Doing alarm/remote start yourself?

[Shugarra 10+ year member]

I'm currently planning on purchasing an alarm/remote start for my car, probably the clifford matrix rs3.5 or compustar swss. I've done all of the rest of my system on my own but setting up an alarm seems kind of intimidating. If I do it myself I can save around $300 which I sure wouldn't mind, if it's extremely difficult however I will just take it to a shop.

Have any of you set up your own alarm/remote start system? Is it really hard? Is it worth the $300 a shop would charge for it? Any help is extremley appreciated. Thanks!

Mike

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[Shugarra 10+ year member]

Anyoneeeeee?

 

[Denny347 10+ year member]

I depends on many things. What kinda vehicle is it going in...some are easy, some are difficult. Also, how good are you with installing your own audio equipment? I have an Alpine 8080 with a DEI remote start on my Passat. I did it all myself. Then again, I've been doing that kind of thing for the last 12-13 yrs. If you think you can do it make sure you have the proper tools, connectors, and a wiring chart for your vehicle. Follow the install instructions for the alarm closely. If it looks to complicated to complete yourself then I would pay for the install and be done with it.

 

[customcamaro 10+ year member]

Yeah not only does it depend on the car but how well the instructions for the alarm are laid out. I installed an alarm/remote start in a 99 grand am gt and it was definately not the easiest thing i have done. Unfortunately the directions were kinda lacking in their description and i was playing the guessing game more than i was following precise directions. It is possible to be done, however plan on spending quite a few man hours to complete the project as well as some extra cash for all you neccessary equipment. One advantage of doing it yourself allows you to set it up to your liking. For example the remote that i was installing was designed to turn the car on but not run the heating and air system. Since i was doing it myself i was able to bypass this and set it up to where the heat and air would operate normal as long as it was set prior to turning the car on with the remote start. Make a long story short, it is possible but will take a lot of patience and a little know how if your directions are lacking in the technical end. Might be worth it to have it professionaly installed if you value your time.

 

[Denny347 10+ year member]

I don't know much about the new Clifford or Compustar alarms. Back when I was installing hot and heavy I worked with DEI Viper and Alpine, no newer than 1998. Back then they were very straight forward in wiring. I can still wire and 8080, 8070L, 8040, or any of the older Viper line. Alpine was my favorite. Heck, my current 8080 is 12 yrs old and in its 3 vehicle of mine. I cna't seem to kill it...Oh well I am veering off-topic. Geez, I feel old //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/bawling.gif.6287aa5d1d447c8af063fc9466e822ef.gif .

 

[crhye250r 10+ year member]

I do them all the time at work. In fact i just put my 790xv (with everything, dual field proximity, tilt censor, audio sensor, trunk protection and pop, starter kill, remote start, etc..) on my Taurus. If you dont know what you are doing things can get quite tricky (diodes and resistors may be needed for certain vehicles). If you can tell me the vehicle, i can give ya a good idea of what you are looking at in terms of difficulty.

 

[mudd 10+ year member]

I'd say have it professionally done. That's not something you want to try yourself. In the likely event you mess something up, or something's not quite right or where it's supposed to be, you can cause major damage to a car's electrical system, not to mention toast an alarm.

Some cars (like the 95 Chevy truck that I did the other day) are cake. Some cars (like an '03 Trailblazer) are hell. It's frustrating when you have to go into each door to tap doorlocks, use a remote start bypass module, and diode-isolate EVERYTHING.

Like I said, it's worth the $100-150 in labor to have it professionally done.

 

[Shugarra 10+ year member]

If it helps at all it will be going in a 94 Nissan Maxima. Unless I find out for some reason a maxima is super easy to work with I will probably just have the shop do it. Thanks for all your help!

Mike