Getting to the bottom of my list of projects on the Excursion, I am not at: super dark tint and alarm/remote start. I have the tint in hand, and a buddy of mine used to own a tint shop so I'm not worried about that one. As an aside, I have the documentation from an ophthalmologist that will authorize a super dark tint (which I won't use on front side windows anyway) so I won't need the stickers that Texas requires.

To the alarm. I may be steered away from doing this myself only because Best Buy sometimes has free installation offers. Unfortunately, my local Best By doesn't have an installer so it has to be at one 45 minutes away, when they have that sale, and also unfortunately I don't like Best Buy employees or any other employees in my truck.

This is all hot on the heels of of wiring my stereo and solar setup, which has included figuring out relays and lots of wiring and secure wiring connections. I'm fearless when it comes to messing with my vehicles and risking breaking something, so that's not an issue. I also have time to mess with it and basically have to stay out of the sun and inside of my shop during the day anyway.

I've settled on the Viper brand for no reason other than everyone else seems to say that's the one to get. I've found a wiring ddiargram for the TRUCK but not the alarm. I did have a weak moment and sign up for a Viper installed system on Viper's website and, Teo weeks later, no shop contacted me. So that's that.

Why? I sometimes travel to the big city. There, a very clean Ford excursion, always waxed and with tire dressing, is a target. I've been broken into three times, losing guns, cash, my luggage, glass, even an entire door had to be replaced. I'm sick of degenerates taking my things. They may do so again but each instance occurred in a hotel parking lot with security so maybe a flashing light and siren will do SOMETHING. it is no fun to call the police and tell them you had a gun stolen from your vehicle, especially at a hotel parking lot. It is even less fun to tell your insurance company several thousand in cash is missing and you don't have recent withdrawal slips for it. It is ultimately unfun for a basically. OCD person to lose his luggage when out nof town because there are going to be some things in it that are a comfort on trips and can't be replaced easily. In each instance, I was somewhere else having Uber'd to some downtown location where the Excursion won't fit. Yes, I could take another vehicle that fits in fancy pants parking garages but I take the Excursion to the big city for personal safety and don't plant to change that because lowlife thieves can't behave.

I'm about to have to start traveling to Dallas for medical reasons so this is really on my mind.

Remote start is for pre cooled and pre warmed truck.

So, I have looked at alot of discussions and am confused about the Viper model numbers. Lots of model numbers. I can't find guidance on which one to get. I'll get one, regardless of Viper wanting to sel them through dealers. Can anyone point me to the right model number for an 05 Excursion?

I want 2 way remotes, starter, bypass with or without key, alarm with basic stuff.

 

Best decision I ever made was ripping the Viper alarm out of my truck. It had been in there since practically new and my God was that an annoying POS. Avert course.

 

I am Not anywhere near knowledgeable on the subject but I have seen where others have installed alarms that require a spare key be placed near the sensors to defeat the factor PATs which seems really I’ll advised to me since it takes a either a tow truck or a very advance level of criminal to defeat the PATs. Besides the fact that your typical citizen ignores a car alarm going off your every day garden variety thief knows how to silence a aftermarket alarm. Food for thought.

 

I have a viper...works great, but I let BB install it for free. I would put a cheap alarm only system and one of these Ravelco Anti Theft Device however you lose the remote start function. Why would you ever leave guns or money in your car?? You are trusting the security of your property to someone making minimum wage.

 

I am always checked out of the hotel for morning meetings and depositions. Meetings are typically at bank buildings, several hours, hence everything stays in the truck (and definitely firearms). You just can't schlep your things into a bank building and law offices. The downtown banks in Austin and Dallas typically have parking garages (truck is lifted) and nothing else convenient nearby, so I always ask the hotels if I can leave my vehicle for the day.

Also, I generally do not want the stress of parking the Excursion downtown in those cities. I can't see that well and it doesn't fit anywhere anymore now that they have skinny little back in parking. Drive up parking is just as bad when all you can see is the roof of the car in front of you over your hood. Even parallel parking is short these days. The pay lots have absurdly narrow aisles and spaces. The metropolitan world just isn't made for Excursions with old drivers anymore, yet I drive there in one just to feel safe on the road. Maybe I'm a wierdo that way.

I wised up on the last trip and left my luggage and other things in the hotel with a concierge. My truck was still broken into and rummaged. They took my trailer brake controller. I'm guessing some crack head thought it was a radar detector, on the bottom of my dash.

 

Now that's interesting. Honestly, I hadn't really considered someone stealing the truck. I didn't figure anyone would want it. I was more concerned about my door locks, door, and glass being broken again and again. But that's a cool idea.

 

That is good food for thought. I read there are two kinds of bypasses, one with an actual key in it (I would cut the end of the key to make is useless for the ignition) and one that is the functional equivalent but without the key (presumably, paired like a key).

I'm surprised at the responses here, which lean toward "don't waste your money, Charlie".

But, maybe I just need a little flashing light on the dash. Hmm.

Every hotel I've ever stayed in had "security"... I'm not talkng the fancy places but the middle of the road ones I usually use when I'm not being reimbursed. They are useless but you'd think a car alarm would attract SOME attention; even monkeys look at loud noises, point and howl.

The last one called me after I called them to ask about security camera footage, and left a Yelp review of their security, for the police and sort of accused me of making it up. "We have no record of a car burglary on that date." They had zero outside facing cameras. Wow.

That statement was poorly received. I faxed them the police report on law firm letterhead and suggested they had their thumbs up their behinds because it occurred five parking spaces from their front entrance in broad daylight. Sent them pictures of damage to truck in that space. Great security. But if an alarm had gone off maybe they would have been irritated enough to notice the guy bending my door and then breaking my lock. Dunno.

Who would make up their vehicle being broken into? Morons.

 

In the end if someone wants to break in they will and take your stuff. Every company I ever worked for clearly states they are not responsible for any damages in the parking lot, and I generally work in secure buildings with security gates and armed security. I would expect much less from a hotel or parking lot. Fact of the matter these trucks are easy targets and very easy to break into. I just hope my siren scares them off when they bump the car.

 

If you are out of ear shot of your alarm then it is 99.9% worthless, Surely you have been in the city enough to hear a car alarm going off and see people walk right on past as people intentionally look away so they don’t become involved.
Crooks who are willing to smash your window in broad daylight know this and don’t car about your alarm going off.

basically they are useful if you park somewhere you can hear it and respond but don’t count on it scaring away a crook or somebody calling 911 for you....... hell I have seen a business owner come out, pop the hood and unhook a battery on a car with the alarm screaming. No cops ever showed up.

On stealing your vehicle.... most car thief’s pop the ignition cylinder and use a screw driver.... if your PAT’s is disabled it’s gone. It takes about 6 seconds to do this.

 

Okay, this is convincing me. To heck with it. The alarm was written in my list, not my Bible. Done. I'm 99 percent away from degenerates anyway unless you count coyotes, an intact male goat, and broke college kids. Resistance is futile; I defer to The Collective.

The remote start was just lagniappe and it would disable PATS (which I presume I have because all Excursions do, according to something I read). So, okay. I'll put the dark tint on so no one can see what's in the back, cover the lights on my solar controller, and put a blinking light on the dash and be done with it. I have insurance and I have the same for home and cars so my company has no way out. Or I'll just take the old land rover and get 11mpg when I go. That thing is a TANK too, plus easier to park, and it cannot be stolen, anyway (and what idiot would want to?). I once saw one run off the highway when he failed to notice everyone stop, down the ditch, JUMP the 2 lane access road, and drive another 300 feet to a stop. The driver collected himself and his soiled shorts then calmy drove back to the highway. I applauded like Nancy Pelosi at the State of the Union.


Stock alarm and immobilizer. And one owner for all 20 years. Me.


City folk give old, muddy cars a wide berth. Probably presume the owner is too poor to have anything worth stealing.

Any suggestions on the COLOR and location of blinking light to simulate a real alarm? And, anything else to simulate a real alarm!???

2 bucks for blinking red...? 130 beats a minute matches my heart rate when I get out in the heat so it has some allure.

 

Remote start to warm up your vehicle in winter-in Texas?! I live in Minnesota, that's the funniest thing I've heard all day!

No fun getting your truck broke into though so I sympathize with you there.

 

Well, NORTHeast Texas. Brrrr! Hahaha! We get some snow (inch or two).every couple or five years... If you want to laugh, watch us try to drive in an inch of snow that will be gone by noon anyway. Just the threat of a flurry clears the stores of batteries and water.

Yeah, I don't like being cold and I refuse to move until my oil temp is at least 100.

BUT, more importantly, when the temp at 8 am is already 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity and I'm in a suit, I do like my dual air conditioning on full tilt when I get in!

I'm old. Peak oil and the environment are meaningless concepts to me!

Where I live, we rarely lock cars. I've lived two places where it was considered rude to lock your vehicle AND not leave your keys in, in case someone needed to move it when you're busy (and gas purchases were recorded by the driver on a clipboard, on the honor system, at the cotton gin).

Yeah, the truck being broken into three times in eight trips triggered me like a disappointed Hillary supporter the day after the election. My local body shop has seen me so often in the last year for that they stopped trying to pawn off aftermarket door locks and just gets the Ford ones from the get go. They had to replace two aftermarket ones.

I have never been broken into in my entire life, living and working in several states and numerous cities all over Texas, except in Austin and Dallas. And in those places, repeatedly in multiple vehicles. If anyone wonders why, at least as to Dallas, Google recent announcements from Dallas' mentally-challenged chief of police and district attorney about crimes they will not arrest/prosecute.

For instance,

"Creuzot’s [DA] efforts in Dallas County to decriminalize poverty will include declining to prosecute theft of personal items worth less than $750 unless the theft was for financial gain."

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dall...89x44njTwpK7oA

Hmm. I can see how an idiot might think that steal what you want theft provision applies to the items in my Excursion. So, just don't steal over 749 bucks from someone else. Is that a new or used price, the degenerate thief ponders. Great crime fighting plan, chief law enforcement officials.

No self respecting officer wants to be there--no high speed pursuit, constant lawsuits, low pay, and a chronically insolvent pension fund.

Dallas is a lawless place with alot of public officials way too deep into their feelings. In East Texas when they clear a wooded area for a new housing development, they dig a big hole and put a large number of trees into it to attract all of the area termites. That's Dallas. Austin is a beautiful, vibrant, smart, techie, historic, strong, wonderful place... with shanty towns full of crime... like Jamaica.

There's Texas. Then there are metro areas in Texas. They just don't mix.

 

That's all true but their clearly worded signs count for nothing if you are an invitee and they purport to provide security. I've gotten tidy sums for people in such lots, a few times over the years. This is why they outsource their security. Both the hotels and the third party security carry insurance for such claims. Security isn't there just to protect hotel employees and mediate customer disputes.

 

Maybe a new project, Something along the lines of a LoJack tracking system in case it is stolen and a Motion activated camera that pops up on your smartphone, kinda like a Ring Doorbell.....now that would be a useful combination.....oh and proper Chauffeur to start and warm your vehicle on cold mornings.

 

Well, I need to finish one old one. I got some diamond plate, the right sized bolts, some plywood, liquid nails, and screws to mount my solar stuff. Unfortunately, rain tomorrow and the garage is occupied, and... Oh yeah, Happy Father's Day everyone!