factory alarm
 

my friend is looking at getting a new car and she asked if she should order it with the factory alarm, which is an option on top of the standard central locking/panic the car comes with. but when i asked how much it was, she told me it would add nearly $500 to the cost?!? it comes with the usual glass/motion/tilt, but no 2-way pager setup or remote start.

should i tell her to say no and just get a compustar? i'm worried she gets an aftermarket alarm and if she starts running into electrical problems in the future they may deny warranty because of it... for example i own a vw and i've read on vw boards that dealers are notorious at blaming anything aftermarket to get away from warranty work (oh your ECU is fried? must be your aftermarket alarm :rolleyes:) ...

i would go aftermarket and get it install by a professional that deals with alarms (ie: soundgoods etc) anyways if there is electricial problem u can always bring it back to the installer. if u got to bestbuy or future shop to get it install it wont hurt to buy the extended warranty just in case

GOOD LUCK

just my opinion but here's what i think...

don't go w/ an aftermarket alarm if:
*she plans to buy one from places like best buy
*she plans to pay for a basic install (ie w/out extra options such as sensors, triggers, backup battery, second siren, hidden wiring etc). you either go the whole nine yards or the system will be flawed.

If it's factory I doubt it comes with a shock, tilt, or motion sensor. It may be an aftermarket system installed in their parking lot.
Curious though what brand of vehicle is she looking at buying?

And yes, without a doubt tell her to buy something aftermarket.... on more thing you should also mention to her;
Most factory systems, if not all, are disarmed by turning the key in the drivers door. Guess what happens if someone forces the lock?

OEM > all. Not sure about aftermarket, but for MB it includes a tilt sensor.

All the ricey vibration alarms/pager things imo are pretty much useless, as by the time you run out of theatre or restaurant, the thieves are long gone.

imo alarms are useless for protecting stuff in your car. They're more useful in stopping your car from getting towed onto a container or into a chop shop.

How is anything going to stop your car from getting towed onto a container?

Anyways, please don't let your friend get the $500 'upgrade' from the dealer. The dealer cost on that 'upgrade' is only $200 tops and is pretty low quality. How do I know? I used to work for a company that did these garbage alarms.

That $500 can go towards a really good Compustar alarm with a great professional install with a lifetime warranty. Install is VERY important so if you want it done right then please avoid the big box stores unless you like T-taps, butt connectors and limited experience.

If I recall correctly, the OEM alarm for certain cars (MB is one of them) includes a built-in tilt sensor, to go off if your car goes past a certain incline.

Mind you, most people wouldn't even look twice if they saw a car getting towed by a tow truck, but at least there's a CHANCE someone might notice something sketchy going on?

My understanding is that the $500 is the "option" cost for the factory alarm. Sounds like she's buying a Euro, as unlike Jap cars, you pick and choose individual options. This would be installed at the factory. BTW the $500 is the MSRP set by the factory. She's custom ordering a new car, so there will be no/little negotiation possible.

Aftermarket digital tilt sensors are very easily available and not very expensive. I have them on both my cars and they are extremely effective.

The other thing with OEM alarms is that for Euro cars, the alarm button would also be on your key fob ie no extra thingy on your key chain. No aftermarket unit can do that. ;)

OP, I'd recommend your friend just get the alarm if she's on the fence. She can always just not use it if she doesn't like it. On the flip side, if she's missing it and wants it, it's pretty much impossible to get it done as it'll require modifying your keys, retrofitting the parts, $$$$$$$.

yes it's a euro, and yes she is considering factory-ordering the car because no one has stock for what she wants. the car dosen't have an ignition key, just that huge fob that you stick into a slot and push to start. she dosen't want to have that fob and an alarm remote dragging her down.

It would be 10 times easier for us to give you advice if you'd just tell us the make and model car.

But to me already sounds like a 3 series bmw

Yup, sounds like a BMW 3, is this correct?

Just played with the BMW configurator. Strangely enough, the alarm is only available as part of the Executive package (which costs $2500) and cannot be purchased separately?

Not sure about BMW but having a factory alarm *should* mean that your friend will only have an extra button on her fob. I hate having to carry an extra remote for aftermarket alarms too. OEM all the way!

sorry... yes it's a bmw 3-series. she's not local though (ontario).

You can buy just the alarm portion and have it added it. All it consists of is like a siren. Car's already prewired for the alarm, and then programming. Should cost $500-$600
comes with motion usually. on my 3 series conv. it does motion.
Just get the stock one, unless you are looking for remote start =) Then we can do remote start and alarm.
Is she getting smart key? For smart entry?

i'm not sure what options she is getting. she has a price point in mind so she's trying to pick and choose what options she likes the most and somehow stay within her window.

her last car was a bone-stock c-class merc. it had some sort of aftermarket alarm, but she had to take it out because the dealership kept blaming the alarm for all the electrical problems she had with it (which continued to occur even after she had the alarm removed). then she went out clubbing one night and came back to find it had been stolen right off a main street. they found it 2 weeks later stripped/torched in some industrial park somewhere in missisagua(sp?).

as well it will integrate into her factory key which has lock and unlock it will now just beep as well when it locks and unlocks. keep in mind these new systems don't have key cylinders on the door which can manually override to turn on and off the alarm, but some thieves are getting so smart, they used to pop the door lock and disarm the alarm now that the door doesn't have the key cylinder, theres one for the trunk. Its an emergency accesss to get in incase your battery is dead. so I've had a customers M3 his trunk key cylinder was popped.

So was the C stolen in Van or TO?

Yeah, MB dealers have this tendency to blame the customer, even when OEM parts are used. :rolleyes: The younger Service Advisers are better, but the oldschool ones are pretty useless. I dunno if BMW is any better for this, but it's pretty cool how certain aftermarket products such as Dinan and AC Schnitzer both automatically get the BMW dealer warranty. :)

she lives in ontario. her merc was stolen there.