Hi again,

This is extremely troubling for me. At my job we examine, among other things, total thefts of vehicles. I can tell you right now that both TL's are high on the list for joyriders and chop-shops, moreso for the former. We know that they're just stolen for fun and vehicle parts because they're recovered, usually two weeks later, either burned or completely stripped. So my question is, what type of alarm system do you guys use to deter thefts? I don't want to be stuck paying for a car I don't have .

 

A lot of people go with Clifford or Viper...you can find both brands along with others at the Directed Electronics Inc website. Directed owns various alarm brands.

Directed Electronics

 

Clifford for me!

 

Hey,
Really it doesn't matter what kind of alarm you get. If a thief REALLY wants your car....he WILL get your car...whether if your alarm system cost $100 or $1000. An new alarm system is really for the replacement of the keyless entry with a little more options and security.

But if you're wondering which alarm system to get....I would recommend..........Clifford!

 

Why Clifford over Viper?

Btw, I agree 100% about theif getting your car if they want. Best theft protection one can have is insurance.

 

Why Clifford over Viper some Clifford models are more high-end.
Some models come with all the bells & whistles. The technolgy in Clifford is more advanced. I know that DEI the makers of Viper purchased Clifford they wanted the Clifford technolgy & name & it was a good purchase. I do disagree with with the conception that if a thief want's your car they can get it. It just depends on who the thief is & how hard they are going to work to get your car. I got the Clifford for its built- In Blackjax Anticarjacking Self Recovery Sub System. With many new cars having Imobilizer systems from the factory now the easy way to get them is to jack you. The thief can jack you but with Blackjax they are not going far at all. They will have no time to wipe the prints off your car all they can do is get out & run. If they have a tow truck I think its hard to stop this but not to many people going to be driving them. The insurance is good but not great we need it but they will screw you also. If your car is not totaled after being stolen the question is do you really want it back. Even if its repaird most people think they have been violated just because the car was taken.

 

FTM, thanks of the info. I'll check into the Clifford for myself. As far as a theif getting your stuff, sure the harder you make it for them the less likely they will get it. Let me tell you of a theft story. Years ago I had a '77 El Camino in which I had sunk some money into. I had three kill switches and no alarm. I also had 4 locking lugs on each tire. I worked nights and the El Camino was NOT my primary vehicle. Within a weeks time this is what happened. One night it's broken into, steering column all busted. They couldn't get it, but got my stereo. A couple of nights later they try to get the tires, even paint the date on the tires since the couldn't get them. They come back a THIRD time trying to get it, bust more things up on the inside. After the third time they tried I removed the battery and the starter. A couple of nights later I no longer had an El Camino.

Moral of the story. Security can help prevent the theft and can even be a deterrent. But if someone wants what you have bad enough, they'll find a way to get it.

 

Ok, I'll admit it... I'm confused by your tale.
1. Who painted your tires -- and why?
2. Why did you no longer have an El Camino at the end?
3. Why weren't you hiding inside you car with a gun after the second break-in?
4. I like my CompuStar Alarm so far!

V.

 

Let me end the confusion for you.

1. I assume the same people that were trying to steal the El Camino. Not sure why they wrote the date on the tires.

2. I no longer had it because they were finally successful and stole it. I don't know how they got it, but this much I do know. They didn't drive it away. So either they used a tow truck or maybe just a tow rope.

3. It's a little think called WORK! Besides, after an UNsuccessful attempt you...or even TWO, you would think they would give up.

4. Does Clifford make the Compustar?

 

I would say they wanted that car bad.
I just wanted to try eliminate some of the ways people steal cars here for my car. The thing that happens here everyday is many carjackings. www.clifford.com

 

FKNA: Thanks for ending the confusion! Hopefully you don't work anywhere near THAT location anymore!!

CompuStar is made by Firstech (or something like that).

Good luck with your search,

V.

 

i am actually considering getting the autolock too, which would be an addition to my alarm...anyone know about this product????

Autolock

 

yeah, i've always wondered about that autolock, the one you see on tv....anybody got any information on this?

 

the autolock has done wonders for me
my old car was originally a 4 door integra gsr, 1994 year to be exact. The first time my car got stolen, everything was stripped after i got it back and restored it, i put an alarm system in and bought the autolock. the thieves couldn't jack the car, they did take my stereo and other electronics, but my ignition was busted the car didn't get jacked...that's for sure, at least the car was there....

 

so im guessing that you approve of it?

 

Keep in mind one thing--alarms are more for peace of mind than anything else. Not even the best alarm will totally prevent someone from vandalizing your car, taking stuff out of your car, driving off or moving your car, and/or wrecking it afterwards.

I agree that the best thing to do as far as making sure you still have a car to drive is to get (comprehensive/collision) insurance; I mean, no aftermarket auto alarm manufacturer AFAIK will replace your car if someone steals it for a joyride and crashes it afterwards, will they? Even those companies that offer reimbursement have a limit of a few thousand dollars or so; I could be wrong but I bet that not even LoJack would reimburse the entire cost of the car if let's say someone jacked a $100K+ car and drove it off a cliff...

Here's an car-theft related urban legend I read about a while back: supposedly, someone had chained his car to two huge trees where each end of the car was chained to a tree. The next day he came back to find that his car was still chained but now was positioned 180 degrees from what he had left it the day before; there was a note on it that basically said that the thief could have stolen the car if he wanted to but did what he did just to show how pointless it was to secure it, no matter what extremes you take to do so.

Tony