I have a DEI amp, and it'* very good, i've only heard good things abuot DEI. Maybe you could just pull the factory security system fuse? Tough break, hopefully you can fix it easily...

the manual says the horn should honk when locked/unlocked but it doesn't, don't know if they didn't wire up the horn or they didn't set it to do that.. I'm not sure. also I want to shut off the setting where it locks the doors automatically when you put the key in the ignition--It'* annoying. You can turn these settings off but it doesn't say HOW in the manual, it just says it can be done.

I don't mean to give you a hard time, but didn't you have them demonstrate it for you in the parking lot when you picked it up?

Right. As I think I said before, there is a Factory Alarm Shutdown (FASD) wire that must be grounded by any device that'* unlocking and/or starting the car. This even includes you using a key in the outside lock: there is (as of the 1993 models and probably most others) a light-green wire attached to the key lock inside the driver'* (and passenger'*) door which is grounded when you use a key to unlock the car. This circuit is also grounded by the factory keyless-entry system. This grounding function is what prevents the alarm from screaming when you unlock the car. This is what _does_ trigger the alarm if you, for example, broke a window and reached in to unlock the car from the inside, or even just reached in and started it with a key while it was still locked. (Try it.)

I'm reasonably sure that the DEI unit has a wire that grounds during Unlock or Starting procedures for this very purpose; it should be connected to the light green FASD wire in your door. I'm also reasonably sure that the installation guys are not reading the directions that came with your kit or they would have known this.

it'* fixed now, they just forgot to hook up the factory alarm wire to disable it. They did demonstrate how to use it, but never with the doors locked, so they didn't know that it woudl go off when it was locked and the factory alarm was set...

Hey, at least they gave you a refund for screwing up the installation and making you come back, right?

If they only missed one wire in the whole installation and didn't break anything else at the same time, they didn't do _too_ badly. It'* just your luck that you were apparently the first guy to show up on their doorstep with a GM factory security system in your car.

funny you sould mention it.. I went to open my hood today and the hood release came off in my hand. It got snapped SOMEHOW and it wasn't like that before I took it in.. Had to take it back in to get that fixed..

Possibly they tried to remove it (at least temporarily) in order to run wires through the firewall, such as for the remote starter'* tach connection at the coil pack, or to hook up the safety interlock pin switch which prevents the engine from trying to start itself while you're under the hood working on it.

There are a couple of easy ways through the firewall by punching a hole in an existing grommet, and one of the two grommets to the left of the steering column is in fact the passthrough for the hood release cable. (I forget what the other one is.)

Did it really _break_, or did something just get disconnected, or what?

there'* a little plastic rod that is connected to the hood release, that little plastic rod broke on it. They epoxied it back on, but now you have to pull the handle utnil the end of it'* travel for it to pop the hood and it feels like it'* going to break everytime you open it now. :( You have to pull it to the end of it'* travel and then some for it to open. I'm going to look at it myself tomorrow. Hopefully there'* a way to adjust teh cable so it'* tighter and it opens sooner so there isn't so much slack in it (or whatever it is)

It might be better if you just asked them to pay for a new one. They don't seem to be arguing the fact that they broke it. I'm not sure what it is that they epoxied but I can't believe it'* going to last very long. (None of the hood-release parts are big-ticket items to pay for, but it'* the principle of the thing...)