:help ok, so i went to the shop today and the salesman suggested the Python line of alarms, the 460HP ($325 installed) to be exact. up to that point i was really leaning toward the plug/play BMW keyless, window roll up (E36 97 328i, $299.95). anyone have any experiences w/the python line? how would you guys choose? im thinking the bmw alarm would be a better choice. help pls!

I am not a fan of the "plug and play" oem or non- oem alarms. They all go in the same way and plug in the factory alarm plug(s). The location of this plug is common knowledge or can be found out quickly on the net. The beauty of a properly installed aftermarket alarm is they are all put in a little bit differently and makes them harder to find/ bypass. The plug and play units are great for a DIY install though and work well.

Im all for the aftermarket alarms. Python is a very good DEI (Directed Electronics) line and if installed properly will serve you well as long as you have your vehicle.

IMHO, I would go an OEM-like alarm from BMWAlarm.com. Save yourself the extra cost of installation. They guarantee PnP installation for pre-wired cars. It has all the features of an aftermarket alarm by DEI except remote start or CompuStar, which are at an extra cost. And the OEM-like alarms has more features than the factory OEM alarm. Also if your car has EWS, like most BMWs, the factory OEM alarms and OEM-like alarms are compatible with it and don't need to bypass it.

Ultimately, it would not take a thief very long to smash through your window and steal some valuable goods in your car with the alarm going off. With the frequency of car alarms going off most people don't care anyways when they hear it.

man, i love the contradicting posts! haha...im more confused now. should i stay away from Circuit city type places....i know that they're having these memorial day sales.

Clifford (directed) concept 650 with dual proximity sensor. highly recommended.

man, i love the contradicting posts! haha...im more confused now. should i stay away from Circuit city type places....i know that they're having these memorial day sales.As a general rule stay away, however there are some big chain shops that have very good installers. Ask them if they twist and tape (very bad), use T-Taps (bad), use solderless crimp connectors (better) or solder/ tape/ heat shrink/ loom (best). If you as the customer can reach under the dash and grab the alarm or glance under the dash and see all their wiring then the install is useless.

Not really contradictiong posts. I did say the plug and play units are great for a DIY install, and are generally less $$. I just prefer the aftermarket.

I agree with TWKTCC. Any alarm is useless without a good install. That is why I advocate sticking with OEM or OEM-like alarms that guarantee PnP install if your car is already pre-wired.

But ultimately, I still consider alarms a simple and rudamentary deterrence system. Consider this: an alarm is simply a tool to deter away the novice jack-ass thieves. The flashing LED is sufficient to scare them away. The throught of the siren going off is enough to scare the inexperienced ones away. So even if you just had a $10 flashing LED from Radio Shack installed, that would be sufficient in deterring the novice thief much like the fancy $400 Car Toys alarm. But for an experienced thief used to interdicting alarms, won't be deterred by even the priciest alarm system. So what difference does it make in deterrence if you get a $10 flashing LED versus a $150 OEM alarm or a $400 alarm? Would people hearing the siren go off in the middle of the night rush to their phones to call 911?

At the very least, with an actual alarm, you could potentially get lower insurance premiums :).

Anyway, just something to consider. In your decision.

thanks for the feed back guys. i actually went to Circuit city today to check out the memorial day sale and glad that i went. it's funny, the same python alarm i mentioned in the first post was going for $180 bucks installed!! haha...so i end up leaving w/an appt for tomorrow morning to install the python 700 for the same price i was qouted for the python 460HP....doh!

thanks for the feed back guys. i actually went to Circuit city today to check out the memorial day sale and glad that i went. it's funny, the same python alarm i mentioned in the first post was going for $180 bucks installed!! haha...so i end up leaving w/an appt for tomorrow morning to install the python 700 for the same price i was qouted for the python 460HP....doh!

Good price! Let me know how the install goes. Do you know if they have to run new wiring? Or if they can just use the existing pre-wiring?

Get one that goes to a pager or a cell phone.

Alarms going off are stupid. No one pays any attention, and it makes the car a target to get its windows smashed out.

picked up the car w/the new python 700 and it seems to work ok unfortunately i wanted to get the window modules to take advantage of the comfort settings but they didnt have the window modules in stock so i figured ill just add them in later on. how hard is it to add these? im guessing i need at least 2 (one for the front and rear window. do i need one more for the moonroof? how about the trunk? im also unsure if they utilized the dble locking.

im not sure how they wired it but am only assuming that they wouldve used the prewiring if they were good.

btw, it's pretty cool having the 2 way paging as well.

all this said, im thinking it wouldve been fine if i went w/the oem plug/play to take advantage of all the oem functions.....hmmmm

The window module thing works with the pre-wiring only if I understand it correctly. For your Python 700, if they are a good shop, they would've ran new wiring since the pre-wiring won't work with your Python 700. Again, this is just what I've learned through others. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'd like to know too.

The window module would roll up all your windows and sunroof.

$180 isn't a bad deal for the alarm and installation. Who cares about the window module. Just don't park your car with your windows rolled down! :)

The window module thing works with the pre-wiring only if I understand it correctly. For your Python 700, if they are a good shop, they would've ran new wiring since the pre-wiring won't work with your Python 700. Again, this is just what I've learned through others. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'd like to know too.

The window module would roll up all your windows and sunroof.

$180 isn't a bad deal for the alarm and installation. Who cares about the window module. Just don't park your car with your windows rolled down! :)


ok, i stand corrected. im not sure what route the took while wiring up the alarm and only assumed that using the prewiring would be a good thing. ;).
how many window modules would i need? 2 (front and rear) or 3 (moon)? it's not a must have but a would like to have ;)

sry for the confusion but the $180 price tag was for the Python 460HP at Circuit City (i was originally quoted $325 for the 460HP at a shop here in SF). Then went to Circuit City and got the 700 instead since i was prepared to drop the loot anyway. :buttrock