Autowatch Ghost CANbus Immobiliser.
Discussion
jez-m said:
Yeah, that thought has crossed my mind but I street park and rarely outside my own house, so odds of them knowing which house I’m in are slim (unless I’ve been followed - odds of which are even slimmer). Grim way we have to think though isn’t it?
It would also require criminals willing to escalate from burglary and theft to armed robbery and murder. The police will probably be more interested in doing something about the latter.They would also need to know that you had a Ghost fitted, it's not like you are going to advertise that?
janesmith1950 said:
"Hello mate, give us the code for the car or your kids are getting stabbed”.
Would rather not hear that at 3am with a knife armed thief between me and my children.
Would rather they took the keys from downstairs and f
ked off without bothering me!
Rarely happens though^ so low, almost zero risk. 99% of the time the thief fWould rather not hear that at 3am with a knife armed thief between me and my children.
Would rather they took the keys from downstairs and f
ked off without bothering me!ks off if the car won't start or move off.TX.
^perhaps Bradford etc but in the SE ...
Terminator X said:
Rarely happens though^ so low, almost zero risk. 99% of the time the thief fks off if the car won't start or move off.
TX.
^perhaps Bradford etc but in the SE ...
Do you really want to take the risk that the particular car thieves who go after your car aren't the types to escalate things?ks off if the car won't start or move off.TX.
^perhaps Bradford etc but in the SE ...
Lots of people speak with absolute authority about these things as if they have the foggiest idea about it, "oh they don't want confrontation", "most thefts are by relay these days", "they're only interested in cars they ca use to getaway from robberies" and all sorts of other myths.
The reality is there are all sorts of horrible shots out there who want your car for different reasons.
The drug addicts earning £200 for nicking a Fiesta ST for a stripping gang are a different kettle of fish to the people stealing your Range Rover to ship abroad and they're different to the guys looking for transport for their armed robbery next week.
You shouldn't just roll over and die assuming it's not worth owning something nice, however neither should you live by unsubstantiated assumptions about the kind of people who want your stuff or the lengths they're prepared to go to to get it.
Terminator X said:
Rarely happens though^ so low, almost zero risk. 99% of the time the thief fks off if the car won't start or move off.
TX.
^perhaps Bradford etc but in the SE ...
Given my RS4 was stolen recently via breaking in and nicking they keys (which I always leave downstairs) during the day when me and my family were not in I would take my last experience as lucky and not going to push it stopping my car being taken.ks off if the car won't start or move off.TX.
^perhaps Bradford etc but in the SE ...
Both coppers I spoke to said they wouldn't recommend a ghost for car like mine that is likely to be stolen for export as the crims are the type that will come into your house when the car won't start. They had tried several times in the night but as I have a night alarm it scared them off as they lose the element of surprise (i.e. I can be at the top of the stairs with a hammer before they get to the bottom). I now have a fully monitored home system too.
The only reason I am getting mine back is luck, the fuel pump was giving up throwing up an engine light and 6000rpm limit, as this made it difficult to sell they had obviously tried to kill the engine light with a OBD scanner and it fried the ECU so couldn't even start it with the keys so it was dumped.
I am thinking the best way is an Thatcham S5 Tracker where you can get the car killed within minutes of it being nicked, they have driven away and won't bother coming back, if the car is on your drive and won't start they can just walk back upstairs
G30001 said:
Given my RS4 was stolen recently via breaking in and nicking they keys (which I always leave downstairs) during the day when me and my family were not in I would take my last experience as lucky and not going to push it stopping my car being taken.
Both coppers I spoke to said they wouldn't recommend a ghost for car like mine that is likely to be stolen for export as the crims are the type that will come into your house when the car won't start. They had tried several times in the night but as I have a night alarm it scared them off as they lose the element of surprise (i.e. I can be at the top of the stairs with a hammer before they get to the bottom). I now have a fully monitored home system too.
The only reason I am getting mine back is luck, the fuel pump was giving up throwing up an engine light and 6000rpm limit, as this made it difficult to sell they had obviously tried to kill the engine light with a OBD scanner and it fried the ECU so couldn't even start it with the keys so it was dumped.
I am thinking the best way is an Thatcham S5 Tracker where you can get the car killed within minutes of it being nicked, they have driven away and won't bother coming back, if the car is on your drive and won't start they can just walk back upstairs
Nice 'dominating the stairs' reference Both coppers I spoke to said they wouldn't recommend a ghost for car like mine that is likely to be stolen for export as the crims are the type that will come into your house when the car won't start. They had tried several times in the night but as I have a night alarm it scared them off as they lose the element of surprise (i.e. I can be at the top of the stairs with a hammer before they get to the bottom). I now have a fully monitored home system too.
The only reason I am getting mine back is luck, the fuel pump was giving up throwing up an engine light and 6000rpm limit, as this made it difficult to sell they had obviously tried to kill the engine light with a OBD scanner and it fried the ECU so couldn't even start it with the keys so it was dumped.
I am thinking the best way is an Thatcham S5 Tracker where you can get the car killed within minutes of it being nicked, they have driven away and won't bother coming back, if the car is on your drive and won't start they can just walk back upstairs
Agree though, if someone breaks in to get the keys let them be on their way, last thing you want is them coming back to 'ask' for the code.
If they have sneaked into your house and pinched the keys, (as they did when they pinched my sons 7.5R Golf on sunday night) without waking anybody, they could be miles away before you wake up and inform the tracker company.
I also understand that Ebay have tracker jammers for sale for not a lot of money.
Just wonder what the answer is.
Going to cost my son over £1200, not to mention the 2 expensive Recaro toddler seats that were in the back. Of course, there is the issue of insurance premiums as well.
There must be a solution!
I also understand that Ebay have tracker jammers for sale for not a lot of money.
Just wonder what the answer is.
Going to cost my son over £1200, not to mention the 2 expensive Recaro toddler seats that were in the back. Of course, there is the issue of insurance premiums as well.
There must be a solution!
4ndy36 said:
Was thinking about installing a Ghost 2 on my M340i but concerns about someone coming into house demanding code after reading some of the. Posts on here. Already got tracker fitted and security posts plus stop lock. Would the ghost be necessary ? Thoughts ?
best security systems IMO are the ones that do not stop them taking the car but allow the car to be disabled remotely (ideally far enough away so they wont come back to make you to unlock it) and track the cars location Dave Hedgehog said:
4ndy36 said:
Was thinking about installing a Ghost 2 on my M340i but concerns about someone coming into house demanding code after reading some of the. Posts on here. Already got tracker fitted and security posts plus stop lock. Would the ghost be necessary ? Thoughts ?
best security systems IMO are the ones that do not stop them taking the car but allow the car to be disabled remotely (ideally far enough away so they wont come back to make you to unlock it) and track the cars location 4ndy36 said:
I kind of agree with that. Could leave the ghost on when at home but leave the app in range or put it on service mode at night. That way they could take it if they were that keen and they remove the stoplock and bollards before the police arrived but would help prevent someone taking it away from the house.
It depends if they notice the blinking engine management light, however that would be quite sneaky as once they had gone over 35mph (iirc?) service mode would cancel and they would not be able to start the car.I'm looking into security systems after just pulling the trigger on a brand new 595 Comp, which hasn't arrived yet. I'm determined to wire this thing up like GCHQ.
Does anyone on this thread have a Ghost 2 installed and if not, are there any other recommendations for immobilisers / alarms with immobilisers? Clifford Blackjax or Pandora perhaps - both of which have the bonus of a decent alarm & proximity sensor as well.
I'm also aware of the Automatrics MTrack system which looks good, albeit a tad expensive to maintain as is any tracker I suppose.
I'm personally not worried about somebody coming to find me for the code if they can't lift the car. The car will spend a large portion of it's time parked in a place where the would-be thief wouldn't be able to tell which property it belongs to.
Does anyone on this thread have a Ghost 2 installed and if not, are there any other recommendations for immobilisers / alarms with immobilisers? Clifford Blackjax or Pandora perhaps - both of which have the bonus of a decent alarm & proximity sensor as well.
I'm also aware of the Automatrics MTrack system which looks good, albeit a tad expensive to maintain as is any tracker I suppose.
I'm personally not worried about somebody coming to find me for the code if they can't lift the car. The car will spend a large portion of it's time parked in a place where the would-be thief wouldn't be able to tell which property it belongs to.
janesmith1950 said:
Terminator X said:
Rarely happens though^ so low, almost zero risk. 99% of the time the thief fks off if the car won't start or move off.
TX.
^perhaps Bradford etc but in the SE ...
Do you really want to take the risk that the particular car thieves who go after your car aren't the types to escalate things?ks off if the car won't start or move off.TX.
^perhaps Bradford etc but in the SE ...
Lots of people speak with absolute authority about these things as if they have the foggiest idea about it, "oh they don't want confrontation", "most thefts are by relay these days", "they're only interested in cars they ca use to getaway from robberies" and all sorts of other myths.
The reality is there are all sorts of horrible shots out there who want your car for different reasons.
The drug addicts earning £200 for nicking a Fiesta ST for a stripping gang are a different kettle of fish to the people stealing your Range Rover to ship abroad and they're different to the guys looking for transport for their armed robbery next week.
You shouldn't just roll over and die assuming it's not worth owning something nice, however neither should you live by unsubstantiated assumptions about the kind of people who want your stuff or the lengths they're prepared to go to to get it.
Media hype is clouding your vision (a) your car is very unlikely to even have a theft attempt then (b) car owners are not regularly beaten up or murdered for their cars. Yes almost all car thiefs will fk off if they can't get the car started.https://www.carshop.co.uk/latest-news/uk-car-theft...
"In the 27 police areas we looked at in our research, the total number of car thefts went from 66,360 in 2009/10 to 39,588 in 2013/14 – that’s a 40.3% drop."
In 2018 there were 32.5m car owners so even if thefts have stayed at 2014 levels that is just 0.12% of cars stolen! A much smaller %age of course for people entering houses and threatening owners if the car wont start ...
It seems you are very risk averse so best not even own a car.
TX.
They weren't comments on the the chances of your car being stolen (I'm sat with a brand new car on the drive where my M3 was nicked from the same spot in 2018). They are comments about assumptions as to who is going to be stealing your car and why.
If you're thinking about an Autowatch or similar, you're already concerned about security.
My concern about it, is that if your particular thief is the kind who doesn't mind threatening or harming you to get your car, a ghost is likely to have them making the experience more dangerous and distressing. Certainly won't be in every case and it may well prevent thefts in others.
As for the person above asking about it- if they won't know where the keys live, why would you need a ghost?
If you're thinking about an Autowatch or similar, you're already concerned about security.
My concern about it, is that if your particular thief is the kind who doesn't mind threatening or harming you to get your car, a ghost is likely to have them making the experience more dangerous and distressing. Certainly won't be in every case and it may well prevent thefts in others.
As for the person above asking about it- if they won't know where the keys live, why would you need a ghost?
alex.baker89 said:
I'm looking into security systems after just pulling the trigger on a brand new 595 Comp, which hasn't arrived yet. I'm determined to wire this thing up like GCHQ.
Does anyone on this thread have a Ghost 2 installed and if not, are there any other recommendations for immobilisers / alarms with immobilisers? Clifford Blackjax or Pandora perhaps - both of which have the bonus of a decent alarm & proximity sensor as well.
I'm also aware of the Automatrics MTrack system which looks good, albeit a tad expensive to maintain as is any tracker I suppose.
I'm personally not worried about somebody coming to find me for the code if they can't lift the car. The car will spend a large portion of it's time parked in a place where the would-be thief wouldn't be able to tell which property it belongs to.
Automatrics have a Youtube channel, when something gets stolen they actually go and look for it. Never heard of any other tracker company doing that. I guess that's why it's a bit more expensive.Does anyone on this thread have a Ghost 2 installed and if not, are there any other recommendations for immobilisers / alarms with immobilisers? Clifford Blackjax or Pandora perhaps - both of which have the bonus of a decent alarm & proximity sensor as well.
I'm also aware of the Automatrics MTrack system which looks good, albeit a tad expensive to maintain as is any tracker I suppose.
I'm personally not worried about somebody coming to find me for the code if they can't lift the car. The car will spend a large portion of it's time parked in a place where the would-be thief wouldn't be able to tell which property it belongs to.
Yep - I've trawled through all of their recovery videos.
Although a tracker is a very good security measure, I'd like to look into an alarm / immobiliser with things like a proximity sensor, and ability to shut the car down remotely should it be stolen.
The market seems to be a bit fragmented when it comes to what's good, better and best. Anyone have any experience of a particular brand?
If the Ghost system isn't Thatcham approved, then that's maybe worth a miss.
Although a tracker is a very good security measure, I'd like to look into an alarm / immobiliser with things like a proximity sensor, and ability to shut the car down remotely should it be stolen.
The market seems to be a bit fragmented when it comes to what's good, better and best. Anyone have any experience of a particular brand?
If the Ghost system isn't Thatcham approved, then that's maybe worth a miss.
Update... I spoke to a very helpful, well known car security installer who gave me some advice on what's out there.
Pandora seems to be the best brand right now. Many of their systems are now Thatcham Cat 1 approved (without the anti-hijack function). Many of their packages provide control and remote start / stop from a phone, proximity sensors, immobiliser, paging, etc, etc. Seems like a great all-rounder.
Pandora seems to be the best brand right now. Many of their systems are now Thatcham Cat 1 approved (without the anti-hijack function). Many of their packages provide control and remote start / stop from a phone, proximity sensors, immobiliser, paging, etc, etc. Seems like a great all-rounder.
alex.baker89 said:
If the Ghost system isn't Thatcham approved, then that's maybe worth a miss.
Not being Thatcham approved doesn't mean much. I believe Thatcham don't have a category for CAN bus based devices, so have no way of categorising it. It's not that it failed the test.I've had one of the first gen Ghost's fitted to my BMW since it was new (2018), and it's not caused any problems.
Ian.
ian332isport said:
alex.baker89 said:
If the Ghost system isn't Thatcham approved, then that's maybe worth a miss.
Not being Thatcham approved doesn't mean much. I believe Thatcham don't have a category for CAN bus based devices, so have no way of categorising it. It's not that it failed the test.I've had one of the first gen Ghost's fitted to my BMW since it was new (2018), and it's not caused any problems.
Ian.
same here ....last 2 years. Great decision as the peace of mind is worth every penny. Slight pain with mechanics ( oh sorry, did I mean technician )at service department who can't retain to a simple instruction , always end up calling when they CANNOT start your car.
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