“Does Viper store alarm system settings in non-volatile memory? I had a Viper unit installed by Best Buy about five years ago and I need to replace the car's battery. I want to know if I need a secondary power source or not when I do the swap.”
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It depends on which alarm model you have and what year make and model car or truck you have it installed in. The alarm is not likely to be the problem in a battery change since almost any alarm, even the more complex ones with GPS theft recovery, app based systems or remote starters, have internal memory that don't rely on the car battery and which can be taken out of the equation by simply activating the valet button or switch which will bypass the alarm completely and which you can deactivate after the new battery is installed. In most newer cars the computer will store enough information in memory so as to not loose data during a battery change, but in some slightly older cars (pre-2008) there can be issues with dead or disconnected batteries it is more likely in 80's to mid-90's (OBD-1) vehicles with earlier less advanced onboard diagnostics systems. To be safe, searching online forums dedicated to your specific vehicle would be a good idea and also a good resource for other model specific information. If you want to be absolutely sure you can always take your car to an OEM dealer or brand specific specialist service center to have them do the swap which will usually cost less than $50, or call one of these shops and just ask them if any special precautions are warranted. Also, there are devices made for just such situations that allow you to connect auxiliary power to either the OBD plug or a power outlet in order to keep 12 volts in the system while the battery is being changed. I know many auto parts stores have such devices on hand in order to allow them to sell more batteries and most of them will swap the battery for free as well. I hope some of this helps. Best of luck to you. -Chris
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