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Here's my Bellevue BMW story. I had just purchased a 2009 328i Coupe. After I get home I noticed that it didn't come with an alarm system (I assumed all high-end cars came with them). My mistake. So a day or so later I asked the person who helped me with the sale what kind of deal they could make on the alarm system installed. One of the finance women contacted me and said the regular price was something over $900 but they could go down to $850 for me.
So I came across a coupon from Bellevue BMW that I could use on parts or services equal to 1% of the MSRP of any car I bought in the month of August. I took it in and got the alarm system for free along with some other odds and ends. They seem to charge over listed retail for the alarm system too.
I called around and got some quotes on installing the alarm system. Bellevue wanted $600+ to install the alarm and program the system. Northwest BMW wanted $420 to do the same. Then I called Hahn in Yakima and they would install and program for $186. I took a day off and went Yakima and saved $400 over the Bellevue price.
So Bellevue wanted me to pay $850 for the alarm system installed but I got it all, the alarm system (for free with the coupon at Bellevue), installation (at Hahn), and programming (at Hahn) for $186.
This part is speculation on my part. From the DIY on this site, the alarm install seems very simple. Even someone like me could install the hardware with no problem. And programming the car to recognize the alarm can't be much more than connecting to some BMW site and downloading the information into the ECU. Even if the download takes hours, the tech is free to work on other cars and doesn't have to sit and wait for my car to finish.
Although Hahn's is small and definitely not flashy looking, their prices seem very attractive if you can get to Yakima.
Now, whether the alarm system does any good or not is a thread for another forum.
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