so, did anyone opt for the scion alarm? just wondering what you think of it? also, is this an easy car to steal? how secure is it in general? i had my 2000 civic stolen this past summer, and found out that honda's are easy to start w/o the key(i won't post on here how they do it..but it's kinds sick how it easy it is to do) thanks for the info, ginnis

 

our cars are 50/50. Some may find it too ugly to steal while others may think it's too cool and unique they don't touch it. Either way...if they steal it then it'll stick out like a sore thumb. Get the alarm anyway just to be safe either from the dealership or aftermarket.

 

I'm getting mine w/it from factory/port of location installed. Although $400 or so for such a system is rather up there. What does it sound like? Does it have the "chirp chirp" or does it flash or "beep beep"?

 

i got the Scion security....mine flashes, no sound though....

it was already installed on the xB i wanted so that took care of that....

 

The dealer wanted about $600 for their alarm. I opted instead to pay $600 (installed) for a Clifford Matrix with tilt sensor to prevent wheel-stealing. It will page you up to half a mile away if your alarm goes off, plus will tell you what part of the car triggered it. The guy at the alarm shop said he could have a dealer alarm disarmed so fast it's ridiculous. I believe it - lots of cars are stolen in the parking lot at work and many of them are brand new vehicles with dealer alarms.

 

Mine is coming with an factory alarm also. my question is, is it any good? I just hope it ain't those annoying car horn ones.

 

The dealer wanted $500+ for the factory alarm..no way was i going to spend that much. I got a better aftermarket alarm from viper for only half the price. :D

 

yes its true dealer installed alarms are a joke. The install is ran all identical as other cars. There is only 1 shock sensor (a crappy one i might add) on the car and disabling it is easy. I call those alarms "stall for time from getting your car jacked" to be honest all alarms can be bypassed, its just how much of a pain in the a$$ it is to disable it. I know with more experienced installers they do more trick and stealth installs on the cars. My rav4 (was stolen) had a clifford alarm that was ran a different way than your conventional alarm, but then again they still got passed it. I think if you get the autolock and an alarm, its decent protection from getting your car jacked. Both can still be broken through, but it's enough of a pain in the a$$ for the car thief to maybe just say f**k it ill pass and go to the next one. Just dont park in ghetto places, dark areas, etc and itll help increase your chances of your car NOT getting jacked. hope this helps

Mike

 

I will be offering the Directed Electronics Rattler at substantion discount very soon. this alarm has many of the same features of the viper. it also has DEi tech support and a cd rom for installation for you DIy guys look for it soon. Bill

 

Dealer told me aftermarket alarms would void electrical warranty since they have to splice your wires... They offered me "Scion Security" and gave me one called "Karr". Is that right, or did I get screwed :?:

 

It is also an aftermarket alarm, No matter what the dealer tells you that alarm will only be warranted at that dealership or dealerships under the same owner. I forgot where in this forum, but that is a crock about void warranties. I wish the all Dealers would be as interested in providing service after the sale, as they are in making the sale.

 

I have the clifford matrix RS3 on my xB and paid about $500 for it. I'd say, screw the factory alarm, and go for the aftermarket ones. I would have put automatic start on mine but since mine's a stick, it's not a good idea to enable that. so basically i'm saying, GET AN AFTERMARKET ALARM instead.

 

yup...that's what I'll be doing

for the price of the crappy dealer alarm I can drive several hundred miles to a friends shop, get a great alarm installed by a very experienced person and hang out for the weekend

 

well thanks for the info....i just ordered the xB yesterday and went w/ the dealer alarm ($469) even tho i know it's not the greatest, but like some of you mentioned above...any alarm can be bypassed, and if they want it bad enough they'll take it. my civic had a $500 clarion w/ all the goodies and they stole that right in front of my bedroom window, under a bright light. i just hope the scion takes a little more effort to get it started than the civics....it takes like a few seconds to get a civic started once you're inside.

 

for those dealer prices i said screw it.. I asked the dealer if they carry Lo-Jack. It is about the same price. So i figured Lo-Jack for now and i will install an aftermarket during break.

 

I am looking at goin without the Scion Security, and having a Compustar Alarm installed instead. I like the pager alarms, and the Spread Spectrum one has a 1.25 mile range, great for when I am at work..... plus I want to have remote start installed on it too...


Doc

 

you must have gone to toyota of orange. No the Karr alarm is NOT Scion security. We made them change it out.

 

I did go to Toyota of Orange. Is Scion Security better than Karr?

 

Umm, yeah Scion security is totally better than Karr. We had Karr and I totally hated it how you have to time how long in between when you push the button the second time to unlock all four doors. Scion security has a blue light instead of red and I made them make it silent when I lock and unlock the doors. Go back to the dealer and tell them you don't like it and ask them to change it. I talked to a manager, pm me if you want to know who I talked to and I will look it up.

 

Even though my Focus sucks, i give Ford props for including focus' with the PATS system. Someone tried to steal my Focus ( no idea why) , well they didnt get far because i was woken up by my car starting, then about 30 seconds later it died. I guess Fords only have about 30 diffent keys for thier ignitions, however, its the computer code stored in the key that saves them from getting stolen!