best alarm install?
 

i just bought an alarm and the i'm getting it installed tomorrow. they said that they put the brain in the dash.....isnt that typical though. making it easy for a thief to find? i dont know a whole lot about alarms. so could you guys tell me where i should have them put the brain and siren....and any other parts that need to be hidden if broken into. its a viper 500esp.

also i was going to do a back up battery but then they told me that its only a 9 volt batter, it'll only last like an extra minute, and the siren will be quieter when running off the back up. is this back up the same as for all other alarms? is this worth the extra $50? i thought i read that a back up lasts 5 minutes? thanks guys.

yes it's typically to put the brain under the dash but it has to be well hidden and impossible to find. im sure any professional installer will know how to hide it. so don't worry.
when i had my alarm installed today, i asked the installer where the brain and backup battery were, he said they were under the dash. then i asked him to rip out the lower dash and let me see, I took more than 10 mins to find them. so u can imagine how difficult will be for a thieve to find it. i have the main siren somewhere under the hood which i don't know where exactly and a self powered backup siren inside the vichel where i can easily to access for the key. since it's selfpowered, it is not 12v, but aroud 8v. when the alarm is set off, both sirens will sound, but one will be louder than the other. my installer told me, the backup battery will hold up at least for 40 mins, well even 10 mins is enough to get ppl's attention unless the car is parked underground. yes, a backup battery is well worth the money, cuz if u don't have it and assumed that thief disconnected the main battery, the alarm would be dead as fawk. i say get it, if u have money. hope this helps

really depends where you're getting it put in and who's doing it. many installers are lazy and end up shoving the brain where ever there's room under the dash, which is typically on the left side of the steering column.


-instead of focusing just on the brain, ask yourself this:

- are the wires going to be taped up and masked?
- is he/she going to hide the siren underneath the hood?
- is the shock sensor going to be too sensitive or not enough?
- is the brain going to be on the left side of the steering column where the majority of alarms are placed?

- if you have an extra buck or two, i'd pay the installer a litto bit more to do a cleaner job and remember not to rush him/her!!! :thumbup: good luck!!!

I saw an alarm "install" where the guy just used those "wire taps" on all the wires... with crimp connectors that were not crimped good, so the wires just slid right out... and the "brain" which had the shock sensor built in was hanging from a zip-tie wrapped around a bundle of wires... None of the alarm wirring was tied up, or in loom... just run about under the dash.

This was suposed to be a "professional" instalation by someone who has been doing installs for 20 years... I feel bad for all the people that went to him.

Oh, and for people in NY and western Mass, this was a guy from "Boomer McLoud at Car Essentials" -steer clear of them.

A little extreme, but in one installation I did in the past, the alarm brain was installed into a custom welded steel case, with a shatterproof lexan cover underneath the spare tire in the trunk. Wiring from the brain was routed through a flexible metal sleeve popular in home electrical wiring. I found it difficult to cut thru without an axe, most car thieves conventional tools would not be able to penetrate the case, lexan, or protective loom within a reasonable time for theft.

When the wires reached the front of the car they were all well concealed. Every effort was made to locate the necessary wires away from the driver's side dash and the fusebox. Well you are limited on the starter kill wires to the ignition, but it was backed up by a Clifford wireless immobilizer on the fuel pump. Also the wires werent routed as one would expect.

Even to a BMW technician the alarm was undetectable in the car because no taps were apparent. Everything was done behind the dash or metal protective panels, or very discretly in the engine bay.

this sounds like a damn expensive job. just outta curiosity, what car was it and how much was the installation?

BMW 740 his total labor budget was over $40,000 his equipment budget was about the same. He allowed us up to $70,000 total in labor and equipment for the car. Won numerous competitions and magazine features.

i like the sound of that!!! which clifford was it? you got some pixs. :thumbup:

70k on the alarm system!!!!!!! i hope you meant 70k for everything thats on the car, like stereo, 18 tv's, rims, performance parts, etc. if he spent 70k on an alarm WOW!. was the car even worth 70k? i really hope you were talking about everything on the car.

you can buy every single alarm device on the market for less than 5000. for 70k bull****