What is it with the @#$% car alarms?

House alarms too. I just added a siren to the outside of my house to amp up the volume.   

Also there is a car across from the river from me that emits a loud beeping sound at night,  I suppose to announce to potential thieves that his alarm is turned on.

I usually open the following web page on my Chromebook to help me sleep:

Simply Noise

This makes me LOL a bit. The car alarms in South America are asinine. Ubiquitous, one might say. It reminds me of when car alarms first became common in the US back in the 80's. They would sound off all the time. I think it's an attempt to say, "Hey, look at me. I own a car!" more than any thwart against theft. Normally, if you'll actually look at the alarm going off, the owner is actually there acting like it's a mistake that he tried to get into his car, yet the alarm just decided to "accidentally" go off. It's a big deal to own a car in South America. They're very proud of their cars. Many Ecuadorans and Colombians told me it was a big deal to own your own vehicle. Even a little beater is considered by many to be an object of pride. I can't blame them for that.

I was in a hotel in Quito for a couple of weeks where a car parked on the street would sound off every time a garbage truck or bus would pass by. It was right outside my window. It was ridiculous and annoying, but I still thought it a bit funny. They just like their cars. I think they set their alarms so sensitive so that everyone will look. But we've all heard of the "Boy who cried wolf" right? If they're always sounding off, then if a guy were actually stealing a car, who would ever think he was anything but the owner? All a car thief would have to do if anyone actually looked would be to just smile and wave and act as if it were an accident.

One thing I did notice... After I had been in South America for almost 6 months, a Gringo expat asked me, "When is the last time you heard a siren?" I had to think about it a bit. And then I said, "Shoot, I know I've heard a few short bursts of police sirens at intersections and such, but besides that, I can't remember during this six months ever hearing many sirens at all."  I get back to the USA and stay in a hotel in Louisiana, and I hear sirens literally every hour coming through the intersection right outside my room. And not just a siren, they're blowing air horns and all that annoying crap. It seems to me that there are more fires and crimes and dire emergencies in the US than down South.

But yeah, the alarms and the roosters in South America can get annoying.

I suggest you move deep into the rain forest ;-)

I think that loud noises don't bother, or seem to bother the people of Latin American countries. Suppose is perhaps a cultural difference. Have you ever heard how loud the local establishments tend to play the music? And at all hours.

Bob,
I will be flying in on the 21st. If you like I can bring you some industrial strength ear plugs :-)

There is a noise law on parties.  At 02h00 they have to stop.  And the police will enforce it (at least they do around where I live) if some one calls the UPC.

Car alarms and house alarms seem to be in a category by themselves.  I believe they are controlled by HAL who really doesn't like humans.

Mike

I think you're right about the car pride thing.  I have done a fair bit of travelling to developing countries and a lot of people get a lot of pride from others noticing that they own  a car and this is their car sounding off. 
Of course I absolutely love my car as well but I still am not able to understand why the car alarm is a form of "showing-off"...???
Owning a nice car in Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, Cuba, and many of the other places I've visited is such a proud achievement that they want all to know about it.  I can appreciate that but hopefully the govt will introduce some rules about this .  I mean , if the govt is willing to introduce laws that prohibit criticizing the govt and free speech then this should be a breeze.

Anyone know of an area of Cuenca that is known to be the quietest in this respect?

Matt

As with many things, the quality of car alarms here is not what you are used to in the States.  If a firecracker goes off within 10 feet of a car, the alarm will likely go off.  In the States, you could set the firecracker off _inside_ the car and not trigger it. Here the alarms are triggered by overly sensitive mercury switches instead of elaborate electronics that can ignore one-time jiggles. Add to that the fact that South Americans are simply not as bothered by noise as North Americans are. 

We have only one car alarm that triggers that we can hear from our condo.  Unfortunately, it goes off multiple times every day.  I keep thinking I need to study up on car alarm wiring and on breaking into cars.  I could then go out at night, find that car when it is alarming, break in and cut the alarm wires...

Funny!  When I was living briefly in Quito the car alarms made me crazy.  Here in Cuenca there must be way fewer of them or I am just growing accustomed.  For me the volume of the music when a neighbor decides it's "fiesta time" is much worse.  Last night a local moving party played music very loud in my building until well after midnight.  Luckily I have industrial strength earplugs, one thing you learn about if you travel anywhere in Latin America.  But here where I live, near Feria Libre, it is actually the quietest part of Cuenca I know, with the nighttime sounds more dogs barking and the morning roosters crowing than traffic noise and car alarms.  And there just so happens to be a new apartment available in my building!!  ($140 for one bedroom, $200 for 2-bedroom)....and the best part NO OTHER GRINGOS!!!  I will take the latins and their noise over the typical gringo and his/her arrogance and superiority any day!!!  This is why I live in Cuenca in the first place!!