Let me preface this post with a disclaimer: I'm a first time Mustang owner, and my owners manual isn't here yet. This means I'm effectively a retard when it comes to knowledge about my car.

Okay then. My main problem is that I don't know if my car has an alarm or not. It has keyless entry, and the horn beeps once when I lock it, but when I tested it by leaving the window down and opening the door with the inside handle, the alarm didn't go off. This makes me wonder if it even has an alarm, or if it's just disabled somehow. Also, there's a blinking "theft" light on the dash. It's a 2003 V6 convertible, if that helps.

So: does it even have an alarm? If so, how do I make it work?

Thanks for being patient, I promise to learn fast.

(oh, and I wasn't sure where to post this, but I figured someone in the electronics forum should be able to help)

 

more then likely you have a keyless entry with passive transponder built into the key(the light). If you are looking to protect it I would not depend on anything factory. Factory is factory and they are all the same. Learn how to get around one and you can now get around all of them. find a reputable alarm dealer/installer around and invest a couple hundred bucks on some piece of mind. make sure they don't use T-taps on their alarm and will stand behind their work.

 

OK, but it seems odd to me to give all the appearances of having an alarm system (even having the panic button on the fob) without actually having an alarm. Thanks for the reply though.

 

the only use the panic button has is finding your car in a crowded shopping mall..and only if you are 300 (i think?) feet or less away from it...but no you don't have a factory alarm...an yes it seems stupid to have the appearance of an alarm....but you really don't know how stupid most criminals are

 

How long did you wait before trying to open the door? Some have a few minute delay before they arm. I've only set my 2006 off by locking with the fob with the top down, and then unlocking and opening the door by hand.

 

I don't know, maybe 15-30 seconds. I basically just armed it then reached in and opened it with the inside handle. I also tested if it would go off in an impact by closing the hood while it was "armed."

So I guess it doesn't have an alarm. Any recommended brands I should look into?

 

anything by dei, viper, sidewinder, hornet.......