I just got my xb and I didn't wantthe factory alarm. Will installing a Viper Alarm or any after market alarm void my Warrenty?

 

You may want to read this, it's the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The basics say that in order for an aftermarket product to void a factory warranty, the aftermarket product would have to be identified as the cause of the problem.

The truth about voiding your warranty

In your case, adding the aftermarket alarm interacts with the ignition circuit, so if you later have an electrical problem and the dealer can show the alarm caused the ECU to short out or the ignition to go bad, you're out of luck. If you have an A/C leak or some mechanical problem, that would still be covered. Even electrical issues would be covered if the alarm didn't cause them, though the dealer may use that as a way out, and it's hard to argue when they have ASE-certified techs and you don't.

 

The good thing is that I am related to someone that actually works at a toyota dealership and of course is ASE-certified.

So with that said, would it be still a good idea to get an after market alarm. Toyota is charging me $795 + tax for the oem alarm and the top of the line Viper, I'm getting $600 installed.

What do you guys think?

 

The factory alarm sucks. Get the Viper, just make sure the shop knows how to install properly. I bought a used xB and it had an aftermarket when I bought it that no longer works. They used vampire taps to splice in rather than crimping or soldering, and hacked the crap out of the center console wiring. They didn't learn what harness adapters were.

If they use t-tap splices or vampire connectors, I wouldn't trust the install.

 

Splices like those are bad for cars- the vibration of the car plus the sharpness of the splice itself can eventually cut all the way through the wire you splice to.

Mechanical Crimps or Soldering is much better. (although soldering can get messy if you're doing it in a car)