Alarm troubles, Honda Civic, Bulldog

Hey guys, Sorry for the long post but all the details are needed to get an answer.... I recently bought a pretty cheap alarm system for my car. The reason I went cheap is because I have hood locks and I really didn't need anything more other than for it to make a noise and I wanted to add power locks so I would need the alarm to unlock and lock the doors. So I took it to a place to get installed and he said he does power locks so I was like great I want the power locks, plus I have an alarm for you to install. So I had him install all the stuff and about a week later the alarm wasn't responding so I took it back to him...and he took out the fuse for the alarm...put it back in and everything worked perfectly.......Yesterday...my lights started flashing once I would hit the steering wheel or turn it hard and would sometimes trigger the alarm. I was like WTF is going on? Today I went into my car to get something and my doors were unlocked and I had the driver’s side door open (luckily) and the door locks locked themselves. I didn’t think too much of it so I went back inside and a little later planned to go out and tried to use my alarm remote to open the door, and it wasn't responding. So I then tried to use my key to unlock the door and it was SEIZED. I then opened my trunk and LUCKILY the back seat wasn’t locked and I entered through my trunk SMH. I then took back the car to the place, and he opened up the door and checked a few things and said that my alarm was cheap and that the reason the door locks don’t work is because they are blown and they are blown because my alarm blew it. He went on to say that the module for the alarm (for my alarm alone apparently) and door lock module were connected together...and once one blew they both blew. My alarm still works mind you. My question is is this guy trying to take me?

It is possible for this to happen. Bulldog equipment doesn't have a great reputation, but I have talked to people that have said they haven't any problems with it. This is the problem you incur when you get someone to install your equipment. If they supplied and installed it, then they would have to warranty both the install and the product. You can either try and get your unit replaced under warranty from where you bought it or see if the shop will give you a deal on one of their own systems. They have done most of the hard work of installing a system already, so you won't have to pay for a full install. The only other thing you could do, is take it to another shop and pay them to check it out. They may come up with the same result though. Unfortunately, you may have learned a tough lesson on buying cheap product and the problems that go along with it. Many shops won't wven install product they don't sell for this very reason.sparky

so how come my alarm still works? If the problem was with the Bulldog system shouldnt it nbe blown as well?

get a better unit other than bulldog  i wont even install them at all not worth the problems that come along  them i dont care how much yopu want to pay for it to get installed. The Shagmaster

1999 Chevy Suburban 15" lift sittn on 22's sets 7'5"

1992 Chevy Astro Van all Bagged out Dubbed THE SUICIDER

Installing for over 18 years Looking for empolyment NOW send PM for resum

Any aftermarket power lock actuator can fail but shouldn't Seize. That sounds more like the bracket wasn't installed correctly and now it's getting caught and binding up the original locking mechanism. I don't know if you provided the power locks or he did but I think he should be responsible for getting them working. If he installed them correctly then fuses should be blowing before actuators do. He should also be triggering the lock system using the negative trigger outputs of the alarm which should further protect one unit from destroying the other. The alarm could be defective or it sounds like it could have a poor ground which could cause quirky problems like that. If your turning the wheel and it's causing the alarm to go nuts then his wiring may be kinda crappy. Maybe he used T-taps and didn't make good solid connections. You may be able to get under there and see whether the wiring looks neat and tidy or if it's a mess or not. Bulldog is problematic but a poor wiring job could also be to blame. If the wiring is good then swapping out the brain with another should fix everything. If it doesn't then the wiring is probably shoddy and causing more issues than the Bulldog unit. Was the installer reputable and from a shop or just someone you know that does this on the side?Steve G

He provided the aftermarket power lock actuator. Installer had his own shop...and someone recommended him to me. He told me that with "normal" alarms the power lock actuator and alarm arent connected directly, but with mine everything is internal, so once the alarm goes so will the power locks. I'm not an expert when it come to electrical problems, but using my common sense my question is if this is the casde with the Bulldog then shouldn't he put something like a circuit breaker to prevent one from blowing the other?

also when the doors locked by themselves and were seized, I checked the fuse for the door lock actuator and it was blown. So I tried changing it with a new one and it still wouldn't respond. The fuse for the alarm wasn't blown and it still works.

It would be hard to say what's technically wrong without looking at the car, but, if I may, I do have a few professional opinions about the situation in general. --Bulldog might not be the best product, but the stuff does work. --If a customer came to me with his/her own alarm, I would say, and truthfully: "Sure, I could install this, but if it fails, I'll have no way to replace it under warranty. Also, if something does go wrong, we might have an argument over whether it was the product or the installation.....and I don't want to argue with customers; I'd rather you be happy. I can install your alarm but I can't guarantee it. For just a few dollars more, I can use my own alarm, and guarantee the labor and the product forever." --If the shop thought your Bulldog alarm was such a piece of junk, why did they agree to install it? Maybe they were really slow and desperate for business (not a good sign) or maybe they haven't had enough experience to learn to stay away from customer-supplied security product (again, not a good sign), or maybe they do have experience but have failed to learn from it (again, another not-good sign). --In the 7 years I've been installing alarms, I've seen a grand total of ONE alarm in which the lock output got "stuck" in the "output" mode, causing the car to keep on locking.....just one. And even then, the power locks in the car (it was a Suburban) didn't fail, because there are fuses and circuit breakers for that. --The fact that jostling things or banging on your steering wheel makes things happen.........that points to loose connections, not defective product. --As you said, all of the aftermarket products installed should have some sort of protection.........we tend to use fuses instead of circuit breakers because they are less expensive.........but yes, if power was applied steadily to all four actuators, the fuse should blow. --The installer's comment "your alarm is cheap" is not a viable technical explanation. That kind of talk serves no good purpose. If he properly TROUBLESHOOTS the problem and arrives at the conclusion the alarm is bad, he should be able to state (and hopefully demonstrate) the hows-and-whys of the situation. --Again, if proper TROUBLESHOOTING (not guesswork) proves the alarm to be bad, he could simply unplug the brain, hand it to you, and have you swap it out at the store for a replacement. --If the alarm cannot be proven to be bad, the installation must be at fault, and he should fix it.

Excellent post Chris Luongo. I mean im not really an expert but in business the "expert" should explain things in laymans terms. Also I did realize that Bulldog was not the best system by the price I paid for it. But if he told me before that my alarm would cause this sort of problem ofcourse I would have NOT installed it. Also to note..my still alarm works, so how could it blow the door locks?....I just think that it wasnt wired properly.