Alarm suggestions

Jason, you make a very good point!! I think I will check into seeing if there are any shops around me. Actually I know there is one about half an hour away and they have a VERY good reputation when it comes to stereo installs. I'll have to see if they deal in alarms too.
 
They (the place i'm going to get it installed) said they can get any DEI alarms. Does it have to be installed by a certified Viper installer for the warranty to be good?

They also mentioned Compustar alarms. Any one heard of them??
 
Never heard of Compustar and I'd ask the place you are going to about the warranty question. I would *assume* if they are an authorized reseller that they would be an authorized installer, so the two should *usually* go hand in hand, but just ask to be safe.
 
Here is my alarm update. I was quoted $482 for a Python 881xp installed, and $499 for a Viper 791xvr. From what I understand they are both basically the same alarm since they are both made by DEI. Is this correct???
 
Same alarm yes. DEI is DEI. The only time you get some differences is in the Clifford side of the house. Nothing comes close to an Avanguard.



Did you find an installer?
 
I had a Sidewinder alarm in my Accord. Trouble free for the 6 years I had it in the car. Still worked perfectly when I sold the car too. :)



Not too sure what I'd need to do with my 626 since it already has a decent factory system. Special key is needed too.
 
Scott,



You must have a 98 or newer 626 I take it.....



Key is really only needed for something like an autostart. You should be fine without having to worry about that if you just want a regular alarm installed.



-Ben
 
Blazern00b said:
Same alarm yes. DEI is DEI. The only time you get some differences is in the Clifford side of the house. Nothing comes close to an Avanguard.

What is different on the Clifford side? What is Avanguard?





Blazern00b said:
Did you find an installer?

Yes....I think. It depends on where I get it from. I'm going to check out one other place Monday
 
The AvantGuard series alarm by Clifford is the top of the line alarm that was made by Clifford before DEI bought them out a couple years ago.



All of the *Responder* alarms are pure DEI and are identical, no matter what name is on them.



I had an AvantGuard in my F250 a long time ago and loved it, but the installers threw a fit because it took them three days to figure it out, and the installation fee was around $700 which is the going rate for an alarm of that caliber. It was like a mini computer being integrated with your vehicle, there were boxes and wires everywhere. You could even buy software that would allow you to program it from a laptop. Really cool stuff but very expensive, and I don't think they even make them anymore so getting parts for one if it breaks will be hard to do, which is why I went with the regular DEI made Clifford this time.
 
They still make the Avantguard, and they still are a PITA to install. There are European versions as well, with metal housed brains, and a bunch of other features.



700 was not bad, I know of installers billing an easy grand out for install on higher end cars that require lots of work.
 
Blazern00b said:
Scott,



You must have a 98 or newer 626 I take it.....



Key is really only needed for something like an autostart. You should be fine without having to worry about that if you just want a regular alarm installed.



-Ben



1999 to be exact. The ignition key is chipped so without the correct key the car won't start.
 
Blazern00b said:
They still make the Avantguard, and they still are a PITA to install. There are European versions as well, with metal housed brains, and a bunch of other features.



700 was not bad, I know of installers billing an easy grand out for install on higher end cars that require lots of work.



No, $700 wasn't bad at all. Before I bought the alarm I called around and most people wouldn't touch it but the ones that would were anywhere from $700-$1000 like you said. I ended up having my friend who was doing a custom stereo for me, do the alarm too so he did it for the cheapest price I could find.



The biggest problem was that I bought my 03' F250 right when the new 6.0 liter PowerStroke came out and nobody had any kind of wiring diagram for the vehicle, not even Ford so he kind of had to do this install blind.



One of the things that gave him trouble at first was the startup delay for the glow plugs. In the older trucks they just always use the "Wait To Start" light as the signal for the alarm to crank, but in the new gauge clusters there is no "light" anymore. The cluster is all one unit with one cable in the back of it that comes directly from the vehicles ECU, so he had to use something else. It was little things like that that really made it tough.



Had he had the proper wiring diagram, it would have gone a lot smoother.



As far as getting parts, that's good to know. I was always told that they couldn't get parts anymore.
 
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