Hello guys.  I would like to know the exact location of my alarm sounder. I suspect the rechargable battery is on its way out ,and triggers the alarm occasionally.  I have the first facelift 2013 model,hatchback 5 door.  RHD .  I have been told 4 locations of options. Does anyone know where it lives please ?   There must be other members with the 8v facelift early type who may have had similar issues trying to locate it. Any help appreciated, as there is quite a bit of stripping down involved if not.  Anyone know ?   thanks to all for reading.  ...   regards 

It is normally found in OSF wheel arch behind the liner at the 10 o’clock position, it’s within a stainless shield that is held to the chassis with a torq sheer screw that you’ll have to grind/cut off.

Hi george. Thankyou for your reply. Can i ask if this position for the siren is for the A3 facelift 2013 A3 diesel 2.0 ... 5 door hatch ,or unique for the Q5 ?   I have a replacement siren exact part number,which is mounted  with a 10mm single nut.   I have not heard of the stainless cover mentioned above so was suspecting it is on younger audi other models. Have you had an early facelift model A3 in the past that confirms its location , as i am fed up with tearing down areas on the car looking for it. I tried locating by sound but now it seems as though the siren is dead ...  Lights flash but no alarm sound. Probably battery has leaked and destroyed the PC circuit inside.   I do appreciate your reply trying to help ..  thankyou so much ...  a bit more clarity would help especially if you have had the early facelift.  Thanks again ...   kind regards ... stefan

Stefan I replaced it on my brothers 2011 A3 2.0 TDI Quattro, but I believe it’s in the identical place on your facelift. Once you take the wheel off it’s just 5 minutes to take a few trim screws out of the liner and see the alarm module for peace of mind, before you send 15 minutes taking the whole arch liner out.

He had the same issue as yourself and once I’d taken the shinny stainless cover off the siren (most time consuming part by far), i found the battery had leaked and trashed the board (common problem I’m told), so cheap scrapyard replacement and 2 years later it still chirps away when he arms the alarm. Hope this helps. Cheap replacements available on eBay as you probably know, which was going to be my solution, if i’d found the scrapyard one was also corrupted when I removed it. 

Hi again george. I will have a look but i do not hold much hope. The 2011 A3 is the P  not the 8V platform. The first facelifts A3 appeared in hatchback form 2012  to  2013 and other variants saloon etc  appeared thereafter.  The other variants after the hatch began moving the siren to different venues according to trim/models.  Even the first Facelift 8V platforms as on my CRBC diesel  started moving them after 12-18 mths as they changed fuseboxes and wiring harnesses. The only good news is that my version did fit all in the same location ....     but as to where that is ...   god knows.!      I will have a look and thankyou for your help george , its so frustrating and work intensive ...     cheers ... 

Hi george. Yes i found some info regarding the 8P platform siren. Yes it does have a stainless steel cover that is either welded or riveted in place . Tamperproof is what VW call it !    The thing is that system was phased out due to being able to unplug it whilst armed .. hence the s/st cover. The newer type system on the 8V is monitored differently and thats why it has no cover thats difficult to get into.  The good news is that the siren may still be in that same location as the 8P ,so just waiting for a break in the weather now .  I have read that on the very early facelifts like mine ,it was put in the same place ,so i will investigate and post up what i find , as you may well be correct ..   hope so !    cheers for help ... kind regards  ...  stefan 

Well back to square one ! Drivers side wheel arch liner removed and ..... nothing ! So back to guessing the location again ! Mine is the sportback diesel version,and i have had suggestions that it may be behind the rear side fixings in the hatch area ...both side completely removed and replaced ... nope not there . Under the rear bumper .. nope not there . This leaves the scuttle panel .... yes you have guessed ... not there ! So now there are 5 options left. 1. front nearside wheel arch liner 2. rear nearside wheel arch liner 3. rear offside wheel arch liner . 4. Inside the engine bay .. lower down 5 . Under the front bumper ... What a joke ! Asked at 2 dealer level garages and so far their guidance has proved useless. The sounder alarm siren is dead ,so that removes the sound trace method. .... Any offers on here of location .? .. september 2013 2.0 diesel sportback. CRBC engine ...

Must be some kind soul on here that has had the same issue replacing this alarm siren 2013 crbc sportback 8V diesel AE288 engine. Anyone help with this. Any replies very welcome !

Well thankyou to those of you who did try to help find my Alarm siren. I did eventually find the thing .... not an easy task as it was Muted ,and it was more or less search until you find ! The alarm sounder is situated in various different places , depending on model ,year, and type of engine . What a game ,this was working outside this time of the year. Unfortunately i do not have off road parking or drive or garage,but a bay parking area over the road from me. Endless times lugging Jacks and tools over the road and dodging the rain showers and cold ! All in all i spent 15 to 20 hrs in total over the past weeks simply stripping out and refitting ... wheel arch liners x 4 rear hatch inner side panels x 2 and rear bumper removal to no avail . Although it was found (last of course ) under the front scuttle panel after removal, Its no help really to others other than to start there first would be my advice. I asked 2 inde dealers and one dealer Level main VW dealership. No idea " bring it in sir and we will find it " Yes right ! @ £100 per hr plus Vat . no thanks. So there we have it , but now the pressing question for me is Where is the Engine ECU situated ? I need to remove and inspect and clean the ECU plug pins ,as i have a smaller issue to sort out . As you have guessed it was not in the plenum chamber under the scuttle panel. ..... Any offers !!!

Just to add a little . I did originally part remove the scuttle panel searching for the alarm sounder , but actually did not spot the thing ! It was tucked down under an alloy rain shield ,which i did not notice it living under there,being black in colour and lower than i expected...