Alarm/Locking systems

[V8 Vum]

Since quite a few of you have fitted alarms and the like, I thought it would be VERY useful if you guys could pass on your experiences to us Builders here?

Which systems would you recommend and why?

What problems to look out for?

IVA considerations?

Accessories..like central locking, remote start etc?

cheers

Keith

[Steve_D]

You will need an immobiliser for IVA.
At the same time you may as well fit an alarm.
These systems will have an interface for central locking. The only remaining thing is to fabricate a mounting system for the door solenoids.

The system on my car unlocks the car as I disarm the alarm/immobiliser and vice verse.
The immobiliser should reset itself after 40 seconds so it is unlikely you will be in and belted up so you simply press the fob again just before switching on the ignition.

Steve

[V8 Vum]

Recommendations regarding make and model for Immobiliser/Alarm/Central locking?

I understand that these units have different ways to trigger the alarm and I read that some have had problems?

Edited by V8 Vum on Wednesday 16th March 08:47

[spatz]

pls check these pics no special mounting hardware necessary,
just go to the hardware store and get one of the these.
What you see are the standard solenoids as supplied by our chinese friends.
When you install them do not have children around, a lot of cursing will be unavoidable.
The system works since fitted however the cables were so stty with hardly any copper in it, that
I needed to replace the cables because the inner core alreay broke from moving the door..........!

[V8 Vum]

Thanks Spatz - good advice!
Clifford seems to be the biggest Immobiliser/Alarm supplier and I see they have swallowed Viper as well!

Anyone had experience with Clifford, or would recommend another?

Notice that Viper have a 'zone - Warn away' system which sounds nifty, although in practise I have no idea if it is any good apart from giving Grannys a fright!

S'pose I could rewire to a flame thrower system as per our south-african friends!

[Steve_D]

V8 Vum said:

......Notice that Viper have a 'zone - Warn away' system which sounds nifty, although in practise I have no idea if it is any good apart from giving Grannys a fright!....

I would avoid this if I were you. Your car will gather an admiring crowd where ever it is parked. A 'Warn Away' will just piss of those who would like to have a closer look and again ps off the neighbourhood of where it is parked.

Steve

[V8 Vum]

Steve_D said:

I would avoid this if I were you. Your car will gather an admiring crowd where ever it is parked. A 'Warn Away' will just piss of those who would like to have a closer look and again ps off the neighbourhood of where it is parked.

Steve

I agree with you Steve..It only serves to put a big sign up where your car is!

[Stig]

I fitted a Toad to my Can-Am with remotely operated alarm/central locking system. Not a fan of Clifford (they caused more problems than they prevented in my experience), but it was a few years ago.

A simple pair of central locking solenoids from eBay will do the job. You'll just need to fabricate some brackets to mount them onto the lock plates.

[V8 Vum]

Thanks for your thoughts Stig - much appreciated.

[V8 Vum]

Bit of a minefield this!
No wonder I am not getting many reponses!

Did a trawl of the net and although not very many user reviews, the reports are very mixed at best for all that I have seen, including Toad which does not nfair very brilliantly - shame!! Seems that many have issues with false alarms, failures and bad customer service mostly...

Couple this with the need for certification for Cat 1 (for insurance), maybe I will wait till closer to the time of IVA and then try to choose a good approved fitter if there is such a thing!

cheers

[Storer]

If you are struggling to choose a maker I think your best bet is to get an independent company that specialises in the fitment of alarms to advise you/ fit it. That way if you have a problem you can take it back to them to fix it.

My tuppence worth.

Paul

[02PRUV]

spatz said:

pls check these pics no special mounting hardware necessary,
just go to the hardware store and get one of the these.
What you see are the standard solenoids as supplied by our chinese friends.
When you install them do not have children around, a lot of cursing will be unavoidable.
The system works since fitted however the cables were so stty with hardly any copper in it, that
I needed to replace the cables because the inner core alreay broke from moving the door..........!

Can't really see from these pics but where did you put the screws through the latch? I've looked in all the area it looks like they go through by the pics and part of the mechanism slides past all the locations that it looks like the screw goes through?

[Steve_D]

02PRUV said:

Can't really see from these pics but where did you put the screws through the latch? I've looked in all the area it looks like they go through by the pics and part of the mechanism slides past all the locations that it looks like the screw goes through?

My interpretation of the pics is:-

Looking at the first pic the solenoid is fitted to the bracket with just one fixing, the long black bolt.
The bracket is fixed to the lock by just one fixing, the left most fixing in that pic. The fixing on the right passing through the bracket does just that, it only goes through the bracket and acts as a stop to prevent the bracket spinning round when the solenoid pulls.

Steve