Keyless entry + remote start suggestions

[dkjones96]

I bought a replacement for the Tracker. It isn't an economic car by any stretch of the imagination but it is an upgrade(for me). The vehicle is a 99 Durango 4x4 with the 318 Magnum with 40k miles. Test drove it for over an hour and the mileage wasn't actually bad when I wasn't being mean to it.

I'm looking at the Viper 571VX system. It has an alarm function but it only pages the key fob, doesn't actually have a siren(works for me they are just annoying and nobody pays attention to them anyways), but does come with a starter kill function. It's pretty much a fully functional alarm system without the siren.

I like the the two way remote that it comes with too. It verifies that the engine has started by illuminating a light on the fob so you don't have to be listening for it to verify.

Any suggestions? I don't need a door lock kit(they seem to like including solenoids for non-power lock cars) and it doesn't need to have a siren(probably won't install it anyways).

[VetteOwner]

lol durango...ive heard they have all sorts of issues. but that aside finding one with only 40 k might be a good sign

now alarm systems id look into the viper 791vx. its what i have and has worked flawless since i installed it. kinda odd that the 571 doesnt come with a siren...it probably comes with a blinking light to warn people that its armed, but if a thief is gutsy or just throws something at the car to see if it sets it off(to see if its just a fake alarm) and no siren then he probably will try to break in. a siren at least will deter him even further as i mean it doesnt look good if your standing next to a car messin with it or in it frantically searching about inside with a siren going off.

yea the remote is cool but i turn off that paging function cuz the way it works is the keyfob pages the cars alarm and checks to see if anythings happened, it does this every few seconds. (even if your in range of it or not, meaning you could be on vacation with they keys in your pocket and the truck at home and its gonna keep tryin) what ive noticed is if i have that function on the AAA battery only lasts about 2-3 weeks verses about 8 months if i have it off. It will still display if its armed disarmed running, etc.

alot of the decent alarms come with a starter kill which is nice till it screws up then ur up a creek unless u know how its wired in to cut and essentially hotwire your own car. if a thief wants your car bad enough thier gonna get it weither it be alarm or not.

if you decide to look at other alarms id look into anything made by DEI (they make the viper systems) and clifford. dont get those cheapo 2 wire hookup alarms, they are utter crap.

[dkjones96]

I'd read about them having issues but nobody that said that could actually list things that were an issue except a couple of people. I read about a speed sensor in the rear diff that goes out but that's about it.

But, it's easy to work on from what I can tell and the parts are cheap... should work out okay!

[suspendedhatch]

I wouldn't suggest the Viper 791XV for two reasons. 1), it's been superceeded twice now, first by the 5900 and then the 5901. 2) he didn't say anything about wanting remote start so why pay hundreds of dollars more?

If you want a paging alarm, I would suggest one of DEI's paging non-remote start alarms ie the Viper 5002 with the nice remote, or the 3002 with the ugly remote. Paging is somewhat overrated though. For maximum value consider the Viper 350HV. It's a solid, no frills alarm.

W/out a siren, an alarm is essentially useless. If you're planning on having a paging alarm with no siren you are just setting yourself up for getting into a bad situation. Also note that paging range is quite limited despite manufacturer's claims of a mile or more.

Also note that Viper, Python, and Clifford are all the same exact alarms with different packaging. Best Buy carries Viper, Circuit City carries Python, and Clifford can be found at the smaller retailers.

[dkjones96]

I actually do want remote start.

[VetteOwner]

W/out a siren, an alarm is essentially useless. If you're planning on having a paging alarm with no siren you are just setting yourself up for getting into a bad situation. Also note that paging range is quite limited despite manufacturer's claims of a mile or more.

yea, i mean really what are u going to do in a situation where you actually catch someone? im sure they would have a knife or gun or somehitng. or what if its a group?

Also note that Viper, Python, and Clifford are all the same exact alarms with different packaging. Best Buy carries Viper, Circuit City carries Python, and Clifford can be found at the smaller retailers.

yup viper and python are all made by DEI (didnt know clifford was)

side note i found my viper 791 for $175 about 3 years ago. it has alot of fancy features that are quite nice like when you hit the arm button it can lock the doors and roll up the windows at the same time.

of course you have to have said features already in your vehicle

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

yea, i mean really what are u going to do in a situation where you actually catch someone? im sure they would have a knife or gun or somehitng. or what if its a group?

I disagree. For one thing, the siren is useless; everybody ignores them, we're all tired of them. Nobody calls the cops unless it's been going off for a long time, and thieves know that; they kill the alarm quickly and nobody will call the cops. If I hear a siren, I'm not going to run outside and see if it's my car or any of the hundred cars around it -- and if my car is alone, it's probably not anywhere that it will be stolen. I guess it helps against someone stealing the car in my yard overnight.

As for the confrontation, most car thieves will probably run away if they see anyone approach them. I don't have any way to guess how many would be armed or in a group, but I doubt most would. Either way, the car isn't going to defend itself! What use is the alarm if nobody's going to confront the perp?

Even if I wasn't going to try to defend the car, I'd go and at least watch out the window while it gets stolen so I can ID the perp and know which direction it went.

[dkjones96]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Either way, the car isn't going to defend itself!

You're assuming I don't plan on hooking up an ignition coil to the body for when the alarm goes off....

haha

[dkjones96]

Oh, and I thought it was the 5.2L but it turns out it's really the 5.9L (360).

[suspendedhatch]

Originally Posted by dkjones96

You're assuming I don't plan on hooking up an ignition coil to the body for when the alarm goes off....

haha

What do you think that's going to do?

No matter what happens when you catch someone stealing your car, you lose. What are you going to do? Shoot them? You'll go to jail for a very long time. Or are you going to sneak up on them only to have their lookout get the drop on you...

A siren is important because it draws attention and essentially puts a time limit on how long the thief has. Yeah I know people don't go running outside every time a car alarm goes off. But put yourself in the thief's shoes.

If the siren is useless, then the whole car alarm is useless. Every car thief knows it's installed within easy reach under the dash. And they know they can pop the hood and cut the siren, or disconnect the car battery and go straight at the alarm.

For a car alarm to be effective it has to be installed effectively. You need a backup battery (NOT a backup battery siren), a hood pin, you need to hide the siren, you need to hide the alarm brain, you need to hide the alarm's wiring (wrapping them in electric tape doesn't cut it), you need to interrupt the starter wire somewhere other than on the steering column, you need a second siren ie piezo siren concealed inside the passenger compartment (and fused against the other siren being grounded out), and you need a range of sensors.

Don't rely on the shock sensor as it does little more than trigger false alarms. Turn the sensitivity down and add a glass break sensor. Consider getting a tilt sensor. Radar sensors are tricky because if they are not installed and dialed in correctly, they tend to produce a lot of false alarms. But they can be extremely effective.

Lastly you need a separate kill switch hidden away. Not a Ravelco, not that crappy key chip that the dealerships love to put in, but just a simple rocker switch (and possibly a relay depending on what circuit you're cutting and where). Interrupt the main relay or the ignition power to the ECU. If you own a Honda then forget about interrupting the fuel pump or the ignition because these are easily bypassed. Honda thieves know these cars inside and out.

All this crap I'm babbling about can be found in great detail here: http://causeforalarm.thecarthing.com...6/version6.EG/

Also if your car is worth 15 grand or more, I strongly suggest you get a tracking system like lowjack or a Viper GPS.