Anti - theft

[SteveMJ]

HI Guys

Do many of you have extra anti-theft mechanisms, over and above what GM provide? I'm thinking VXR8 mainly here.

I doubt the standard kit is that great.

Thanks

[Gas_Man]

I have tracker... more for recovery afterwards rather than anti-theft (also helps with insurance).

[chrispaull]

Hi, My insurance company made me fit a tracking device, but they were quite happy with the immobiliser already fitted to the vxr8, but I know what you mean, it just does'nt seem enough.

[delmeekc]

I use a massive wheel clamp, someone tried to break in the house for the car keys, this seems to have stopped that.

[crisisjez]

delmeekc said:

I use a massive wheel clamp, someone tried to break in the house for the car keys, this seems to have stopped that.

You mean you have a wheel clamp on the doors and windows to your house

[ads_green]

From a financial point of view I don't think a tracker is worth it. 400quid plus and lucky to get more than a 50 discount on insurance.
it saps the battery and at the end of the day if the car is nicked do I really want it back?

I do think an alarm upgrade would be good as the standard doesn't have an ultrasonic sensor so won't pick up somebody smashing a window

[paul.APO]

I was told that the VXR8 immobiliser was a top notch model.

As far as the tracker goes i see it as a worthwhile investment but thats just my opinion

[ringram]

VXR8 security system is the same as the Corvette and is a cut above the rest of the GM range from what Ive read recently.

[C8PPO]

ads_green said:

From a financial point of view I don't think a tracker is worth it. 400quid plus and lucky to get more than a 50 discount on insurance.
it saps the battery and at the end of the day if the car is nicked do I really want it back?

I do think an alarm upgrade would be good as the standard doesn't have an ultrasonic sensor so won't pick up somebody smashing a window

Agree on the tracker front. As for the alarm upgrade, the only time an alarm upgrade is going to be any use is if the car is parked outside your front door and you happen to be standing nearby, in your running shoes, holding your baseball bat, at the time they smash the glass. Otherwise, nobody is going to take a blind bit of notice and you would never be able to react in time to stop something happening anyway.

My alarm played up a few times last month, went off at night, at work, and parked in the street. Reaction from anyone? Nil.

Look at bike thieves - it has been frequently proven/demonstrated that they will pick up a bike from a busy street, in broad daylight, with the alarm going, and chuck it in a van and bugger off, withthe world and his wife watching. Doesn't stop them, and doesn't encourage Joe Public to intervene.

[l4jor]

I've had a car stolen in the past, and I've had the body panels kicked in on another car. I think the best protection on the market today is a trembler device and a large bag of explosives. To kill a low life scum bag is guaranteed to stop them reoffending.
No it doesn't do the car any good, but until an automatic nail gun fitted to a laser motion detector comes on the market .... sorry just a rant on...

[SteveMJ]

ringram said:

VXR8 security system is the same as the Corvette and is a cut above the rest of the GM range from what Ive read recently.

Thanks for all this info guys.

I'd better add that I don't have a VXR8 - I made an offer on a non-new one on Thursday afternoon. I'm awaiting a response and will go from there :-)

[Fluffsri/cv8]

A barbed wire topped 6ft fence and an armed gaurd. Doesnt get a lot better than that

[J. J.]

Saw a video of a South African BMW fitted with flame throwers down the sides to deter car jackers. Looked frighteningly effective!

[Ferb]

If you garage your cars, use a baby alarm! Got this tip from motorcycle mag.

[SS HSV]

l4jor said:

I've had a car stolen in the past, and I've had the body panels kicked in on another car. I think the best protection on the market today is a trembler device and a large bag of explosives. To kill a low life scum bag is guaranteed to stop them reoffending.
No it doesn't do the car any good, but until an automatic nail gun fitted to a laser motion detector comes on the market .... sorry just a rant on...

I've been selling similar alarm systems like this since 1995 when I was MD of Premier Security Ltd. I used to sell the 'Minder' range of systems which physically thwarted taking a car; either by the release of smoke on the inside and out, or by the use of 8,000 volts AC, administered via the door-handle and steering wheel. Needless to say we got shut down fairly quickly but I still have over a hundred units out there in the field that are working as they should

For the record I was the inventor of the in-car smoke/fog systems back in the late 80's but I met with a not so honest chap that promised to market it for me, and he ended up marketing it for himself.. he became the CEO of Dragon Inc. in the US. I didn't patent it and he did so there is little I could do, other than to get the kits made up in China where they don't care about patents. More recently, I used to offer a GSM kit which uses a pay as you go sim card and is linked to your existing alarm (TOAD or Clifford as they have decent configuration options). The module has two inputs, so one is typically connected to a microwave detector and the system will send you a text message to say that you have a proximity warning, and the second input I take off the output of the alarm; so when the alarm triggers it texts you to say it has triggered. Then (and heres the fun bit..) you can send IT a text message to activate relay one, which tryically is a polite "Please move away from the vehicle, your presence has been detected" message, and the text for relay two can activate what you like, 130db siren, smoke, , theatrical marroons (lile army thunder-flashes, but triggered by voltage), cs-gas (I have a customer in Belgium that requested it - naturally we didnt supply the gas over there you can buy if from shooting shops over the counter! Unlike pagers, these systems works worldwide so if your sat on a beach somewhere you can talk to whoever is milling about through the inbuilt PA on the phone Most of my clients then where the upper echelon of society, or professionals with vans full of expensive stuff (PA systems, computers etc).

I do miss the James Bond factor and they never hurt anyone but I guess it was a statistic waiting to happen.

[astonman]

Do you think a steering wheel disc-lock is any good?

[Tempy]

It's been proven on a couple of TV shows before. Any tea leaf worth his salt can get into those steering wheel locks inside a minute if not 30 seconds. Waste of money if you ask me.

[jez2577]

I have a clifford avantguard 5.5 fitted to my monaro its spot on remote start anti car jack the lot !