Ok... for all of you that really know about car security systems, which are the best ones on the market?

My dealership will install any system them I tell them and it will be under Nissan warranty

Price is not an issue in this decision - I am looking simply for the best car security system that I can possibly put in my Z

any suggestions (and please give reasons for your choice)


Also.... I was told that a remote starter can be put in a manual transmission car- how the F$%# could that be possible? First off, how could the engine start without being on the clutch, second if it does start when your not in it- ya might have some other problems to deal with, no?

 

where to begin...

a. great offer for them to make to you. i personally wouldn't let them do it. they're most likely not specialists in the installation demands that each alarm manufacturer requires. each vendor we offer to our customers requires training of our installers for their products. go with the alarm's warranty; they're pretty reliable.

b. as for who's the best, you'll get a thousand responses to that question. i prefer DEI products; they have a ton of options and are very reliable. and find a retailer that will install it for you. and make sure they're authorized for that brand; they'll stand behind their work.

c. in reference to the starter... that's where things get tricky. some alarms (clifford concept 600 for example) make the user "prove" to the car that there's no foot on the clutch, and no one in the car while it's running, then arms and shuts down. theory is that it's safe to start remotely. most alarms don't have anything like this. you CAN hook a remote starter to most any car, but most reputable installers will not install on a manual because of the legal liabilities involved. is it possible? sure! do you want to be liable for it? that's on your head. can you remember to leave the car in neutral? early in the morning, do you trust yourself to remember whether or not you left it in gear? are you willing to risk your garage door to find out for sure? you see my point.

seth

 

Some info...

Clutch required starting is a function of the ignition relay. There is a switch on the clutch which sends a positive charge to the ignition relay closing the circuit and allowing the car to be started. this is EASILY bypassed by removing that relay, tapping all the other wires except the clutch switch and just running a hot lead to the remaining wire. OR for safety's sake, you run that wire to your parking brake indictator. This way the car can only be started if the parking brake is engaged.

As far as the dealer alarm is concerned. I got it as part of a package deal the dealer offered me. It is basically and aftermarket alarm that can integrate with the factory key fob. It works fine, is passive, and does have a starter kill. There is one bug in the system though. The alarm brain has one wire to receive a signal if a door is open. It does not know or care which door. It's only looking for a positive or negative signal (not sure which) to tell it that the door is closed or open. In order for this to be effective, the two doors must be slaved together on one circuit. This was if either door is open, the alarm knows it. The downside is, the car no longer sees two doors, only one. So when you open your drivers door, the driver's AND passenger's window will drop. Not that big of a deal normally, but since i just got my tint done the same day the alarm went it, it's really bad timing for letting the glue dry!

 

So you say DEI product... i was headed in that direction, but which one do you think is the best, CLifford, Viper, etc?

Also, do Clifford and Viper still talk when someone touches the car or did they phase that out already?

 

Doesn't the Z come with a factory alarm system of some sort, beside the chip in the Key?? I thought I remembered reading this somewhere.

Have to still read my owners manual

 

I think the horn my sound if you open the door by manually unlocking it, but there is not theft deterrant system associated with it. It is primarily "keyless entry".

 

Hey Zaphod 350z, your dealer doesn't know how to install alarms very well then... all they should have done was to use 2 diodes to isolate the negitive door trigger wires... that way the 2 wires will still be isolated in the car, but the alarm will see both the inputs as one. make any sense? ask any decent alarm installer and they'll tell you how to do it.

 

I have a Viper 790VX installed on mine.
Works great, its got the 2 Way paging system, LCD pager.
No complaints at all.

 

Clifford is excellent but I've experienced some reliability issues... my brain was changed out 6 times in my old car. I selected the AutoPage RF750LCD for my S2000. It has all the goodies and a 2 pager via a lcd display remote. Very cool and so far, no problems. The installation is also very important. The alarm is only as good as its installation. Make sure they hide the brain somewhere besides under the steering column or seats.

Also I advise against the remote start feature. I've heard of cases where you accidently hit the button, and the car takes off down the street by itself.

 

DEI is made by the same company as viper I can hook up a viper alarm system to my DEI . Viper is the best it will never break. DEI is a good brand it is just for vendors and dealers so if a dealer installs the product you couldn't go shop it around.