No knock on you Nick06tC, but from my experience, I don't trust t-taps. They are a better alternative than cutting and crimping, yes, but they have some drawbacks that ya'll should know about. They were originally designed to be for temporary connections, thus the name "quick" taps. The following issues are not infatically going to happen 100%, but they are definate possibilities. I was a car electronics installer since the early days and have seen it all happen.
First, they still cut into the wire's insulation. This is a big corrosion problem if under the hood/body. Corrosion cause the wire to fail and can add resistance. Any changes in resistance can skew measurements taken by sensors or can cause the HU's amplifier stage to overload/overheat. Second, they only make contact with less than 20% of the given surface area of the wires, thus creating resistance. Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to utilize these for connections for sensitive electronics.
Another issue is more of human error. Many an installer have incorrectly utilized the improper size t-tap for the wire they are working on. Too large a tap for the wire gauge will cause an intermittent or poor connection. Too small of a tap will cut the individual strands in the wire and can sever the wire all together!
On a professional note, I would not think too highly of the quality of work done by shops that solely rely on quick taps to get the job done fast. I have never had nor seen a solder and shrink tubed connection ever fail. For car alarms, there is one more thing to consider; stealth. A car alarm is useless if the criminal element can easily find and disconnect the wires!
Please don't take this as a bashing on t-taps. I think they are acceptible for some tasks in the interior when they are properly sized. Many people can atest to their reliability in their installs. Knowing the possible negative aspects will help make your installs succesful and longlasting.
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