A car alarm provides you peace of mind by preventing the theft of your vehicle. With the right preparation, even someone with little to no experience working on their car can correctly install a new car alarm.
Research
The first step in installing a new car alarm is doing a bit of research. Check the owner’s manual for your car, paying attention to information on the coloring of the car’s wiring system and where connections are located. Most car alarm kits will come with clear instructions, complete with pictures.
Preparing the Alarm
You may not want to enable every feature your new car alarm comes equipped with. Look over the alarm and disable the wiring associated with any features you do not plan on using. Use paperclips or another metal fastener on the contacts and group the unused wires together with electrical tape. Separate the wires you plan on connecting into groups based on where they are going to be placed. Use electrical tape to safely wrap each directional grouping for easier and organized connections.
Preparing the Car
Next, prepare your car for the alarm installation. Begin by removing the panels covering where the wiring needs to be connected. Use the tools recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer to remove the panels indicated in the diagrams and instructions you previously looked over. Make note of where any fasteners were located before they were removed.
Wire the Alarm
Decide where you want the alarm unit attached to your car. Ideally, the alarm will be hard for a car thief to see and tamper with. Make sure everything that needs to be plugged into the alarm is securely in place. Test wires for polarity before connecting anything to your car. Complete the wiring for relays next; this will keep the wires organized.
Equip the Siren
The siren for the car alarm needs to be mounted to the engine, with the wiring fed through the fire wall. Make sure the hole the siren wiring is fed through is insulated against moisture and debris. The siren piece should be firmly mounted to the engine block. Attach the siren wire from the alarm to the positive wire on the siren and ground the negative wire.
A car alarm is easy to install as long as you take the time to prepare and understand your car’s wiring. Always work carefully when handling electric wiring.
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