i'm just kind of curious

depends.... to just install it....anyone who knows 12v can do it. but if you want it done RIGHT, go out and pay someone. goto circuit city, buy a viper alarm, and parts/labor are guaranteed for life.

for life? thats pretty sweet. how much is it at circuit city?

Most good alarm shops will warranty their work for life. Like the clifford alarm I have has lifetime warranty on the brain and basic parts, and the shop will do the labor for free...

If you have a fair understanding of electronics installing an alarm isn't that bad. Takes a fair amount of time finding the wires you will need to tap but thats about it.

Circuit City as well as most other places do charge for alarm install. You just don't know it. Having worked at CC in the past I can tell you that when you see the prices on the wall with free install next to them the install price is already figured in. At Circuit city they used to ring up alarms like so. Listed price on the wall $349.99, they sell you the alarm for $249.99 and tack on $100 in labor for install. You still end up paying the 349.99 and thinking you got a "free install" kinda tricky but no one really notices it.

Yup, that's why you should haggle at alarm shops over out the door installed prices in cash. I ended up saving about a hundred bucks on my clifford...

please make sure you go to a good shop. The people that did mine overcharged me, told me i'd get any problems fixed in the future, did the shittiest damn rigging of wires, didn't know what the hell they were doing so took two days, on the second day the owner asked me for $5 so they can buy beer (no joke)...had a problem, went back and th SOB said it ain't covered more than a year (i din't have ish to prove he told me lifetime). Feel my pain gentlemen :)

you get what you pay for though...

an alarm is ALL in the installation. most of the alarms you guys have, I could completely disable in under 20 seconds. you want a real security system....you have to pay for it, and the install is much more complex.

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wo0t!
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My alarm is me sitting in the front seat with a 12 guage shot gun, bring it blake, hahahah ;-)

wo0t

>you get what you pay for though...
>
>an alarm is ALL in the installation. most of the alarms you
>guys have, I could completely disable in under 20 seconds.
>you want a real security system....you have to pay for it,
>and the install is much more complex.

That is totally true. I have worked with installers that leave a huge bird's nest of wires in the dash when they are done installing an alarm. But, it's really hard to find a good alarm installer.

If you really care about your car and want to find a good installer, here's a tip: Go around to some shops and talk to the installers and ask them questions to see how knowledgable they seem to be. Generally, installers that know what they are talking about take pride in their work and will do a good job. I have found most of the installers at big retail chains like Best Buy or Circuit City are the least competent when it comes to installing anything. Try to find a small store with a good reputation in your area.

pop

woooooooah.... come to my circuit city and say that. one co-worker is sponsored by ID, and picked up 1st at sbn and 8th at finals. the other is about to be sponsored by mtx...

talk to the installers to see what they know. yes there are alot of CC installers who don't know dick, but there are also a great # of them who are very good, but have families, and went there for the money.

don't stereotype here...

wo0t!
my alarm got installed yesterday, gotta love the remote start

wo0t

Sorry bout that. I shouldn't have generalized. But, I have personally found that the vast majority of the installers that work at large electronics stores are kids fresh out of high school without much experience under their belts. And if there's anyway that you could possibly judge installers without knowing their work, experience has got to be a factor.

So,I'm sure your guys know their shit. But, you did confirm my point a lil bit in your post.

pop

Well as an alarm installer, DON'T do it yourself! If you don't want your alarm disabled in 10 seconds or less, get it done by any good stero shop. Dont go to best buy or CC, most of them don't install for shit. Some are good, but know more with the audio part. Alarms are a totally different story. I don't care if the installer has won the world finals for audio, an alarm is ALL in the install. At my shop, i try to talk to every costomer, see what they want, and reasure them of my expertise. Try to steal my car, you won't get very far! When you find a shop, tell the installer to hide all the wiring and the brain of the alarm as good as possible, and to use as many engine interupts as possible(fuel, starter, spark). A good alarm install will cost anywher from 250- 400 bucks. If you want it done right, pay the money, its worth it!!

yeah i got a good alarm and not too long ago found out how badly it was installed... esh, its like so easy to find.. i wonder if i could try and hide it better myself or take it to someone eventually.. i want to add one of those secondary siren/batteries.

blah...NEVER goto a shop. If you want something done right, DO IT YOURSELF. All the shops put them in the same place, therefore it can be disabled in 10 seconds. All you need is a chiltons manual which will tell you what every single wire is in your car and the instructions to put in the alarm. Better come with the alarm. Put the brain in a place where it CANNOT be grabbed so easily like under driver seat or something. Also get the extra battery and another horn other than the one that comes with the alarm. Put on horn under the hood and hide the other somewhere in the car. That way, if someone tries to steal..they cant find brain to kill alarm, if they pop hood and cut battery it will still blast and if they cut the wire that goes to the horn it will still blast. Its simple actually, do it yourself.

The thing is, on a lot of alarms, when you just cut all the wires to the brain, isn't the ignition kill still in effect? I think that is how my clifford is.

Not most alarms. DEI alarms (Viper, Python) use a fail-safe starter kill. And it is only effective with the trigger wire (orange) hooked up. If you disconnect that wire, you don't have starter kill anymore. The reason that they do that is so the car will still start if there is a malfunction in the alarm.

The relay CAN be configured so that the car will not start if the wires from the relay are cut. But, most alarms do not configure their starter kill relays that way.

pop

Yeah you can do it yourself, but be sure to do it right! If you have all of the wiring info, and some patience, go for it. Just remember to hide everything and tape all harnesses with electrical tape, or use split loom to copy the under-dash area to make it look stock. I have been an alarm installer for about 4 years now, and NOT 1 install that had been done by the owner that was not an installer, looked like all hell!!! By far, the easiest ones to disable. If you do it, take your time, and be neat with the wiring and connections. Our cars aren't too bad as far as wiring, not real easy to fry anything on the car. Most of the newer cars of the past several years have all kinds of control modules for security systems and locking systems and the lighting systems, not to mention immobilizers. These cars take a lot of care when taping into wires, but our cars aren't bad at all.