RE: Alarms

Subject: RE: Alarms
From: "Kennedy Simon" <kennedy_simon@domain.elided>
Date: 16 Nov 1994 08:29:01 U
>I do not currently have an alarm installed in my 91 318is. ... I am
considering >getting an alarm. Any suggestions?
My experience is as follows:

Most insurance companies require the alarm to be pasively armed, protect the
hood, and disable the ignition to qualify for the discount.  My first alarm,
a Chapman (not just the hoodlock, which works well but doesn't qualify for
the insurance discount) stunk.  It constantly falsed.

My second alarm, a Clifford, pasively armed, had a valet switch, cost about
$390 (if memory serves) and worked quite well, but would not work the
doorlocks.  

My third alarm (in the M3) is the "BMW" alarm (made by Alpine) which works
the doorlocks and everything, but does not passively arm.  I can't remember
how much the damn thing cost, and after I read the directions for installing
it I decided to let the dealer do it; despite the car being pre-wired, you
actually have to cut holes in various places and it looked way too much like
work for me (I believe the dealer charges 1 hour of labor to install the
alarm).

YMMV, etc., but I'd recommend either the "BMW" or the Clifford.

Simon Kennedy
1995 M3