Alarm suggestions

JDookie said:
Keep in mind that if they want your car bad enough, they are going to do what it takes to get it but you can certainly make them work for it thus giving you time to call the proper authorities before they get away.
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In reference to this, I had a Clifford installed in my Honda (don't remember the model #, it was back in 1996), and it was fine for many years. Last spring it was broken into, and since the car was fairly old (1993), I never bothered arming it and left it on valet mode (but locked). The red light deterred most would-be thefts, I assume.



However, there was about $2-3 K of stereo equipt. in the car (dumb not to arm, yeah, I know, but complacency, right?), and so the theif started working hard.



First he smashed the heck out of the trunk lock area--totally punched in the surrounding sheet metal, so the lock stuck out--but he couldn't get it open.



Next, he smashed the left rear quarter window, and somehow managed to unlock the car door--the 93-95 Civic Coupe has long doors, and the lock is all the way up front. After getting in the car, he proceeded to smash around the trunk lock release (which I keep locked)--no avail. Then the lock on the rear seat deck took a beating, so that area was a mess.



Lastly, he tried to remove the stero from the dash (I kept the faceplate in the house, thank goodness), and got one side about 1/3 out, and gave up, but not before smashing the dash area. Yay.



In all, nothing was stolen, but things were smashed up pretty good--but one nice thing--his blood was all over the car--I guess the sharp edges everywhere made it difficult on his skin--Ha!:D



The thief will try anything, but they know they are on borrowed time, so good practices (trunk release locked, faceplate out of the car) actually went a long ways here...FWIW
 
If you lived in Illinois the police could take the blood and get DNA from it, and if that person had been incarcerated in the IL Dept. of Corrections from late 2002 to the present their DNA is on file. Back to the big house they would've went!!
 
Yeah, I thought about it, and I did file it with the po-po, but for an 11-year old car where nothing was actually stolen, I just let it go.



They basically just forced me to donate the car instead of selling it cheaply.



Got a new one, now--treating it like a baby!
 
imacarnut said:
on top of having an alarm, also get the unbreakable autolock-pro (attaches to the brake or clutch pedal) with the barrel lock keys (i'm sure it can be broken, but compared to most auto theft devices, this one is one of the better ones out there and will be a b!tch to take off since it's in the lower part of the car). if a car theif wants your car bad enough... they will get it no matter what alarm/lock you have, all you can do is help prevent it. having both these, it will take a bit longer for them to get it and they may just move on to an easier target. http://unbreakable.com/Unbreakable_Auto_BL.htm
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I can see how this would be theoretically more effective when used on a manual car as opposed to an automatic, but I have an automatic. Say this was my only theft detterent device. Thief hotwires my car and can drive it, but can't use the brake pedal because of this thing. Can't the thief just use my E-BRAKE? Sure its not effective as the brake pedal, but it does stop the car. Then the thief can work on removing the Autolock at his local chop shop, no?



On a manual locking up the clutch would be great, but on an automatic car like mine I dont see this thing being effective at all.



At the moment I can't afford a quality stealth install and even when I do get it installed, I'd want a visible detterent device in plain sight. But for now, I want a visible theft detterent lockable device like this that won't break the bank. Any other suggestions? Thanks.
 
RatedG,



Most ( I think all ) cars require you to push the brake to go from Park to Drive so, yes, it would still be just as effective.



Wow, talk about bring a thread back from the dead! I actually forgot about this one, lol.



Anyway, I hope this helps.
 
Oh crap. Sorry about that. I know about thread etiquette, and I know well enough to not revive old threads. I think the Month of the posts above mine deceived me.



As to your comment JDookie, my 1993 Nissan 240sx has a small clip next to my auto shifter that allows you to override that brake pedal park to drive thing you mentioned. It allows me to--while the car is off, even--to shift out of Park and into any gear.



Maybe my only option for the time being then is for a good steering wheel lock, one that covers the entire steering wheel so they can't cut the wheel and slip the Club right off.



Thanks.
 
Oh, don't worry about bringing back the thread. You didn't do anything wrong at all. I had just forgotten about it, that's all.



Anyway, to get back on topic, I am surprised that your car has such a feature. That's the first I've heard of it. Well, in your particular situation, I think you're right. Something like a physical lock or the installation of a hidden starter disable switch would be the best options.
 
I need to have something installed in my '95 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham too. I'd like to get the best I can afford in terms of alarming (rare car, and VERY attractive to a lot of thieves), and also remote start.



There's 2 local shops, I think, one which seems very experienced and advertises that they specialize in alarm systems and other electronics, so I'll probably end up talking to them.



Only issue I see coming up is how much of an "oddball" car it is, and how others with the same have stated that there aren't any wiring diagrams in existence for these things, so you just have to make sure to get the best and most experienced installer possible. I have a factory "theft deterrent system" right now, that was an optional upgrade to the keyless entry back when the car was new, but that's not a whole bunch of anything...and it also has the typical GM "Passkey" deal, with chipped keys.



This one place I mentioned uses both Clifford and Crimestopper systems, but I've never heard much about the latter...
 
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