[MWWarlord]

Hey guys so here's the deal. When I got my car it already had an aftermarket alarm system in it. It is a good system that I was pretty happy with at first. However, the system is pretty old and they don't make it anymore. Over a year ago I startrd to have problems with it. It turns out that the system itself is still totally fine and works GREAT. However, the remote that goes with it is crapped out. I have to sit there and tap on the damn thing for various amounts of time before it will work. My alarm automatically arms itself and locks the doors thirty seconds after the door is closed(which is a feature that I liked when the remote worked). I have been through the mill trying to replace the remote. Tweeter charged me $50 for one. I waited like 3 months for it to come in. When it finally got there, it turned out that it didn't work with my system! They gave me my money back and told me that to fix the problem I'd have to buy a whole new alarm system. So I have just been dealing with the problem for the last few months cuz I figured as long as the system works why spend the money just cuz of a small annoyance. However, after standing in the pouring rain for 5 minutes just trying to get into my car I have decided it is time to get a new alarm system. I've talked to tweeter and they only have two options for me. They have a generic alarm system for $250 before install and they have a Viper system w/ remote start for $500 before install. What do you guys think? I want to get a good system. I have heard good things about Viper. Although remote start would be cool it CERTAINLY ISN'T SOMETHING I NEED. What systems do you guys recommend? Do you think that I should go somewhere other than tweeter? I know my car is a '95, but I would think that there would be more than 2 options. I was actually kind of interested in getting a lo jack system but I'm not sure about that either. I know that tweeter didn't have a lo jack system available. So let me have it...all opinions and information are welcome.

[FEELLNFROGGY]

Im sorry to state the obvious, but did you replace the battery in the remote? Its either a 16 or 32 size battery same as used in garage door openers (about the size of a nickel) You can pick em up anywhere that sells batterys like walmart sears, teh difference between teh 32 and 16 is the 32 I believe it twice as thick as the 32, But you can also double up and it does the exact same thing. pull the remote apart and see what size the battery is and do a little comparo at walmart see if it helps.

[MWWarlord]

um yeah...it isn't the battery. There is something wrong with the circuit board in the remote. The guys at tweeter did something to jury rig it so that it kinda works. Sometimes it works with absolutely no problem at all. Other times it has taken as long as 10 minutes to get into the car. However, I would say on average it takes me 30 seconds or so to get it to work. Also, FYI you are wrong about the type of battery used. It looks just like a AA battery only smaller (I forget what voltage it was) And I did try replacing it.
However, thanks for the suggestion. I do appreciate any help you guys can give.

[WLJohnson05]

what about talking directly to the company who makes the system...im sure they could get u a remote.

...this prolly needs to go in the electronics section but ill leave it here for a lil bit to get some replies

[mmvi]

I have a chapman security system on my car, and the slightest touch (say you let the wiper go from 2" drop, it'll beep, and if you "tap" the car, it'll go off in a certain spot and the alarm will sound for a good 10 minutes. anyway, my remote is "bad" or atleast getting to the point where I have to press it 5 times while standing next to the car for it to disarm the alarm. sweet alarm though, I loved it... except for the automatic locking doors once the car is started (locked myself of the car a couple of times while it was running) haha

[MWWarlord]

Anybody? What do you guys think of the viper alarm? What alarm systems do you guys suggest?

[MWWarlord]

Originally Posted by WLJohnson05 what about talking directly to the company who makes the system...im sure they could get u a remote. ...this prolly needs to go in the electronics section but ill leave it here for a lil bit to get some replies

The alarm that I have is no longer made. Unfortunately no one sells the remote anymore. BTW sorry if I posted this in the wrong place. I actually didn't even know we had an electronics section. I spend most of my time in the V6 section. However WLJ I really have not gotten much of a response here.

[Bullitt2445]

Viper is a good brand, although I would be suspect that the salesman did not know that there are several viper alarms, all with different features. They should have one that would fit your likes/needs, but I would continue to shop around. My shop deals with AutoPage, so I can obviously recomend them. If you are leaning towards the viper and cannot find a good deal on one (or a shop you're comfortable with dealing with) look for a dealer that has Clifford, or Python as they are made by the same manufacturer (Directed Electronics). Hope the info helps.

[MWWarlord]

Thanks that is helpful. I was kinda thinking that I didn't really trust the guys at tweeter. Would circuit city be worth trying? I don't know a whole lot of shops in my area that deal in car alarms.

[Bullitt2445]

My best advice would be to shop Circuit city or Best Buy to get a good idea on price. But here is the problem with both- they hardly ever have any good installers. I worked for CC for 18 months and was so fed up that the bosses wanted to limit my creativity, I left. But in my time there, I learned that they do a good job with the basics (radios/speakers) but flop when it comes to the advanced stuff (alarms/navigation/complete system design). So if you do decide to buy there, ask to speak to the lead tech to get an idea of how well your car will be taken care of.

[MWWarlord]

Yeah I went by CC today. They had a python system that seemed like it was as good as the viper system at tweeter(although it's hard to tell cuz tweeter wouldn't really tell me much about it) except that the python system was only $200(less than the "basic" system that tweeter was selling) They also sell an upgraded version of the python system that has a backup camera and other stuff. He said I would have to order online if I wanted that one. Have any of you heard anything about the python systems? What do you think of them?

[Bullitt2445]

Likw I said before, It's basically the same alarm, just with a different looking remote. Even the wire harnesses are the same. If you feel cozy with CC, by allmeans, do it!

[MWWarlord]

Hey man thanks for all the help. I found a good shop in town that carries the full line of Clifford and Viper systems. I found the place though a shop locater on the Viper website (I was trying to find out more about the viper systems since tweeter was less than helpful). I called them today and I have an appointment to get my new alarm installed on Friday. The guy there was VERY helpful. He told me all about my options and the prices for each(prices included install). Since I have a convertible, he recommended that I get a system with radar detection so my car would be protected even if I left the top down. He also told me about an option that learns the grade that you car is parked on. If it changes by more than 2 degrees the alarm goes off. This would help to protect my 18" chrome rims. We also went into the difference between one way and 2 way systems. Although I don't need it, I have decided to go ahead and get the remote start. I think it would be pretty cool to have.

edit: BTW this is the second time I had to write out this whole post cuz the site logged me off while I was writing it the first time. Note to the mods...can we change things so that we have more time before we get automatically logged off?

edit#2 I also got automatically logged off while I was writing the first edit! WTF?

[Bullitt2445]

Just do me one profesional favor- if you are satisfied about the install and how you are treated Friday (and beyond), tell your friends. Positive word of mouth that a shop treated you right is hard to come by. And next time, type faster!

[MWWarlord]

Will do...and the edit took me less than 30 seconds.

[MWWarlord]

I'll let you know how things go on Friday.

[MWWarlord]

Hey I got my new alarm today. The guy at the shop was VERY helpful. I ended up going with the Viper responder LE model5701 remote start and security system. I also added the optional radar system. So far I'm extremely happy with it!