Car Alarms
Archived Q&A and Reviews
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2008 - 2012 Reviews
Feb 2008
I'm looking for a place that can help me fix my car alarm. The alarm came with the car when I purchased it. I have no idea who installed it. Last week the clicky-thing on my key ring broke that lets me turn the alarm on and off and unlocks the doors. So now I am unable to use the alarm. Not a big deal since I don't think anyone would steal my car but without the clicky-thing to unlock all my doors I have to go around to the driver's side, unlock it, and then push the button to unlock all the other doors--kind of a pain when I'm balancing a kid on my hip and lugging a couple of bags around and it's pouring down rain. I guess I don't really need a new alarm system but I need to replace the thing on my key ring. Anybody had to do this before? Where did you go? Thanks!
I hope this doesn't sound insulting, but have you tried changing the battery in the remote? If it's not the battery, then I would suggest going to a dealer for help. If it was a dealer installed system, they can probably help you best. If it wasn't dealer installed, try Franks of Berkeley on Addison. kim
Franks of Berkeley, downtown Berkeley on Addison. They do car stereos and alarms. They fixed my alarm which wanted to go off at all hours of the night and also replaced the key fob when it died. They are very knowledgeable and helpful. btw, you did check to see if the battery needed to be replaced, right? I usually get my neighborhood family owned and operated jewelery store to do that for me, they will confirm that the battery is in fact dead or adjust the contacts, if that's all it needs. couldn't live w/o remote entry either
2004 - 2007 Reviews
August 2006
I'm getting ready to buy a car stereo and maybe an alarm system at Best Buy in Emeryville. Anyone had experience with them Stu
Our Toyota Tacoma was recently broken into and robbed and we engaged the services of Rocco Lamanna, who is trained and certified to perform vehicle alarms and stereo installations. We have been very pleased with his knowledge and the quality of his work. His phone number is 510-292-9169. He will be relocating to El Sobrante next month and plans to open his own shop there Heike
We had a car alarm installed in our Dodge minivan at Best Buy (in Pinole) about 6 years ago or so. I wouldn't do it again. After installation (by, what looked like, a high school kid), certain electrical items didn't work quite right (e.g., the interior lights wouldn't automatically turn on when you dis- armed/unlocked the doors). Then, a couple years ago, more serious electrical problems started happening-- headlights turning on and off by themselves, and, more rarely, the alarm triggering by itself (without anyone being near it). We put up with it for a while, but finally decided to look into getting it fixed-- it turned out that we needed to replace the BCM (body control module- central computer of the car), which was very expensive, since I had to go to the dealership for that. Noted on the dealership receipt: ''after-market car alarm poorly installed'', insinuating that it may have caused, in part, the failure of our BCM, through crossed wires, short, etc. I wouldn't buy American (Dodge) again, and I wouldn't have Best Buy install an alarm again. Jim
Sept 2005
After multiple visits to different car mechanics, we've finally been told that the electrical glitches our minivan has been experiencing are 'possibly' the result of the after-market car alarm we had installed 5-6 years ago. (so much for getting a car alarm from Best Buy) Anyway, we're looking for a reputable car alarm specialist that might be willing to troubleshoot our Ungo alarm installation. One mechanic told us that these guys could charge a lot. Thanks for any advice/recommendations! Jim
Try Franks of Berkeley. They install stereos and alarms exclusively. I have used them to install and repair stereos and found them to be quite good. If they don't service the type of alarm you own, they can probably recommend someone. Kim