Auto Train Questions (car alarms and other vehicle issues)

[Dakota 400]

Some time ago on this Forum, I was warned about a car's alarm system that could be activated during the trip because of the jostling of the car resulting in the car's battery being dead once arrival at the destination. I remain concerned about this.

I have a 2020 Buick Envision that will be making the trip. If I read the Owner's Manual correctly, when I unlock the car, the alarm system is deactivated and remains so until the car is again locked. I will need to leave the keyless device in the car for the car to be moved by the Amtrak staff, I realize that. Is that sufficient? Or is there something else I ought to try to do to insure that the alarm system is not activated during the trip. Most certainly, I don't want to arrive at Lorton with a car whose battery is dead!

Any other "last minute advice" anyone can offer for this, admittedly, nervous Auto Train customer?

 

[PVD]

check the manual carefully. almost every alarm has some provision for dealing with this type of scenario...

 

[user 14106]

check the manual carefully. almost every alarm has some provision for dealing with this type of scenario...

The crew will literally just shut the engine off and leave it as is with the keyless device in the car and the window down just in case it auto locks. So long as it does not reactivate/rearm itself after a delay you should be fine and I think if it’s a factory alarm a lot of cars have a menu where you can disable the auto locking if you are concerned about that. Given the amount of cars the auto train handles I would imagine they have a standard way they deal with the keyless fobs - probably put in a cup holder or something.

 

[Dakota 400]

The crew will literally just shut the engine off and leave it as is with the keyless device in the car and the window down just in case it auto locks. So long as it does not reactivate/rearm itself after a delay you should be fine and I think if it’s a factory alarm a lot of cars have a menu where you can disable the auto locking if you are concerned about that. Given the amount of cars the auto train handles I would imagine they have a standard way they deal with the keyless fobs - probably put in a cup holder or something.

Thanks for your post. Tonight, I left the car unlocked for awhile and the alarm system did not activate. When I locked the car, the alarm system instantly activated. I'm becoming confident that the alarm system will not be an issue during the car's Auto Train journey. An instructional video that I viewed did recommend placing the keyless fob in a cup holder, which is what I will do before I turn the car over to Amtrak.

Going from a 2009 Buick to a 2020 Buick has been a learning experience with the new technology built into the car. Today, I learned about what to expect from two more of the car's advanced features and how to use them.

 

[rickycourtney]

FWIW, *if* your battery dies (and it probably won't) because your alarm is going off, Amtrak's team can jump-start the car. Your battery will recharge as you drive it to your final destination.

The Auto Train crews have probably encountered every kind of problem you can think of (and many you can't!) and this is probably an easy fix that they regularly deal with.

 

[Dakota 400]

FWIW, *if* your battery dies (and it probably won't) because your alarm is going off, Amtrak's team can jump-start the car. Your battery will recharge as you drive it to your final destination.

The Auto Train crews have probably encountered every kind of problem you can think of (and many you can't!) and this is probably an easy fix that they regularly deal with.

I appreciate your post! I tend to be a "worry wort" and try to find ways to alleviate my "worries". The more that I learn about my technology advanced new car, the more comfortable I am becoming with it.

 

[drdumont]

I had a Taurus with the factory alarm which had a bug. Sometimes it would arm itself, and would go off if the door was opened or the car was jostled. I left a note on the steering wheel about this, with instructions on how to shut it off, just in case.
OBTW, the alarm should stop (I believe this is mandated) after a set period of time, saving the battery (and neighbors' nerves).
When I got my car in Sanford, the note had a "Thanks!" scrawled on it. I thought that was cool.

 

[Lorac]

I've read that when putting your car on the auto train you should disengage your car alarm. I have a honda passport and can not find info about doing that. I was told that as long as your car is unlocked, the alarm will not engage. I'm guessing that your key (fob) is left in your car and the car is unlocked while transporting it. Is this true? Thanks in advance for any help with this!

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

I've read that when putting your car on the auto train you should disengage your car alarm. I have a honda passport and can not find info about doing that. I was told that as long as your car is unlocked, the alarm will not engage. I'm guessing that your key (fob) is left in your car and the car is unlocked while transporting it. Is this true? Thanks in advance for any help with this!

Yes you leave a key fob inside. Be sure to carry a second one with you on the train. Feel free to ask the attendant when your checking in. Also just the fob not your house keys.

 

[n3rdg1rl]

No cars are locked on the Auto Train. If your car's alarm arms while your car is unlocked or your car auto locks with the key/fob in it, you need to bring it to the dealership because there is something super wrong with your electrical system or computer.

 

[Train Lady]

I don't have any advice on this but I have the same issue, having encountered on Amtrak's own website the warning that I need to deactivate my car alarm or my battery might be DOA. I have spent a good deal of time on this today trying to find out how to deactivate the car alarm. I have gone page by page through my 2010 Corolla's manual and there is nothing about that. I do not have a keyless device, I have two keys: one with buttons (master key) and one without. I do not have a smart key. I do not know what I should leave in the car, though I see everyone's ansewrs on this. I'll check when I check in. Tomorrow I will see if my mechanic can tell me how to deactivate the alarm. Needless to say, I am concerned that leaving my keys in the way Amtrak tells me to can damage the ability of my car to get me where i want to go! I've been looking on the web and there are several ideas on there but I have no idea if they are right. If my mechanic cannot tell me how to deactivate the alarm, I am going to Toyota to find out. Please, Amtrak, do not force me to do anything that makes my car nonfunctional!!! There should be a way to manage the keys without creating such an issue for customers, and putting the onus on us to be the ones to be sure it doesn't happen. I'm a senior woman trying to take a safe trip on Amtrak Autotrain, not a car mechanic...

 

[Maglev]

I don't have any advice on this but I have the same issue, having encountered on Amtrak's own website the warning that I need to deactivate my car alarm or my battery might be DOA. I have spent a good deal of time on this today trying to find out how to deactivate the car alarm. I have gone page by page through my 2010 Corolla's manual and there is nothing about that. I do not have a keyless device, I have two keys: one with buttons (master key) and one without. I do not have a smart key. I do not know what I should leave in the car, though I see everyone's ansewrs on this. I'll check when I check in. Tomorrow I will see if my mechanic can tell me how to deactivate the alarm. Needless to say, I am concerned that leaving my keys in the way Amtrak tells me to can damage the ability of my car to get me where i want to go! I've been looking on the web and there are several ideas on there but I have no idea if they are right. If my mechanic cannot tell me how to deactivate the alarm, I am going to Toyota to find out. Please, Amtrak, do not force me to do anything that makes my car nonfunctional!!! There should be a way to manage the keys without creating such an issue for customers, and putting the onus on us to be the ones to be sure it doesn't happen. I'm a senior woman trying to take a safe trip on Amtrak Autotrain, not a car mechanic...

You don't need to worry--as long as you car is not locked (and Amtrak will not lock it), your car alarm is not activated.

 

[Train Lady]

You don't need to worry--as long as you car is not locked (and Amtrak will not lock it), your car alarm is not activated.

Thank you, that is a tremendous relief.

 

[Train Lady]

Many on this thread have mentioned leaving a "keyless device" or a "fob" in the car. I don't have either: what I have is two keys: a "plain old key" and a key that has some buttons on it. Both are usable old-style by insertion into the locks. So, I'm assuming I leave one of these in the car, and leave the doors unlocked and the windows open. Is that correct? And if so, does it matter which one?

 

[UhClem]

The Amtrak personnel are going to drive your car into the train and park it. They will likely leave the keys (if not keyless) in the ignition, so that at the other end, they can drive it out with no time wasted to find them. I don't think they lock the car, as where would they put the keys, but will probably roll up your windows. The auto rack cars are not weather tight, it could rain.

Probably the only issue for alarms is if they somehow arm automatically.

I too have a keyset like you mention. Subaru refers to the button-less key as a "valet key". As long as they can drive in and out of the train, they are good. No one other than those drivers during the loading/unloading process have access to the auto rack cars.

 

[alpha3]

I don't understand all the angst about car alarms going off on UNLOCKED cars. I've never heard of an unlocked car having its alarm go off. Why would they go off- the car is unlocked so car alarms will not be armed. The car's computer systems EXPECT doors and such to open and close as the car is UNLOCKED and so the alarm is off. It's like your house - why should the alarm go off when you open the front door if you're home??

 

[PVD]

Because lots of alarms have vibration sensors and if the alarm keeps going off you could end up with a dead battery or really annoy people if it was towards the passenger cars.. Many cars will auto arm if they are shut off for a period of time.

 

[UhClem]

If it's written up, it probably happened. Amtrak doesn't want to deal with fancy alarm systems or dead batteries.
I've never had to do anything special.

 

[Train Lady]

The Amtrak personnel are going to drive your car into the train and park it. They will likely leave the keys (if not keyless) in the ignition, so that at the other end, they can drive it out with no time wasted to find them. I don't think they lock the car, as where would they put the keys, but will probably roll up your windows. The auto rack cars are not weather tight, it could rain.

Probably the only issue for alarms is if they somehow arm automatically.

I too have a keyset like you mention. Subaru refers to the button-less key as a "valet key". As long as they can drive in and out of the train, they are good. No one other than those drivers during the loading/unloading process have access to the auto rack cars.

Thank you, UhClem! I am much less worried now, I also spoke with my mechanic who verified that on my car, if the doors remain unlocked, the alarm will not go off.

 

[drdumont]

Thank you, UhClem! I am much less worried now, I also spoke with my mechanic who verified that on my car, if the doors remain unlocked, the alarm will not go off.

I had a Taurus which had an alarm that would arm itself whenever it jolly well felt like it. (There was an issue somewhere, never found it). When I went on the Autotrain, I left a note taped to the dash that if it wouldn't start, to press the unlock button on the fob. Before I got to the station, I pulled horn circuit fuse. NP. Finally some kind soul totaled that thing for me.

 

[Train Lady]

Yikes! At this point I am...more confident than before but still hoping for the best and prepared (sort of) for the worst...

 

[Skip1229]

I’m not worried about an alarm being triggered when my Volvo SUV is parked in one of the train cars on the AutoTrain. But I have another question: Do the drivers of cars on and off the AutoTrain always have the car in Drive or Park and never in Reverse? Reason this is important - my new Volvo has an automatic brake which gets applied whenever the car is in reverse and senses an object behind it that it could back into. This feature is designed for preventing the driver of my car backing into another car, which is great. However, the brake also gets applied if my car is backing down a steep driveway before getting to the main road which is flat (and therefore appears to be an obstacle to the car’s sensors). This feature can be turned off, but it involves pushing a button on a screen when the car is put in reverse and has to be done each time the car is started. if the drivers on the AutoTrain will only have the cars in drive when driving them on and off the train cars, there will be no problem. If they might put the car in reverse, I think I’d better use my wife’s car (which doesn’t have this feature) for our Auto Train trip.

 

[Palmland]

I have seen AutoTrain loading and unloading process several times and have never seen a car put in reverse to do that. Cars are driven forward to load and also to unload (from the opposite end of the car carrier). The only scenario I can think of to put it in reverse is if the car in front of it for some reason can’t move as they’re staging them for loading or for owner pick up after unloading and they have to back up a bit to get around it.

 

[Skip1229]

Thank you. I’m not worried about the automatic brake kicking in if a driver puts the car in reverse to get around another car when vehicles are being staged since no car should be moving very quickly inn reverse.

 

[trainman74]

Many recent car models have similar automatic-braking safety features... since the loaders/unloaders wind up driving a lot of different cars, I'm sure they're somewhat familiar with the quirks those features can have.