2014 mercedes sprinter alarm issues

I have installed keyless upgrade alarm (Omega Ultimate EDP) on a few 2014 Mercedes Sprinters.
Alarm works fine but one of the vehicles went to Mercedes for loss of power and the technician has advised on not using power or ignition wires from anywhere except from under drivers seat where the fuse box is.He said that wiring it elsewhere will damage on board modules.
I dont believe that is possible as even DEI and Omega locations are what i have used.
Would really appreciate any feedback on this.
Thanks

What can I say, listen to the manufacturer's tech they know the vehicle and are the ones who have to do the warranty work.

Curious was your installation found to be the cause or related to the loss of power issue?

Loss of power was another issue not related to alarm but when Tech saw aftermarket alarm he predicted this

Rubbish, done loads of late sprinters using DEI 3303 and DB-ALL/DB-ALL2/trackers with immobilisation.
Some points of interest.
Related to right hand drive but you can mirror this. Also assuming 14 is the same as 13.
All the CAN wires for that model are commoned on the left outboard of the glove box, in fact there's a loom above the glovebox it contains the BROWN / red hi and brown lo CAN wires 12V+ red and NEG brown as well.
Ignition is sourced from the CAN but can also be sourced at the OBD socket. Black primary colour, test.
Starter cut is in the engine bay loom coming through the bulkhead.
PURPLE / black. If you're using an outboard starter cut relay there's also a live whilst cranking ignition wire in that loom again black primary. Do not attempt starter cut anywhere else, DTCs and diagnostic testing will go loopy.
Don't use a roof mounted 508d or similar you will get constant falsies including any passing vehicles and the International Space Station.
Use Ultrasonics and or glass breaker.

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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.

Yes exactly agree with u but i hate it when mechanics assume everything and tell everyone scaring customers who dont want anything aftermarket

Customer recently called in a panic, said we installed an R/S plus security in his Nissan whatever, one of the SUVs any way key start doesn't work but remote start does. Simple I said, any ignition lights on with the key? No.
Right check fuse marked BATT or IGN under hood adjacent to battery, if OK check ignition.
Next day I get a call from a Nissan dealership asking the same stupid questions. I asked them the same simple questions to be told no we thought it was the alarm. I was reasonably diplomatic as in don't you have a qualified sparks how dare you blame us, we're talking about a 5 minute test here. Never heard from them again.
2 rules here I'm sure Catback will agree.
Don't let the dealer think he knows more than you.
Make them put what they say in WRITING. They will usually back off at that point.

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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.

howie ll wrote:

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Don't let the dealer think he knows more than you.
Make them put what they say in WRITING. They will usually back off at that point.

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Wish I could agree but I side with the dealer. They know the vehicle better and have the factory wiring diagrams and service manuals to prove it. They also have a wealth of prior knowledge of aftermarket installer f ups and recommendations for aftermarket equipment installs stem from this and are manufacturer supported.

From a business standpoint, following their guidelines or asking them the best way to do something and then getting them to sign off on the plan is a great relief in liability. Having Mercedes fix those sprinters is expensive, so what you don't want is to have the chance of mercedes telling your customer the aftermarket device was responsible for whatever breaking the sprinter and that it's not covered under warranty. At that point your customer will be coming after your company to pay for the repair, and you see where this is going. But, if you have a manufacturer approved installation then your company can't be singled out as sole liability.

In short, CYA (Cover Your Ass)

Following on from what Catback said first and I should have asked, were these alarms CAN or hardwired.
Secondly dealer knowledge of vehicle.
Frankly I don't agree with that any more, the knowledgeable 45 year old who knows that vehicle inside out doesn't exist.

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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.

howie ll wrote:

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Secondly dealer knowledge of vehicle.
Frankly I don't agree with that any more, the knowledgeable 45 year old who knows that vehicle inside out doesn't exist.

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Even in that regard the dealer tech knows more than you about the vehicle, they touch it more than you and get all the manufacturer training and goodies that come with being a manufacturer authorized tech.

Also fleet vehicles are different than consumer cars, the techs that work on them do become very familiar with the vehicle whether they be the dealer service tech or the aftermarket installer that installs and services a fleet.

The guy was giving you sound advice, take it how you will. He doesn't gain anything either way, he's just being nice.

Hmmm - that sounds as if qualified mechanics know what they are talking about. I know of way too many exceptions.
But maybe Mercedes dealerships are different?

No Peter they bloody well don't not here. I've won 2 lawsuits against the local M/B stealership (or frightened them off) in the last 20 years after independent engineers looked at the problems.
As I said before, experienced techs (we called them mechanics then) before the current crop of diagnostics yes. Now now they're only trained to read what the display says.

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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.

What's your experience with doing line-up of brand new under warranty fleet vehicles. Like I said things change because the installers and techs work on a very limited selection of models. You can ignore the tech who's been working on the fleet before you if you like as if you know more than him/her about a vehicle your just touching for the first time but if you are the installer who puts something in fleet of 20 and the customer starts coming back to the dealer with dead battery issues guess how mad your boss is going to be that you will have to go back and fix all 20 vehicles and depending on the relationships your boss might have to cover the customers initial service visit.

One vehicle is one thing but when you have to redo or fix your work in a fleet it's another.

Also commercial fleet vehicles are designed with add-on accessories in mind so that dealer tech isn't recommending power tap locations on his own accord but because that's where the manufacturer recommends they be done. Even he is CYA and covering his ass, he won't recommend something that could get him in trouble.

When the vehicles are new, I spend a HELL of a time on the first few.
Case in point..
1)Newest Ford Transit (full size to appear at a Ford dealer near you sometime this year)
I spend a lot of time on the first vehicle testing for everything.
Then I take it for a 10 mile ride to make sure no DTCs etc.
By the time I'd gone from vehicle 1 to 3 I'd already modified my power and ignition pickups. This is a 40 vehicle tracker contract).
Last week similar (tracker with immobilisation) on a new 2 Series BMW, F type wiring. I spent 2 hours finding and testing, sleep circuits (RED / White in the loom doesn't sleep) again DTC check before and after a test drive. Now that install takes 10 minutes.
When the current shape Focus came out, I spent an hour with a dealer tech scratching our heads working out how to remove the glovebox (two secret T20s underneath).
The point is we are never going to agree.

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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.

It has nothing to do with agreeing. It matters not how you do your work. It's passing on a concept that the mercedes tech doesn't know their vehicle and the non-mercedes tech knows more. It's foolish and can only lead to trouble.

I can only wonder if you were more open to collaboration with other techs if your initial fleet installs would have been quicker. You may find it strange but many vehicles designed to be in a fleet have built-in connection points for aftermarket stuff which can limit or eliminate stripping or cutting wires.

I think you're misinterpreting Howard. I think we'd both agree with what you say, but likewise we both know how wrong or non-informed service agents etc are.
Not that I speak for alarms etc - tho sometimes automotive electrics - my experience is more with engine mechanicals, EFI systems, etc.

Catback, Oldspark makes my point.
I'd love to liaise with dealership techies but certain manufacturers have a deliberate policy of excluding outsiders, unless you're a big and important customer/working for one.
I'm reminded of an early West Coast TV show where the sparks is working around the back end of an X5.
When asked what would happen if a mistake was made, the sparks simply said he'd get the front office to phone the dealership (in LA).
At the about the same time we were working on our first X5. Big job, disconnected battery, 3 days later, reconnect battery and all the warning lights come on. We "drive" it down to airbag and ABS, then over to the local Stealer for whom we've done work for since the late 1970s and get CHARGED $100 to clear.
Now you might realise why I have an attitude towards dealers.

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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.

Oh Howard, those shows are far cleverer now. They can even show you LM317T circuits for more power or better fuel economy by tricking your EFI!
(I'm sure the latter is put out by mechanics wanting work!)

oldspark wrote:

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I think you're misinterpreting Howard. I think we'd both agree with what you say, but likewise we both know how wrong or non-informed service agents etc are.
Not that I speak for alarms etc - tho sometimes automotive electrics - my experience is more with engine mechanicals, EFI systems, etc.

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Not sure why you would consult a service agent. I consult with a technician who can better help me do my job. A good service agent would direct me to a knowledgeable tech. In any case, I obtain previously unknown information on the vehicle that I can use to my advantage.

Sorry you don't have a good experience with the dealer. You do bring up a valid point, if you have big money you get top notch service. The customers whose fleets I worked on was VERY big business and it didn't hurt that my company was WELL established and had a widely known reputation. All the more reason that I not be responsible for an "issue"

Service agent, authorised dealer, whatever - "experts" endorsed by the mother company, or Professionals in any field.

An analogy - to think Stephen Hawking can't be wrong or lack foresight. Or is that a bad one? (Sorry, I mock...)

Again, IMO H & I are simply saying that the so called "official" experts can get it wrong, or may not know all, or might not even know as much as hobbyists (in certain situations).
IMO that view or detail is not rocket science.

OK we finally reached a point where all the above comments are probably correct.
Can we agree to go back to the basics we teach to newbies?
Get all the info then test for yourself?

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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.

Desh what was your actual set up and how wired, I'd like to know.
BTW, go to Xpresskit click on the US flag top right, click on regions, top left, select and save Europe, then go to 13 or 14 Sprinter/VW Craftsman.
Select install diagram, you'll see how easy it is.

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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.

I have installed Omega Ultimate which is an add on alarm to existing factory keyless entry.
Everything is hardwired as factory remotes control the alarm which includes wiring into 12 volt,ignition,door trigger,park lights, motor lock,driver unlock and all unlock wires.

I'll tell you now what the problem is, hardwiring.
Any hardwiring on a post 07 Sprinter is asking for trouble.
Use a CAN alarm such as Viper 330X1 using the factory remotes, (+), (-) two CANs siren and hood switch. Job done.
I use a 3303 (or it's replacement) + a DB-ALL2, D2D because this gives me a shock plus its own remotes plus factory fob and comfort close.
The extra money spent on the Viper against taking much less time on the job.

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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.