Alarm removal

[neal1980]

I want to replace the alarm on my chim. How easy is it to completly remove the factory one or should i leave it in and add a better one along side.

Mine is the meta one but the siren is now smashed in a thousand bits.

Thanks

Neal

[thenick]

Pretty easy... Changed mine around Christmas, all you need is a multimeter and a pencil and paper to start with, open up the dash, find the box and test every connection to determine whats what (ign, 12v, ground, indicators etc) and write them down with colours. Once these are found, its fairly easy to unwire the old system and connect a new one in its place - it does take some time and patience though!

[That Daddy]

thenick said:

Pretty easy... Changed mine around Christmas, all you need is a multimeter and a pencil and paper to start with, open up the dash, find the box and test every connection to determine whats what (ign, 12v, ground, indicators etc) and write them down with colours. Once these are found, its fairly easy to unwire the old system and connect a new one in its place - it does take some time and patience though!

Spot on,i have a Cobra Cat 1 fitted now to replace the ageing Foxguard system(false alarms at inconvenient times)what was interesting was the 2 circuit immobilizer circuit had been bypassedand the previous owner had just had a replacement old stock Foxguard module fitted when i purchased the car,so that installer needsi found this out one day when i was curious if the car was alarming properly it wasentbeware.

[neal1980]

Excellent will have to give it ago, anyone recommend a good alarm system, want to fit it myself though.

Thanks
Neal

[That Daddy]

Well i like Cobra,but i know Toad,Autowatch,Meta etc are very good units(just remember these are pro fit alarms so wiring info can be scarce),Clifford i hate with a passion(never known anyone happy with those) but thats just my cents worth,Meta may be a better choice,they were fitted as stock on the later cars so presume you would get more feedback,good luck

[MJW1977]

neal1980 said:

Excellent will have to give it ago, anyone recommend a good alarm system, want to fit it myself though.

Thanks
Neal

I may be wrong but doesn't an alarm have to fitted by a pro installer to qualify for insurance approval (Thatcham 1 etc)?? As the later cars had the Meta T1 installed if I am right then you might be invalidating your insurance as it isn't "factory standard".

[Ribol]

MJW1977 said:

I may be wrong but doesn't an alarm have to fitted by a pro installer to qualify for insurance approval (Thatcham 1 etc)??

Also not all the alarms are Cat1 spec even if they have the same functions.

[That Daddy]

Yes this is true CAT1 to be fitted by reg installer,for full approval.

[neal1980]

yes i should probably go down the professional route but always makes me skeptical as my mate had his car almost taken from the bloke that fitted his alarm until lucky he caught him in the early hours :-0 He wont do it again!