how hard is it to install an alarm?

[zthumper 10+ year member]

Well I think my next investment to my truck will be an alarm system. Haven't really searched to see what was the best, but from what I can understand it costs quite a bit to get them installed. So my question is am I better off the buy the alarm myself and install it for less cost, or go to a shop and buy everything through them and get it installed right. ? Thanks a lot.

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[ilvwhtgrls 10+ year member]

i wouldn't recommend doing it yourself... a lot of things can go wrong. its worth paying the 150 or so and having it install right.

 

[shanerz21 10+ year member]

its really hard.. local shops here charge a good 4-500 to do it. not worth buyin and tryin yourself.

 

[ssj2xxgotenxx 10+ year member]

On a scale of 1-10... I give it a 7. You have to rip apart your entire car to do it properly.

 

[KaeZoo 10+ year member]

It really depends entirely on the vehicle. You shouldn't try it if you're not comfortable using a multimeter, if you don't have a garage to work in, or if you aren't willing to spend a lot of time on it.

 

[ssj2xxgotenxx 10+ year member]

It really depends entirely on the vehicle. You shouldn't try it if you're not comfortable using a multimeter, if you don't have a garage to work in, or if you aren't willing to spend a lot of time on it.

the12volt.com has wiring diagrams that explain which wires do what. I installed two Clifford RSX 3.5's w/o the use of a MM.

 

[ilvwhtgrls 10+ year member]

the12volt.com has wiring diagrams that explain which wires do what. I installed two Clifford RSX 3.5's w/o the use of a MM.

wiring guides are sometimes wrong... i had a guy come into the shop that deployed his own airbag because he probed the wrong wire. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[azbass 5,000+ posts]

your truck would be really easy.

 

[Yhycorp 10+ year member]

If your a very good reader and a direction follower you might be able to do it yourself..

BUT i failed...I paid $200 installlation with a keybox or somthing that keeps your hides your key in the car because of a chip or somthing to turn the car on for remote starter..?..

 

[Worlddre 5,000+ posts]

also many manufacturers will not warranty anything if not installed or inspected in some cases by an authorized dealer/installer

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

Hardcore.

nG

 

[96GTIVR6 10+ year member]

Installing an alarm is something that most car enthusiasts could probably do given a whole day, but very few could do well. It's not hard to get everything hooked up given a large timeframe, but it takes a lot of experience and patience to get installed thoroughly and cleanly for longetivity of the system. I wouldn't reccomend doing it unless you are quite comfortable with your truck.

 

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

i plan on doing my own alarm at some point in time... it seems like it pretty much comes down to

1) ripping your car apart

2)finding and making all the correct conenctions

3) doing it in such a way that the alarm is hard to defeat (hiding the brain in places like the rear quarter panel or under the rear seats, running wires inside of stock loom, redundancy [backup battery, backup siren, multiple triggers, etc])