About car alarms...

[itlkick]

The alarm on my Mustang died today - locked my keys in the friggen car! I have the same alarm system in my truck and it died a few months ago. Both were around 6 years old when they died.

I need a new alarm and was wondering what peoples thoughts were on alarms. I really only like the remote entry feature and I -HATE- alarms that go off when nothing happened. The only feature I had enabled on my old alarm was the voltage sensor so if the doors opened while the alarm is armed it sets off the alarm. No motion/shock sensors, not starter kill, nothing else.

What brands are good? My old system was a Marksman. I was checking eBay and the crimestopper didn't look too bad and was not that expensive.

Thoughts?

[Frankenstein]

Alpine makes a nice unit.

[93SVT]

Alpine makes a nice unit.

not to disagree but I have had the worst of luck with the Alpine in the ex's civic, it may just be the model (paid $4-500 for it) , it has been back to ultimate at least 5 times over the past 2 years and it still isnt right, im not sure they even carry the line now due to the issues with them. I on the other hand have always had great luck with DEI products sold under the Viper name ect.. never had a issue with one and the range with the std. kit is better then any iv ever seen, many times i could pop the locks befor i could even hear the alarm (saw the light blink from a block away) and this was a $300 alarm aval. at mach 1, im sure you could get the same thing for about 1/3 that price if you installed it yourself.

[Frankenstein]

Hmm, I hear alpine is bad.

[itlkick]

Alpine makes a nice unit.

Hmm, I hear alpine is bad.

LOL!

[5.0Cobra]

As far as false triggerings go, it depends on the quality of the shock sensors, tilt sensors, radar perimeter sensors, etc that come with the alarm. Some work, some are junk. They also have to be installed and adjusted properly to work.

I have a Crimestopper, it was the top of the line unit a few years ago. I bought it because it was fully programmable and had just about every feature imaginable, including a remote start that works with a manual transmission. The sensors (shock & perimeter) that came with it are pretty good, but not perfect. You can disable each sensor by pressing key combinations on the remote. The remote range is about average, like factory keyless entry systems. The installation manual was very detailed which is good when you are installing yourself.

Have you looked at Compustar? I have been looking into replacing my crimestopper with a Compustar 2WSS-AS. They are the pioneers of 900MHz spread spectrum 2 way paging. The remote is kind of big and clunky, but it also acts as a pager and has exceptional range. I have a crimestopper add-on paging system, but the range is only like 1/4 mile or less.

If all you need is keyless entry, you can probably get something much simpler and cheaper though.

One note- if you are installing yourself, make sure you understand how the Mustang door lock wiring works.

[YouNeverSawMeHere]

not to disagree but I have had the worst of luck with the Alpine in the ex's civic, it may just be the model (paid $4-500 for it) , it has been back to ultimate at least 5 times over the past 2 years and it still isnt right, im not sure they even carry the line now due to the issues with them. I on the other hand have always had great luck with DEI products sold under the Viper name ect.. never had a issue with one and the range with the std. kit is better then any iv ever seen, many times i could pop the locks befor i could even hear the alarm (saw the light blink from a block away) and this was a $300 alarm aval. at mach 1, im sure you could get the same thing for about 1/3 that price if you installed it yourself.

DEI <<<

I don't trust anything else.

But i wouldn't really go to mach 1...

PM me I have someone that could schedule you in...

He does a large percentage of the show cars in town...

[Roast'em]

Alarms suck. I've never seen such a butchering of the factory wiring system than when I unhooked all my alarm equipment.

[PHRANQUY]

CompuStar....or Clifford.

[Video_Master]

I have always used Viper Alarms and have never had a problem. I adjusted the shock sensor so pretty much you had to drop the car before it would go off. Many different models to choose from also.

[lilstang5O]

I like Viper alarms. The last stang I owned had that! Never once had a problem with it!

[2001Ponypower]

I had a Whistler on my Z24 (It was there when I bought it but still, why?!)
It was the biggest pain! A squirrel set it off once. A leaf falling on the sunroof set it off. When someone sneezed it went off.

My worst moment was when the battery in the remote died and I couldn't drive the car! I used my key to unlock it, but since there wasn't a signal coming from the remote, the car wouldn't start!

I pretty much hate alarms because of that one. They're an ok way to protect against "lil' thugz" and wannabes; but really, no one even pays attention to them, and the pros know how to disable even the best alarms.

[players02GT]

I would recommend DEI. DEI makes a huge amount of the alarms on the market today, i.e. Python, Viper, Clifford(I believe) and several other brands. As long as you do not get the cheapest one available you should be happy with range on the remote. I have owned several systems on different cars and have the 2 way remote for my 02 vert. Two way makes more sense. It lets you know if something is wrong, if the doors are locked, if the remote start worked. One thing to note was that on my 02 there is some sort of relay that switches off a few minutes after the car has been shut off. If your car has one, it will need to be bypassed other wise the car alarm will go off because the alarm will see a voltage change. Oh yeah, there will be a bypass the you will need if you want remote start, and you will have to give up a key as well. I had all of my systems installed by Audio King/Ultimate in Edina. The two installers there that I know and trust are Doug and Mark. Mark installed my last alarm in my convertible. I have had no issues with alarm and/or the installation. Best of luck in your search.

[YouNeverSawMeHere]

I would recommend DEI. DEI makes a huge amount of the alarms on the market today, i.e. Python, Viper, Clifford(I believe) and several other brands. As long as you do not get the cheapest one available you should be happy with range on the remote. I have owned several systems on different cars and have the 2 way remote for my 02 vert. Two way makes more sense. It lets you know if something is wrong, if the doors are locked, if the remote start worked. One thing to note was that on my 02 there is some sort of relay that switches off a few minutes after the car has been shut off. If your car has one, it will need to be bypassed other wise the car alarm will go off because the alarm will see a voltage change. Oh yeah, there will be a bypass the you will need if you want remote start, and you will have to give up a key as well. I had all of my systems installed by Audio King/Ultimate in Edina. The two installers there that I know and trust are Doug and Mark. Mark installed my last alarm in my convertible. I have had no issues with alarm and/or the installation. Best of luck in your search.

Talk to Tom McGovern @ Best Buy in Roseville.

I am around 99.9999% sure he did the stereo in WAY2RAD.

Tell him Ryan sent you.. He give you really really good deal and will do it right...