My buddy gave me (as in FREE) a CrimeStopper 745i3 alarm (never been instaled) w/the following main features/sensors/triggers:

*Open door sensor/trigger (from dome light current)
*Trunk and hood pin switches
*Dual Stage shock sensor
*Glass break sensor/mic.
*Interior and Exterior Proximity (radar) sensor
*3 modes of Vehicle Recovery System (anti-carjack); Ignition triggered (need a code every time you turn on ignition), Door triggered (need a code if door is opened while ignition is on), and remote triggered
*Starter interrupt
*Backup Battery
*more that I don't want to type

My question is:

I have heard a lot of bad things about CrimeStopper, and I wanted to know if it was worth my time to install it? It seems that it has all the features of a more expensive alarm, and I've always heard the the quality of the install is the most important feature, but if it is that bad, I will probably try to sell it on ebay. Any opionions are welcome. Thanks.

-Steve

 

yes it is. the bad things you hear are the same for all alarms , the alarms are ok, it almost always turns out to be the install. Deside what wires your going to use on the alarm brain, [this is a new one? good] remove all the rest ,[by depining not cuting them short ,you may need them latter ,so keep them. wire tye [zap strap] or tape all the rest together [clean and neatly] starting at brain every 2 inchs,for about 8 or 10 inchs at least past the fuses.STOP. find a place under dash up high hard to see[if someone was to look] after dash trim is replaced. temp. zapstrap the harness [at about where the last zapstrap/tape is on the harness] to something that will keep it up high. [this should let you drop brain down "8to10inchs"for servicing or trubleshooting. You now have this nice clean bundel of wire coming out of brain running up high in the dash to where you temp. zapstrapped it, and a mess of wires comeing down. STOP you now have to separate that mess into nice clean bundels of wires that are going in the same general direction.[just like the wire harness in your car, and the more you can make it look like the cars wire harness the better] STOP you need to know where your going to make the connections, so you will know what wires to bundel together. Every wire you need to "tag" into, has a plug somewere with a metal pin in it. Never cut or strip a wire when you can depin it and SOLDER the alarm wire to the pin and reinstall pin in plug. [SOLDER makes it bullitproof, SOLDERING to pin keeps it clean] Remember alarm brains are "CPUs" and a clean soldered install, [without big wads of extra or unused wire ] will be easy to hide,makes less of a mess under dash , less likely to screw up, and last but not least , Way less of a pain to troubleshoot alarm/alarm wireing or car wireing. hope this helps.94