I'm considering one of the Factory Alarms for my 92 E30 325ic At the moment its between the 3 button remote and the two button remote Alpine systems. I know the E36 was pre wired for these alarms but I have been told both are a fit for my E30 cab as well. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks JP
Sorry to be negative, but if it is not plug and play stay away!!! An electrical system in an old BMW that doesn't have problems should be cared for. In other words don't cut it up, you are just asking for trouble. Do you really need the alarm? Most people ignore car alarms anyway, so I don't think it is much of a theft deterrent. If it is for the convenience factor, you will have to decide how important that is. If you find the door locks stiff to use, consider always using the truck lock, it has much smoother operation and opens the whole car just the same. I always use the truck lock on all my e30s for this reason. Now if your car is wired for it, maybe look into it. Just my 02 cents
Go to the "burglar alarm" section at this link to see the factory repair manual instructions for the system: http://www.bmwtechinfo.com/repair/main/561en/htm/1233.htm Original BMW EBA accessory installation instructions have been available here: http://www.ow.no/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=34 Here's another system to consider, although it's not stock BMW: http://unitedautosecurity.net/BMW-E30-M3-3-Series-84-93-C141723.aspx?sid=13867
In addition to the above thoughts, considering that convertibles are the easiest of all vehicles for a would-be thief to gain entry (it takes a knife and it's relatively quiet), what are your goals and expectations for the alarm system? If your car has the on-board computer (vs just the clock), & it's functional, the "code" setting disables the car reasonably effectively. Do you need an audible alarm for some reason? I'd probably opt to keep the cabin empty and anything valuable in the trunk, but obviously you likely have different requirements and reasons.
If I might ask, where did you find an E30 factory alarm? E30s are appreciating and highly desirable. OEM products help maintain the value.
How can you tell that e30s are appreciating? What's your source for this info? I have a fairly well kept e30 I might just hang on to then.
The last super clean, original 325is on eBay sold for $8800. I sold my 89 325is in 2007 for $7500 and just bought it back for the same amount in December. Long story short, I bought this car new in 1990. I finally realized I shoudn't have sold it and contacted the "new" owner to see if he would sell it back. He was nice enough to return the car to me for the same amount. The bonus is that the car was in storage so he never processed the title paperwork - I'm still the original owner. New set of tires, fluids change and it was good as it ever was. Clean, original, un-restored E30 cars are bringing top dollar and will continue to follow E30 M3 prices. This is what collectors are looking for. http://www.thesaylors.net/automobiles/BMW325is/1989 BMW 325is for Sale.htm
