Went to explore the possibility of installing an alarm in my FX today. Was offered the Viper 560XV for $425 installed. Was told that i would be losing a key because of the transmitter needed to operate the remote start. Thought about this for a second and decided against getting this. It is not too cold where i stay and i really have no need for a remote start. I also do not like the idea of having a key that can start my car installed permanently in the car. Was offered the viper 350HV for about $225 installed. This one apparently has the auto door locks feature i crave and also detects glass breakage. Went back home to research the viper 350HV before commiting. Anyone know if this is a good basic reliable alarm? Also while checking the specs at viper's website ( http://www.directed.com/security/viper/viper_fc.asp ), i noticed that the receiver is the only one that uses "HF+". I am assuming this is a frequency band. Is this a really crappy band that can be disabled with 2 tin cans and a kitchen microwave? Thanks.
My alarm horror story (7th post dowm)
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look into compustar alarms...they carry a good warranty and out perform the cliffords. I've heard good things about the compustars but they can be a bit pricey.
Also, when installing an alarm the lower models usually don't come with adequate shock sensors. But you can add those for a few more bux. BTW, all alarms these days will go off if glass breaks otherwise whats the use of an alarm.
Also to consider is whether or not the alarm has a back up power source. Cheap ones won't and theives just break into your car and unplug your (-) battery terminal thus shutting off your alarm
Also, pager alarms might be something you want to look into but the range on those is not that great.
In the end you get what you pay for. Research the alarms.
I would steer away from Viper alarms.
Best theft deterant is to catch them in the act and to beat the living snot out of them. It feels really good!
Also, when installing an alarm the lower models usually don't come with adequate shock sensors. But you can add those for a few more bux. BTW, all alarms these days will go off if glass breaks otherwise whats the use of an alarm.
Also to consider is whether or not the alarm has a back up power source. Cheap ones won't and theives just break into your car and unplug your (-) battery terminal thus shutting off your alarm
Also, pager alarms might be something you want to look into but the range on those is not that great.
In the end you get what you pay for. Research the alarms.
I would steer away from Viper alarms.
Best theft deterant is to catch them in the act and to beat the living snot out of them. It feels really good!
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Why the dislike of Viper alarms, Mushutofu? I have been installing for about 15 years and DEI (who makes Clifford, Viper) are the most reliable by far. We use other brands (that I wouldnt put in any car if I had the choice) and when it's time to do defect returns, there are so many. We have maybe 5-10 defective Viper or clifford units per 6-8 months, and we do many of them, including about 1000 remote starts every Christmas season. I have used many brands over the years, including Compustars recently, and they don't compare as far as ease of use, programming features, reliability, and more. I have access to anything I want, and Viper is what's in all my cars.
The backup battery is an excellent addition (which I also use). The DEI unit is a little better than others as it will trigger the alarm when the car battery is disconnected, instead of just continuing to supply power to the alarm.
As far as range, if you're going for just an alarm, Any alarm will perform adequately. How far away do you really need to disarm your alarm? Most 2-way paging systems give good range if the antenna is routed and installed properly. And if you do go the remote start route, don't worry about the key being hidden. Any good installer will grind down the metal teeth of the key so it cannot be used to start the car.
If you have any other questions 05FXguy, let me know or you can PM me.
The backup battery is an excellent addition (which I also use). The DEI unit is a little better than others as it will trigger the alarm when the car battery is disconnected, instead of just continuing to supply power to the alarm.
As far as range, if you're going for just an alarm, Any alarm will perform adequately. How far away do you really need to disarm your alarm? Most 2-way paging systems give good range if the antenna is routed and installed properly. And if you do go the remote start route, don't worry about the key being hidden. Any good installer will grind down the metal teeth of the key so it cannot be used to start the car.
If you have any other questions 05FXguy, let me know or you can PM me.
Well i drove to about 5 installers today and finally found one that actually does installs for the infiniti dealer! He was very familiar with the FX with tech package. He wants $230 to install the Viper 350HV. Not bad. I will be installing next week.
Well, you can scratch that $230 price. I went in today and after talking some more to him and seeing the nice 2 way LCD responder of the 791XV, i ended up dropping $450 for the 791XV. The installer will grind the key down as suggested above. Do i really need a remote start? No. Then why did i get it? I am a guy, i like toys! 
So i went to pick up the car today. I noticed that the remote they handed me was not for a viper 791. Due to some research done for me by a fellow member on this board, i knew what they had installed was a Valet 554R alarm. Though this and the viper are made by the same company, the valet does not have the extra long range of the viper and the warranty is not as good as the viper. They tried to tell me that they showed me the remote for the Valet and i said that was ok. I dont deny that. However, i asked for a viper and when shown the remote, i pointed to a viper wall chart they had up and asked why it was different. They told me what i was holding was a less bulky newer model. That satisfied me and i authorised the job. Nowhere in this conversation did they ever tell me that i was getting a Valet and not a Viper. To cut a long story short, they will order a 791 and will install it in about 1 week. However, i do not think i want to go back to them. I found some scratches on my interior aluminum trim that were not there before. The auto door lock feature which i asked for was not enabled. I asked them to grind down the key before installing it in the car for the remote start operation. I asked the guy who did the install and his less than confident answer led me to believe that this was not done. I think i am just going to call my credit card company and see what my options are. If i can dispute the charge and go somewhere else to have the 791 installed, i will. I know they are offering to rectify the situation but i am not sure i want them to touch my car again.
Good thing you didn't install ALL the pieces from your wood trash kit, maybe you should wait till all the wok is done before you put th ottr pieced on. :? http://www.infinitifx.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2586 Look you can save $20 now too. :shock: Let's see pics. when all is well/better. $450 was a good price anyway, hope they don't charge you more for the right remote/alarm, you've already had your share of Interior aggravation.05fxguy said:
Now that i have calmed down a lot, my rationale thinking can resume. I just read the manual for both the Viper and the Valet and it actually appears as if the valet does a little bit more than the viper. With the Valet you can remotely check the temperature inside your car, you can set it up to start the vehicle exactly 24 hrs from now, you can set it to start the vehicle when the temp drops below 0 degrees, it has a built in alarm, it has a small warn away indicator and it has a parking countdown mode. The viper lacks the above described but it has a big warn away indicator (to let you know that some punk is messing with your car but has not triggered the full alarm) and a numbered sytem that shows you which zones are active or have been turned off. For what its worth, i may just keep this one. Decisions, decisions.......
LOL!! You are too funny niti! The scratches i refered too earlier are minor. Infact, try as i may, i could not get them to show up with my camera. The scratches are to the left of the gear selector right there on that round edge.PINITI-FX said:
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Completely unacceptable. That console should have been covered with a towel or such. And the fact that they are switching units is strange. If they are an authorized Viper dealer, they should not do that. You can check at http://www.directed.com to see if they are authorized i think. They might be authorized for another of DEI's brands, not Viper.
The Valet unit does have those few extras though that the Viper does not.
The Valet unit does have those few extras though that the Viper does not.
They are viper authorized. I truly do not think they were trying to scam me. They probably thought i was an uninformed consumer who would settle for whatever remote start system they installed. Apart from those minor scratches, i have checked over their entire work and i must say i like the quality of the install. I will call them tomorrow and try to work something out. For the minor scratches and saving them the labor of completely reinstalling another alarm, they should pony up a discount easily.johnmax said:
It sounds like they Played him with the old "got a great price" on the Bait (791), then they pulled the Switch (554) on him.05fxguy said:Well, you can scratch that $230 price. I went in today and after talking some more to him and seeing the nice 2 way LCD responder of the 791XV, i ended up dropping $450 for the 791XV. The installer will grind the key down as suggested above. Do i really need a remote start? No. Then why did i get it? I am a guy, i like toys!
Application of the info. shared on this site is Priceless and saves a lot of Grief. ~ 2 Examples > http://www.infinitifx.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2598 AND http://www.infinitifx.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1741If this is humor, i dont get it. They made a "mistake" and offered to rectify it.PINITI-FX said:It sounds like they Played him with the old "got a great price" on the Bait (791), then they pulled the Switch (554) on him.05fxguy said:Well, you can scratch that $230 price. I went in today and after talking some more to him and seeing the nice 2 way LCD responder of the 791XV, i ended up dropping $450 for the 791XV. The installer will grind the key down as suggested above. Do i really need a remote start? No. Then why did i get it? I am a guy, i like toys!
So i called Directed and asked them what the real difference is between the viper and the valet. He said not much electronically. However, he said the Viper comes with a lifetime warranty on the brains while the Valet only comes with a year :shock: :shock: . I was ready to call the installer and accept the Valet but this warranty seems to be a big deal. Now i have to deal with taking my car back to an installer that did not make me 100% satisfied to swap out alarms. Wish me luck....
Yep, let them know that You are a Very Well Informed consumer who's not just going to "Settle"05fxguy said:
and have to Live with something thats gonna Bother them in the Future! (like what You told us happened with your burtman Dash kit) :shock: Just Don't let them Scratch (err Install) Anything else to add to Your Horror Story! * Let us know if You were able to "work something out" with Them, If They were going to "Rectify their Mistake" Or if They tried to Get Over on You Again (scam)! :?1 - 20 of 21 Posts
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