Car Alarms - Recommended ?
- Thread starter Deadstar
- Start date
It all depends on which type of alarm you go for will depend on how good it will work. I have always fitted CLIFFORD alarms to my cars and find them one of the best on the market.
Always go for a CAT 1 alarm and maybe some of the upgrades which you can get with them. Other then that i think a tracker is one of if not the best system you can fit to your car, morden or classic.
Always go for a CAT 1 alarm and maybe some of the upgrades which you can get with them. Other then that i think a tracker is one of if not the best system you can fit to your car, morden or classic.
Dave3066
Well-Known Member
I agree with both the previous posts. If someone wants to take your car they will, no matter what you fit it with. Alarms alone are useless so you need an immobiliser and/or a tracker. Better still lock it away in a garage when not in use, but even that will not deter someone who really wants it (I know as I've had a car with alarm/immobiliser/deadlocks fitted knicked 
). With old cars it's all about making it more difficult for the opportunist thief to drive it away. We all know how easy it is to get into them so it's better to spend your money on something that is both a physical and visual deterent. I use a Disklok which I fit whenever I leave the car anywhere, even if I'm just popping out to the shop or when the car is parked in the street and I can see it. Immobilisers can be as simple as a switch fitted to the low tension ignition circuit; discretely placed it might just make that couple of minutes difference to someone driving your car away and giving up because it's taking too long. I think the magic number is about 5 minutes then most opportunist thiefs give up (don't quote me on that though :roll: )
How much you want to spend is as good a place to start as any. If you value your car and want to protect it at any cost then there are some very expensive systems out there. However, you can achieve the same effect at a much lower cost. My Disklok was £90 but well worth every penny. I'm not saying it's the solution but I much prefer the visual effect to the noise of an alarm which nobody pays a blind bit of attention to.
Hope this helps
Dave
). With old cars it's all about making it more difficult for the opportunist thief to drive it away. We all know how easy it is to get into them so it's better to spend your money on something that is both a physical and visual deterent. I use a Disklok which I fit whenever I leave the car anywhere, even if I'm just popping out to the shop or when the car is parked in the street and I can see it. Immobilisers can be as simple as a switch fitted to the low tension ignition circuit; discretely placed it might just make that couple of minutes difference to someone driving your car away and giving up because it's taking too long. I think the magic number is about 5 minutes then most opportunist thiefs give up (don't quote me on that though :roll: )How much you want to spend is as good a place to start as any. If you value your car and want to protect it at any cost then there are some very expensive systems out there. However, you can achieve the same effect at a much lower cost. My Disklok was £90 but well worth every penny. I'm not saying it's the solution but I much prefer the visual effect to the noise of an alarm which nobody pays a blind bit of attention to.
Hope this helps
Dave
Dave3066
Well-Known Member
Deadstar
If you have an original size steering wheel, ie 16", then you will need a medium size Disklok. The standard one won't fit. I had to wait a few weeks for mine as they had none in stock. I got it from www.saundersonsecurity.co.uk.
Dave
If you have an original size steering wheel, ie 16", then you will need a medium size Disklok. The standard one won't fit. I had to wait a few weeks for mine as they had none in stock. I got it from www.saundersonsecurity.co.uk.
Dave
ghce
Well-Known Member
I allways say that insurance for replacement is the best idea great for a family car or a daily runner, car gets niced and bingo you get insurance and get a new one. The theory doesnt work so well on classic cars as the money invested is not generally recognized in the resale market, but then again who wants to nick a crusty old Rover when you could steal an RX7, imprezza or an Evo (or worse my GTO).
If you must I would go with cental locking (for my convenience) and a tracking system with immobiliser.
Graeme
great for a family car or a daily runner, car gets niced and bingo you get insurance and get a new one. The theory doesnt work so well on classic cars as the money invested is not generally recognized in the resale market, but then again who wants to nick a crusty old Rover when you could steal an RX7, imprezza or an Evo (or worse my GTO).If you must I would go with cental locking (for my convenience) and a tracking system with immobiliser.
Graeme
I'm with the cynics on this one! I once had a Morris 1000 convertible that I was very proud of and religiously locked everywhere I left it. Effect? I had my nice new hood ripped so they could open the door from the inside. Then I forgot my keys in the centre of Rome. Took me about 7 mins to break in, break open the bonnet, hot wire the ignition and drive off. Anyone take any notice? No.
Then I had a shed full of nice things like mowers and hedge trimmers at home. Knicked. Moved replacements to locked garage. Door wrecked and knicked. Upgraded door locking and fitted infra red alarm. Went off every 10 mins thanks to spiders crossing the beam. So the tea-leafs knew i'd got the replacements. Door knackered again, alarm set off and gear knicked. Neighbours so used to the spider effect no one took any notice.
If a tea-leaf really wants something there is absolutely nothing you can do about it except sort your insurance out. Best you can hope for is to deter the opportunist with something obvious and visual that will slow them down. Anything electrical is an open invitation to a flat battery and / or a malfunction that stops you driving it!
Chris
Then I had a shed full of nice things like mowers and hedge trimmers at home. Knicked. Moved replacements to locked garage. Door wrecked and knicked. Upgraded door locking and fitted infra red alarm. Went off every 10 mins thanks to spiders crossing the beam. So the tea-leafs knew i'd got the replacements. Door knackered again, alarm set off and gear knicked. Neighbours so used to the spider effect no one took any notice.
If a tea-leaf really wants something there is absolutely nothing you can do about it except sort your insurance out. Best you can hope for is to deter the opportunist with something obvious and visual that will slow them down. Anything electrical is an open invitation to a flat battery and / or a malfunction that stops you driving it!
Chris
I think there are several good points here, I agree about the alarms, I rarely bother to look if I hear one. However I thought an alarm/immobiliser would reduce insurance premiums? I want a visual deterent, something which would make a thief think twice. I still think I'll go wiht an immobiliser and a disklok.
[quotewho wants to nick a crusty old Rover when you could steal an RX7, imprezza or an Evo (or worse my GTO).
quote] - The answer is someone who just wants to get home . This is why cars from the pre-immobiliser days are now being targeted by thieves and they break into your house to get the keys to your Evo
Having said that, is the P6's steering lock vulnerable to attack by slide hammers etc ?
The troulble with relying on Insurers to protect you is that after a few claims they increase the premiums/ insist on top security systems / refuse to renew the policy. Most policies have a limit on items kept in outbuilding for this very reason
quote] - The answer is someone who just wants to get home . This is why cars from the pre-immobiliser days are now being targeted by thieves and they break into your house to get the keys to your Evo
Having said that, is the P6's steering lock vulnerable to attack by slide hammers etc ?
The troulble with relying on Insurers to protect you is that after a few claims they increase the premiums/ insist on top security systems / refuse to renew the policy. Most policies have a limit on items kept in outbuilding for this very reason
arthuy
Well-Known Member
This was something I gave much consideration to recently.
The tracker sounds to be the answer but there is a few flaws. If the car is parked away from the house and not started up and driven away then no one knows it is stolen until you phone and ask for a location. The cost is high at around £400 install and about £40 a month, the lifetime subscription is only 3/4 years. Trackers dont like concrete so carparks can block the signal. You can do a DIY locator using a mobile phone which can be located for a couple of quid via a service.
Alarms are ok but limited. Think about immoblising the car, you can fit a consealed switch to earth or cut the supply to the coil. anything else is just a modern variation. it is easier to imobiliser modern cars with electric parts like fuel pumps.
Like Chris said old cars are very easy to get into and start the more you do the more attractive it is. a few years ago the Practical Classic Granada was stolen and they showed how easy it is to get by the locks.
A funny story on this topic. back in the 80's/90's the Glasgow police were getting cars nicked. they would abandon a patrol car and give chase on foot. they wouldn't have time to lock the car. So along came a friendly Joy rider and took the car. The police got wise and fitted remote alarms with total closure so the doors and windows would lock. Problem solved? Not quite! frustrated at not being able to take the car they would pan the window and push it down a hill or otherwise wreck the car.
Just be sensible where the car is parked, lock all doors and windows, never leave anything on display and if you really don't want the car to go take out the rotor arm, coil, plug leads or Battery. :?
Colin
The tracker sounds to be the answer but there is a few flaws. If the car is parked away from the house and not started up and driven away then no one knows it is stolen until you phone and ask for a location. The cost is high at around £400 install and about £40 a month, the lifetime subscription is only 3/4 years. Trackers dont like concrete so carparks can block the signal. You can do a DIY locator using a mobile phone which can be located for a couple of quid via a service.
Alarms are ok but limited. Think about immoblising the car, you can fit a consealed switch to earth or cut the supply to the coil. anything else is just a modern variation. it is easier to imobiliser modern cars with electric parts like fuel pumps.
Like Chris said old cars are very easy to get into and start the more you do the more attractive it is. a few years ago the Practical Classic Granada was stolen and they showed how easy it is to get by the locks.
A funny story on this topic. back in the 80's/90's the Glasgow police were getting cars nicked. they would abandon a patrol car and give chase on foot. they wouldn't have time to lock the car. So along came a friendly Joy rider and took the car. The police got wise and fitted remote alarms with total closure so the doors and windows would lock. Problem solved? Not quite! frustrated at not being able to take the car they would pan the window and push it down a hill or otherwise wreck the car.
Just be sensible where the car is parked, lock all doors and windows, never leave anything on display and if you really don't want the car to go take out the rotor arm, coil, plug leads or Battery. :?
Colin
The Rovering Member
Well-Known Member
I think thats why the general concensus is that it's not worth locking a convertible. Just leave the doors unlocked & the glove compartment open, obviously with nothing of any value left inside. Personally I'm not a fan of ragtops as you lose too much style from the original design. I mean, who on earth would buy a convertible E-type when the fixed-head is so beautiful. Of course things like Frogeyes are fine as they were designed that way.chrisyork said:
i have an alarm and immobiliser on my p6
when it buggers up and it does no one takes a blind bit of notice and i can't move it.
they take notice when i'm sat blocking one of the pumps at the local esso station mind!
it has 7 or so different sirens on it so it really is thoroughly embarrassing!
and it would cost £50 plus to get rid of it!
so everywhere i go i disconnect the battery cos i do have a dog in the car and he sets the flipping thing off!
my old mk1
escort had a locking fuel cap and it got syphoned one night
there was virtually no fuel in it but i had to buy a replacement cap and sort out the damaged bodywork!
so i never locked it again!
so i wouldn't bother with an alarm!
save your money
when it buggers up and it does no one takes a blind bit of notice and i can't move it.
they take notice when i'm sat blocking one of the pumps at the local esso station mind!
it has 7 or so different sirens on it so it really is thoroughly embarrassing!
and it would cost £50 plus to get rid of it!
so everywhere i go i disconnect the battery cos i do have a dog in the car and he sets the flipping thing off!
my old mk1
escort had a locking fuel cap and it got syphoned one night
there was virtually no fuel in it but i had to buy a replacement cap and sort out the damaged bodywork!
so i never locked it again!
so i wouldn't bother with an alarm!
save your money
The Rovering Member
Well-Known Member
Case proved.Deadstar said:
webmaster
New Member
I had the "worlds uggliest" softtop on my old convertible and that got knifed, they didn't bother trying to steal anything, just knifed it for the sake of it... :cry:
The best place to fit an alarm is inside the car, two or three extremely loud sirens inside the car and they won't stay in it long enough to steal anything.
I used to leave my 820 unlocked on the drive for all the reasons given above, but after the second time of somebody going in it and leaving the doors open for nothing, I've started locking it again.
Sometimes you get to the point where you wonder why you bother having anything nice, (since when was an 820 nice ?), just so some scum can come along and steal / wreck it at will, and there's nothing you can do about it......
The best place to fit an alarm is inside the car, two or three extremely loud sirens inside the car and they won't stay in it long enough to steal anything.
I used to leave my 820 unlocked on the drive for all the reasons given above, but after the second time of somebody going in it and leaving the doors open for nothing, I've started locking it again.
Sometimes you get to the point where you wonder why you bother having anything nice, (since when was an 820 nice ?), just so some scum can come along and steal / wreck it at will, and there's nothing you can do about it......
The Rovering Member
Well-Known Member
Don't let the b*stards grind you down. :wink: