Between last year’s UAW strike and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, less than 2,700 units of the all-new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette have been produced thus far. Luckily, as we covered earlier this week, production at GM’s Bowling Green Assembly facility is expected to resume May 18th, which means eager Vette fans will soon have a chance at getting behind the wheel of their new vehicle shortly.
Framed as a “a true supercar for every day,” the new Corvette C8 brings a level of usability that’s not typical for the segment, and includes an alarm system to keep would-be thieves at bay. We previously covered what it means when your 2020 Corvette horn chirps three times, and now we’re providing a more complete overview of the 2020 Corvette alarm system.
Note that the following information applies to both the 2020 Corvette Coupe and the 2020 Corvette Convertible.
Arming The 2020 Corvette Alarm System
The 2020 Corvette alarm system can be armed in one of three ways. First, turn the vehicle off. Then, either press the lock button on the remote key, use the Keyless Access system, or press the lock button on the interior door arm rest.
After 30 seconds, the alarm will arm, as indicated by a slowly flashing light. Quickly pressing the lock button on the remote key a second time will immediately arm the system, bypassing the 30-second delay.
Note that the 2020 Corvette alarm system will not arm if the doors are locked using the mechanical key.
If the driver door is opened without unlocking via the remote key, the car horn will chirp and the lights will flash. This means the 10-second pre-alarm has been activated. If the engine is not started, or the door is not unlocked using the remote key, the alarm will trigger.
The alarm can also activate if the passenger door, the hood, or the hatch/trunk are opened without first disarming the system. When activated, the alarm will flash the turn signals and activate the horn for 30 seconds, after which the system will re-arm and monitor for any further unauthorized event.
Disarming The 2020 Corvette Alarm System
There are three ways to disarm the 2020 Corvette alarm system, including pressing the unlock button on the remote key, unlocking using the Keyless Access system, or starting the vehicle. These actions will also turn the alarm off if it is has been activated.
In order to avoid triggering the alarm, make sure to lock the vehicle after all of the passengers have exited and both doors are fully closed. Also make sure to unlock the door using the remote key or Keyless Access system, as unlocking the driver door with the mechanical key will not disable the system.
How To Identify A Tamper Condition With The 2020 Corvette Alarm System
We covered this previously, but it’s worth reiterating here.
If the vehicle is unlocked using the remote key, and the horn chirps and the headlamps flash three times, a tamper condition was detected while the alarm system was previously armed. A notification will also appear in the Driver Information Center (DIC).
More Info On The 2020 Corvette Alarm System Inclination Sensor And Intrusion Sensor
The 2020 Corvette alarm system is also equipped with an intrusion sensor and an inclination sensor.
The intrusion sensor is used to monitor the Corvette interior, and will activate the alarm if it detects an unauthorized entry.
Before arming the intrusion sensor, make sure the doors and windows are completely shut, and that loose items inside the cabin are secure. Also make sure that the intrusion sensors inside the cabin are not obstructed.
Meanwhile, the inclination sensor will trigger the alarm if it detects vehicle movement.
Both systems should be deactivated if passengers or pets are still inside the vehicle, or if the vehicle is being transported. To deactivate these systems, first turn the vehicle off, then press the appropriate button on the overhead console in the cabin. An indicator light will display when the system has been deactivated. The systems will be deactivated until the following time the alarm system is armed.
Note that the intrusion sensor will also be deactivated with the roof panel removed from Coupe models, or with the top down on Convertible models.
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Comments
That was a very cool review of the alarm systems. Thanks! AF
I hope they’ve modified the “chirp” on the C8 to be quieter and maybe only one “chirp”.
My C7 was especially annoyingly loud at night.
I can only hope!!
I turned the locking chirp off on my C7. The lights still flash once to indicate the car is locked and armed.
Bobert, I’d much rather have an alarm that is too loud, and possibly annoying, and/or may occasionally awaken me while I’m sleeping, rather than one that isn’t very audible, and you find out later that the car has been damaged, or worse, stolen! Insurance rates on a $60K to $110K car in a metropolitan area is going to be high enough, even if it sits in one’s garage 80 to 90% of the time. Any little thing that can happen to damage, vandalize or unlawfully remove one’s car will be an excuse by the insurance company to raise the rates, sooner or later. And, let’s face it, most of us readers are not in the Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates or Elon Musk income category. For them, a damage or theft is an “oh, well!” moment, and the insurance rate hike is chump change. For us 95 percenters, every dollar counts, and, for me, I’d prefer to occasionally annoyed, but save my cash.
Could call. When I hear the chirp and am annoyed, it makes me immediately forget the reason for the chirp. This would be true since the chirp first existed, but now that I’m way a senior citizen, I have a half-timer’s excuse. Still annoying. A message should pop up and state, “Fix problem; eliminate chirp!” with a check box and checking means also entering it at the same time. Robert, you point is so well said!
If the built-in OnStar system is activated during the first (whichever) 6-9-12 months as part of the new car delivery, or by the owner, after the complimentary free service has expired, will OnStar be able to detect any attempts to breach the vehicle, such as the breaking of the door glass, or attempts to jack up the car, or a collision from another vehicle, fallen tree branch, etc., while it is in a parked and alarmed mode? I’m not familiar with this alarm system, so it would be nice if OnStar could send both a text message and at least a computer-generated, or even better, live person voice call to the driver’s smartphone, informing them of possible theft and/or damage to the car. If not, it’s something that GM could possibly offer in future models, or, maybe, with current vehicles, some sort of software update to the CPU chip that controls the anti-theft system.
Someone on the Forum had brought this up in another thread (sorry I forgot the name), but since it was such a great idea I thought it warranted resurrecting – how about enabling the video recording capabilities of the cameras on the car when the alarm is triggered? Better yet, upload those videos to OnStar as well?
That would be a good idea if it is set up to do so, although there may have to be a reprogramming of the software and firmware of both the video recorder system, as well as the OnStar software, so the two systems could coordinate their surveillance. I am not sure if the C8 cameras can capture motion from the side of the car, as it does from the front and rear. I understand that some, if not all, Teslas have that body side recording feature, and if it is armed while the car is in “park,” it will record all motion by people, even it someone is just walking past the car in order to get to their own car.
Incredibly good idea and will help once again to make Corvette a First Class Car.