I want to get a remote start and alarm system for the tudor

[83countrysquire]

budgets is around $300 what should i get and is there one i could wire myself of should I not mess with it and go with a place to wire one up. brands? places to get the? anything would help

[86GmLsCoupe]

I just had one done not long ago and personally, I'd wanna have a professional installation unless you are really good with wiring & electronics. I had mine done at Zippos, I don't know if you've heard of them or if there are any by you but they are reputable and stand by their work. Definitely look into someone that specializes in car electronics, you get what you pay for. If you want a high quality basic system you can get the Viper 560XV with security and remote start. The remote is nice and sturdy, fits nicely in the hand, and has a good range. Viper is Directed Electronics, just like Clifford, Avital, Python, Hornet, Valet, ect ect. Viper is just the line most people know of and most places install. Everything I've bought from D.E. was of good quality and I've had no problems with. On a side note, when system is being installed, it is a bit tight in the steering column and they are going to have to t-tap in into the ignition switch wires. If you've had any problems with the ignition switch like the accessories cutting off, trouble starting, the switch is probably loose and breaking apart (many do the key jiggle to fix it when it happens). When they work on it, it will probably just make things worse and the switch will have to be changed. So perhaps give it a look at beforehand and take that into consideration as well.

[85MercPark]

I have one I was gonna install, but never have.

Instructions seem easy enough if you know basic electronics.


Have to check the brand if you are interested..

[gadget73]

I'd actually install it myself just for fear of someone screwing up my car. I've seen some aftermarket alarm installs with those vampire tap things and all manner of crapass wiring done. Scary.

[86GmLsCoupe]

I hear ya Gadget. I went with the prof. install because I have no wiring skills. The place I went did I think 4 alarms for us so I know their work. With my Merc, I brought them the car dash, pillars, kick and hush panels out because I'm scared about people hurting my trim pieces. They even left and antenna taped up so I count install it with the headliner trim. And NO drilling for that LED, that got stuck in the def. vent. So when I go the car back I saw exactly how they wired and it was nice and neat, not a rats nest. They use the heavy T-taps, I don't know if there's a better method, but I thought soldering is really only needed under the hood. Plus if I ever want the alarm out, the T-taps just come off. The12volt.com has car specific wiring info if you want to install the alarm yourself. I definitely, still recommend an alarm by Directed Electronics, I've never heard anything bad about the quality. The main thing with DIY installation is the company doesn't give you the certain warranty you'd get at an authorized installer. The big horror stories I usually hear about are when alarms are done by places like Best Buy. Luckily our car has no real quirks that make doing an alarm extra work.

[gadget73]

The T taps are the kind where you get a flat blade type connector, and just push another on correct? Those are OK, I just don't like the plastic ones that have a little metal thingy inside you squeeze down on. It makes the wire thin if it cuts through any of the strands, and usually things start to corrode right there. That, and they aren't able to be disconnected very easily.

They wired it so there aren't any random wires fished out under the hood? Lots of them seem to run wires direct to the coil and over to the starter relay. Usually the extra wires are sort of just laid in there and it looks a bit obvious that it doesn't belong. I wouldn't want that since all those wires can be accessed from under the dash.

[AudioPro]

Just to put my two cents in. I have been installing for about 15+ years now (10 pro.) I have seen my share of hack jobs from so called professionals. A true pro would not and will not mind to show any and all his work to anyone. It is hard to find a true pro, ask questions, find out how long the installer has been installing. Don’t ask “have you worked on this type of car?” they could be lying to you.

Installing your own remote start/alarm is not hard if you understand electronics.

[over2tonsofFun]

Just to put my two cents in. I have been installing for about 15+ years now (10 pro.) I have seen my share of hack jobs from so called professionals. A true pro would not and will not mind to show any and all his work to anyone. It is hard to find a true pro, ask questions, find out how long the installer has been installing. Don’t ask “have you worked on this type of car?” they could be lying to you.

Installing your own remote start/alarm is not hard if you understand electronics.

Well said, I too have seen crap installs out of certified shops and installers. Like the jeep that came in just before a show saying he was attending. The amp power wire changed sizes 3 times within 4" of the battery.

Unless I personally know an installers work and trust it. no one works on my systems. That is maybe about a dozen people in the country.

Tim

[86GmLsCoupe]

I'm not entirely sure the type of taps they used but I had to move two of them to make the shroud fit better and the wires looked good and not hacked up. You can actually see a few nicks in the ignition wires where the first or second alarm was installed. I used wire loom, zip-ties, and a label maker to make everything neat and organized before putting the trim panels back on. The only thing I noticed was there was an older unused tap on one of the wires at the ignition coil which I guess was for a tach wire. I'm pretty sure the new system does not have tach wire hooked up for the remote start. Anyway, from the looks of it, I'm happy and everything works properly.

[gadget73]

Looks good. Better than under my dash. I've got speaker wire spaghetti under there currently. Its another thing on my project list to get that looking less crappy. Been a low priority since it keeps feeding me bs mechanical problems to deal with instead.