Viper 600ESP Security Alarm Issue

[MyLittlePony]

Ok, so back in 2001 I had Circuit City install this. Never had a problem. Well a couple weeks ago I discovered that the battery in my car was completely drained. The battery is an optima, and fairly new, so I jump started it and drove around for a while. Well now the alarm wont work at all. I have 2 remotes, and neither one work. Ive had my cars battery die TONS of times, and at indoor shows, I have to have the cars battery unplugged for several days. Im pretty sure I may of even had it disconnected for a full month once. Again, never having a problem with the alarm. Well for some reason I cannot arm the darn thing anymore. I cant get it to lock, or even pop the trunk for me.

Well their official support site sucks. There is basically no help at all, unless you have a new model, and wish to introduce yourself to the system, rather than read your owners manual. There is no trouble shooting or anything, and half the site features dont work with firefox. There is no true "contact" section, just an area where I can find a dealer. Type in my zip, and surprise, no results. Im pretty sure Circuit City wasnt the only one selling these. I had previously call the 800 number on the back of my remote and eventually was connected to a dealer an hour away who not only couldnt speak english, but couldnt even understand me. I think the only thing I could understand him say was that I shouldnt have ever jump started my car. Ive done it tons of times within almost a decade of ownership of the system, and I dont understand how on earth the alarm would ever work without a juiced up battery (I actually had a battery tender on it for a week, which did nothing to help)

Anyway, I was just hoping that someone here my have some idea on what I can do to fix it. Ive heard of code jumping, so I hit the arm button like a bijillion times in hopes that it would resync up, but no luck.

AND WHATS WITH THESE STUPID SNOW FLAKES?!? What it this?!? 1999 geocities?!?

 

[CanaryGT]

The flakes are just holiday stuff.

You can contact directed electronics. They have an email address on their website. Also, do you not know how to reprogram your remote? Does it not work at all with the brain? Like no lights flash and your keyfobs just dont communicate?

In order to re connect your remote usually you need to locate your valet switch and hit it a specific amount of times. Usually on those I believe you do the following:

Open your door and get in.
Close the Door
Put your key in the on position
Press the Valet switch 8 times and hold.
You should see your LED indicator flash 7 times
While STILL HOLDING the valet switch, press the lock button on the key fob
It will chirp to let you know it worked


Now, that should be it. Im not 100% positive but most vipers that style with the 4 button work like that. Unless you have remote start...

 

[MyLittlePony]

The flakes are just holiday stuff.

So Im going to have to endure THAT for 2-3 more weeks? I could sorta see it on the main page, but every thread? That makes reading incredibly difficult... ...Im sure Im not the only one that feels that way.

You can contact directed electronics. They have an email address on their website.

I would absolutley LOVE to have the email address. Ive searched high and low and couldnt find it anywhere. It seems like as a "user" all they want me to do is find a dealer and then have THEM try and figure out a 9 year old product that theyve most likely have never seen before.

Also, do you not know how to reprogram your remote? Does it not work at all with the brain? Like no lights flash and your keyfobs just dont communicate?

Ive aldready had to buy a new key fob for it a few years back. Again, same deal, I had to have a dealer suggest that I come in so THEY could program it. My husband figured out that all you had to do was keep pressing the arm button a few times for it to sync up with the box. Seems that manuals for other viper model suggest the same.

The lights on both fobs light up every time a button is pressed, so I know theyre working, just not communicating to the system.

Not sure if I mentioned this, but even without the fob, the doors should automatically lock when the car is turned on, but it doesnt do that anymore, meaning that the issue is the system itself.

In order to re connect your remote usually you need to locate your valet switch and hit it a specific amount of times. Usually on those I believe you do the following:

Open your door and get in.
Close the Door
Put your key in the on position
Press the Valet switch 8 times and hold.
You should see your LED indicator flash 7 times
While STILL HOLDING the valet switch, press the lock button on the key fob
It will chirp to let you know it worked


Now, that should be it. Im not 100% positive but most vipers that style with the 4 button work like that. Unless you have remote start...

I have no idea where the valet switch is. I remember them telling me it was under the drivers side dash. Earlier today I tried looking for it, but couldnt find it. I will try harder tomorrow. They installed my led on my very rare red interior center console. But I guess thats the best place for it, and ideal for strangers to see.

 

[MyLittlePony]

Wait, is it [email protected]? I finally found that address under the warranty section at the VERY VERY bottom, not under support where someone would actually need it.

Then again, it seems like EVERY tech support email I send out to companies, result in a "call this number" response

 

[CanaryGT]

Im sorry you dont like the snow. I dont know what to tell you.

Because the key fob light turns on it seems to mean the brain just doesnt recognizes it. The recent vipers that Ive programed dont just work if you keep tapping the keyfob.... In fact I havent seen any that do that. Its extremely unsafe....

Here is a Direct link for one of there level 2 service reps.

Rob Potts
Technical Service Representative Level 2
Viper SmartStart Specialist
Directed Electronics, Inc.
[email protected]

 

[MyLittlePony]

Awesome thanks.

Yeah I thought the code hopping didn't make sense either. What's stopping someone from trying to do that to a car they don't own? I guess they would just need to know exactly what model the person has, which would make it a bit difficult. But I guess that if you want a car bad enough, you'll do your home work.

 

[CanaryGT]

Yup. I would just try what I suggested. Try to find that valet switch!

 

[ttocs]

if city installed it, they will service it for you for free.

 

[MyLittlePony]

if city installed it, they will service it for you for free.

You are aware that this was CIRCUIT City. The location which installed it closed up and has been vacant many many YEARS before the corporation even went bankrupt. Even if I could send my car to curcuitcity.com, theyd probably refuse service because the ink on my thermal paper receipt which I still have has long been gone and no long legible. They wouldnt have me in their system, since odds are theyve upgraded several time and lost data. Oh, and they probably would also find a way to charge me a 20% restocking fee... ...because thats just something they always do, which is why customers took their business to Best Buy. Heck, they CHARGED for installation, and kept my car all day and still didnt install anything. Thats actually why I know where everything is. I stood a few feet from them and watched them install it because I wasnt going to leave my car overnight. Then again, cant say Best Buy is any better. Since it was free, they installed my husbands... ...drew its power from the subwoofer. So when he removed it, the system not longer worked.

 

[CanaryGT]

Wow super long angry post.... lol

Oh just btw Im a Best Buy Autotech....

 

[MyLittlePony]

Wow super long angry post.... lol

Oh just btw Im a Best Buy Autotech....

Not saying theyre all bad... ...But no matter who you work for, theres always going to be a bunch of coworkers that will make what you do look bad. Its hard to find good customer service when there are so many bad apples out there, ya know?

 

[ttocs]

ah jeezI am sorry I am still livin in the 90s when city was around.....

Is the led lighting up at all? If you stick your head under the dash on the drivers side, maybe towards the drivers kick do you see a bunch of extra wiring? See if you can follow it up to the alarm module and there should be 2-3 fuses in the wiring directly infront of it, check them to see if they are good. Also check to see that the hrns's are still plugged into the module. There will be 5-6 different hrns's that go to it but they are all different and color coded so if you find a loose blue hrns, plug it into the blue recepitcle on the module.

 

[MyLittlePony]

ah jeezI am sorry I am still livin in the 90s when city was around.....

Is the led lighting up at all? If you stick your head under the dash on the drivers side, maybe towards the drivers kick do you see a bunch of extra wiring? See if you can follow it up to the alarm module and there should be 2-3 fuses in the wiring directly infront of it, check them to see if they are good. Also check to see that the hrns's are still plugged into the module. There will be 5-6 different hrns's that go to it but they are all different and color coded so if you find a loose blue hrns, plug it into the blue recepitcle on the module.

No, the led doesnt light up at all, but what I assumed was the "brain" was actually the microwave sensor... ...it has leds that blink. As for finding extra wiring under the driver side dash... ...this is actually why Im having so much difficulty finding the valet and true "brain." Among all the factory wiring, Ive got interior and exterior LED lighting, as well as a complete aftermarket double DIN navi system, along with wiring for my reverse indiglo gauges, and custom AC panel... ...Ive got a lot of wires to sort through.

 

[CanaryGT]

Doesnt the unit have a antenna...

 

[MyLittlePony]

By "unit" youre speaking of the security system, right? Im not sure. I dont know why it would need one. I have never seen a system that came with one... ...then again, I havent really seen extremely high end 2010 models. Mine has a microwave sensor. A clear box that they hid inside my console. Being a convertible, when armed, if I put my hand inside the car, as if I were to take something, the alarm would go off.

There is one thing odd about it though. About 5 or 6 years ago the alarm started to sound while I was currently driving the car. Humorously enough, I was right beind a vehicle with "US Govt" plates (which I have never seen before) I pulled over to try to fix it. Only thing I could do was keep disarming it. Since I was only a mile away from home, and on my way to college, I decided to skip school and go home to fix it, constantly disarming it in the process. I dug the sensor out, turned the sensitivity down a bit, and the problem never again occurred. It was still sensitive enough to alarm when reaching in, like before. Despite the sensitivity, it seems to be the only car that doesnt go off during a lightning storm, or fireworks.

 

[CanaryGT]

Most security alarms have antennas for the key fob to communicate with the brain.

 

[ttocs]

if the microwave sensor is lighting up then we know that the unit as power. Yes i am having you look for the "brain" or main unit of the alarm, vipers have a couple of different modules but there should be one larger then all the others. Alot of teh connections in a mustang are done in the kick panel and it is possible to hide the alarm behind it. Pull that out and see if it is back there. MAke sure everything is plugged in when you find it, as he said above if the ant is unplugged you can literally hold the remote on the unit and it will still not pick it up.

I assume that you have replaced the batteries in the remotes already just to start simple correct?

 

[CanaryGT]

Mine is located behind the CD pocket area...