Ford automatic overdrive transmission destroyed by “professional” Python 871XP installation at Circuit City
I just had a Python 871XP (aka Viper 771XV, Clifford Matrix RSX3.2) installed in my 2000 Ford e150 conversion van at Circuit City (Amherst, NY). I drove into the service bay with a perfectly working transmission and within a mile down the road it began malfunctioning after the installation. By a couple of miles, the security system that was "professionally" installed had destroyed my automatic overdrive transmission (around $3,000 in repairs). I considered installing a security/remote-start system myself, I but decided to pay the extra money and let the “professionals” do the work. What a mistake! These guys are real amateurs. Taped connections, hunt-and-probe wire identification methods, didn’t even install the hood pin switch which is both a safety feature (for the remote start function) and a theft deterrent (sounds the alarm before a thief can disconnect the battery or cut the siren input).
I had done some ‘homework’ on car security system installation (thanks to all of you here and elsewhere who post information freely online!) and could see that he was not following ‘best practice’ procedures. Without a schematic for the vehicle wiring, he probed the steering column wiring harness with a continuity tester (this low impedance device can actually damage sensitive automobile electronics itself) and selected wires from the steering column for connecting with the security system (including the +12 VDC security module power supply). All connections were poorly insulated with electrical tape which he also apparently used as the only attachment to retain the shock sensor under the dash. I was present during much of the installation and did ask questions about how he was doing it, but he’s a “professional” alarm installer and I’m just a university professor (albeit with considerable experience in designing and building electronic and computer-control circuits for my biomedical research laboratory), so I let him do “his” work without being ‘pestered’ by me with suggestions on how it should be done properly. (He was clearly not about to change his installation method because of my questions or suggestions.)
Meanwhile the installation manager at Circuit City has no idea how the installation of his security/remote-start system could damage my transmission. It’s all electronically controlled, you idiot!!! (Among other things, a switch controlling the electronic overdrive is located in the gear shift lever on the steering column.) The improper installation apparently caused a malfunction in the power-train control module (PCM) that in turn caused the automatic transmission to shift inappropriately in-and-out and between various gears (including overdrive), thereby grinding the teeth off of the gears and nearly locking up the transmission permanently (it did thump and bump going down the road). And for those of you who know something about automatic transmissions, yes, the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) was very clean with no sign of burning that would have been indicative of an existing mechanical problem with the transmission – this was an abrupt catastrophic failure caused by an electronic malfunction shortly after the Python 871XP was “professionally” installed.
So hurrah for you DIYers out there. And if you do ‘drop and shop’ (viz., drop off your vehicle for installation and shop or otherwise leave the vehicle unattended for the installer to do “their” work), make sure your installer really knows their business. Trusting a well-know national brand, such as Circuit City, is not enough!
ADDENDUM
Before I’m ‘flamed’ by the professional installers on this site, let me apologize to those of you who do know your trade. I have a lot of respect for what other people know and that’s why I deferred to the professionals for this installation. As an average consumer, I have no way of discerning the good from the bad installers, so I opted for a nationally known retailer (i.e., Circuit City) to professionally install my security/remote-start system instead of a local, independently owned shop. Again, I would have preferred a ‘small shop’ with a great installer, but I have no way of knowing who to trust. I wish some of you guys were in ‘my neighborhood’ to fix this problem. After my $3000+ in transmission repairs I still don’t have an alarm system that is working!
MABuffalo