remote start car alarm

does any one have a remote start car alarm? if so does any one have a "code-alarm" i was looking at getting one because its the cheapest i've found and was wondering if anyone knew if they were any good.... i would love a "viper" alarm but its like $200 more... any help

Bull &$%!!! www.partsexpress.com Audiovox Prestige part #APS-786 Parts Express #330-460 $142 The whole remote start and alarm package EXCEPT the LCD display transmitter. The product description also has the installation manual and owners manual in PDF format for you to muse over. It is not an alarm for the faint of heart.

YOU NEED TO HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF ELECTRICITY AND AUTOMOTIVE WIRING AND FUNCTIONAL OPERATION OF RELAYS!!!! I WOULD NOT ATTEMPT AT INSTALLING THIS ALARM YOURSELF UNLESS YOU ARE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF USING A MULTI-METER AND READING/UNDERSTANDING WIRING DIAGRAMS/SCHEMATICS!!!!

I have installed 7 of these units including one on my 96 Z71. LOVE IT! If you are at all inclined to do it yourself, I would highly recommend this alarm. I get range like no other! If you happen to be elevated from your vehicle the range gets even better. The only problem I have is that the transmitter batteries only last for about 4 to 6 months at a time. They are an oddball size battery. GP27A or 27A but they are available at Radio Shack for $3.20/pair. I can usually get about 1000/ft of range when there are no obstructions between me and the truck(overhead power lines, chain link fences, light poles,etc). The antenna mounts at the top of the windshield just behind my rear view mirror. Should you want all the cool do-dads and such, their is only one alarm offered by Audiovox that is better. And by better, I mean that it HAS the LCD display transmitter, along with a few other bells and whistles you may never use. It's part # is APS-996A. www.audiovox.com I ought to be a salesman for Audiovox because I'm going to run through everything this alarm is capable of. First you should know that there is a Remote Start Interface (T-harness) available through www.bulldogsecurity.com It won't keep you from cutting or splicing into smaller wires, but it eliminates cutting into the SIX large 10 gauge ignition switch wires. By splicing into those wires you may create a weak connection at the splicing points and cause heat build up at those junctions. I'm not saying not to, but if you don't have to, why then. The T-harness also allows you to semi-quickly disconnect the alarm for vehicle diagnosis. For instance, if you had a starting problem after you installed the alarm you could just unplug it and eliminate the alarm altogether. Frankly, I just think it makes for a much more tidy installation. You can buy the harness between $15-$30. I would try www.123av.com They also have remote starters from Airwolf. Don't know about their quality. I saw that your profile says that you own a 1990 C/K. I believe your T-harness should be Part # GM-3

Ok, enough with install hints. The quality of the APS-786 is impressive, I have installed other brands and none of them can come close to the quality without being much higher priced. Besides, almost 99% of the time, you are paying the installation fee, not the price of the alarm itself. Directed Electronics ( www.directed.com ) is notorious for making sure that they do not sell their alarms direct to the public because it would cause a major conflict in pricing schemes. Check out their website and look at how many name brand alarms they control. Not to say that DEI is a bad company, I just get more bang for the buck with my Audiovox Prestige. One major issue I like about this alarm is that it requires so many less externally controlled relays in order to make the functions of the alarm work. It comes supplied with one relay for the starter kill function. You can go to your local junk yard or You-pull-it and pick up tons of relays that match the one that comes in the package. Just look in the underhood electrical fuse box of most newer GM and Dodge vehicles and you'll find suitable relays. It beats spending between $7 and $15 for brand new ones. They are not THAT special.... You need a relays for the functions of trunk release, horn, channel 4 option, power door locks and dome light. Fortunately for us, we already have a factory relay for our horn, power door locks, and we don't have a trunk, but no dome light relay. This means you can just tap into the horn wire coming from the steering wheel. More on specifics later about wiring issues. The alarm will allow you to program in different options you like such as chirp delete, just in case you needed to sneek out of the neighborhood without letting your wife or G/F know your leaving. This is of course assuming your truck is quiet. You can program in run time for 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes, allow the park lights to flash or remain on when the truck is remote started. You can choose whether you would like the siren to chirp, the horn to blow, or both will sound together whenever you arm or disarm the system. You can choose how long the alarm chirps the horn for, such as 10milliseconds, 16ms, or 30ms. I believe your truck does not have a dome light cancelation button, which means that you will not have the option to turn off illuminated entry. The adjustable two stage shock sensor is more than adequate protection in addition to trigger wires. I zip tied the shock sensor to the steering column. It's the most sensitive part of the whole vehicle, every shock will always travel through the column to your hands for increased road feel. I also have my tail gate and tool box tied together, so that if either one is opened, the alarm will sound. If the windows are open, system armed, and someone tries to open the door, the alarm will sound. If the hood is opened, the alarm will sound and the engine shut off if it's in remote start mode. If you press the brake pedal or accelerate the engine past 4000 rpm the engine will shut off in remote start mode.

The last one I installed was for a co-worker of mine who had his '95 Ext Cab put on air bags. Not only was he capable of remote starting, arming, and disarming the truck, we also modified the trunk release feature to engage the lift solenoids and raise the truck. The Channel 4 option button controls both front and rear dump solenoids, so his truck lays frame at the touch of his remote. Raise and lower your truck through your alarm remote.... How cool is that!?

Another friend had me hook his under body neons up to his option button. It required a special relay( im not being sarcastic this time) to turn them on and off. The option function is a latched output, meaning for as long as you hold the button, the output is turned on;however, after about 12 seconds the function shuts off even if your still holding the button. We needed a relay that would hold its last position. Kinda like a light switch in your house, if you turn it on it stays on, if you turn it off, it stays off. But it requires you to move it into postion. The alarm on the other hand would be like a light switch that you would have to hold on or a spring would pull the switch back down to off. Hope that make sense. I like using my imagination with this alarm. I personally have my option button hooked up to my fog lights. You may decide something else, such as operating a motorized accessory, or an air horn.....so you can locate your truck anywhere in a crowded parking lot........and give someone a heart attack while doing so!

Here are some pointers now, things you need to know and be reminded of while reviewing the installation instructions.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, IF THE INSTRUCTIONS SAY ANYTHING REGARDING THE USE OF A RELAY AND THAT THE CIRCUIT WILL ONLY HANDLE 300 MILLIAMPS OF CURRENT THEY ARE NOT BLOWING SMOKE UP YOUR BUTT!!!

You must understand that the alarm function wires such as for locking and unlocking the doors are designed only to operate relays, which, in turn, will then operate the door lock motors. If you have power door locks, you should have a factory combination relay somewhere under the dash that you can tap into. Mine was above the accelerator pedal. Six wires run into it. Common colors are blue,grey, orange, black, white, and light blue(i think).

SECOND, THE FUNCTION OUTPUT WIRES ARE DESIGNED TO CLOSE THE CIRCUIT BY SUPPLYING A GROUND. BATTERY VOLTAGE DOES NOT COME OUT OF THESE WIRES WHEN THE FUNCTION IS TURNED ON!!!

Should you allow straight battery voltage or anything higher than 300milliamps of current to go through any wire that requires a relay, you will short out the transistors in the alarm, that function of the alarm will not work, or the whole alarm is fried depending on what wire it was.

So by using your horn as an example: Your horn button is nothing more than a contact to ground. Battery voltage is connected to a relay, the other side of the relay is connected to the horn and the horn is grounded to the frame(ground). The Negative side of the battery is connected to the frame(ground). The relay has to complete the circuit for the horn to work. The relay is energized with battery voltage on a separate terminal but it cannot close the horn circuit until a ground is supplied to the last terminal of the solenoid. The horn button provides this ground. The horn is pushed, the circuit is closed and the relay gets energized and pulls the contact closed for the high amperage horn circuit. I hope thats not too confusing to understand. The same reason goes for your dome light and door locks. You can't run the wire from the dome light directly to the unit, you need a relay to supply the gound for the dome light.

I apologize for being so thorough, I got time to kill, and too many people at these major electronics retailer install shops perform piss-poor installs. You do get what you pay for, and quality work is not cheap. I personally will strangle any installer that believes electrical tape is used for covering open splices. You've seen it, wires just twisted together, wrapped in tape. Looks like shit, and usually with intermittant performance of whatever is connected together using this method. 3M SOLDERLESS BUTT CONNECTORS PEOPLE!! 3M Scotchlok or Highland Vinyl Insulated. Just when you think I couldn't give you anymore information, check out www.the12volt.com and www.installdr.com for more indepth info about relay operation and alarm installation. And if you just happen to want something even more fancy than the Audiovox unit, you can always go to www.aisianwolf.com and look at the new alarms that have COLOR screen transmitters and can take pictures from inside your car! $199 I'm not to much on that many bells and whistles, but hey, even I have to admit, thats cool. Hopefully, you've got information overload now and will have to plug your ears to keep your brain from oozing out. Enjoy! -Chris 96 Z71 5.7L

P.S. Code Alarms are junk. And to properly install an alarm with this many features, it will take you about 16hrs or two days. Last, I would not recommend installing a remote start on ANY vehicle with a manual transmission, way too much of a possibility that you might start it while in gear. Fuel Injected Automatics only!

Save your self the heart ache, and save for Viper. Code Alarm is junk. (And I sell the stuff for a living) As far as installing it, You do need to know what your doing, and be very good with a voltmeter. But most the features are held in the alarm master module, and only takes about 4-8 hours if you know what your doing. And I would not isntall it on a Manual Tranny, you can seriously hurt someone.

first of all there is no way im instaling this alarm myself... i would much rather pay someone to do it. second i just wanted to know if code alarm is good... sounds like its not... i would love to get the audiovox alarm but i don't want to install it myself and i dont know any where in town that installs them. if any one else says that code alarms suck then im not getting one.

p.s. i think that i would be able to install my own alarm with remote start. but its not worth it to me because it would take all damn day long... i'd much rather spend time with my daughter.


any one in the greater sacramento area that knows about alarms?

Theres nothing that says you can't buy the alarm online to save money and pay someone to put it in for you. Go to some car stereo stores, talk to the alarm installers and get some references, or maybe the installer keeps a portfolio of his work, specifically for discerning customers like you. -Chris

Theres nothing that says you can't buy the alarm online to save money and pay someone to put it in for you. Go to some car stereo stores, talk to the alarm installers and get some references, or maybe the installer keeps a portfolio of his work, specifically for discerning customers like you. -Chris
That always sounds great but it doesn't always work. People keep buying those real cheap Bulldog remote starters and bring them to my shop to install. They think they are saving money in doing so. But that's the problem. Usually they get the cheapest one which is about $60 with tax then pay me $100 for straight labor. Sometimes I will charge even more if I need any special parts like the Passlock bypass that any '98 and newer C/K truck needs.

So, now they are around $160 if they are lucky for a POS remote start with horrable range and warranty. If they'd pay $15 more, they'd got a Python(Viper's twin) unit with lifetime warranty and 1/4 mile range installed!!!!

I laugh to myself each time someone does that.

well i think you need to sell your truck to me and you have no need for an alarm lol

best buy has the new viper 2 way led remote starter system for $379 installed. i think thats a good deal...?

Don't say I didn't warn you about places like Best Buy. I would get to know the installer first, you know, see some of his handi-work before you just hand him your keys. I'm only trying to prevent you from headaches later.

Don't say I didn't warn you about places like Best Buy. I would get to know the installer first, you know, see some of his handi-work before you just hand him your keys. I'm only trying to prevent you from headaches later.
Ditto from above. I know the chain stores around here suck in customer service. Actually, they suck at most things. Just like the LED system. I sell the same one for only $325 while they have them "on sale" for $375 then they get you for crap like keyless entry=$35, light flash=$20, hood pin switches=$20 well you get the point

Don't say I didn't warn you about places like Best Buy. I would get to know the installer first, you know, see some of his handi-work before you just hand him your keys. I'm only trying to prevent you from headaches later.


what sort of handy work am i going to look at? i dont care what someones custom fiberglass sub box looks like (i can do that)i just want an installed alarm done right... how am i supposed to know if the guy knows what he is doing?? this is why i try to do everything myself....

Where do you live? I can point out one of the best installers in the country in Central California.

what sort of handy work am i going to look at? i dont care what someones custom fiberglass sub box looks like (i can do that)i just want an installed alarm done right... how am i supposed to know if the guy knows what he is doing?? this is why i try to do everything myself....
A good shop can show you referrals and will invite you to watch an install. If they do that try to ask the installer questions. If they are quick to answer without acting like they are unsure, you are usually safe.

Where do you live? I can point out one of the best installers in the country in Central California.

sacramento.