Hi MINIers,

Just FYI for those people looking to install the OEM alarm system themselves and getting it programmed in the San Francisco Bay Area, this is what I found out, WATCH OUT FOR PRICE GOUGING!!!

After getting my OEM alarm system from Classic for $236 (make sure you order the proper turn signal stalk for your MY2005 MINI) installing it was a breeze with scoorterboy's ALARM DIY. The only exception to the install is that the horn unit now consists of both the horn and the tilt sensor and is orientated differently in the bracket. Install took under 1/2hr.

Now on to the gouging, I mean activation. Like many of you, I purchased my new MINI outside of the Bay Area to avoid long wait times and premium pricing. Unfortunately the local dealers don't like that sorta thing (go figure) and want to get as much money out of you as possible for the service of programming your alarm system.

Here is the pricing for the San Francisco area in order of pricing and their quoters:

MINI of Mountain View (Jennifer): $67

East Bay MINI (Brian): $75

MINI of Concord (David): $145

MINI of San Francisco (David): $210!!!!

I encourage any owner who's priced out activation in their respective area to followup and let others know where the best price for activation is in their neighborhood. Obviously if you've purchased your MINI from a dealer who subsequently programmed it for free, that doesn't count.

Enjoy.

 

Are you sure that's not the price for the "installation" of the alarm?

 

Yes, it was made quite clear during our lengthy conversation that I had already installed the OEM MINI alarm system myself and that all I needed was activation. (Note: original quote was corrected, it was specifically $210.60 from MINI of San Francisco).

 

Thanks for the info. Now, I know that I better have E.B. Mini take care of it.

 

I asked my local dealer for the activation and they told me "the cost of one hour of labor". Which runs @ $95/hour at the BMW/MINI dealer.

 

Reprogramming takes all of about five minutes. However, the shop minimum is 30 minutes, so the dealers will charge you 1/2 hour labor. Depending on your dealer's shop rate, you can reasonably expect to pay from $42 to $75.

If you need other small things done at the same time, (such as activating rear fog light retrofit) the labor can be kept within the same 30 minute minimum, so it's a good idea to try to cover these things together.

An oil change will exceed 30 minutes, so that's not a good option.

My local dealership (Hendrick MINI) gives a 10% club discount, so my alarm activation costed $47.50 out the door.


One additional note: somehow during reprogramming the alarm, some of my other preferences got reset. When they had finished with my car, my daytime running lights and speed sensative door locks reverted back to the default setting. I required them to reset everything back to my way, which they did at their own expense.

It would probably be a good idea to verbalize the way you have your car programmed, and remind your dealership to keep it that way when you go in for programming.

 

Nice to see my install guide is still helping people out. I should probably update it to address the 05 change...

Here's another tip. When I went to have mine activated, it coincided with an oil change that wasn't covered by the scheduled maintenance. Since I was already paying for an oil change, they activated the alarm for free. So if you combine the activation with any service that you're paying for, maybe your dealer will throw it in for free like mine did. Worth a shot.

 

Thanks, Loki!
I live in the Bay Area, bought an '05 outta state and have been thinking about self-installing the alarm. Maybe I'll think some more... until I need service for something else!