dealerships not liking aftermarket alarms?

I wanted to ask you guys about your thoughts on dealerships not liking aftermarket alarms and accessories. I have an uncle who is a dealership mechanic and he has nothing but bad things to say about remote starts and accessories and I really don't get why. I thought this would just be a good conversation :-)

For me it depends highly on the install. I'm a dealership mechanic as well as an installer. I've had some vehicles with hack installs that come in and I had to fix. Some were better off just being removed

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If i Can't Install it    I Don't need it   Joe

I've had a remote start on almost every car I've owned since I was 17. Typically, once they are installed I never have to touch them again. I did have a Viper 550ESP that burnt up for no apparent reason years ago, but other then that I have had zero issues with the vehicles.

My only major problem is the junk remotes that DEI has now. I have to replace the remote every 4-6 months because they don't hold up.

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Kevin Pierson

X2 with Joe.

Dealership management and sales don't like aftermarket products because they are loosing
profits.  They will often try to use questionable sales tactics like "It will void the warranty",
etc.  However most of them have contracted outside installers, installing the exact same
products you do.  That is where the QUALITY part Joe and KP mentioned comes in.  Almost
any decent remote start system, correctly installed, will function flawlessly for the life
of the vehicle.  ( Remote FOB's are another story.)

Dealership mechanics don't like aftermarket products because they can seriously complicate
troubleshooting and repair work.  We have all seen hack-job installs.  Control units duct
taped to fuse boxes, jumbles of wires balled up and hanging from harnesses, etc.  And how
many times are the Hood Pin safety switches left in the box?   Image a dealership mechanic
trying to fix an Engine Check Light caused by an aftermarket remote start Tach Input wire
connected to a F.I. that was stuffed thru a firewall hole without a grommet, that is occasionally
shorting to chassis ground.

Install quality is the bottom line.

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Soldering is fun!

Ha ha kreg I actually had the issue you are talking about. Car came in with the cel on blowing smoke. Come to find out the tach wire grounded out and kept the injector open dumping gas into the cylinder causing a misfire

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If i Can't Install it    I Don't need it   Joe

Exactly what has been said, its all in the quality. Not too long ago I had to go to a dealership to help them diagnose an issue. They were not familiar with the remote starter and wanted me to rule out the starter as the issue. So I went there and the service manager came out and told me that when they initially heard there was a remote starter they instantly had that 'oh great' feeling. But after seeing the install their attitudes changed. He even told me it was one of the best installs he'd ever seen and that he didn't think the remote start was the issue, but that they wanted me to just rule it out. He even offered me a job.. lol.

But yes, I've seen my fair share of horrendous installs that really make you wonder.

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Kenny
Owner / Technician
KKD Garage LLC
Albany, NY 12205

I personally think that anyone who doesn't solder the connections is installing a ticking time bomb. Because something always finds a way to get where its not supposed to. Then it's a loose connection and things go hay wire. Do it right and don't worry about it again.

Nope, Kregg's first sentence is the clincher.
Many times I've been called into stealerships as the "last hope" to rescue cars they can't start and of course the alarm gets the blame. Guess what, it was always a car problem.
Mechanics and the service departments want plain simple servicing jobs where they make lots of money, the time needed, art or creativity to do a decent install isn't encouraged.
Having said that I've also condemned many a DIY install, amps permanently on, no fuse at the battery end and no grommet protection at the firewall, grounded with a taptight rather than a bolt, non-soldered connections, wire entanglement.
alexp your last post makes some good points.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.