to deactive the factory Audi alarm. Check out my posting on the Alpine 8028 I had installed. At least three other S4ers/AWers had my install shop do the same deal for them following my posting, and they're all very satisfied. I got my dealer to make me a master key that looks like the valet key, but it's a master (basically a normal looking non-folding key) which I carry on the Alpine remote. Works great...<ul><li><a href="http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/541834.phtml">Alpine 8028 Security System</a></li></ul>

...into the Audi switchblade remote?

besides, it's not the remote that works the Audi security system, it's the aftermarket alarms CPU. So, I don't think it would work.

i like my folding key way too much. i have had previous aftermarkets on other cars and they really do nothing more than make noise. some have back-up batteries and such but really, if someone wants it, nothing is going to stop them. don't get me wrong i believe in prevention which is why i lock my car with the factory alarm and keep the rear seats and trunk locked. the factory alarm makes noise, which is enough for me. fort knox just seems like a waste. oh and did i mention i like my switchblade key!

just isn't cutting it. I do agree that a pro will get your car if he really wants it, but some after market alarms are much higher quality than the factory alarm, and are much more difficult to bypass, including ignition cutoffs, etc. I carry the folding key for my wife's Jetta, and the aftermarket remote with a regular key on my S4, and you know what, the folding key is heavier and bulkier. I prefer the ligher arrangement, but that's just me.

but just the design worthiness of the piece excites me (but then again i am a designer sooo). heck those s4 have been stolen like crazy up in the northeast. ridiculous really. audi should examine the problem personally, because from an exterior view it seems these cars are way to easy to get into. dont get me wrong, the alarms i had were nice, but expensive and got to be a pain in the ass to deal with. the one i was looking at for the a4 was between $500 and $700. i really can't see spending less because if you are going to do it, you need all the backup and starter-kill stuff. i am so overly cautious with my cars that it is ridiculous, esp with all the audio equip i carry around. i just know too many that show off all their stuff even with the big alarms and their stuff still gets ripped off.

but if they could figure a way to reprogram my remote to work with an aftermarket, i would seriously look into it.

I don't show it to anyone I don't know. Stealth is the way to go. I also get a kick out of folks who have it so cranked up that you hear it half a mile away, then they pull into a parking lot, lock the car and walk away. WAY TO ADVERTISE!! I am very careful in terms of turning it down when I pull into a parking lot, and again, not showing it off. You are also correct that a good security system is going to cost between $500 and $700. But, in NYS, you only get an insurance discount if the alarm set's passively (i.e., set's by itself after a specified amount of time). The factory alarm doesn't do that. So, if you take into account the $50 or so per year discount on the insurance you're going to get, it aint so bad. That and the added piece of mind sold me.

As for them being a PITA, I've had good ones and bad ones. The manufacturers of the systems I've had are consistent in that Alpines have always been good and reliable, with no falses and no problems, and the Vipers and Cliffords I've had have always STUNK. That's why I'll only go with an Alpine system in the future.

and in all honesty, I don't know if I want it back after it's stolen. Personally, I rather spend the money on a security system to prevent them from getting it in the first place.

if the car is stolen, I get full replacement value for my entire system.

switch.. but, I don't know if they will work with our cars. If you're that nervous... Take the ignition wires with you! I would wire my car to lock the doors and the system to play at full blast while the alarm went off outside.. All kidding aside the pagers are pretty good also.

I have a high quality Alpine system. That's it. I don't plan on taking ignition wires, black boxes, etc. with me. I have an alarm, and insurance.

any equipment in a factory location is covered. So in my case, the head unit, eq, and speakers are covered. However, anything that is custom mounted is not normally covered, and the stuff that is covered is insured at a depreciated value. So, you buy it in $500 increments, and you're not only covering those pieces of equipment that are custom mounted, but everything is covered for full replacement value. I have $2,500 of coverage that costs $63 per six months and has a separate $100 deductable. In Allstate "speak" it's called Z Coverage.

The added piece of mind is totally worth it to me.