Hello to owners,

Just wondering if anyone installed the factory alarm when you got your car ??? Is the alarm worth it??? This is my dilema right now if I should get it before I purchased my order or after.

Any advice is highly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

When I ordered my MCS today,, my MA told me that the "Factory Alarm" is only dealer installed...so you can decide after you get your Mini

 

Well it depends if cars get stolen a lot where you live I guess. I found out that it would save me only $2 per month on my insurance, so I didn't get it. But I guess since they're dealer installed I can always change my mind.

 

I had one installed since I had originally wanted to keep all things MINI on my MINI. However, there are other options out there.

I like it - it's got the tilt alarm (in case someone tries to jack it up or pull it onto a truck bed).

It's got the motion sensor in case someone reaches into the car (but I've found that if you reach in slowly you can actually retrieve something from the front seats without the alarm going off, so I at least roll up the windows if I'm gonna leave the top open).

It has the really cool passenger-side-facing blinking stalk that replaces the wiper stalk and will blink to tell you if the alarm had gone off while you were away. My MINI installer said the reason they have it there is so that anyone approaching the car from the sidewalk side will know it's got an armed alarm.

It will unfailingly go off if you forget it's been engaged and try to open your car door.

It's got a blaring high-pitched scream for help that is much more effective than the honking horn that everyone ignores.

Once you get over the shock of the installation price and just think of it as a sensible mod (if there is such a thing), you'll love it.

 

What's the installation price?

 

Can I install the mini alrm on my own? We have no MINI dealer here in our country

 

It probably depends...MINIs come with a lot of build in anti-theft capability and you are most likely okay w/ just that. However, if you want something to make noise "just in case" yes, it is a nice unit and integrates seamlessly into your MINI. I say that because some have expressed concern/problems with tapping into MINI wiring for an aftermarket unit. Could be complicated.

Bottom line...if you want the extra level of deterrance an alarm provides, I'd recommend just getting the MINI unit...the car is prewired for it. I believe the new alarm uses a blinking light mounted on the top of the tach rather than the earlier stalk unit...it probably looks very cool.

The R56 alarm isn't available yet so it's likely no one knows any more specifics at this point. I plan to get it...partly for the cool blinky light and partly because of where I park my MINI. It would help me out a bit (I currently have one on my '03).

 

Factory alarm install on R53 is a piece of cake. Did that under 45 minutes on my 05 MCS. Everything is pre-wired and all you need is plug them in. Even the replacement of new wiper stock is easy too.

You HAVE to pay about 1 hour of labor to get MINI dealership to activate it though. So if you dont have a official dealership near by, you are out of luck...

 

Not all cars came pre-wired... somewhere in '05 they did I think... but not all.. I asked and mine was about $1000 I think as it was not pre-wired.

J

 

MINI pissed me off with the way the alarm is handled. There is no factory install, so the MINI dealer will gladly rip you off, to the tune of $200 - $500, for a very easy install. But, what really pisses me off is that the LEDS for the alarm are on the top of the tach housing, so that anyone who bothers to read about the MINI alarm will know if you don't have it. I don't think this fact escaped MINI when they set it up that way. Does anyone have, or know where to get, MINI's instructions for the alarm install on the R56. My dealer won't fork it over, for obvious reason (after all, they wanted $450 to install mud flaps!).

 

I just went through the Mini Configurator on miniusa.com and the alarm system (under Outfit Cockpit - Instruments) is not available and says that it will be available 6/1.

I guess I'm a little confused since I thought this was the R56 forum and it looks like it's not available yet.

 

Living in a big city, does anyone even pay attention to the alarms going off anymore? Frankly, a kill switch or LOJACK are the way to go if you really want some response on a stolen car.

 

You're right. Those are the way to go when it comes down to a stolen car. However, I think most people getting the alarm want to avoid acts of vandalism, i.e. deter people from breaking your window.

I am also interested in the alarm install. If anyone knows about the install, please share

 

You should be able to get it on motoringfile.com once it is available. It should also come with the alarm - mine did.

The R53 was a really easy DIY -prewired and all.
(AFAIK, they started being pre-wired in '03. My (Oct'03 build) '04 certainly was.)


Is it 'worth it'? That's up to you. I like it for the reasons Cherry2005 mentioned. I also got it second hand on Ebay, so it wasn't as pricey.

 

What we all could use is an easy way to get that red alarm light to flash without buying the alarm. Hopefully it's just a matter of connecting the right wire to a simple flasher circuit.

 

Very smart and very true

 

Thansk for the info, Eric.

 

+1. Any volunteers??

 

It is not worth it at all. I've had my MINI four and a half years and nobody has broken into it even though I don't have the alarm. And if someone did break into my MINI or actually steal the car, I have insurance that is "worth it"

 

I don't know anything about ordering alarms for the 07's. But when I ordered my MC 06, I never ordered the alarm. Upon delivery, my SA told me the factory screwed up on my order and gave me FREE window tinting and FREE car alarm. As far as I know, factory installation did exist for 2006 models.

 

Right now, it doesn't exist at all for the 07. Since I already have the 07, if I get it, it will have to be a non-factory install. I must say, I am perplexed by all these things MINI does not yet have available. It's not like they woke up one morning and found out they had a new version of the MINI to sell. The R56 was in development for years. Alarms, sat radio and stereo upgrades are not exactly new to the world of motoring. What is MINI's problem????

 

I've enjoyed having the MINI alarm on my '03 and plan to get one for my '07. Funny thing the similarities between '03 and '07...lots of stuff wasn't available yet back then, too! Only way around it seems to be waiting later in the model year but that's no fun when you can motor. I'll take the wait over being MINI-less any day.

 

Anyone wanted to do a smash and grab, especially in a large lot like a Mall, is not going to be deterred (sp) by any alarm. Alarms are so ubiquitious that nobody pays attention to them. If its smash and grab, they have grabbed in gone in a few seconds.

It might feel like a bit of safety but its, IMO, mostly money out the window.

 

MINI's problem is BMW. BMW has never been known for it's innovative electronics...my 2005 X5 has a CASSETTE DECK under the antique navigation system's screen. BMW builds great engines, suspensions, brakes, etc...but they suck at electronics.