Aftermarket alarm on Toyota Camry can cause problems??

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Anonemous

Diamond Member
May 19, 2003
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So I don't know much about cars. I took a 2000 Toyota Camry to an mechanic today to look at my brakes. He was kind enough to inspect and even fix the minor problem for free. But he noticed that I had an aftermarket alarm system in my vehicle and he cautioned that sooner or later the alarm would fail and I wouldn't even be able to start the ignition and advised me to get rid of it.

He wasn't pushy or anything but he was telling me how he has to pull these alarm systems out of Toyotas every month due to the ignition failing. Then he went on about how the electrical systems on Japanese cars are free floating ground (or something like that) and how these aftermarket alarms are not designed to cope with that. I told him that the alarm system was preinstalled in the car when it was purchased at the dealer new and he told me that they may have ripped me off for not using an official Toyota alarm system.

So will my alarm system cause ignition problems in the future? Has anyone heard of this?

Cliffs:
-Mechanic tell me that my car has an aftermarket alarm and that it can cause ignition failure in the future.
-He advised me to remove it.
-Should I remove the alarm system?
 
J

jtvang125

Diamond Member
Nov 10, 2004
5,399
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Really depends on the quality of the alarm and the installation. Crappy ones will fail and possibly cause the car to not start (starter kill) or drain the battery excessively. I've seen too many times in parking lots where someone can't start their car cause the aftermarket alarm went wacko. It'll just keep going off even after it resets itself but since they can't find the power source to the unit they can't completely disable it. You can remove it if you want or you can just find the power source to the main module and disconnect that.

Also if a thief really wants your car, an alarm would be the least of his worries.
 
S

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
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Anonemous said:
So I don't know much about cars. I took a 2000 Toyota Camry to an mechanic today to look at my brakes. He was kind enough to inspect and even fix the minor problem for free. But he noticed that I had an aftermarket alarm system in my vehicle and he cautioned that sooner or later the alarm would fail and I wouldn't even be able to start the ignition and advised me to get rid of it.

He wasn't pushy or anything but he was telling me how he has to pull these alarm systems out of Toyotas every month due to the ignition failing. Then he went on about how the electrical systems on Japanese cars are free floating ground (or something like that) and how these aftermarket alarms are not designed to cope with that. I told him that the alarm system was preinstalled in the car when it was purchased at the dealer new and he told me that they may have ripped me off for not using an official Toyota alarm system.

So will my alarm system cause ignition problems in the future? Has anyone heard of this?

Cliffs:
-Mechanic tell me that my car has an aftermarket alarm and that it can cause ignition failure in the future.
-He advised me to remove it.
-Should I remove the alarm system?
Click to expand...

I have a 1999 Toyota camry. I bought it used and it didn't come with keyless entry pre-installed. I purchased a AutoCommand from a company named designtech (http://www.readyremote.com/). This was one of their premium grade systems that can start the engine, open the doors, turn on/off the headlamps and pop the trunk. I even installed a trunk pop solenoid and wired it to the unit with a relay.

In short this thing starts my car (from inside the house), locks/unlocks my doors, pops my trunk and turns on my rear defrost. It has a basic alarm where if my doors are locked and the door is opened without disarming the system it will alarm, also if the key is put inside. I've had this on my car for 3 - 4 years now and I haven't had any problems.

I used this same device on a old saturn I had but it was very limited (just started the car). It worked well there to.
 
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Anonemous

Diamond Member
May 19, 2003
7,361
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How do I tell it's a crappy installation? The car is over 10 years old and I'm kind of pissed at the dealer right now for using after market parts. So if I uninstall the alarm system, do I forgo the use of the key-less entry system?
 
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steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
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Anonemous said:
How do I tell it's a crappy installation? The car is over 10 years old and I'm kind of pissed at the dealer right now for using after market parts.
Click to expand...

Your alarm is installed under the knee bolster. There are 4 or 5 screws holding the bolster in place (under the steering wheel). Remove those and let the bolster drop. The following should have been done.

1. The wires should have been soldered into the oem wiring.
2. The unit is properly secured to the vehicle.
3. The wire harness leading to the alarm should be wrapped with sprial wrapping or heat shrinked.
4. You should get from there the name of the alarm unit.
 
pcgeek11

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,100
4,886
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Japanese cars do not have a "free floating ground ". They are grounded like any other car.

If your car is 10 years old and there are no issues I wouldn't worry about it.

Your mechanic if full of crap. IMO
 
S

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
6
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pcgeek11 said:
Nobody does this.
Click to expand...

When I installed my system I peeled away a tiny portion of wire insulation and inserted the alarm wire between the wire braid, that was then covered with solder. Finally an electrical tape or shrink rap covering. This makes a reliable connection.
 
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iGas

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2009
6,240
1
0
pcgeek11 said:
Japanese cars do not have a "free floating ground ". They are grounded like any other car.

If your car is 10 years old and there are no issues I wouldn't worry about it.

Your mechanic if full of crap. IMO
Click to expand...
Agree!

There shouldn't be much different between factory or aftermarket alarm.
 
H

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
10
81
steppinthrax said:
When I installed my system I peeled away a tiny portion of wire insulation and inserted the alarm wire between the wire braid, that was then covered with solder. Finally an electrical tape or shrink rap covering. This makes a reliable connection.
Click to expand...
Electrical tape? I hate people like you.
 
pcgeek11

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,100
4,886
136
steppinthrax said:
When I installed my system I peeled away a tiny portion of wire insulation and inserted the alarm wire between the wire braid, that was then covered with solder. Finally an electrical tape or shrink rap covering. This makes a reliable connection.
Click to expand...

I guess I should not have said "Nobody" as obviously you did. Car Dealerships do not solder in wires to the OEM Harness. Ever.
 
thescreensavers

thescreensavers

Diamond Member
Aug 3, 2005
9,916
2
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Howard said:
Electrical tape? I hate people like you.
Click to expand...

DSC_0502.jpg



Prablem?
 
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