haunted by electrical ghouls. Check the manual for this.
6) Disconnect the Battery
When all else fails, disconnect the battery (always remove the ground terminal first; usually it’s negative). If there is a backup power supply the alarm may continue to wail until that is drained.