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It's not uncommon to walk through a parking lot and see and hear a car alarm going off. You can sometimes see the car itself with it's lights flashing and all the noise but it's so common now that nobody even notices. These types of alarms are usually the cheap kind that you can get installed for a few bucks at most car audio places.
Depends on what you consider cheap. Most alarms installed will cost you are least $300, while some can be over $500
I just don't understand the point of these alarms for a few reasons.
1) Most alarms go off when you are inside someplace so as they are going off the owner has no idea the alarm is going off.
Now days, many alert you either via the remote or by your cellphone.
2)Even if someone is actively trying to steal the car and the alarm is going off and you see the thief behind the wheel trying to hot wire the car what is the average witness going to do? Do they think someone with a Batman complex is going to approach the thief and apprehend them while the authorities are called?
Most thieves will not be so brazen to set off an alarm and then try steal it with others around. And yes, many people, myself included would call the police if we saw someone actively trying to hot wire a car.
3)What about those morons that trigger their own alarms all the time? Example most common is when I go get some gas at a station and the guy is pumping his gas and when he opens his door after he's done there goes the alarm. Why would they arm the alarm while they are just standing at the pump?
Stupid is as stupid does. That said, some alarms automatically arm themselves, so that may explain the seemingly strange behavior.
4) The worst offender is the oversensitive alarm that goes off in the middle of the night in a residential area. Alarm can get triggered by something as simple as a cat jumping on the hood or another cars deep sounding exhaust or bass. Usually these cars are pieces of junk that are in no threat of ever being stolen.
I have to agree with you on that score.
However it has nothing to do with your overall point about why have an alarm in the first place. Don't forget that some of these "pieces of junk" had the alarms installed when they were still in decent shape .
Also lets not forget that alarms do act as a deterrent, and make it more difficult for the car thief to steal. Sure any alarm can be bypassed with enough time and skill, but most joyriders will be stopped, as will the average idiot trying to steal the car.
BTW- my alarm not only lets me know it is going off over the phone, it gives me active GPS of where it is, and I can remotely disable it. The service I have also lets the police know exactly where it is within 10 feet of it's location.
When I bought my classic I was also thinking car alarm and for the most part IMO, no one even looks when it goes up. Plus IMO most car alarms can be bypassed.
I ended up having a Ravelco installed. It's not just a kill switch, but really intergrated into the car. I did my research and didn't one real real legit complaint about the system.
The cost was $500 and the tech who came to my home took about 6 for the install.
So of course I would recommend getting one.
BTW...I'm not in any way shape or form associated with Ravelco.
Pretty much every car out there nowadays comes with a factory installed alarm system. Insurance companies want them and you get a deduction on your insurance for them often times. The noise of the alarm is a deterrent for many would be thieves.
Also, hot wiring a car isn't like the 70's. Most new cars have computer chips that actually start your car. It's not a key. Hot wiring doesn't work on computer chips.
I guess thieves in old crappy cars are stealing other old crappy cars to sell the parts to each other.
There's a big market in parts for old crappy cars. Which would explain why some wally stole my 15-year-old rusted-out manual-transmission Jetta. With a tow truck.
There's a good chance that if it weren't for the VR6 badge on the back they'd have passed it right on by. Older VW parts cost a fortune anyway, but that particular motor probably doubled their take.
I have both an alarm on my car as well as Lojack installed. The alarm came with my car when I bought it. Lojack is something I had installed after buying my vehicle.
I drive one of the most stolen cars in the country (90s Honda Civic) so I definitely feel a little better having an alarm. What most people that aren't into these cars don't realize is that people will steal an old Honda out of a lot of BMWs because they are easier to steal and the parts are easier to move.
Think about it this way who is going to buy a fender for a 2013 BMW off of craigslist? If you put an old Honda fender on CL it would be gone within the hour.
My old Civic was stolen in broad daylight at a mall, it literally takes minutes to steal if you know what you are doing. That is why I have a two way pager alarm, backup battery, hood cable re-routed, and a tilt sensor. Every step you take adds time and difficulty for the thief. The hope is that it will not be worth their effort and they will give up but it doesn't always work that way. I have seen an old Honda stolen that had all of the stuff I mentioned earlier plus a club and a clutch lock. They just sawed through the steering wheel and clutch lock and left that stuff on the street out of spite. Also just pulling the thing up on a flatbed and driving away is becoming more and more common.
When was the last time you did that? How often do you leave your car parked out of view with the windows open? How much is that feature worth to you?
I use it about once a week for various reasons, and it's when the car is in sight. Plus, that feature gives me auto roll up and down, which neither vehicle came with, and the windows roll up when I arm the alarm. I've had it and most of the other features on every vehicle for 20+ years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
A friend once told me that she was flying back into the US from overseas, and her uncle left a car for her at the San Francisco airport parking lot. She went and picked up the car and didn't know how to turn off the alarm, and drove it all they wan to Sacramento with the alarm screaming and squealing and honking. The police ignored it.
The car shouldn't run when the alarm has been triggered. Bad install and/or bad product.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GnomadAK
Yabbut, if someone is riding in the back and you drive into the lake, they won't be able to get the tailgate open and they'll drown. Safety first people!
Seriously, if you lose the keys to a modern car it's off to the shop to get reprogrammed/ecu replaced/etc. How the hell can anybody steal cars these days? I guess thieves in old crappy cars are stealing other old crappy cars to sell the parts to each other.
There are ways around that large expense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by camaro69
Ok, let me throw some coal into the fire.
When I bought my classic I was also thinking car alarm and for the most part IMO, no one even looks when it goes up. Plus IMO most car alarms can be bypassed.
I ended up having a Ravelco installed. It's not just a kill switch, but really intergrated into the car. I did my research and didn't one real real legit complaint about the system.
The cost was $500 and the tech who came to my home took about 6 for the install.
So of course I would recommend getting one.
BTW...I'm not in any way shape or form associated with Ravelco.
Their website contains a lot of misinformation and some outright deception. And a Ravelco isn't an alarm.
A poorly installed alarm can be easily bypassed. One that has been properly installed cannot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ss20ts
Pretty much every car out there nowadays comes with a factory installed alarm system. Insurance companies want them and you get a deduction on your insurance for them often times. The noise of the alarm is a deterrent for many would be thieves.
Also, hot wiring a car isn't like the 70's. Most new cars have computer chips that actually start your car. It's not a key. Hot wiring doesn't work on computer chips.
This^^^. People have seen too many movies where a would be thief reaches under the dash, immediately grabs the necessary wires, and is gone quickly. The reality beyond what ss said is that there are dozens of wires, tightly bundled, and even if as person knew exactly where to tap them it would take longer than most thieves want to spend.
A friend once told me that she was flying back into the US from overseas, and her uncle left a car for her at the San Francisco airport parking lot. She went and picked up the car and didn't know how to turn off the alarm, and drove it all they wan to Sacramento with the alarm screaming and squealing and honking. The police ignored it.
Must be a really old car, a $19.99 JC Whitney special or a friend wanting an interesting story to tell. Pretty much any factory alarm after 1995 won't allow the car to start if the alarm is going off.
I have a 2006 Frontier. I think it has an alarm on it, but it only goes off if a window breaks or someone messes with the ignition. I've had it for 6 years and it's never gone off. I don't see the point in the ones that go off during a thunderstorm or if a dumptruck drives past...
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