How can i know if my car has TRC; VSC, VSC + or alarm system

[haelewyn]

I bought a second hand Auris Hybrid TS built in 2014.  The luxury level / type is called 'Lounge' here.. but i am afraid that is not the same everywhere. 
I saw totally other names and levels in neighbouring countries.

I was wondering if my car was equipped with TRC or VSC or VSC+.

I do have the 'slippery' test light coming on on the dashboard but no switch in the car to turn TRC / VSC / VSC + off.

Is there any way to know if i have these toys or not ?

How do i know if i have an alarm system in the car or not ?    Just park it with open windown, then after some time wave my hand inside ?

[FROSTYBALLS]

I would imagine that you do have TRC and VSC. The UK owners manual doesn't seem to mention whether either system can be turned off.

If you have an alarm it may or may not include interior protection - usually ultrasonics - or it may be a perimeter alarm (which will operate if one of the doors is forced open). If it has interior protection, there may be a switch to turn off the interior protection - useful for when a pet is left inside the car.

Would have thought either your local dealer or your importer could advise on the alarm.

[Heidfirst]

What country are you in?

Electronic stability control (which is what VSC is) has been required for EU Type Approval since Nov. 2011 & all cars registered after Nov 2014.

[haelewyn]

Belgium - so that means it has VSC I guess.
Production date of the car was early 2014 though.. don't know exactly what week or day (yet).

Was confused cause in an other year and make of the same car, there was a button to switch these systems off but i don't seem to have that button..
So i started thinking I didn't have these systems.. As in some manuals you can read 'when applicable'..  It's not always easy to know if it is applicable or not.

[alan333]

10 hours ago, haelewyn said:

How do i know if i have an alarm system in the car or not ?    Just park it with open windown, then after some time wave my hand inside ?

Try parking with an open window then leaning in and opening a door from the inside.  I'd like to think that should trigger an alarm.

[Beekeeper D]

10 hours ago, haelewyn said:

Belgium - so that means it has VSC I guess.
Production date of the car was early 2014 though.. don't know exactly what week or day (yet).

Was confused cause in an other year and make of the same car, there was a button to switch these systems off but i don't seem to have that button..
So i started thinking I didn't have these systems.. As in some manuals you can read 'when applicable'..  It's not always easy to know if it is applicable or not.

The Auris Hybrid isn't aimed at the GT86 market. Hence Nanny Toyota thought we would always want to have Traction Control, etc, keeping us safe. 

But that can become embarrassing when, in snow or mud, the car simply refuses to allow the driven wheels to spin and just sits there, ignoring you. 

Hence (perhaps reluctantly) Toyota added a TC-off switch to the Auris Hybrid (in the UK, at least) when it was last revised - the so-called 'facelift' with different interior, nose job and 'shark-fin' radio aerial (again UK-spec at least). 

There is (as far as I know) no way to add such a switch to the earlier version - perhaps just as well because driving for any sort of distance without TC can actually damage the transmission - it is an 'emergency' requirement, NOT a 'sport' setting. 

But it is possible, in emergency, to temporarily disable TC on cars without a switch. Only do it briefly, to get out of a 'stuck' situation. Learn how by searching this forum for 'certification mode'. 

 

I'd be astonished if your car has no alarm. On the passenger side of the fascia panel, you should have a small panel with red and orange lights. One of the red lights is the alarm indicator. There should also be a button near the rear view mirror to disable the interior ultrasonic sensor. Look these up in your manual. 

[haelewyn]

Eeerrmmm ... I think they do strange things for the Belgian market :-)
Or you could say : strange things happen to you when you are Belgian. Like : you live in a mini country with more or less 4 governments who never agree about anything with each other or with themselves.

I do have a small light blinking in the car, on the dash. More or less in the middle of the dashboard and near the small indicators for the rear passengers' seatbelt.

That goes on and off when the car has been locked.It starts blinking immediately. I had that on the Corolla too and asked the dealer once if i did have an alarm system in that car without being aware of it. His answer was : it's just a light.. Forget about it !  You haven't got an alarm system built in.

So i went looking for the place near the rear mirror where the button is for the interior sensor. That button is not there at all. I have a small thing that opens to put some sunglasses inside.

So then i tested locking the car with one window open. I waved inside with my hand : nothing happened.
I have tried putting my hand inside and opening the door. Nothing happened. The light indicating an active alarm system kept blinking.

My conclusuon : i don't have an alarm system built in or it doesn't work at all.

About the TRC en VSC :  thanks tor the tip about certification mode (+ maintenance mode ?).   Need to look into that a little later. Hope to be able to check all this during the weekend.

[FROSTYBALLS]

The light may be just an indicator the standard immobiliser is armed. 

As far as I'm aware security requirements for the UK market have been a lot more stringent than others within Europe for a number of years - due to the motor insurance industry's Thatcham Research Centre doing security assessments of new cars, research into security of vehicles, etc. 

Although some of Europe have adopted security standards similar to Thatcham's, it is still down to individual importers to decide the specs of vehicles they sell - and some may choose not to have standard fit alarms, etc, to the same level of the UK.

Given the VIN, your dealer or importer should be able to tell you whether or not the car has an alarm in addition to the immobiliser.

[haelewyn]

Thanks. Sounds logical.

I think for this country, an alarm system is not a 'must have' to most people and especially not to the average Toyota buyer. 
I could well understand that the importer here would not have the alarm system included. People here often think the system is a nuisance and doesn't protect you against theft by tow truck or similar. Nobody looks up for a car alarm going off, rather walk away for the noise. I can well assume that some buyers would dislike the Auris if they knew it had an alarm system built in.

From the 10 times you hear an alarm going off here, it's 10 times an error.

Need to contact the dealer for some things ... will ask him if he knows what the car has / has not.
Will otherwise contact the importer. I guess they will have somebody working there who is willing to give information to a buyer..
WAS thinking about selling this car and buying a brand new one already :-)
I think it can be done and the extra to pay would be reasonable. But will probably not go that way..

[Beekeeper D]

3 hours ago, haelewyn said:

...

I do have a small light blinking in the car, on the dash. More or less in the middle of the dashboard and near the small indicators for the rear passengers' seatbelt.

That goes on and off when the car has been locked.It starts blinking immediately. I had that on the Corolla too and asked the dealer once if i did have an alarm system in that car without being aware of it. His answer was : it's just a light.. Forget about it !  You haven't got an alarm system built in.

So i went looking for the place near the rear mirror where the button is for the interior sensor. That button is not there at all. I have a small thing that opens to put some sunglasses inside.

So then i tested locking the car with one window open. I waved inside with my hand : nothing happened.
I have tried putting my hand inside and opening the door. Nothing happened. The light indicating an active alarm system kept blinking.

My conclusuon : i don't have an alarm system built in or it doesn't work at all.
... 

Yes that's the light on the mini-panel with the airbag and rear belts warnings. 

 

It flashes immediately the engine is turned off to indicate that the immobiliser is activated. (And the immobiliser is an EU requirement, so standard.) 

My car has the alarm and the ("if equipped") interior sensor.

When the locks are activated by either touch or the remote push-button (not the key!) then the alarm is set, and (according to my manual) that is what is indicated by the light changing to solid on for about 30 seconds, before reverting to flashing. 

In order to safely leave the dog in the car, I have to disable the interior sensor by pressing the button near the mirror - interior sensor cancellation is shown by the light flashing quickly, until the car is locked and the rest of the alarm is set, when the light as usual goes solid on for 30 seconds then flashing slowly until the car is unlocked.

According to my manual, if you have an alarm (and no interior sensor), the alarm (having been set) should be triggered by  - 

- unlocking the car with the key 

- a person inside the car opening a door or the engine cover 

- or the 12v Battery is disconnected 

 

Hope that helps. 

[haelewyn]

Yeah. Never get the 30 seconds too. Just starts blinking and never stops.
Tried to open door while going inside with my hand (left window open).. Nothing happened.  So there is no alarm system in the car, i presume.

Thanks for your effort Beekeeper. As soon as i know how, i'll give you a reputation point extra  :-)

[FROSTYBALLS]

19 minutes ago, haelewyn said:

Yeah. Never get the 30 seconds too. Just starts blinking and never stops.
Tried to open door while going inside with my hand (left window open).. Nothing happened.  So there is no alarm system in the car, i presume.

As I said earlier, not all alarm systems include interior sensors, so testing by putting one's hand through an open window may not be an accurate test.

Try opening a locked door using the key, rather than the remote, and see whether this sets off the alarm - if it has an alarm, either a siren or the horn will sound.

[haelewyn]

Thanks for all input. 

Will try again with the key.   Forgot to say i already did the test like proposed : reach in with my hand (through open window) and open door which is like in the manual : ''' a person inside the car opening a door or the engine cover  ''.  
But will try with  the key... Tomorrow.. when i don't wake up people. Will let you guys know, in case you're curious.

I assume i do have the TRC / VSC and VSC+ going on the ideas here and also on the fact that the manual does not say about that 'if applicable'
 

[haelewyn]

Tested it out with the key...opened the door.. Nothing happened.     No alarm system installed (or working).