how do you know if you have the factory alarm or if there is a dealer aftermarket alarm installed. the dealer told me that i have an aftermarket alarm installed, but it sounds the same as the factory unit when i hit lock.

the lights flash and beep the same as my 06 with the factory unit. any other way i can tell? the dealer keeps telling me that I have an aftermarket unit provided by them for an extra 700.

i hope some people in service at west covina nissan can shed some light, because the finance guy keeps telling me thats what i have.

 

I had an aftermarket alarm installed right away, so I could be wrong on this, but I doubt the factory "alarm" will beep/ring if you lock the doors and manually open them without disabling the alarm. Try this... "set" the alarm which should lock all the doors. Then use your key to manually open the driver's side door (without touching the alarm) and see if it goes off. If nothing goes off, I'm pretty sure it's the stock alarm.

 

my z doesnt make any noise when i hit the lock button..the lights just flash..is it supposed to make noise?

 

If i recall correctly, you could make it beep when you lock it by holdding down lock and unlock buttons until your Z makes a honk. This lets you know that from now on, the Z will make a honk when you lock your doors. Hold down the lock and unlock buttons again until the lights flash if you want it to just flash lights when you lock your doors.

 

i'll try that out, but your not sure if that means its stock or not right? i need to know for sure, they charged me $700 for it.

 

Well, first things first, $700 is a VERY STEEP price for any type of alarm system. I'm hoping you'll have an array of sensors (shock, glass break, motion, etc.), remote start, window control (up and down) and a few other alarm features.

Do you use the OEM remote? If you 'bump' the car does the alarm go off?

If you want to 'test' the alarm you will need to lower the windows, arm the alarm (press the 'lock' button on the remote) and wait about 30 seconds (until alarm LED starts flashing). Then, reach INSIDE the car and open the door. If you use the key to unlock the door the key will disarm the alarm (the key cylinder in the door is electromechanical).

If you've already bought the car, there probably isn't much you can do at this point, you should have asked these questions before taking the keys.

 

there is no factory alarm

 

KPierson is right; part of my post was wrong.

Here's what you do.. get out of your car, close the doors, and leave the windows rolled DOWN. Arm the alarm, wait until the red LED starts blinking (letting you know the alarm is now armed), reach inside through the window and manually unlock and open the door (don't use your key to unlock the door). If you have any sort of alarm at all, it should go off because the door was opened. Every alarm (even the $100 cheap alarms at Circuit City) is programmed to go off when it's armed and the door is opened. This makes for a very simple test to see if you have an alarm or not. Let us know how it goes.

 

Well, they ALL have the OEM alarm that will honk the horn when you do the above ^^^

 

thanks highside and kpierson, thats what i mean, i think i might have the OEM that will honk. i disconnected the battery the other day and then put it back on and the horn started honking. is that the OEM at work?

i will try the other method tonight, but that might have the OEM honk as well. thanks for the help though guys. do you guys think getting an aftermarket one would cost less and be more effective?

i want an alarm with a pager that lets you know the status of your car, anybody have one and recommend it? thanks.

 

I don't believe the OEM will honk when you reconnect the battery. You may have a 'low level' alarm that integrates with the OEM remotes and adds a few features, but nothing worth $700.

 

You could program it to beep or not to beep.

 

Yes, what you want will definitely cost less than $700 (even installed). What you're looking for is a "two-way alarm" which lets you know the status of your car at any given time. Lots of good brands out there like Clifford, Viper, and Compustar. Probably can't go wrong with any of them, but everyone has different preferences so you'll need to do a little researching around to see what suits your needs best.

PS: Sorry to say, but it sounds like you have the stock "alarm".