Expected life of DEI Alarms

In my last car I had a python alarm which lasted 2 years, and now my truck a 2000 f150 with a viper 800 esp. How long should I expect these alarms to last? The viper has been in for a year and already has flaked out on me. I installed both of them myself, making sure all connections were soldered and covered with shrink wrap and/or black tape. I'm looking for a replacement for the 800esp, will all the DEI wireing harness's be the same so I can plug and play into another DEI box? If the life of these boxes is short, can you recommend a replacement? The 800ESP was fitted with a 561T for Remote start which I assume still works. So I could hopefully reuse that. As stated this is for an 2000 f150. Who makes a reasonable priced 2 way unit?

Well I have seen DEI alarms that have been installed for over 10 years and I have seen them that were bad out of the box(though rare for me unless it is a 555L). Personally I have had a couple crap out after 2-3 years, most failing from a solder joint on the antenna part of the board. They were installed behind the cluster and probably not the best place to put them in AZ with the heat beating down on the dashboard.Certified Security Specialist

Always check info with a digital multimeter.

I promise to be good.

Tell Darwin I sent you.

I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.

Thanks for the reply auex. Are the connectors on the box the same for all models? Can I unplug from the broke box into the new box?

It realy depends on how old the bad alarm is. DEI changed the main plug and the LED plug a couple years ago. Certified Security Specialist

Always check info with a digital multimeter.

I promise to be good.

Tell Darwin I sent you.

I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.

The DEI units I've seen gone bad were due to poor installations and recently the antennas causing problems.~The Rookie~

Rookie of the year that is...

Don't let the smoke out of your equiptment..it doesn't go back in.