[alliance314]

I just purchased a 2014 Accord yesterday, and the finance guy offered to activate the factory-built alarm for $450.

Is this worth it? I searched around the forums, and it seems this alarm goes off if someone opens the door / trunk without the right key. Can someone confirm this is that it does? If so, it seems like a pretty useful feature that I should get. Anyone disagree?

 

[Alan_1230]

I just purchased a 2014 Accord yesterday, and the finance guy offered to activate the factory-built alarm for $450.

Is this worth it? I searched around the forums, and it seems this alarm goes off if someone opens the door / trunk without the right key. Can someone confirm this is that it does? If so, it seems like a pretty useful feature that I should get. Anyone disagree?

I personally disagree the finance guy almost forced me into getting it and that i would regret it if i don't because accords are 1 of most stolen vehicles ... charged me a lot and monthly payment went higher by like 9 bucks because i whined about it ... not worth it for me as i live in a close gated apartment as of now ...

 

[Yukfoo2]

Ignore the finance guy's pitches. All negotiations and options should have been decided and finalized beforehand. The Finance's person's main purpose is to get you to pay for crap you don't need.

Also, the only thing that needs to be "activated" on your car is XM and that's done for everyone, for no additional cost, and service is free for 3 months. In other word, your car either has a feature or it does not. Honda does not put stuff on cars that needs to be merely "activated".

 

[drowned12]

Sounds like they're trying to sell you on an aftermarket alarm. Our cars aren't easily stolen...the "most stolen" is for the 90s Honda's that don't have an immobilizer. An alarm won't do anything to deter a thief nowadays.

My LX has no alarm on it...but still has the immobilizer. You can open the doors with it "locked" and nothing will happen, but you can't start it.

 

[alliance314]

Thanks--but I read online that LX doesn't come with the 'factory alarm'?

Btw, how good is the immobilizer system? Can someone still hotwire your car?

Also, I called the sales--who don't seem to know exactly what this factory alarm does since it's a 'finance' deal--and they said if you buy this, Honda guarantees your car won't be stolen, or Honda will replace it with a new car. I find this too good to be true... Still waiting to speak with the Finance guy on phone again to see exactly what this factory alarm will get me.

Sounds like they're trying to sell you on an aftermarket alarm. Our cars aren't easily stolen...the "most stolen" is for the 90s Honda's that don't have an immobilizer. An alarm won't do anything to deter a thief nowadays.

My LX has no alarm on it...but still has the immobilizer. You can open the doors with it "locked" and nothing will happen, but you can't start it.

 

[ssgokou29]

pay a little more for a better aftermarket alarm...and seems to be dumb to "activate" a "factory" alarm...

 

[Flyboy]

What a crock of do do. The finance guys are also salesman working on commission.

Every Honda comes with a built in alarm system that's standard equipment. He is trying to get an additional amount of profit on the sale. When I bought my wife's 07 Fit the finance guy gave me that story and I laughed in his face and told him that he was full of dodo. I was paying by cash so I wrote the check and ignored anything else he said.

 

[970mike]

We got the same sales pitch from Oxnard Honda and it is an aftermarket alarm that they say they hook up and deactivate if you do not buy it. This sounds like a lie to me. They went from 499 to 200 when we stopped in the dealer after we got the car without it being activated. It is an Auto-mate brand model AM1.5 which is installed in the car but supposedly deactivated. Is there a cheaper way to activate it??

 

[Allez]

From my 2014 Accord brochure it states the LX includes a security system with remote entry.

I would be highly highly skeptical of what the finance person says. Reminds me of when I bought my Toyota Sienna and the finance person said that if I didn't want LoJack they'd have to remove it from the van. I told them to remove it LOL.

If you are tempted by what the finance person says, have them put in writing that they certify the alarm is not activated from the factory, is built from the factory, and costs $450 to activate. Have them sign their name. Do NOT agree to it yet. If they are not lying, they should have not problem putting this in writing. Call Honda corporate and see what they say. Contact BBB if finance person lied.

 

[Mick the Quick]

Also, I called the sales--who don't seem to know exactly what this factory alarm does since it's a 'finance' deal--and they said if you buy this, Honda guarantees your car won't be stolen, or Honda will replace it with a new car. I find this too good to be true.

These stealership employees are hilarious. If you are going to fall for this, be sure to get this purported car replacement guarantee in writing. Even LoJack doesn't offer such a guarantee...

I don't understand why you are agonizing over this, to be honest. Why not pay the same amount (or less) to buy a quality aftermarket security system like Viper, installed by a professional? No one has ever claimed that factory alarms are better than top of the line aftermarket alarms. At any rate, you can always go back any time to get this alleged factory alarm "activated" after the delivery, so don't rush the decision.

Mick

 

[karfreek]

Didn't a dealer try to pull this exact same thing on another member a few months ago?

Jay

 

[steve88]

Didn't a dealer try to pull this exact same thing on another member a few months ago?

Jay

Yeh, this does sound familiar. I'll see if I can find the thread because I think I replied to it. But it was the same pitch...pay us $XXX and we'll activate the alarm for you. The part about getting a new car from Honda if yours is stolen is a new low, however...never heard that one before! aranoid:

Yeh, this does sound familiar. I'll see if I can find the thread because I think I replied to it. But it was the same pitch...pay us $XXX and we'll activate the alarm for you. The part about getting a new car from Honda if yours is stolen is a new low, however...never heard that one before! aranoid:

I believe this is the other thread:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=224313

 

[drowned12]

Thanks--but I read online that LX doesn't come with the 'factory alarm'?

Btw, how good is the immobilizer system? Can someone still hotwire your car?

Also, I called the sales--who don't seem to know exactly what this factory alarm does since it's a 'finance' deal--and they said if you buy this, Honda guarantees your car won't be stolen, or Honda will replace it with a new car. I find this too good to be true... Still waiting to speak with the Finance guy on phone again to see exactly what this factory alarm will get me.

The immobilizer system is for all intents and purposes unbeatable. On the 8G it's tied to the fuel pump and since the engine is under ECU control, the ECU will block fuel and spark as well even if you bypassed power to the fuel pump.

The only way to steal our cars would be to tow them away.

EDIT: Technically if you had the dealership tools you could reprogram the immobilizer to use your (a thief's ) key, but those tools are expensive and you'd have to know someone working at the dealership to get the ECU unlock codes that are VIN *and* time specific.

Bottom line, if someone really really really wants you car, they can get it...but that's what we have insurance for. I recently read though that car theft rates have dropped dramatically now that the majority of cars on the road have immobilizers.

From my 2014 Accord brochure it states the LX includes a security system with remote entry..

The wording is tricky. Immobilizer could = "security". It doesn't necessarily mean "alarm". My car also has "remote entry" but no alarm. The remote just locks and unlocks the doors.

Just lock your car with a window rolled down and open the door by reaching in with your keys far away. If nothing happens when the door opens, you have no alarm.

 

[fastball]

I just purchased a 2014 Accord yesterday, and the finance guy offered to activate the factory-built alarm for $450.

Is this worth it? I searched around the forums, and it seems this alarm goes off if someone opens the door / trunk without the right key. Can someone confirm this is that it does? If so, it seems like a pretty useful feature that I should get. Anyone disagree?

Thanks--but I read online that LX doesn't come with the 'factory alarm'?

Btw, how good is the immobilizer system? Can someone still hotwire your car?

Also, I called the sales--who don't seem to know exactly what this factory alarm does since it's a 'finance' deal--and they said if you buy this, Honda guarantees your car won't be stolen, or Honda will replace it with a new car. I find this too good to be true... Still waiting to speak with the Finance guy on phone again to see exactly what this factory alarm will get me.

We got the same sales pitch from Oxnard Honda and it is an aftermarket alarm that they say they hook up and deactivate if you do not buy it. This sounds like a lie to me. They went from 499 to 200 when we stopped in the dealer after we got the car without it being activated. It is an Auto-mate brand model AM1.5 which is installed in the car but supposedly deactivated. Is there a cheaper way to activate it??

Can I be blunt and tell you all you need to do just a little homework before you walk into a dealer? There is so much that you're believing from one of the biggest lying professions in America. Please, stop everything, read what I'm about to tell you, and remember it.

1. All 2014 Honda Accords have a factory alarm system and immobilizer system which is as good or BETTER than any aftermarket alarm. And if you WERE to buy an aftermarket alarm (I don't believe in them anymore - I used to, when most cars DIDN'T have one from the factory), I'd only buy one from DEI electronics. All others are garbage. To prove it and rub it in the lying finance guy's face, roll the driver's window down on any Accord on your dealer's lot. Lock the car with the remote. Wait a few seconds for the security system to activate (you'll see the red light flash on the dashboard IP). Then reach into the car, and manually unlock the door with the lock, not the power door switch. The horn will sound and lights will flash immediately.

2. If ANY - I mean ANY - new car dealer tells you they've "installed" an alarm system and you have to pay to activate it, get the Funai out of that dealer and do not ever go back:

a) Unless it's on the window sticker as already installed, it's illegal to do this.

b) You do not want their service department hacking into your factory wiring on your brand new car.

3. Honda will not guarantee you full car replacement if your car is stolen. BMW will not guarantee you full car replacement if your car is stolen. Ferrari, Porsche, Rolls Royce, friggin Bugatti will not guarantee you full car replacement with their $1.8m Veyron. NO CAR COMPANY WILL GUARANTEE YOU FULL CAR REPLACEMENT!!!!!! Am I clear? Please, tell me I'm clear. Not sure if I'm clear.

4. All modern cars use an mobilizer system. Some are more advanced and complex than others, but the basic principle is that each time you start the car, the code between your key or transponder must match the code in the car's BCM or Body Control Module. Each time you shut it off it changes to a different code. It's called rolling code technology. Every modern car uses some form of it today. You CANNOT hotwire a car the old fashioned way with this system. I can get into any pre 1998 Accord and hotwire it, and be gone in 60 seconds. A modern car is pretty much is theft proof. You look on all the lists of most stolen cars in America. See many after model year 2007? No. From your cheapest Kia to the Bugatti Veyron, they have put amateur, run of the mill drug and gang banger car thieves on the unemployment line.


I went on this outlined rant to help you all understand what a rip off the "finance guy" is at EVERY car dealer.

My advice is that when you walk in, simply tell him you do not want to buy any of the things he's offering. Tell him you want your contract to sign, and you will not give him your down payment until you get your contract to sign with NOTHING added to it. If they continue to insist, tell him you will leave and kill the deal if he keeps insisting.

And have the guts to get up and leave. Go to another dealer. Remember, YOU own the negotiating for YOUR car because it's YOUR money.

Now, I've got significant experience with car alarm systems from installing them in the old days. I know what and where to look on any car if some jerkoff salesman tells me there's one installed already. I know many if not most people don't. Just follow my advice and you will be fine.

Don't get ripped off.

Thanks for reading! I hope you all have learned something here!

 

[Steven H]

you don't need them... the car is pretty safe itself.
my dad`s first new car was a 1997 Accord and we know people were trying to steal it cuz the door lock was all messed up and the car is still there.. you don't need them

 

[mbnc]

Couldn't have said it better myself, fastball. That finance guy's dishonesty is disgusting and would be a dealbreaker for me. CaseyJordan (or alliance314?... strange avatar), I think you should mention the dealer's name here and in the price paid thread so other folks know to avoid them, and maybe even leave a comment on dealerrater.com.

Besides, if there's still any doubt, I can confirm from personal experience that there is an alarm on the LX. Found that out after I remote-locked the doors with the windows down, then absentmindedly reached inside and pulled the trunk release. I'm sure that pissed off the girl who lives in the apartment above my garage.

 

[man451]

Try this with a friend... Get in the car, give your friend the key. Close the door and have your friend (outside of the car) lock the car with the remote. Have them walk away from the car for a minute. Then manually unlock the car from the the inside. Open the door. If the horn sounds, factory alarm is active. If it doesn't, it's not. I tried this with my 2013 EX-L sedan when I got it (2012) and it worked. I was never offered alarm "activation".

I hope this helps!

Marc

 

[fastball]

Try this with a friend... Get in the car, give your friend the key. Close the door and have your friend (outside of the car) lock the car with the remote. Have them walk away from the car for a minute. Then manually unlock the car from the the inside. Open the door. If the horn sounds, factory alarm is active. If it doesn't, it's not. I tried this with my 2013 EX-L sedan when I got it (2012) and it worked. I was never offered alarm "activation".

I hope this helps!

Marc

That accomplishes the exact same thing I said. You don't need a friend to do this. Just roll the window down and do it yourself.

 

[BlazinBob]

Yep, the "Karr" system that I've noticed so many dealers around here use. They add this system, which seems to just add an impact sensor to the existing factory alarm, then pitch the crap out of it in the finance department to convince you to pay for it. I'd pass, personally. They list it on the "packages" you can opt for like $900, then when you complain about the price they knock it down to like $400 and you think you're getting a great deal. Major shama-lama. Look for the "Karr" sticker on the driver's door window, that means they added it. Many dealers add it as soon as they get the cars on the lot - why? - because they make money from it.

 

[thevwu]

Activating an alarm? My alarm was already "activated". If you want to test for "activation", just take the top liner off and disconnect your brake spoiler light and reconnect it. Your alarm should go off, happened to me when I was installing the decklid spoiler.