alarm question? oooo..

[TType84]

ok so most everyone knows my car got stolen a lil while back.

monday we're settling on it and fixing the column. soemtime next week i am getting an alarm.

since car audio and car alarms pretty much go hand in hand.. i figure most of you car audio guys know what youre talkin about when it comes to alarms!

I need your suggestions on alarms if possible.. my only requirement for an alarm is that it have a 2 way remote, cause i know that i ignore alarms when they go off, this way, if mine ever does go off, i WILL know about it and will be able to check on the car to make sure everything is alright..

ideas guys?

thanks!

 

[sixbanger]

I think Compustar has a two -way remote system that will tell you if it armed etc...... not sure of too many alarms that will tell you when it is going off unless you add a pager?
Hope that helps
Scott P 87 GN

 

[TType84]

this one i saw awile back.. if i could dig out the old CA&E mag id know... had a remote with a small backlit LCD panel on it and when a sensor would get set off it had a small diagram of a car, and the sensor that went off would flash on the remote...

maybe called black widow ? somethin ike that.. i dunno for sure..

pager wouldnt be bad if it was small.. but i swear im not letting this happen again.

anyone know the costs associated with lojack now?

 

[TType84]

http://www.blackwidowsecurity.com/catalog/fm200.htm

The BW-FM 200 is a 3 channel micro processor controlled, state of the art vehicle security system. The BW-FM 200 gives your customer the most sophisticated system on the market today. The BW-FM 200 is not only a remote controlled security system, but the remote transmitter is also a Pager receiver! The BW-FM 200 operates on the FM band for cleaner transmission which will allow you to transmit and receive confirmation of vehicle security system status from up to 3000 feet.

sound good? no?

 

[zam70]

why not just put in a fuel pump kill switch? Even with an alarm, I'd do one...Believe me, I can get past any alarm in just a few seconds (installed for 12 years) ...they are more of a security blanket for the owner then a security device against theives. Cheap and reliable ACTUAL SECURITY device...put in a flashing red LED some where visible, install a manual fuel or ignition cut off switch. DONE.

The LED will keep the amatures away and a good hidden kill switch can thwart the pros. If a pro wants your car and you have an alarm on it...THEY WILL GET IT. Here's a little secret...the EXACT wires that you use to install a starter kill device (which is what 99.9% of alarms come with) are the EXACT same wires you use to hotwire a car with...Why point the way?

 

[TType84]

would you get into the car w/o the alarm going off? cuz if you set something off, and that pager went off, id prolly have to come outside and tell you hello!

and yes, i making a kill switch too, and a buying a steadfast collar..

 

[zam70]

No, the alarm would go offt BUT, it takes at least 10 seconds or more for the pager to go off and then yuou have to get out to where the car is, by that time I'd have the alarm bypassed and if I wanted, the car would already be driving down the street

 

[TType84]

the black widow one i was lookin at has a lcd screen that shows instatnly what went off... like which sensor, so i wouldnt only know that it did go off, ut id know what sensor you tripped, etc..

it doesnt matter though, as no one sells that alarm but best buy, and none of the best buys have the FM200..

 

[mcss383]

if you add an alarm, HIDE IT WELL!!! what kind of alarm it is makes no difference really....like zam70 said, a trained person could silence an alarm in no time.

CA&E a long time ago did an article where they 'tested' various alarms. They would install an alarm and then get 'reformed theives' to break into the car and time how long it took. With the exception of 1 alarm that had several well hidden redundant systems they were all silenced within 20sec IF they were placed on the drivers side by the steering column (which is where most DIY's and cheap installers put them). When the alarm was hidden elsewhere and the wires concealled it took em much longer to find it, but they always did. They had to resort to tearing the dash apart to find the well hidden ones.

Point is, just like in car audio, install is 90+% of the final result.

Find a unit that has features you want and then go from there.

 

[Audiowizard]

Originally posted by zam70
why not just put in a fuel pump kill switch? Even with an alarm, I'd do one...Believe me, I can get past any alarm in just a few seconds (installed for 12 years)

I have also added a kill switch for my fuel pump and ECM where a thief could not find it. The only people that know where they are are my Wife and I.

 

[GNandTTA]

I'd skip the gimics such as LCD screen and get a top quality product. You could say I'm biased, but I LOVE Code Alarm products. When I was installing, over a decade ago, the place I worked at only sold Code Alarm. He offered lifetime a warranty on the whole installation. He always said if you take a quality product and quality install, it will last a lifetime. 12 years later the TTA and GN still have the same Code Alarm systems. The remotes cases have been replaced a few times after pressing the buttons one gazillion times but the systems still work fine. Pretty weird to say, but I just recently updated the systems with new long range antennas so the remote starters will work from greater distances. Other than that nothing has ever been touched. Code Alarm products ROCK!!! Great tech service as well. Some of these new cars today are pretty tricky with multiplexed wires and transponders. I never attemt any install without first looking at the Code book or calling them.

Plus get a Thrasher chip with the security feature. No one but a fellow Buick guru will no how to figure that part out. I figured out how to interface a remote start with this chip so it still retains all the security. I posted it before in the chip section but some grumpy mod deleted it. If anyone needs it, PM me.

 

[zam70]

How strange...I feel the exact opposite about Code products. Just goes to show how opinions can differ.

 

[Kevin turch]

lo-jac might be an option if its in your area

 

[GNandTTA]

Zam, what are your experiences with Code products?

 

[zam70]

ALL BAD...seriously. The shop I worked at was not an authorized dealer BUT in my area I was known as the alarm guru so when people had problems with an alarm, they would come to me...

I found, unless you were an authorized dealer, their tech help was nonexistant. I found this interesting. What if the customer had the alarm installed in another state and then reloacated? Alot of them I simply pulled out and threw them in the garbage. ALSO I HATED the auto-rearm feature. (disarm the alarm, and if you don't open a door it auto rearms!) When working on a car this was a total PITA. I know, valet BUT...anyway.

It wouldn't be fair for me to say they are total Pieces of sh** but, All my experiences were bad, honestly. I think I just got a major attitude against them because of their lack of support (towards a non dealer).

 

[88 CuttyClassic]

i too am looking into an alarm with a pager, if someones in my car i wanna get there and see whats up. from my office it takes me about 60 seconds to run to my car so even if the pager takes 30 sec to tell me, they gotta get my car in a minute and a half. They would have to disarm the alarm, find the kill, take off the club and column lock, break the column. I don't care how good you are, you ain't doin all that in 90 secs. Even if they try to steal my radio and stuff i'm gonna get there before they are out of sight. It might take an extra minute to lock up my car but in this case more is better.

 

[zam70]

Dream on my friend...to a pro, 90 seconds is an eternity. It's been proven many times that it takes less than 20 seconds for a pro to unlock a car, start it AND get the club off the steering wheel. The alarm...maybe another 10 - 20 seconds. BUT...at least you are well guarded from the amatures (which is 99% of the thieves anyway)

Best overall defense is still a nice little hidden kill switch. No alarm, no nothing. ECM disable is probably the best overall.

 

[GNandTTA]

I think most good alarms auto re-arm though. The whole idea is to protect the car (ie. making as much racket as possible). Now auto re-arm with locking door locks is another story. I will never understand the logic behind that one. 1) You are far from home 2) Leave your keys in the car by accident 3) Alarm auto re-arms with auto lock 4) You are screwed.

I haven't installed at my friends shop in over 10 years but never had a problem with Code's tech service. But everyone has there own experiences. I HATE Alpine products with a passion but most everone else thinks they are the greatest products in the world.

But seriously I do not see how even the best pro could get around the Thrasher security (obviously without being a GN enthusiast and knowing the bypass). I mean the security is encoded in the eprom. All the hotwiring in the world will not start the car. I believe the ONLY way a car with that eprom is starting is if the thief brought a spare eprom. I know the pro's can do just about anything, but that is one I would have to see to believe.

 

[TType84]

Alright, can the pros steal the car with the column locked and without being able to break the column? without towing i mean. I'm going to get a steadfast collar no matter what, once on they DO NOT come off, well, if you had a portable die grinder i guess that you might be able to remove one.. but i dont know anyone with a portable die grinder hehe... let me know, i really wanna know how they could steal the car w/o messing with the column.. so i can put a kill switch in!

 

[1Grand86]

Is there a difference between the Steadfast collar and the Column Lock that kirban sells, or is it just the same idea made by a different company.
If there is a difference, is there a website i can check it out at....
Thanx