Dear GV,

the OEM fit security is not recognised by Thatcham - VX didn't bother to submit the model for approval as it cost too much.

If your insurer requires Thatcham appr. class 1 alarm or 2 immobiliser then you need an aftermarket one.

Re-reading your post maybe you have (an aftermarket) one?
If so you should have a certificate of fitting or something similar. Some insurers need a copy of this to prove you've got the req. security and that it was carried out by an approved fitter,

regards,
Jet

Andy, I took mine to a local installer who identified it for me. Mine (aftermarket immob') was not a current model, however it was Thatcham 1 when it first came out. Flux's did try to play up about it on renewal, but my firmness with them got them to accept it.

my insureance company never moaned over the std fit one. i think the std fit one is thatch cat 2.. i could be wrong..

Hello
This is a pretty useful site to check what security is fitted as standard on most cars.
http://www.thatcham.org/abigrouprating/
Ash

It means, the alarm/immobiliser has not been tested by Thatcham.

Which roughly translated means that Holden / VX have not paid Thatcham an extortionate ransom to confirm on its paperwork that the OEM immobiliser works perfectly well and indeed " does do exactly what is says on the tin", part of said ransom from "approved system manufacturers" to be equally distributed amongst the insurance fraternity as a thank you for legging up any poor soul when he wants to insure his pride and joy that doesn't have it's approval?!

Not cynical, like most things, just part of the money go round which drives the modern world.









(OK, I am a cynic!)

Dear A,

Thatcham approval covers the installation as well as the "system" itself so each model needs its own cert. It's no good having a top of the line "system" if, say, the siren can be disabled by, say, poking a stick through the front grille or cutting an easily accessible wire,

regards,
Jet

I've just been around this loop myself. The problem with the factory fit immobilizer is, as correctly mentioned earlier in the post, simply that That ham haven't tested it in the Monaro. It is a standard system fitted to many GM cars Worldwide, and is referred to as their ESS (enhanced security system). I tried, on principle, to prove the point with my insurers and got e-mails from Holden and GM stating that the factory fit unit met or exceeded the Thatcham requirements but they would not accept - in the end they sent me a cancellation letter with an offer to re-insure me with another company for almost double the initial £500 premium. They also forgot to mention any refund of the original premium despite me having been insured for only 5 weeks at that point in time.
I think the expression that most summed up the situation was "they had me by the balls". So I had an add-on system fitted by Mark at Suffolk Alarms - highly recommended. He fitted this without removing the std fit system, although the new one can be used in isolation as we'll as with the factory unit. In effect I have two imobilizers now so my car must be twice as safe (so maybe the insurance company will halve my bill next year?)
Bottom line is all they are interested in is the certificate. You could replace a perfectly good factory fit system with some shonky after market unit (anyone remember Toad?) and that would be fine in the insurers eyes, not to mention potentially butchering your interior in the process which was one of my major concerns

Hello
If a new model comes along it doesn't necessarily make the older model unacceptable. If the vehicle was fitted with a cat1 when it was new we would still class that as a cat1. Or if it was fitted before it was removed from the thatcham list we would still class it as a cat1. Flux would be fine with that. I obviously cannot speak on the behalf of other insurers.
Ash