Was it one of the better Viper alarms? Back when I had a Viper alarm, on one of my BMWs, the Company offered budget models, intermediate, and up to at the time I think was $1200 for the most deluxe model.

I opted for the $600 installed model.

When shopping for the alarm I noted that the more money one paid, the more features the alarm included. As I recall, the more I paid, the more sophisticated the wiring was, to conceal it and make it difficult for the thieves to defeat it. I think the low priced alarm did not include an immobilizer and the sales guy said someone could slide under the car and snip the wires [saying that assured buyers would opt for at least the $600 model.]

That was all about ten years back. I dunno how good or bad the various brands are nowadays. I do recall, however, that Viper was a middle-of-the-road brand that saw success based on marketing, not necessarily that they had the best alarms on the market.

With my MINI I have been putting off getting an alarm, partly because I don't want to spend $600 to $1200 for one and don't have the time at this time to spend 100 hours shopping for one. [I tend to review things like this to death to make sure I am getting the best bang for the buck.]

 

I figure that if someone wants in your car, or wants to take your car, they'll do it -- and that's what a proper level of insurance is for.

The most I expect from an alarm or security system is a blinken light and chirpy bit (ok, maybe a woo-woo siren to embarrass someone who doesn't know how to park) so that someone looking for an easy score will move on to the next car.

I plan on getting the factory alarm because it satisfies all those requirements, and at $500 is no more expensive than an aftermarket alarm + installation.
My MA suggested a lojack system instead of the alarm, but I live in Tucson and lojack doesn't work on cars in Mexico... though I may look into 3rd party GPS tracking options.

 

I just want my horn and siren to go off... so at least in my subterranean garage, it will echo

I dont want a flame thrower coming out of the car and burn the thieves to the ground If i installed this, i would worry about my JCW aero side skirts melting....

 

i tried popping the boot yesterday and held the button a bit too long and set off the panic. that siren was like someone stabbing my ears with an ice pick.
at least now i know what it sounds like.

 

yeah seriously. I had my alarm installed last week and popped open the inside door handle while the car was locked. The alarm siren was piercing. I was pretty impressed, I expected it to sound like a bunch of sissy car horn noises.

 

i currently have the Python/Viper Alarm system installed on my current vehicle(not a mini) and i sure do love the thing. always had an issue of whether i locked the door or not with the stupid factory fob. With the Python/Viper alarm system it has that pager lookin fob that has a screen with a car on it showing all sorts of things. wat i really liked was the use of using both the cars factory siren and the python siren, making it extremely loud when it goes off. i even scared someeone that was passing by my car when i unlocked it from afar.

 

anyone done remote start on their automatic r56? if so what alarm/model? any problems? anything you would change or give advice on? any warranty issues?

 

With statements like that, none of us here will have any problem figuring out who the idiot is...