OK i got around to finding some time to drop of my truck to get the alarm fitted next week. Just wanted to ask some questions. I am having the alarm done by local company and it's going to have 2 x window modules up and down, Glass break module, Knock sensor, Backup battery, Remote start, tilt sensor and they are going to wire it into my my climate control and some other things and they say they need the truck for 2 days. They said that it can be done in as little as 5-7 hours depending on vehicle but they said that if they do it properly like solder connections and hide components so that are not easy to get to then it's gonna take 2 days. Anyone have one of these alarms and if you do how much it cost to get done and how long? They seem to know there stuff and run through everything with me about where i would like the stuff in the truck and they have been doing them for over 30 years so i trust them. Just wondered if i will get the truck back same day or if i will be waiting for 2 full days.

 

I have the 5901 on my Platinum along with the bypass module, backup battery, glass break module, remote start, tilt sensor, the electroluminescent display thing, also wired into my climate control so I can see how hot or cold it is in the cab. I didn't know about a knock sensor, and I ultimately decided against the window modules for 2 reasons: I thought long and hard about how often I would use them, and every shop I went to wanted a couple extra hundred dollars on top of the normal installation with the other components in order to install the window modules. Evidently the window modules take A LOT of work and install time to do correctly.

The shop I went to had been doing this stuff for over 16 years, has a great reputation, and I had the truck dropped off at 10 am. I forgot to leave a second key for them to program the remote (I got the key back, so don't worry about losing the key if you bought the bypass too), so they had to call me and bring it to them. When I got there at 2:45 pm, they said it would take another 20 minutes to program the remote, but everything else was done. I didn't have that much time, so I left it till 5:30. All in all, it took about 5 hours of work, and they charged me $300. They also charged me another $50, because I had them route the lock/unlock wires all the way to the back of the truck and hide them in the left tail light because I'm installing a trunk actuator as well as a DEI trunk popper solenoid that can be programmed to the auxiliary button on my 5901 remote.

 

that work should only take a good 3/4 of a day if that, if the installer is good. but i like how they said if you want it done right, sodering and hiding the modules, well shouldn't they just do that. i wonder what it would be if you wanted it half assed.

and just for comparison, i can put a compustar 9000 two way rmst with alarm, in a F150 in about 2 1/2 hours, from the time i put the truck in my bay and i am driving it out. everything sodered and when i am done its had to tell where the factory wiring starts and the rmst ends.

and this is just my own opinion but viper no longer stands out as a top product anymore, to much add on stuff that other rmst systems now come with.

 

The 5901 does come with a standard knock sensor built in but i heard it's not very good and the shop said the same thing. I am getting the window modules because i always leave the dam things open over night but so far have been lucky it never rains. So did you mean they charged you $300 for the alarm and fitting or just fitting? Mine come out to $1500 but because i go there all the time for my gear they charged me $1200 all in with 2 day fitting. They said i could order the gear from another company on line and they would fit it but it would have no warrenty. JL audio are doing the same thing because there so many copy units going about so i thought i would pay the extra and get it from an approved dealer. So it's costing me about $600 more but that $600 includes the installing and the warrenty.

 

Well they know how **** i am about my truck being perfect and they said that they can mount the main control unit in quite a few different places but some are harder than others. I have noticed that a lot of companys dont solder or hide the module's. I even heard some horror stories of them fitting the wrong alarm to the same car 3 times in a row as well as many other numerous problems with people who dont know what there doing when they fit them. i have been given prices from $100-$700 for the install and it seems strange that there's such a massive difference on prices and times it take to fit the unit. I was worried when some said they could fit my alarm in 4 hours and thats the same amount of time it took me to wire my amp into my truck and that was very basic. Change out battery, run live from battery to amp and hide behind kick plates, run ground from back of truck to amp then solder the quick disconnect then wire the control **** for the sub into center console. in all just over 4.5 hours just for that. So i guess the alarm is a lot more involved than my amp wireing. But i would rather a company take there time and do it propely than rush it and charge me less. Plus having the warrenty is also a good thing. DEI recommended i use this compay as well. I dis look at the other alarms on the market but couldnt find any that had all the features i wanted. Plus the DEI's get such good reviews on line that i thought it would be silly not to get a viper.

 

I had the 5901 installed on my 09 fx4 and it took a full day for them. I did not have the window module installed and it cost me $800 total. I wish I had the window control - had it on my 05 mustang and it was great. One other thing you might ask about is control for the heated seats. They don't come on with the remote start and it takes a long time to warm up the leather without the heated seats on!

 

Thats good to hear. My price is pretty much spot on to yours if i add in the window modules and fitting. did you get the glass break sensor, back up battery or tilt sensors?
I called them and said why it would take 2 days and they said that the window modules are the things that take a while to fit and ajust and that it would more than likley be one guy doing the install so 2 days would be needed. They said normally they would use 2 guys but they are using their best guy on his own to do the work so that he can do it all the way he likes.

 

2 days seems kinda long. I've personally only done 2 alarms, but ive watched my senior do many of them, one of which is everything your getting (except a 5701) in an 08 Civic. We dont carry the 5901, but if you brought it to us, it would be $200 for labor on the install of the Alarm/Keyless/Rstart. Each window module would probably be $100 labor, puttin you at $400. Glass break, shock sensor, and battery backup would each cost you $30 labor, bringing you to $490. Usually the Rstart Bypass is $100, and another $30 labor, bringing us to $620. Add that to the price of the 5901 and that would be your totally cost.

 

yeah my invoice shows $225 for the AL/RS/KE installation.
$120 for both Window module instalation
$15 for each accescory

Parts are a little more expensive than i can get on line but that way i know i have DEI full warrenty then. I could have saved about $300 buying the stuff on line but the more i read about failure rates and installtion problems the more in glad i bought the stuff through them.

 

I bought all my parts on Amazon. They came from Pacific Stereo and were all DEI products, original packaging and everything. My total after shipping for the alarm and all the components was $387.72, plus the $300 for the install at the local shop, and another $50 for the routing of the wires to the back for my tailgate mod. Without the tailgate part, I paid a total of $687.72 including parts and labor.

Forgot to mention, the labor is completely warranted from my shop, just not the parts. I'm not too worried about it tho, I never had an issue with my old Viper alarm and like I said, all the parts came in the original DEI packaging.

 

It shouldnt matter where you buy your parts at...as long as its new in box theres really no way that DEI can say you dont have a warranty. They have some fantastic customer service as well. Plus was the shop telling you just the product would have no warranty? or the install as well?

 

I contacted DEI about this and they said that DEI components only have a warranty if they are installed by DEI certified dealers. It's also on there website but it didn't spot that until after i called them. They said that if you have the alarm fitted by someone who ain't certified then they will exchange the item if it's a fault of the item but if it's the fault of install then there's no warranty. Also if you get a dealer to fit parts you bought from another source and it goes wrong the dealer can charge you to remove the items even if it's a fault of the electronics and not a dealer problem. JL have the exact same type of clause.

their statment "Every Viper system is covered by a limited lifetime warranty when installed by an authorized Directed retailer. Please read the detailed warranty in your Owners Guide. "

 

That makes sense.

If a product we installed goes bad that was not purchased by us or was out of the 1 year manufactures warranty (decks, speakers, etc) then we wont charge to uninstall, as we uninstall just about anything we install for free (or so corporate says, us installers have a different opinion on that). If its being replaced at the same time we normally dont charge for reinstall either, but if its a different appointment we do.

 

your price sounds reasonable with all the extras you got. it would be about that if my install bay did it. if they are charging you extra labor for the temp stuff call B/S unless it will allow you to adjust your ac and heat, but it wont. the new viper models have all of that built in. there isnt anything to hook up its just a program setting and im sure the shop has a bitwriter to do it in about 3 seconds. do yourself a favor and have them set your remote start to double pulse activation (push the remote start button twice to start the truck) as dei has had a problem lately with their antennas. RF noise has been randomly activating remote starts. for whatever reason it seams that alarm clocks do it the most. one guy actually had one where the car would remote start every time he turned the shop drop light on. (i would have loved to been the tech who had to take that panicked call)

 

You guys are serious about spending some cash for an alarm? just remember if they want it they are going to get it no matter what you have on it to protect it.