I've also got the viper with auto start, lcd, paging etc... They busted into mine with a large screwdriver in the drivers door lock, and simply turned the lock, thereby diabling the factory horn ( I will not call that POS an alarm ) Had the viper for the last three years or so, and have had to replace the remotes as I tend to forget to take it out of my back pocket before sitting down <s> It also has a valet function, as well as an intermitent start setting if I ever deceide I'm dumb enough to move to a cold climate. It has options to start the truck from 15 minutes to every four hours I thnk.

Bossman

 

Turning the lock doesnt disable my horn or siren.I wonder why yours is wired that way.

 

One more thing about the viper. If you want to jump out of your truck and leave it running, it has a function that will let you do so and take the keys with you out of the ignition. If the doors don;t lock after you get out for some reason, and some one jumps in to take off, as soon as they hit the brake pedal the truck will lock itself down, and set the alarm off if the door is reopened again.

 

Don't know why that was the case, but I wasn;t about to go out and test it again, so I poped in the viper. There is a ppossibility that the factory alarm simply malfunctioned at the worst possible time, but I'll never not have a viper or similar on any car I own. I actually had the same system installed on my 2000 Kenworth that we just picked up.

 

Oh i miss understood you i thought it was the viper that was installed at the time of the break in.

 

Thankfully this is not much of an issue here! Lots of vehicles running in store parking lots, you could almost car shop there if you were a crook.

 

VIPER Security and HECKLER & KOCH

 

I let everyone in my neighborhood see me flip out about once every three months. Supposed to be a bad neighborhood, but I never had any problems. Everybody stays away from the crazy redneck! I leave my truck box unlocked with about $5000 in tools in it.

 

I just want to thank everyone for taking the poll... it was interesting to see the results. I am still tryinig to decide on what I will ultimately use for my new '05 SD as it is suppose to arrive first week March. I am listing a few things I have learned over the last few weeks from local shops, dealers and online. Please feel free to comment if you find I am being misled with this info.

ASG - Ford should have not used the word "security" in this option as it is mearly a remote entry system. They certainly could have done more to protect our vehicles... they do make a nice alarm (see below)

Siren Alarms - Most law enforcement personell think they do little to protect the vehicle. They are annoying I will admit... but I will certainly respond to it when mine goes off in my driveway! Or should I say that I'll let my doberman out the front door. I have found that Ford does have a nice array of alarms available. Not sure why they don't offer it as an option. The one most recommended here on this site has been the 2W7Z-19A361-DA (MSRP $229 + installation $???) there is also a CA & BA version which work with the factory remotes... they also offer remote start units too. Search some of the online sites that sell ford only parts as they are cheaper. Beware as the instructions aren't included but they have been listed here in FTE. One thing that should be concidered with all alarms is to add a second siren inside the interior with a battery backup (preferably a piezo mounted way up above the fuse box area under the dash) ... this will make it very uncomfortable as it will hurt their ears as they try to diable it.

LoJack - This appears to be a top choice if you live in a high car theft areas, the tracking system is not monitored in rural areas. The cops take over the search & rescue after you report it gone. It is difficult for the thieves to find the unit as it has no visable appearance... so they don't know it's there. And it is the only system that can find your vehicle if it is inside a building, truck trailer, container, etc. It is pricey at $695 for base unit... they also offer some upgrades like early warning as well as siren alarms too. I'm considering this as I'm in the Phoenix,AZ area... cars disappear all the time.

Two-way pagers - these are pretty slick... the remote you carry will let you know in realtime (if you are within range... most are 1/2 mile) if there is a violation to your vehicle. The remote has a generic picture of a car and shows what happened, like shock sensor or door open. The remote will chime or vibrate so you can make an exit to do whatever you would do to someone messing with your truck. They only issue I have heard is the remotes tend to be not so durable... and I am tuff on the key fobs. The remotes are pricey to replace to ($60-100) I was looking at the Viper 791XV around $600 installed.

GPS - These sound slick as you can actually track your vehicle on the internet in real time. But you need an antenna that is used by GPS satelites... so there must be a clear view of the sky. If the truck is inside a garage or building... you're out of luck! You must also have a cellular signal available for communication. And there are charges for the access to track as well. One other item... most pro thieves are on the look out for the antennas and they simply cut it to disable them completely useless.

Steering wheel & brake pedal lock - most people laugh at these... but they are rather inexpensive and are a deterant. It is just one more thing that a thief has to do. Still a good thing... and on my list for the grocery store & mall parking lots.

Starter Kill - another one of those things that is a deterant... the theif has to work a little harder to get your truck. Many siren alarms come with them or can be added.

Lock Lugs - Only really necessary if you dropped some bucks on your rims and tires. I don't think to many will lose their stockers. There are several brands... with McGard leading the pack with their superior material quality. The only issue is where to put the lock key? You have to keep it in the truck and the glove box will be the first place a thief will look.

Other - I love some of the comments given

Thanks again to everyone who responded and/or took the poll. I still would like to hear your comments as I still have about 3 weeks to determine what I'll end up with... so I can take the poll too!

 

Me neither. I sometimes accidentally leave stuff in there, but most of it has little value. I'll lock the truck up if I am going in a store or something and I am going to be there a while. But at home, it's unlocked. I had someone rip the lock out of my 95 F150 totally ruining the door. The deductible was enough to keep me from turning it in. They did not want the truck, just what was in it. I figure it is easier for them to open the door and see that there is nothing in it than to ruin the truck breaking in.

I also have a 125 lb Akita that likes to stay outside quite a bit.

 

I also just lock it up, and there's the 40 cal. Beretta to deter anything from happening while I'm in it, it's a nice back up feature.

 

On the viper 791xv shop around online you can get them for about $200 then go to a authorized viper dealer so that way you get the lifetime warranty and they will install it.This is what i did on both of mine they charged me $150ea to install since they are a the transponder remote start and alarm.So for $350 ea i got them done compared to $500 or so....

 

I agree with most, the siren is a waste that people ignore now days. Due to that I removed the siren from my last alarm and went with a 9" bell on the wheel well under the hood. It was loud and annoying but I can tell you people paid attention EVERY time it went off. Sounds like a bank robbery alarm so people look. Just my 2 cents.....

 

I worked at an area lake last Summer as a camp host. In one day, every SD with a sliding back window parked at the boat ramp was broken into- wanna guess how they got into the trucks?. It's a small lake, so that was "only" 3 trucks. Two of them had alarms but the crook was able to work around them. The one SD that wasn't broken into had a solid back window. No one lost their truck, but anything not bolted down was stolen. BTW, two GM SUVs were also broken into.

About a month ago, a fried of ours had his truck parked in a "secure" lot in Tulsa. Thieves popped the plastic external handles out of the door to gain access to the inside then drove off. Remarkably, the truck was recovered intact two days later. Unfortunately, it was stolen again a week later. And it's not even that nice of a truck!

Point is that if someone wants your stuff, they will get it. At best, you can only hope to recover it afterwards. Buy these 'protective' gadgets with the knowledge that nothing is safe no matter what you do.

 

For those of you with a Two-way Page system... are you happy with what you got and what model do you have. What have you noticed with the units... good or bad.