Re: Car alarm installers rant

Matt Ion wrote:
> I don't get it either - starter kill is relatively simple to connect and

> AFAIK almost all alarms still have the feature and probably even include

> the relay and harness to make it easy.  Usually the toughest part is 
> determining the right wire to interrupt (although wiring diagrams for 
> most cars simplifies that), and extracting it from its bundle to make 
> the connections.
> 
> Only times I've ever seen a "problem" with a starter kill relay is when 
> the install is sloppy and the connections poor, or when it's wired for 
> fail-secure operation (where it breaks the connection and the alarm 
> being disarmed re-enables the starter) and the brain dies.  A fail-safe 
> wiring (where the relay makes the connection by default and the alarm 
> going off breaks it) shouldn't have any issues with the brain dying.
> 
> $100-$175 for an install isn't outrageous, if it's a properly-done 
> install - we're talking fused power wire run right to the battery, 
> relays on the light flash circuit, power-lock tie-in, brain well-hidden 
> inside the dash rather than just zap-strapped to the steering column, 
> etc.  A quick'n'dirty install will just tap everything into the 
> under-dash wiring and will cost a lot less, but also be less reliable 
> (ie. more easily defeated).
> 

Unfortunately, most of the "professional" installs I have seen from the 
local shops have a brain that is easy to find and they will even mount 
the valet switch on the steering column.  The majority of them are just 
tie wrapped to either the steering column, or the factory wiring harness 
that runs to the steering column.  Very sloppy to say the least!

The last time I installed an alarm, I disassembled the dash, took extra 
care to reroute wires, and hid the brain.  I used solder and heat shrink 
tubing on all my connections and it was extremely difficult to tell 
where the brain was due to the fact that all my wires were integrated 
into the factory wiring bundles/harnesses/etc.  The whole process took 
about a day, but it was done right.