Where to get Alarm Installed!?
- Thread starter empera
- Start date
Unless you know people and are familiar with their work, avoid circuit city and best buy like the plague... also CC won't install Viper alarms anymore either. Your best bet is going to be to go to a smaller, higher end chain shop like Tweeter or Myer Emco (not sure what's up in Philly). They might be 10-20 bucks more in labor, but they will do the job right. I've had so many friends have best buy and circuit city screw up their alarms recently.
I
itr206
Guest
Why wont they install Viper?
All the alarms are made by DEI meaning its all the same shit.
Tweeter is one of the better places to go though.
Just as a heads up though alot of places do not like installing alarms brought in. If they will do it, it will cost alot more from my experience.
All the alarms are made by DEI meaning its all the same shit.
Tweeter is one of the better places to go though.
Just as a heads up though alot of places do not like installing alarms brought in. If they will do it, it will cost alot more from my experience.
best buy recently bought DEI, and they will not allow circuit city to stock VIPER anymore, so circuit city, natch, refuses to touch anything to do with viper... circuit city now exclusively installs code alarm products.
I have, but I used to do custom car audio installation as my job for like 2 years. If you are comfortable soldering and stripping wires, go for it, if not, don't try it. An alarm isn't something you can just strip, wrap, and tape, like a CD player. It MUST be soldered.
If you dont, something could come loose, and your car could get locked up and be unable to start because the alarm thinks someone is tampering with it. I've seen it happen many, many times. Also, if the connections aren't solid, you can short stuff out in the ignition system of your car. Haven't seen that a whole lot, just once or twice, but it has been known to occur, albeit rarely.
Thing's you'll need:
-Wiring Breakdown of your car, which you can probably find on this site (ignition wires, door locks, marker lights, dome light, etc. [tach and injector and a few others if you are doing a remote start as well])
-Installation instruction manual that came with the alarm
-Voltage tester (test every wire before you solder, even if you have read 5 different places that X wire is the correct one, even if you got the wiring breakdown from DEI, [which you can't unless you work at Best Buy or another place that sells their alarms] even they have made errors. TEST!)
-Soldering iron
-Solder
-Electrical tape
-Screwdriver to take off the dash panels
-Wire Stripper (practice first if you haven't done this before. you do NOT want to accidentally cut your ignition wires, they have no slack at all are are nearly impossibly to reconnect easily once cut)
-A pad to sit/kneel on or kneepads
-A drill to make holes for the LED and Valet switch
-Patience
-About 4-6 hours for a first timer, depending on the alarm, and your general comfort level with stripping. soldering, wire locating, etc.
A few final notes:
1) Be aware that if you have a turbo timer, once you install an aftermarket alarm, it will cease to fuction as it did previously, and it will fight with the alarm for control of the ignition system. BAD.
The little fix it that is on this site to make a turbo timer work with the factory alarm will not work with an aftermarket. It is possible to wire it up so the alarm will allow itself to be armed even though the car is still running, but this involves setting up a bank of relays and is FAR from something a beginner could attempt, even with instructions, because every turbo timer/alarm combo needs a different setup, depending on the brands, and then depending on the car. I'd say, initially, just remove the turbo timer unless you want a major headache. It causes all kinds of issues. You can just sit in the car for 3 minutes and make out with your GF while the turbo cools down. Heh.
2) If you have purchased your alarm new, most of DEI/Viper/Clifford/Etc products carry no warranty at all (parts or labor) if not installed by a certified installation facility. It will say this somewhere on the box if it is one of those companies, and most are like that. If you got it used, no worries, but no warranty.
3) Be aware that our cars are in the neighborhood of 15 years old. Some wires, even interior ones, will be brittle. Be careful while stripping them.
4) You will make at least one mistake your first time through and have to unsolder something. Don't worry, this happens to everyone, it's just part of the learning process. Try to not get too frustrated, and remember that everyone else before you has done the same idiot thing.
If you dont, something could come loose, and your car could get locked up and be unable to start because the alarm thinks someone is tampering with it. I've seen it happen many, many times. Also, if the connections aren't solid, you can short stuff out in the ignition system of your car. Haven't seen that a whole lot, just once or twice, but it has been known to occur, albeit rarely.
Thing's you'll need:
-Wiring Breakdown of your car, which you can probably find on this site (ignition wires, door locks, marker lights, dome light, etc. [tach and injector and a few others if you are doing a remote start as well])
-Installation instruction manual that came with the alarm
-Voltage tester (test every wire before you solder, even if you have read 5 different places that X wire is the correct one, even if you got the wiring breakdown from DEI, [which you can't unless you work at Best Buy or another place that sells their alarms] even they have made errors. TEST!)
-Soldering iron
-Solder
-Electrical tape
-Screwdriver to take off the dash panels
-Wire Stripper (practice first if you haven't done this before. you do NOT want to accidentally cut your ignition wires, they have no slack at all are are nearly impossibly to reconnect easily once cut)
-A pad to sit/kneel on or kneepads
-A drill to make holes for the LED and Valet switch
-Patience
-About 4-6 hours for a first timer, depending on the alarm, and your general comfort level with stripping. soldering, wire locating, etc.
A few final notes:
1) Be aware that if you have a turbo timer, once you install an aftermarket alarm, it will cease to fuction as it did previously, and it will fight with the alarm for control of the ignition system. BAD.
The little fix it that is on this site to make a turbo timer work with the factory alarm will not work with an aftermarket. It is possible to wire it up so the alarm will allow itself to be armed even though the car is still running, but this involves setting up a bank of relays and is FAR from something a beginner could attempt, even with instructions, because every turbo timer/alarm combo needs a different setup, depending on the brands, and then depending on the car. I'd say, initially, just remove the turbo timer unless you want a major headache. It causes all kinds of issues. You can just sit in the car for 3 minutes and make out with your GF while the turbo cools down. Heh.2) If you have purchased your alarm new, most of DEI/Viper/Clifford/Etc products carry no warranty at all (parts or labor) if not installed by a certified installation facility. It will say this somewhere on the box if it is one of those companies, and most are like that. If you got it used, no worries, but no warranty.
3) Be aware that our cars are in the neighborhood of 15 years old. Some wires, even interior ones, will be brittle. Be careful while stripping them.
4) You will make at least one mistake your first time through and have to unsolder something. Don't worry, this happens to everyone, it's just part of the learning process. Try to not get too frustrated, and remember that everyone else before you has done the same idiot thing.
I
itr206
Guest
Charlie97L said:
Are you sure about this? Cuz I have a feeling you are not.
DEI makes all Viper, Ptython, Code Alarm, Avital ect.
They make almost all the alarms out there.
Yes Circuit City doesn't do Viper name anymore, but everything else they carry under the DEI name is the same exact items as the Viper models also under DEI.
Best Buy didnt buy DEI im sure, each store kinda has the rights for certain brands under DEI. if that makes sense.
So best buy does Viper, CC does Python and Code Alarm, Tweeter does Viper and Avital and some others
i'm sure, because i was a car audio manager at circuit city when it happened... best buy now owns DEI, and yes, code alarm, is a DEI subsidiary, but best buy refused to give circuit city the rights to continue selling viper, which really hurt it's car audio sales. VIPER is considered by many to be the be all of alarms, and has the highest brand name recognition. by best buy only allowing CC to sell code alarm, it effectively took cc out of the alarm business. the last month i worked there you don't know how many people came in for an alarm, saw we didn't sell viper anymore, then said, oh well i guess i'll go to BB then.
sorry if i didn't express that better... thanks for the clarification.
sorry if i didn't express that better... thanks for the clarification.
it is possible to do it yourself. check out this outline for a 91 and decide for yourself.
Aftermarket alarm, with turbo timer and stock alarm still works
MKIII detailed installation instructions
*verify your own wiring*
MKIII ALARM WIRE GUIDE wRelay.pdf (335KB)
Aftermarket alarm, with turbo timer and stock alarm still works
MKIII detailed installation instructions
*verify your own wiring*
MKIII ALARM WIRE GUIDE wRelay.pdf (335KB)
so you can arm your aftermarket alarm and the turbo timer will count down and shut off the car, or will the aftermarket alarm arm after the turbo timer shuts the car down?
I
itr206
Guest
OK, that sounds a little more like it. I didnt think they bought DEI as a whole though. If that was the case I woulda thought they would have dropped CC from ALL DEI products to really kill them.
If people realized its all the same stuff CC wouldnt have been hurt soo bad.
Oh well. lol
The alarms that have the autostart option come with Turbo Timers built into them now.
Makes life easier
If people realized its all the same stuff CC wouldnt have been hurt soo bad.
Oh well. lol
The alarms that have the autostart option come with Turbo Timers built into them now.
Makes life easier
ok i did my alarm today, almost went good hehe, except its not lockin properly but then again my power locks never worked too good...for example u would hafta hit it twice to get it to lock, seems the motors are bad or something not too sure. I also had to disconnect the wire that goes into the starter wire because the alarm kept going off right after the car started. the wirings seemed to be correct tho. I only want it for the keyless entry thing, so my question is...wat could be wrong with my power locks?
well today i tried connectin the lock/unlock function of the alarm to the passenger side since that side works (to test it out)....it locks, but doesnt want to unlock? wtf can i be doing wrong!?!?! do i need to replace the driverside motor?
I've been trying to think of something.
Check the wiring diagram again. I updated, it a little, with some more explanations and creative text coloring for wire color
MKIII ALARM WIRE GUIDE wRelay.pdf (433KB)
I see yours is an '87 so some of the wiring may be different.
Try this procedure to test the door lock control relay
http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/library/TSRM/be/BE_051.html
http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/library/TSRM/be/BE_052.html
Check the wiring diagram again. I updated, it a little, with some more explanations and creative text coloring for wire color
MKIII ALARM WIRE GUIDE wRelay.pdf (433KB)
I see yours is an '87 so some of the wiring may be different.
Try this procedure to test the door lock control relay
http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/library/TSRM/be/BE_051.html
http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/library/TSRM/be/BE_052.html