I took delivery of my 99 Avant 1.8qms on Saturday. My salesman pointed out the button on the A-pillar that disables what he called a "motion sensor" component of the alarm. The manual says that this detects a sharp increase in interior noise, such as someone breaking the glass. <p>I bring my dog to work, so she's frequently in the car while I run errands. Just this morning, I went into a grocery store on my way to work and come out to see my lights flashing, but no horn sounding. I assume this means that the alarm had sounded and then stopped? <p>The thing is, my dog almost never barks. The only noise would have been her moving from the rear seat to the front seat.<p>2 questions:<p>1. Is the thing _that_ sensitive to noise or does it really detect motion?<p>2. Can the car be reprogrammed so that the motion sensor default is "off" and pressing the button would activate it?<p>Thanks,<p><br>Jason

The reason that Audi put the deactivating switch in is so you can leave pets/children/friends in the car while you run an errand. I don't know exactly how it works, but it definitely doesn't just detect loud noises. I've had the wind set mine off with just the sunroof open. And, experimenting, I've set mine off by waving my arm through an open window with the alarm on. <br>The only thing you can do is to press the disable switch when you leave your dog in the car.<p>Miles

The interior motion sensor is exactly that, a motion sensor, so if your dog moves it will go off. Before you exit the car push the disarm button on the B- Pillar. This will allow your dog to roam freely without activating the alarm. I don't know about the programming thing.

It detects actual motion. One day while my windows were down I turned on the Alarm. After about 30 seconds I reached my hand inside the car without touching anything. The alarm went off. You can only turn the motion sensor off with the button. The motion sensor is always on unless you press the button. <p> While the door is open press the Button, a little rectangular LED on the button should become illuminated. This indicates that the motion sensor is off. Close the door and activate the alarm. The motion sensor turns back on automatically the next time you arm the system. <br>

>>The only thing you can do is to press the disable switch when you leave your dog in the car.<<<p>I'm not gonna remember to push the button every time! That's why I'd rather have the default to off and be able to turn it on only when I need extra security.<p>Thanks,<p>Jason<br>

Do you have cloth or leatherette? Do you let your dog sit directly on the upholstery ? do you put anything under him to protect your seats?<br>My dad bought a used car with the backseats having numerous scratches caused by the claws of the previous owner's dog.<p>GusS

The "motion sensor" is not a motion sensor at all. The sensors behind the four vents above the doors really detect changes in air pressure. This is why they go off when the windows or sunroof is cracked. Since sound causes a change in air pressure, it sets them off. While sitting in your car with the alarm armed, just moving slowly around may not set the alarm off. However a clap of the hands, or something like that, usually does it.

All the windows were down motion sensor on. Stuck my arm inside of the drivers' window. The alarm went off. I find it hard to believe that my slow moving arm caused a change in air pressure. I didn't touch anything or make any noise. Unless it's windy outside, I can keep my windows rolled down and the alarm won't go off. I remember other motion detectors that utilize microwave technology. I'm not sure what the Audi uses.

If you sat in your car and hit the remote lock button, I could see you thinking that this is the case.<p>The alarm is not fully active for the first 30 seconds or so. When you first arm it, it sets its "threshold" by monitoring the interior of the car to see what the steady state is. Then, after about 30 seconds, it goes into the armed mode. Anything that breaks the recorded threshold will set off the alarm.<p>So for that first 30 seconds, you can move around the car moreso than after that period of time. The way to tell this is to watch the red LEDs near the door locks (on 1998 and newer models). They blink fast during the period when you first arm the system, and then the blinking slows down to normal when it is activated.<br>

>>Do you have cloth or leatherette? Do you let your dog sit directly on the upholstery ? do you put anything under him to protect your<br>seats?<<<p>I have opal gray cloth and a light brown dog. I went to K-Mart and got a "slate" gray jumbo bath towel (from the _Martha Stewart_ collection, thank you very much :-)). The towel can be tucked in pretty securely all the way around the bench of the rear seat and only has to be removed when one has rear seat passengers. The dog will lean against the backrests, which the towel doesn't protect. I could probably rig another towel across the back (tucking the sides behind the folding seats an securing the top edge to the child seat anchor) but that would be a real PITA when one had a rear seat passenger.<p>I did the same thing with previous car (VW Jetta GLX) which has a leather interior. The Jetta leather seems thicker, stiffer and all around tougher (but less luxurious) than the A4 leather I've seen.<p>HTH,<p>Jason

I just bought a relatively cheap ($40) "semi-custom" back seat cover off the shelf from an auto parts store. The cover is specifically recommended for the A4 (and other cars, too), and it fits quite well. It even has a cutout for the fold-down armrest!<p>The cover protects both the seat and and the seat back and is held securely by elastic straps. Since it comes in two separate pieces for the seat and back, there is no interference with safety belts (a good idea for both people and dogs!).<p>The only negative is that it is a pain to remove and re-install, so I just leave it on all the time. I keep it well-vacuumed, so I haven't had any complaints from rear passengers.<p>The cover fits so well and matches my seat color (Terra Cotta) so closely, several people have even commented on how unusual it is that the front seats are leather (actually, leatherette) while the rear seats are cloth!<p>You could probably find something similar at an auto store near you or order one from a catalog.

The Motion detectors are infrared, and they do detect motion, so the motion of breaking glass, or a pet will set it off.