Security System (alarm) Upgrade

[prius_gt]

Originally Posted by schifferj

My wife's Pri has a Karr alarm system installed and it has been a pain in the Kiester. It actually is supposed to piggy back to the existing alarm system and provide some other features. It was "preinstalled" by the dealer and "activated" for a small nominal fee which I now wish I had not paid. It basically "took over" the existing alarm system and deactivated it as verified by a dealer system check and then proceeded to malfunction long and loud upsetting a lot of innocent bystanders. I finally got in touch with a Karr representative (no easy task as it seems none of them return phone calls or messsages left on their phones) and learned how to deactivate the system. I can't remove it myself but at least it's deactivated and the orignial onboard system now works as advertised. I would highly recommend against any aftermarket alarm system on these cars as it seems they are very sensitive to strange electronics.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience, but good alarm installers are hard to find, and I wonder if your's was properly installed. I'm not very familiar with Karr alarm systems, but I've always had good experience with Directed Electronics (Viper, Clifford, etc) products on a variety of cars.

[peppersprayking]

Home alarm systems are only said to be effective when they are installed together with other gadgets such as motion detectors, a computer, sirens, etc. All in all, home alarm systems and other home security systems would keep you and your house more secure and would help keep you and your family safe from criminals.

[rigormortis]

i hate threads like this

if you buy a package #2, chances are good whenever you bring you car in service you can have them turn on the alarm for free. its a software change.

now if you want the glass breakage sensor, thats extra

i hate threads where people argue back and forth about how hard it is to steal or burglarize a prius, when its probably not going to cost you any money to get the alarm turned on.


a lot of toyota dealers will do 1 software change for free in the first 12 months of ownership. ask about this. do not ask the finance manager. ask the service advisor

heck you could even benefit prius chat by getting the glass breakage option, installing it yourself, and then seeing if theres a toyota dealer willing to cut you a break on turning those two things on

[ilusnforc]

Originally Posted by Bill Merchant

As a test, when you get the car, roll down the windows, get out and lock the car, then reach in through an open window and open a door. It's likely the alarm will sound. Many dealers turn it on as a matter of course in delivery preparation.

Bill, I've tried locking my car with the windows down then tried opening it using the handle from inside and to my surprise the alarm did not sound. I just happened to take it to the dealer recently to address a number of minor annoyances before the 3 year, 36K ran out and I did mention to them that I tried this test with the key fob in my pocket and it may have been smart enough to know the key was in range and would not sound the alarm, they agreed but I don't know how much they actually knew about it. I wouldn't be surprised. When I picked up the car he said the mechanic tested it and it worked properly without making any changes. I still wonder if it actually works or not, I'll have to try getting the fob out of range and try again but I suspect the alarm will not sound as, like others here have already said, the alarm doesn't come turned on by default... you have to pay extra to have that feature activated. I'm not going to be happy if it doesn't work as I have a copy of the paperwork saying they tested it and it did... You can bet I'll be going right back.

[freddy786]

Originally Posted by rigormortis

i hate threads like this

if you buy a package #2, chances are good whenever you bring you car in service you can have them turn on the alarm for free. its a software change.

now if you want the glass breakage sensor, thats extra

i hate threads where people argue back and forth about how hard it is to steal or burglarize a prius, when its probably not going to cost you any money to get the alarm turned on.


a lot of toyota dealers will do 1 software change for free in the first 12 months of ownership. ask about this. do not ask the finance manager. ask the service advisor

heck you could even benefit prius chat by getting the glass breakage option, installing it yourself, and then seeing if theres a toyota dealer willing to cut you a break on turning those two things on

I got an 08 prius (package #2), and the dealer still charged me $700 for the alarm. Did i get ripped off? I also tried opening the door thru the window and the alarm didn't go off. I had the keyfob about 15 ft away from the car, but i'm not sure what the range is. Is there any other way to check if the alarm was installed or enabled? thx.

[nthach]

Originally Posted by schifferj

My wife's Pri has a Karr alarm system installed and it has been a pain in the Kiester. It actually is supposed to piggy back to the existing alarm system and provide some other features. It was "preinstalled" by the dealer and "activated" for a small nominal fee which I now wish I had not paid. It basically "took over" the existing alarm system and deactivated it as verified by a dealer system check and then proceeded to malfunction long and loud upsetting a lot of innocent bystanders. I finally got in touch with a Karr representative (no easy task as it seems none of them return phone calls or messsages left on their phones) and learned how to deactivate the system. I can't remove it myself but at least it's deactivated and the orignial onboard system now works as advertised. I would highly recommend against any aftermarket alarm system on these cars as it seems they are very sensitive to strange electronics.

I deal with those at work, they're a OK but overpriced system. 2-button dealer master remote works the system, 1 deactivation clip(blocker as we call them) and 3 different activation clips for each system, 1 with remotes(red 2040), 2 without(blue 4040, green EX-1).

The factory system works when a entry point is breached when the car is locked - the door pins trigger it, when the switch is grounded it triggers the system. DEI - the Viper guys make a add-on shock sensor that connects to a ground input like the door pins. You can also use their glass sensor, blue - output goes onto a door pin wire.

Freddy - the dealer charged you for a Karr, Silencer or Pursuit alarm - Silencer is the dealer version of Carbine. They are a ripoff, I advise people not to get them.