I need a car alarm

[SHRED]

I got my Alpine/JL Audio sound system ripped out of my 1991 Integra a couple of nights ago, from my driveway, in the rain. Should've had comprehensive coverage, alarm, etc....My bad and I am suffering for this lesson. $1100 worth gone.

Now I am researching alarm systems.

I like features like internal piezo speakers with a battery backup and a pager to name a few.

I am a newbie at this.

Any brand recommendations?


Thanks.....bummin' :cry:

[AndyP]

1. Don't go with bulldog

I don't know if you were looking cheap, but they suck way too much. Are you worried about the car itself getting stolen? If so then buy one with a starter disable. Battery backup is a must-have. Do you have power locks? Then you might want something that unlocks all the doors too. The pagers are good but you have to get one with a good range on them to do any good.

Edit: I have an alpine alarm and i like it- it's pretty sensitive and it is set to go off if anyone even gets close to my car. I don't use it much anymore though because I have shaved door handles so it's next to impossibe to get into my car.

[pagerbear]

3. Shaved door handles?

[AndyP]

7. yup

you cut off the door handles (I did the body lines too) and then you fill in the holes with fiberglass and body filler. You paint it and then you set up door poppers on the doors. I just push a button on my keychain and the door pops open. If I lock my keys in my car I have an emergency button. If the battery dies... well then I have to break into my own car. I'm into lowrider/sportcompact cars. you can go here: http://www.positiveforce-cc.net/66.36.161.160_FOXCITIES/andy_p.htm for more pics.


Look ma no handles

[Roon]

2. My condolences

I drove a van when I was a kid and had an awesome stereo system installed. I know the sickening feeling of getting into your car and realizing that you have been ripped off. Not only did the thief take my deck, he took my tape case which contained every tape I owned.

The next day I shopped around and found this little, cheap, car alarm that was designed to go off when the interior lights came on. You had 5-7 seconds to put your key in the ignition before the siren started wailing.

Two weeks later this alarm payed for itself. Someone tried to steal my replacment stereo again but the alarm scared them off. I am sure it was the same asshole that took my first deck.

Now, as an adult, I had this awesome stereo system in my car. I had huge poweramps, competition speakers, and this thing KICKED. Learning my lesson as kid about car alarms, I also had a 200.00 Cobra installed.

The co-owner of the car, (my ex-lover) was too lazy to arm the alarm. A couple of times I would wake up to find that the alarm wasn't set. I would scold him and he would call me "paranoid" and insist that no one would steal anything.

A year ago it finally happened, My ex blew off arming the alarm one night and the whole system was stolen. So I had to learn the lesson once for myself, and again for my idiot ex-lover. GRRRRRRR!!

[Loonman]

4. Get a stereo that pulls out of a chassis

Number of robberies thwarted by car alarms in 2003: 4
Number of neighbors wakened at 3 am by car alarms: 5,634

[pagerbear]

5. There has to be a better way

....to deter theft than wailing alarms. They are a complete nuisance. If you can't bear to lose your stereo or your belongings, don't keep your belongings in your car and spend your stereo money on a home system.

[TrogL]

6. Get one with an adjustable sensor

otherwise you're going to annoy the neighbours when it goes off everynight at 4 a.m. because a cat jumped on the car.

[AndyP]

8. Another thing I did

was I took out the lever to let you into your trunk, so the only way to get in is by the key. Then if your rear seats fold down just put the sub box all the way back and put the amps in front of it (more towards the rear of the car). Now that I think of it though if you have a teg then it's prolly a hatch back, right?

[SHRED]

9. Nope

It's a LS 4 door.

Anyways, thanks for the suggestions. I am going to probably just get a head unit and drive the 4(door and rears) 6.5" Polk Audio DX6 speakers, that the thieves were to busy to steal, with it.

Subs draw too much attention with their thump.

I am thinking about leaving the hole in the dash with wires hanging out for show, then mounting the HU in the glovey.

[ChoralScholar]

10. I feel your plight. I had a stereo stolen myself.

But I have to think that an alarm is not the answer. When was the last time any of us heard an alarm and thought "uh oh, someone's breaking into a car!"

Most of the time, we think "Dammit, somebody's freaking car alarm. I wish they'd get out there and turn that off."

I'd suggest a pull-out chassis, or one of the models of stereo that flips the front of the face around and hides the stereo.