2003 mercury marauder remote start/alarm?

Good Morning,

I spent most of the morning searching the forums, reading the FAQs, but could not find all the specific information I was looking for so I am posting here.

I have a 2003 Mercury Marauder (which is like a grand marquis, but sporty, with some different electronics and motor, etc).  I don't know if the setup for it alarm wise is going to be the same as an 03 Grand Marquis, maybe?

I am looking to have a remote start/alarm installed in the near future.  I have previously had Ford Gold Series (which I believe is made by CodeAlarm) and Code Alarm 650 units on my Crown Victorias.  2 installers (one with ford) that didn't know what they were doing made those alarms almost useless unfortunetly.  One alarm wouldn't go off if you hit it with a baseball bat, but if a car drove by with moderate exhaust it went off, so I no longer even armed it.  The other was wired so poorly it took me hours of work to recover some of the functions.

Anyway to the point, I have been looking at having a Viper 5901 or 5902 installed on the Marauder.  However I wanted to make sure what the differences were between the two, according the the Viper site it appears to just mostly be the OLED color remote on the 5902.  If that is the main difference I will just save the money and go with the 5901 as a color remote doesn't really matter to me.  However if the system is vastly superior I would pay the extra.....

With either unit I am trying to buy the system and accessories first to bring to my installer to save money, as its $100 for the bypass, and $50 for each extra sensor (without installation) through them, so I can save a decent bit buying first and then having them install. 

However I want to make sure I get everything. So which bypass do I need, I looked on the forum and saw the DEI 1100F listed, but then saw a reply to a post recommended the DEI 555u?  I was also thinking of adding the DEI 520T backup battery system, DEI 506 IT audio sensor, Install Essentials 507M tilt sensor (or directed 507t digital tilt sensor?)?  Would all these work well with the system and vehicle?

My main goals with this system are the following: The vehicle is parked downtown in a rough area of town for court often (meaning the scum leaving court often see the vehicle leaving or coming) and while theft of vehicle isn't as much of a worry (as the lot is attended and I know the attendee so hopefully he would atleast recognize the car leaving), theft of wheels is a definete worry or breaking a window to try and get a look inside.  Also being a blk car with blk interior I like the interior tempature feature of the 5901 & 5902 (do I need another sensor for that?).

Thanks for any suggestions and thoughts you can provide :)

I can't edit my post to add this, but also is there a car alarm installer for DEI you would recommend in the Kansas City or similar area?

Some thoughts about the sensors. Too many and unless ABSOLUTELY CORRECTLY set up in relationship to each other, they will interfere with each other to the point of being useless, my personal thought would be the 508d dual zone proximity sensor, = early warning! The 507m is a much more reliable product than the 507t. The t version was quietly replaced in Europe 4 years ago. The audio sensor is redundant if you have a 508d, see above. For various evolutionary and development reasons I would go for the 5902 against the 5901. Not sure but isn't there a Ford specific by-pass for this unit? I would like to point out that the more expensive the unit or by-pass, the more features and RELIABILITY if correctly installed.

Howie, thanks for the reply! Good to know about too many sensors. I had considered something like the dual zone sensor you mention, but with the car at court a lot and litterally having to squeeze between cars because the spots are so small, I worry that the alarm will be beeping on the outside zone constantly and cars are coming and going every 15 minutes that people would be getting out of in the zone. :( I would like something like that inside just not out I don't think? Good to know about the bypass, didn't know there was a big difference between them.

Good point about people squeezing past, go with the glass break, but please get the installer to set your sensors up carefully. Incidentally, all courthouse parking in this country is heavily camera'd, isn't it the same in the US P.S. While parked at the courthouse the external zone of the 528d can be turned off from the remote, I call it public house car parking? In the summer when the fools lean on your car.

Plan to have the installer set it all up so it keeps warranty etc. Was hoping someone would recommend one for my area as well, some listed on installer list but don't have any ratings etc. At my main courthouse in Kansas city, mo there is no court house parking, you have to choose from different open air lots on surrounding streets and pay to park there. There aren't any cameras on them. Just a lot attendant that takes money. Interesting about turning the external zone off, though as often as I would need it off, is be almost better with the external part disabled.... Thanks again for your reply!

Take it to Al Stone at National Auto Sound in Independence. I used to work there about 6 months ago before I moved to Tulsa, and I would trust him with anything 12volts. They are authorized DEI retailers, so your warranty through DEI will be intact. Make sure to tell him Mike V. sent you. Just to give you a heads up, I used to charge more when a customer brought in their own equipment, so you might wanna  check and see if you have any interest in what they carry before you buy anything. You can get on their website to see what they carry. http://www.nationalautosound.com/

Good to know, ill give them a call. Looked on thier site but don't see any dei products listed. I figured some shops charge more for labor if you bring your own, so ill just have to get quotes on both. Thanks!

I think Mikvot just gave you some very good advice, trust what he says, I would.

Any idea how much I should expect to spend, without any additional sensor installation?  I called one other place that was recommended, but by the time I get home from work national auto sound is closed most days so haven't been able to talk to them yet.  Other place quoted me $800 without any additional anything...seems high to me, but I haven't had a 2-way unit installed before, and its been a few years since I had one installed on a car.