Which one, how much, and how to???

drewvr51 · October 30, 2006

Was wondering which one to choose, and how hard is it to install myself.

I know that most of the cost of one is in the labor to install. Is it worth trying to do it myself?

greenbuck50 · October 31, 2006

I have a Viper 791XV on my 2002 GMC Sierra 5.3. My roomate from college worked at Best Buy for two years and installed it for free (I paid for the equipment). It took him 7 hours, and my dad with his masters degree from Purdue in electrical engineering looked at the directions and watched Rob do it and said it would take him 10 hours for the Viper 791XV.

ScottyBoy · October 31, 2006

I installed an Autopage 860 on my 2001 Suburban. I bought it off Ebay for for around 175 shipped. Its basically the same as the viper 791xv, except it also comes with an extra remote, has a few more options like timer start. You can program it to start your truck at a certain time each day. You could also buy just a remote start if you dont want or need an alarm. They also have remote start modules that you can trigger with your factory keyless entry remotes. Prices vary depending on how many bells and whistles you want. The viper 791 and the Autopage 860 are higher end units as they are alarm/remote start combos, both have two way paging, with lcd screens on the remote, and they will even page you if your alarm is triggered.

As for my install, it took me about 6 to 7 hours to install it. I probably could have done it in about 3 hours because I've done many many remote start installs and done them as fast as one hour. But when you are working on your personal daily driver you tend to go slower and take your time making sure every little thing is perfect. Just things like wrapping up the connections better than I normally would. I also took extra time to hide everything very deep up inside the dash. If you have any experience hooking up electronic stuff in your car (stereos, video, foglights, alarms, amplifiers, etc.) Then this might be something you can handle. If this will be your very first alarm/remote start install, it may be more headaches for you than you can handle. Especially having to bypass the passlock anti theft system in order for the truck to start remotely without a key. But if you feel up to it, and feel like saving a lot on money on labor for the install, then go for it. You can also go to http://the12volt.com/ for tips and info about this install. I go to that site a lot. You can even get all the wiring information and diagrams for your vehicle there. If you have any questions you can also ask me as I just did the install on my own Suburban.

greenbuck50 · November 1, 2006

When my roomate convinced me to get the 791, he had one on his 2000 Acura Integra he had installed while working at Best Buy, and his free labor enticed me enough. He said that basically the LCD versus non-LCD were just as easy to install... if you are doing it yourself then I would recommend the LCD ones for this reason, after having the LCD I would not have it without.

samsauce29 · November 1, 2006

I have a Compustar 2WFM 2-way system on my 2004 Tahoe. I would not recommend it. Both the LCD remote and the 'regular' remote have failed.

Aside from that, I will be taking it back to the dealer again this week as the bypass module has failed for the third time. Obviously, that may or may not be the fault of the Compustar system.

Previous to the Compustar, I've had various AutoPage remote start (w/o security) systems on 3 different GM vehicles with no problems at all.

The Compustar is around $500 installed and the AutoPage around $200 installed.

bry21317 · November 8, 2006

I am in the process of getting 2 of the BullDog Security Deluxe 500 Models to install on my cars. These both have the LCDS and will work up to like 1/2 mile away. They state. I had a Bulldog Remote start that I installed on my 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee a few years back and it was awesome, I loved it. Thats why I am waiting on the new ones to come to install on my 03 burban and my wifes Dodge Caravan.

Here is the website, they also have lots of images and wire diagrams on where to wire it in. Its really not to bad for there stuff, so give it a shot.

You can find them on ebay also. Also there is an older model of the Deluxe 200, just didn't have some extra features I wanted, as being able to use my remote to start or unlock hers, once the 2 cars have the same system. So this is the biggie for me, as I have my keys and no remote to hers. Now I would beable to unlock hers with my keys and start it for her in the morning, without trying to find her keys. This is a nice feature for me.

http://www.bulldogsecurity.com/

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

Bryan