Whats your input on alarm systems?

are alarm systems, such as viper, worth it? many thieves now a days know exactly what wire to cut, and can get to that wire pretty fast. just thought i would ask

 

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it is not the alarm brand as much as the installation..

I like viper/clifford alarms but now they have commercialized and made all in one brains for the remote start/alarm making them harder to properly hide, the older ones were much better but took longer to mount all the modules and route the wires..

I have not worked in custom audio/alarms in 15years, but still see that over 80% of alarm installs can be bypass in less than 10 seconds.. some of these new remote start installs are installed so poorly that it actually allows a pro to steal you ride quicker..

If you have an alarm installed make sure it is well hidden and the wiring blends in with the factory wiring,, if you can look above your driver or passanger floor board and see aftermarket wiring or even the brain itself you have been hacked and your alarm is only as good as how brave your thief is..

Don't get me wrong a pro will steal your stuff or ride with or without a quality installation.. But most theft is from the crackhead that has more guts than inteligence..

I have a alarm/remote start in every car I have, but I have also installed each one..

I recommend viper/clifford but make sure you qualify the installer and check the install afterwards..

J

Two way is the cheese... I remember when two way was a plastic pager with two lights and was an add-on.. wait I still have one new in the box...haha.. Get a two way remote that operates on fm or broad spectrum..

 

I have the viper 2 way alarm on my truck. I have to say that in my opinion it has been worth it. (keep in mind mine is the 2 way which acts as a receiver for if something is going on to the truck)

A few times people have tried to break into my truck and the thing that made me run outside to check it out was that my receiver was letting me know someone was messing with the vehicle.

If its just a one way alarm i dont think its worth it because in all reality how is it different from your stock alarm?

Yes, in many cases the thief can just cut a few wires- to deter that if youre installing yoruself you can place the kill switch in a different spot or even hide the main viper box in a different spot.

I bought mine as a deterrent. The blue light that flashes in the dark that i installed with the alarm keeps the honest away. Just like a lock, if the person is motivated enough i feel like they will do what they have to do to get what they want. Just my advice!

 

ya i get what you guys are saying. I am planning to upgrade my stereo soon, but i was wondering if i should put in an alarm system first. Where would you guys suggest to put everything? and is best buy a good place to get it installed?

 

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I did mine myself (which sucked, and i wouldn't do it again). But when i couldn't get the harness wiring right i took it to audio express and they fixed it up real quick. Didn't charge me too much since i had already most of the work done myself. Home of the 1 dollar install is a total lie though so watch out with that. Im sure best buy would be a solid place. When you're getting these installed try to barter with the guy too. My friend got his alarm installed and they tinted his windows for free. Nothing wrong with trying to get some more bang for you buck since you'll be paying top dollar. Hope it all works out well.

 

I did car audio for 15 years and have worked with Directed Electronics all those years. Best Buy is NOT I repeat NOT a good place to ge the job done. Where I worked we had a guarantee. If you as a customer could find and get your hands on the alarm without tools in 10 mins. (10 mins is actually a long time) after we installed it. You got it for free. Installation is EVERYTHING. Granted if you have a ramp truck it doesn't matter. But if you want to keep your truck or really slow down a thief and maybe piss him off to give up. Directed products are great but the install is the big deal.

 

I think it is worth it if you have valuable electronics in your car. Like others have mentioned, the install is key. I would also not recommend Best Buy. They are friendly and will do the job but I would take it to a car audio/security specialist. Thieves will steal anything, so you're really just keeping honest people honest. But if they really want it, they will smash your window and take whatever they want. But I do like the piece of mind. I just got a Compustar 2-way auto starter installed and will be adding the alarm system once I get my audio system.

 

I just have a cheapy viper mainly for keyless entry. But it is nice to know to look around when I get in and see the light blinking or it chirps extra at me. Hopefully oneday it will save me from a hit and run.

 

I have a Viper system in my truck with keyless entry, remote start, 2 way remote, has motion/tilt sensor. The shop that I had it taken to hid all the wiring, when I was looking at the pictures my family sent me of everything after the install, I couldn't even see any of the wiring even though I knew it was there. I also have one waiting to go into my '40 Chrysler with the same features.