View Poll Results: Alarm!?!?
Yes you need one
22
88.00%
Na, You should be safe
2
8.00%
What a waste of money
1
4.00%
Voters: 25. You may not vote on this poll
Car Alamrs
07-23-2002, 10:52 AM
#1
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Car Alarms
Well after purchasing all these mods. I'm thinking about getting an alarm. What do you guys think? The only place around here is Best Buy. They mostly deal with Clifford I think.
Last edited by data; 07-23-2002 at 10:55 AM.
07-23-2002, 11:28 AM
#2
Yes in dee dee
An alarm is a very well investment indeed.
I have had two different ones on my rig now.
The first was a Viper 300 which I took off of my '90 truck that got totaled.
Just a basic alarm, no starter kill, but it could have been added.
A little outdated though, so I sprung for a very high quality one from DEI called the Python 650.
It's programmable from a laptop with software if you get it, or from a device called a "Bit Writer" which the installers use.
You can also program a lot of the features right from the remote itself in diagnostic mode.
Mine will kill the starter if the alarm goes off, and they will not be able to start it.
I also have keyless entry and have not used a key to unlock or lock my rig for well over a year since I got it.
When it arms itself, the doors knobs go down all by themselves.
I also have anti car jacking built into it. I can program it when I first get in the rig.
If a thief forces me out of the Runner (very frickin' unlikely) after he gets in, the engine is going to die and the alarm will go off very soon, attracting attention to himself.
If you get an alarm, make sure you also get a pager for it. It's an extra piece of mind.
Mine works up to a very long ways away.
It's nice too because I often have to sleep with earplug, and I may not hear the alarm going off, but I will hear the pager for sure.
Also alarms can be programmed to arm passively, or active.
You want yours setup to arm passively.
This way you don't have to hit your remote button (active method) to arm it.
Simply get out of your rig and close the door.
20 seconds later the alarm chirps once to let you know it's about to arm itself.
10 seconds next the doors lock and the lights flash to confirm your rig is armed.
I have had two different ones on my rig now.
The first was a Viper 300 which I took off of my '90 truck that got totaled.
Just a basic alarm, no starter kill, but it could have been added.
A little outdated though, so I sprung for a very high quality one from DEI called the Python 650.
It's programmable from a laptop with software if you get it, or from a device called a "Bit Writer" which the installers use.
You can also program a lot of the features right from the remote itself in diagnostic mode.
Mine will kill the starter if the alarm goes off, and they will not be able to start it.
I also have keyless entry and have not used a key to unlock or lock my rig for well over a year since I got it.
When it arms itself, the doors knobs go down all by themselves.
I also have anti car jacking built into it. I can program it when I first get in the rig.
If a thief forces me out of the Runner (very frickin' unlikely) after he gets in, the engine is going to die and the alarm will go off very soon, attracting attention to himself.
If you get an alarm, make sure you also get a pager for it. It's an extra piece of mind.
Mine works up to a very long ways away.
It's nice too because I often have to sleep with earplug, and I may not hear the alarm going off, but I will hear the pager for sure.
Also alarms can be programmed to arm passively, or active.
You want yours setup to arm passively.
This way you don't have to hit your remote button (active method) to arm it.
Simply get out of your rig and close the door.
20 seconds later the alarm chirps once to let you know it's about to arm itself.
10 seconds next the doors lock and the lights flash to confirm your rig is armed.
07-23-2002, 01:10 PM
#4
One more thing
Make sure whatever alarm you get that you get a good impact sensor too.
If someone knocks up agaisnt mine, even lightly, the alarm will "soft" chirp 10 times to warn them to get the heck away.
If they do it again, the alarm goes into full blown mode.
I have also read if you install the alarm yourself, you are not covered by any promos the alarm company may give you if your rig does get stolen.
That is why I paid the extra $$$ to have mine professionaly installed.
Corey
If someone knocks up agaisnt mine, even lightly, the alarm will "soft" chirp 10 times to warn them to get the heck away.
If they do it again, the alarm goes into full blown mode.
I have also read if you install the alarm yourself, you are not covered by any promos the alarm company may give you if your rig does get stolen.
That is why I paid the extra $$$ to have mine professionaly installed.
Corey
07-23-2002, 01:15 PM
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Yeah I just hope Best Buy has some installers that know what the heck they're doing ya know! I'll check to see if there is a dual stage shock sensor also.
PS.
Corey can you fix my mispelling on the post?
PS.
Corey can you fix my mispelling on the post?
07-23-2002, 01:40 PM
#6
Got it
I'm sure Best Buy will do you good.
Most of these installers have to get trained for this sort of thing.
With a good impact sensor too, you will know if someone is trying to take off your winch & bumper.
I see mine getting eyed quite a bit as dudes walk or drive by mine.
You kind of wonder if they are thinking:
1. Cool lookin' bumper & winch man, gotta get one.
or,
2. Man, lets come by about 1 am and take that thing off and make it our own.
You will feel a lot better after getting an alarm. I live in a pretty moderate crime area, but no one messes with the rig.
It also helps to have a note laying on the seat explaining to a would be thief if they see the antenna going up (for the pager), they have about 10 seconds at most before they are shot.
Corey
I'm sure Best Buy will do you good.
Most of these installers have to get trained for this sort of thing.
With a good impact sensor too, you will know if someone is trying to take off your winch & bumper.
I see mine getting eyed quite a bit as dudes walk or drive by mine.
You kind of wonder if they are thinking:
1. Cool lookin' bumper & winch man, gotta get one.
or,
2. Man, lets come by about 1 am and take that thing off and make it our own.
You will feel a lot better after getting an alarm. I live in a pretty moderate crime area, but no one messes with the rig.
It also helps to have a note laying on the seat explaining to a would be thief if they see the antenna going up (for the pager), they have about 10 seconds at most before they are shot.
Corey
07-23-2002, 01:52 PM
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I've got a CompuStar in mine. These things are amazing these days, they almost cook you supper too.
The remote contains a graphical readout of the status of my vehicle. Tells me if the shock sensor or perimeter sensor has been tripped. Shock sensor is also dual stage and a medium fist on the back of my truck will make it chirp. Any harder and it will go off. The remote display tells me if my car has been started, how long until it shuts itself off and pages me if something's wrong. Most importantly for a guy like me is looking at the remote will instantly tell me whether my door's are locked again. Never again do I have to run back out to make sure I locked my doors.
It comes with some other features such as passive and auto-arming. If I'm doing work on the truck, I can set it into auto mode so whenever I come near it with the remote it unlocks the doors for me and when I get further out it locks. Passive will arm it for me automatically after the last door is closed, but I worry about locking my keys in the car to enable that one heh.
Distance for the remote is amazing, I was able to turn the shock sensor off from inside a mall, in the movie theater so it didn't go off and disturb the movie watchers. I'd highly recommend this alarm to any and all.
The remote contains a graphical readout of the status of my vehicle. Tells me if the shock sensor or perimeter sensor has been tripped. Shock sensor is also dual stage and a medium fist on the back of my truck will make it chirp. Any harder and it will go off. The remote display tells me if my car has been started, how long until it shuts itself off and pages me if something's wrong. Most importantly for a guy like me is looking at the remote will instantly tell me whether my door's are locked again. Never again do I have to run back out to make sure I locked my doors.
It comes with some other features such as passive and auto-arming. If I'm doing work on the truck, I can set it into auto mode so whenever I come near it with the remote it unlocks the doors for me and when I get further out it locks. Passive will arm it for me automatically after the last door is closed, but I worry about locking my keys in the car to enable that one heh.
Distance for the remote is amazing, I was able to turn the shock sensor off from inside a mall, in the movie theater so it didn't go off and disturb the movie watchers. I'd highly recommend this alarm to any and all.
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07-23-2002, 01:55 PM
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I got mine at Best Buy. Actually, it was the alarm that was in my Corolla. I was happy. I got the Black Widow one. Not too expensive, but like I said, I was happy. The guys seem to know what they were doing, so I would say go ahead! I didn't know that they dealy with Clifford. When I was there they had Black Widow and Ungo...or something like that. Goodluck. :fireman:
P.s. I tried to vote, but it wouldn't let me. It said the session was invalid!
P.s. I tried to vote, but it wouldn't let me. It said the session was invalid!
07-23-2002, 03:51 PM
#9
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I have one but no longer use it. It was installed over 7 years ago and the battery went out in the hand unit and I have been unable to get a new one. No one carries it. It's called Excaliber. It seems to go off by itself even when no one is around, like in my garage. So I don't use it anymore. One day I may get a new one.
07-24-2002, 08:29 AM
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I think a car alarm is good in all cases. Its scares off amatures, has nice features such as auto lock for peace of mind, and sometimes will offer lower insurance. But... don't depend on that car alarm. I worked with a guy once that gave me this advice "If someone wants to steal your stuff they are going to whether there is an alarm on it or not." I got to thinking now adays what do you do when a car alarm goes off in the parking lot? 90% of the time if its not nearby it gets ignored. To get to the point, insure the stuff you have inside and out. I had friends with $1500+ stereo's in their vehicles. They had everybit of it insured. Just my two cents.
07-24-2002, 11:48 AM
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For many years I had an ungo box on my toy, but when i did the EFI swap last year it got tossed since the truck sits in the shop under lock/key... As for if they are good, i really don't think so, if anything thay just deter the dumb criminals, if somebody wants your stuff, they will get it. Being in the auto bizz, we had a # of theft returns that had alarms on them, people really think of the BEEP BEEP as an irratent and just ignor them
07-24-2002, 12:35 PM
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Originally posted by Paul H.
I have one but no longer use it. It was installed over 7 years ago and the battery went out in the hand unit and I have been unable to get a new one. No one carries it. It's called Excaliber. It seems to go off by itself even when no one is around, like in my garage. So I don't use it anymore. One day I may get a new one.
I have one but no longer use it. It was installed over 7 years ago and the battery went out in the hand unit and I have been unable to get a new one. No one carries it. It's called Excaliber. It seems to go off by itself even when no one is around, like in my garage. So I don't use it anymore. One day I may get a new one.
The brain fried on it after about 6 or 7 years so I stopped using it.I have an Ungo/Clarion alarm on both our vehicles. I am happy with them, very reliable - no false alarms.
As it has already been said, they are just a deterent. But like anything, they will only be as good as the installer/installation. I would be afraid to go to a Best Buy/Circuit City/ insert chain store name here. Find a custom audio shop that will stand behind their work as well as the hardware.
Get a siren that has it's own battery so they can't just clip the wire to the siren. Mine is uber obnoxious, the horn and siren go
Starter kill is nice. Get one with enough inputs to do what you want. I have mine set for a few options:unluck driver door first, then all other doors
roll down rear window
roll **up** rear window (nice to have)
If you are really paranoid, get a hood lock.
The more you pay, the more features you get. Mine was in the $400-$500 range I think.
Last edited by Hermes; 07-24-2002 at 12:38 PM.
07-25-2002, 01:55 PM
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Originally posted by Hermes
But like anything, they will only be as good as the installer/installation. I would be afraid to go to a Best Buy/Circuit City/ insert chain store name here. Find a custom audio shop that will stand behind their work as well as the hardware.
But like anything, they will only be as good as the installer/installation. I would be afraid to go to a Best Buy/Circuit City/ insert chain store name here. Find a custom audio shop that will stand behind their work as well as the hardware.
Well I have looked at this one shop down here (our only) and they just tried to rip me off. They carried "AutoPage" alarms. He quoted me $350.00 WITHOUT installation. I looked up the same alarm online and could purchase it brand new for $65.00. So I don't really trust that place. I have really no other place to go than Best Buy.
07-25-2002, 02:31 PM
#15
Indeed it sounds like they are trying to rip you off Data.
Most alarms, and even the top of the line ones are not that much money.
Most of the shops I visit, Cartoys, Magnolia Hi-Fi, and Sounds On Wheels have a price in the neighborhood of between $250 to $600, but that also includes the installation.
The install is often more than the price of the alarm.
Sounds like the shop you visited was listing the price with the install, and trying then to get the install price twice.
I'd take that price you found of the unit to the manager there and see the dumbfound look on his face when you show it to him.
I had mine put in two summers ago to the tune of about $550 I think. That was with a few extra zones covered such as a hood latch, and the pager system which jacked the price up.
Also it's extra to wire in for the auto door unlock/lock for keyless entry.
Don't buy an alarm without a pager.
On a Toyota, the cable can be cut up front so they can bypass the release you have in the cab, so get an under hood pin for the system.
My hood goes up, my alarm & pager goes off, and then Corey gets off with some target practice.
It's open season on any crook in my book.
Corey
Most alarms, and even the top of the line ones are not that much money.
Most of the shops I visit, Cartoys, Magnolia Hi-Fi, and Sounds On Wheels have a price in the neighborhood of between $250 to $600, but that also includes the installation.
The install is often more than the price of the alarm.
Sounds like the shop you visited was listing the price with the install, and trying then to get the install price twice.
I'd take that price you found of the unit to the manager there and see the dumbfound look on his face when you show it to him.
I had mine put in two summers ago to the tune of about $550 I think. That was with a few extra zones covered such as a hood latch, and the pager system which jacked the price up.
Also it's extra to wire in for the auto door unlock/lock for keyless entry.
Don't buy an alarm without a pager.
On a Toyota, the cable can be cut up front so they can bypass the release you have in the cab, so get an under hood pin for the system.
My hood goes up, my alarm & pager goes off, and then Corey gets off with some target practice.
It's open season on any crook in my book.
Corey
07-25-2002, 03:22 PM
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It's good to know people in the business. I've mentioned before that some stores are very untrustworthy. Not only do they rip you off by over-quoting you, they give you stereo and alarm spec info out along with your address for the local punks.
A buddy of mine does this stuff for a living, so I got mine with him (a guy I trust) installing it for me. If I ever have a problem with it I can just call him to fix it too.
Alarm mentioned above for installed price of $325 USD and in this case the installation costed less than the alarm. I don't know if you can get a CompuStar in the states but I highly recommend it. The options for this alarm are endless..
This is the one I have, the 2WFM-AS.
It's range is about 1200 - 1300 ft. The newer model's range is 6000 ft.
A buddy of mine does this stuff for a living, so I got mine with him (a guy I trust) installing it for me. If I ever have a problem with it I can just call him to fix it too.
Alarm mentioned above for installed price of $325 USD and in this case the installation costed less than the alarm. I don't know if you can get a CompuStar in the states but I highly recommend it. The options for this alarm are endless..
This is the one I have, the 2WFM-AS.
It's range is about 1200 - 1300 ft. The newer model's range is 6000 ft.
07-26-2002, 09:03 AM
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I am looking at the Compustar 2WSS, the Autopage RS-750LCD and the Clifford AvantGuard4.
I know the Clifford doesn't have the LCD pager/remote, but it does offer the ability to setup the system with a laptop.
Can anyone compare the Compustar and Autopage units for me? I have no idea which is better from looking at the websites.
Thanks,
Dan
I know the Clifford doesn't have the LCD pager/remote, but it does offer the ability to setup the system with a laptop.
Can anyone compare the Compustar and Autopage units for me? I have no idea which is better from looking at the websites.
Thanks,
Dan
07-28-2002, 02:30 PM
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Well I went ahead and bought the Clifford Matrix 3 series alarm. I'll be getting it installed on Thursday. It's a pretty nice alarm. Some of the features are, but no limited to....
Dual-Zone Shock Sensor
Secondary Warning Zone
Starter Disable
Keyless Entry
Illuminated Entry
I think there are more features, but I forget what! LOL!
I was also thinking about not getting the Red LED installed on the dash or anywhere. Would you get that little red LED installed? I also had to the the "protected by clifford" stickers out of the box b\c I don't want those on there either.
Dual-Zone Shock Sensor
Secondary Warning Zone
Starter Disable
Keyless Entry
Illuminated Entry
I think there are more features, but I forget what! LOL!
I was also thinking about not getting the Red LED installed on the dash or anywhere. Would you get that little red LED installed? I also had to the the "protected by clifford" stickers out of the box b\c I don't want those on there either.
