MattCom21

The dealer is pushing for me to buy an alarm (Auto Mate) for my new TSX.

Is it a good deal for $388 ?

Is it needed besides the factory alarm?

SoCaliTrojan

My dealer pushed me from getting an alarm. He went on to say that having two kill switches in the car is bad, etc, etc.

From the research I've done, it seems to me that for the most part, the factory alarm will prevent the car from being stolen (unless they replace the ECU or tow the car). The factory alarm disables a bunch of stuff (fuel pump, ecu, etc).

The only need for an aftermarket alarm is if you want to know at a moment's notice that something is wrong (2-way pager alarm...I got to see who was breaking into my car, but good thing he didn't come after me)....or if you have alot of aftermarket mods that you want to protect (subs, etc)

The factory alarm won't protect the contents inside of your car, but it will keep your car where you left it.

jlukja

aftermarket alarm can add a few features (motion sensor, glass break sensor, remote notify) but if a pro wants your car, they're gonna get it. The standard alarm is good enough for me. The immobilizer won't let anyone start the car.

waTSX

^^

bz268

No, you don't need it. Alarms don't do nothing nowaday. Save your $300 buck to get a LowJack instead.

This is usually what happens nowaday -- They steal your car... and then they will usually park your car somewhere for couple hours or a day to see if the police comes. After they make sure there is no one coming to get the car back. They will begin to chop it up.

With an alarm, they will just wrack the alarm to silience the noise.

Of course, many of them can chop up your car within 5-10 minutes. In this care, nothing can prevent them at all. You can just save yourself the 300 bucks for something else... maybe a Nintendo DS Lite with Mario.

Beside, many insurance company give you at least 15% discount if you have LowJack.

mickey513

I have BRAND NEW AUTOMATE alarm for sale:

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/sale-dei-automate-oem-alarm-upgrade-341724/

If interested, feel free to pick up in person.

gecko23

Motion sensor and shock sensors tend to set off alot of false alarms, I think the factory alarm is sufficient.

yukit

I got Automate AM1 offered by the dealer.
I did not carry another fob. This is basically an insurance to deter someone from breaking in. Of course I could have just gotten a blinking blue LED mounted on the dash for the same effect.

Just don't leave your stuff (like a laptop, ipod) visible in your car when you park.
Some shopping centers & plazas in my neighborhood are notorious for laptops stolen while shopping or eating at a restaurant.

BobA

If you live in New York or any other big city you need an added alarm. In 2003 I had a brand new Honda Accord for a week and guess what, they broke my back window. No alarm went off. This is the same a the TSX. You need a motion sensor and glass sensor. When they broke into my car they took my airbags and damaged the dash. Yes I did have a deductable. The other problem living in the city is Ins. is so high. I had $1,000.00 deductable. A friend of mine had a new 2003 TL and a week before my car was broken into his car was damaged to. He went into a chinese Res. for dinner with his family.iParked in the lot. They tryed to get his HID lights. All they did was a lot of damage.
The $388, is not a bad price for an alarm. Just make sure the alarm senses someone just tapping the car and goes off within a minute. Good luck.

TSX 3Pedal

Will the auto-window-down still work on the TSX if the Unlock button is pressed and held on the factory remote?

offset_98

Something I've learned in Vegas as many of my fleet vehicles have been stolen (and all but 1 recovered b/c they were abandoned somewhere) -- alarms don't mean shit. If someone wants it, they'll take it. Maybe it'll take 30 seconds longer than usual but they'll still take it.

kboosman00

^^^ I can second that, at the current moment Las Vegas is #2 in the U.S. according to the news w/ approximately 1 car being stolen every 25 seconds or so.

tom12282

I'd rather keep the original stock one b/c one, it's useless like everyone says, and two, stock keyless buttons looks slicker than the aftermarket one

cibs

i'm also considering getting an aftermarket alarm for my TSX, mainly because i want the paging feature, knowing that my car is ok within 3000 feet or whatever it is, and i also want the auto start feature for those cold winter days...

however i don't know if i want to loose the auto down feature of the windows and other things that are associated with the factory alarm/keyfob...

(the memory seat isn't an issue because i'm the only one that drives the car...)

krames

On San Antonio news last night they had a story about a raid on a chop shop which had 3 Acura/Hondas in various states of disassemble. I just got my brand new TSX and needless to say I am a little nervous about it. I was hoping that you guys could shed some light on things for me.

I know that Honda/Acura has a high theft rate, but how common is it really?

Aiside from general common sense, do you do anything else to protect your car?

Should I worry about a valet parker getting his hooks into my car?

Thanks! I know there is no way of ensuring that my car never gets stolen, but I want to do everything I can to prevent it!

BobA

I have an aftermarket alarm also. It has the paging system and remote starter. I have a 6 speed on my TSX, so they had to add a balance so the car wouln't start by itself. I also have a separate alarm. This way I can use all the features on the 2 alarms. This way the memory seat
is not an issue.

LoveMyTL-S

Try Trunk Monkey
http://www.trunkmonkeyad.com/4wmv.htm

cibs

so you carry around your stock keyfob AND the aftermarket alarm fob as well?

i donno if i'd want to do that, it'd be so bulky... two way paging alarms fobs are bulky enough...


just out of curiosity why didn't you get an alarm/starter combo that is made for manual cars so you can use the remote start?

BobA

I had this alarm on my honda accord so I just had it transfer it into the Acura. As far as the pager I just keep it in the house and I have a small remote along with the Acura remote. It's not that bulky.The remote starter works great, just like it did when I had it in the accord with an automatic trans.

BzeTSX

you can do this?

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Crack the manual yet?

Chi-Town TSX

I have an aftermarket alarm w/ remote start, and this still works for me. Make sure to carry both remotes on your keychain...

cibs

i'm sure there's some way you could hook that up to the aftermarket alarm no?

i'd hate to carry around two keyfobs on my keychain... too bulky

hawaiiantsx

i have a after market alarm also, but i dont carry two fobs with me....just the after market one.....i dont really have the need to roll down all the windows at once.....but the factory alarm is still hooked up also along with the after market one....