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Alarm Question


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I went to price viper alarms today for both vehicles. First off, the guy said no alarms can be installed on the 2011 BMWs. He said BMW changed the wiring in the new ones and so far no alarms will work on it. So it looks like I'm stuck with the shitty BMW alarm that will only go off 2 hours after a break in.

Anyways,

They said $660 for a 5901 bought and installed there for the SS. I know I can get it for $215 off Amazon. My question is, would the shock sensor be enough during a window break or should I get the glass sensor also?

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Shock sensor won't always detect a broken window. Properly set up they can work well for detecting impact on the vehicle, but the farther away from the sensor, the less sensitive the sensor is.

A glass breakage sensor is the only sure-fire way to detect broken glass.

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Yes you definitely want the glass break sensor for the exact reason paulguy pointed out, like some thieves use ceramic to barely tap the window and crack it. I would also recommend a jacking/towing sensor and a backup battery too!

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He quoted me 660 for just the 5901 with remote start. He didn't mention the glass or tilt sensor. Hopefully, when I call them Monday they will install a kit not bought through them. Probably not though.

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I had a 5901 installed in my truck for 550 CAD, so you can easily get a far better price than that. If you set the shock sensor light enough breaking glass would definitely set it off. If you want, I can record a video for you showcasing the shock sensor "sensitivity" tomorrow?

Edited by ThatTallCanadian (see edit history)
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Thanks man, but the extra 14-20 bucks for the glass sensor isn't a problem. Is every Harley going to set off my alarm though? Will I be running out in my drive way, gun drawn at every guy with some subs? If I change the sensitivity, would It still go off from fairly loud noises,and glass breaking? I'm just a little paranoid considering they have my address and keys now. I'm waiting for Chevrolet to call me back about changing the locks and reprogramming the key. Pisses me off I can't get one installed on the BMW.

 

Edit- I seen were Best Buy has 5901 with install for $500. Would the Geek squad be trust worthy? I found out today just because you work at a repitible sound shop doesn't mean your worth a damn. Had the BMW window tinted and he brought it out with HUGE bubbles in it. I went back in and said are the bubbles free of charge? He came back out and pushed them out with his thumb and said come back in three days if it comes back. Unfortunately, I had places to be so I couldn't wait around. I had already waited 3 hours, to get one window tinted.

Edited by eeekroar (see edit history)
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My alarm has never gone off from loud noise actually. If I hit the windshield or a pillar 2-3 times it goes off. Like mine is not set to the point where someone bumping it with their door or purse will set it off, it will definitely go off if someone hits my truck while parked or is attempting to break into.

Edited by ThatTallCanadian (see edit history)
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Thanks man, but the extra 14-20 bucks for the glass sensor isn't a problem. Is every Harley going to set off my alarm though? Will I be running out in my drive way, gun drawn at every guy with some subs? If I change the sensitivity, would It still go off from fairly loud noises,and glass breaking? I'm just a little paranoid considering they have my address and keys now. I'm waiting for Chevrolet to call me back about changing the locks and reprogramming the key. Pisses me off I can't get one installed on the BMW.

 

Edit- I seen were Best Buy has 5901 with install for $500. Would the Geek squad be trust worthy? I found out today just because you work at a repitible sound shop doesn't mean your worth a damn. Had the BMW window tinted and he brought it out with HUGE bubbles in it. I went back in and said are the bubbles free of charge? He came back out and pushed them out with his thumb and said come back in three days if it comes back. Unfortunately, I had places to be so I couldn't wait around. I had already waited 3 hours, to get one window tinted.

A properly setup shock sensor should never false. I will get a false trigger once or twice a year from a loud car or bike, but I live in a quiet suburb so it is set a little high. A sensitive pre-warn is alright, I don't mind if it pre-warns often, at least it lets everyone know i have an alarm.Some older alarms had separate settings on the shock, so you come crank up the pre-warn, so it would give a warn-aways often, but you could set the trigger up higher so you wouldn't get any false alarms. Those were nice.

 

You need to be set up for the noise level of where you park at and there shouldn't be any problems. On the viper you can adjust the shock yourself so no worries.

 

Uh oh, Install quality question. Holy can-of-worms batman.

Up here in this part of car audio world a best buy installer is... well It's not very professional for me to say how I feel.

 

I would just tell people...'Who do you want working on your truck? The kid at best buy making $13/hr, or a guy that makes ...lets just say a crapload more then that... doing starters like me?'

 

Our trucks are super easy to do starters and alarms, like ridiculously easy. There should be no excuse for hacking one in. For example, If i find someone hooking up the brake wire to the brake switch, I figgin lose it, like completely freak out!

 

I'm pretty opinionated when it comes to this subject, but that comes from many years of fixing hack jobs, and trying to train installers when they think they know their shit but don't, because they worked with morons that even knew less then they did.

 

The car audio industry is dieing out so there is really no point in trying to fix the problems. There should be more regulations put into place, or a proper trade established, so that not just anyone with a pair of wire strippers can work on your vehicle.

 

The industry is set up really stupid, the faster you work, the more money you make. So there are some guys that can work really fast, make a living, but don't care what they do to your vehicle. Except for the big custom audio jobs, 95% of what the installer does, the customer will never see. So some guys don't give a crap, they just want to get the car outside, to get the next job done.

 

Does it really matter? It will more then likely still work. The only time someone sees an installers work is when another installer is taking it apart to do more work. It matters to me. I'll start swearing and calling names(Ask Gavin...LOL). Unfortunately the guys that take more pride in their work, and maybe spend a little more time on a job make less money then the 'hacks'. So basically, the guys that do a better job on your car, may make less money then someone who is hacking stuff in. This is why alot of installers quit up here after a certain amount of time (I just retired myself).

But ya your right, just because you go to a high dollar place, doesn't guaranty you'll get a perfect install. But if they're a reputable shop, they'll stand by their work and offer good customer service.

 

But that's just my opinion.

Sorry for the rant.

 

Edited by paulguy (see edit history)
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A properly setup shock sensor should never false. I will get a false trigger once or twice a year from a loud car or bike, but I live in a quiet suburb so it is set a little high. A sensitive pre-warn is alright, I don't mind if it pre-warns often, at least it lets everyone know i have an alarm.Some older alarms had separate settings on the shock, so you come crank up the pre-warn, so it would give a warn-aways often, but you could set the trigger up higher so you wouldn't get any false alarms. Those were nice.

 

You need to be set up for the noise level of where you park at and there shouldn't be any problems. On the viper you can adjust the shock yourself so no worries.

 

Uh oh, Install quality question. Holy can-of-worms batman.

Up here in this part of car audio world a best buy installer is... well It's not very professional for me to say how I feel.

 

I would just tell people...'Who do you want working on your truck? The kid at best buy making $13/hr, or a guy that makes ...lets just say a crapload more then that... doing starters like me?'

 

Our trucks are super easy to do starters and alarms, like ridiculously easy. There should be no excuse for hacking one in. For example, If i find someone hooking up the brake wire to the brake switch, I figgin lose it, like completely freak out!

 

I'm pretty opinionated when it comes to this subject, but that comes from many years of fixing hack jobs, and trying to train installers when they think they know their shit but don't, because they worked with morons that even knew less then they did.

 

The car audio industry is dieing out so there is really no point in trying to fix the problems. There should be more regulations put into place, or a proper trade established, so that not just anyone with a pair of wire strippers can work on your vehicle.

 

The industry is set up really stupid, the faster you work, the more money you make. So there are some guys that can work really fast, make a living, but don't care what they do to your vehicle. Except for the big custom audio jobs, 95% of what the installer does, the customer will never see. So some guys don't give a crap, they just want to get the car outside, to get the next job done.

 

Does it really matter? It will more then likely still work. The only time someone sees an installers work is when another installer is taking it apart to do more work. It matters to me. I'll start swearing and calling names(Ask Gavin...LOL). Unfortunately the guys that take more pride in their work, and maybe spend a little more time on a job make less money then the 'hacks'. So basically, the guys that do a better job on your car, may make less money then someone who is hacking stuff in. This is why alot of installers quit up here after a certain amount of time (I just retired myself).

But ya your right, just because you go to a high dollar place, doesn't guaranty you'll get a perfect install. But if they're a reputable shop, they'll stand by their work and offer good customer service.

 

But that's just my opinion.

Sorry for the rant.

 

Very well said! As far as the pre warn, on my previous autopage rs1000 you could set the alarm, then press arm again, then press arm yet again and it would set it up like that. I personally like the shock sensor set to where someone would have to back into my truck damn near to set it up. Then again I do use a glass break and the jacking/towing sensor. Luckily for me a very close friend has been an installer since he was 18 and is very anal about his work. He is a really really good installer. The chevy dealer literally tore my truck apart to find the brain and back up battery thinking it was a problem with something I took the truck in for. They were wrong and I won't get into that long story but let's just say a thief wouldn't have been able to disable my alarm any time soon lol. He is actually about to install my RS1100 next week. Too bad you're not in north tx eekroar bc I wouldn't have the slightest problem recommending him to you and I bet his price would be much cheaper than best buy considering he works from home atm....

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Yeah , I totally see where you are coming from Paul. I work in Auto-Body collision repair, so I know all about crap jobs. Unfortunately, there are only four audio shops in my area. One doesn't carry Viper. The other is the guys that did my tint, and I will not let work on anything else I own. Empress gave me the quote, and Advanced Audio is an hour drive away so I have to find time to ride over there. Only reason I asked about Best Buy is for the warranty. Empress didn't mention a warranty when I spoke with them. I might consider traveling to Louisiana to get an install, but still possible I will get a guy just trying to push the cars out the door. If anyone knows anyone in the LA,MS, or lower AL area, that takes pride in their work LMK. Thanks fellas

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