What security systems should I fit?

[Steve_D]

This may be directed primarily at Simon as it is his field but is still of general interest.
I had it in mind to fit:-
1. An imobiliser. (Required by the insurance companies I believe).
2. An alarm. Probably part of the Imobiliser above.
3. A tracker type system. This is the one I am not sure about as there are now a number of them out there but I have no feel for which one is best.

What is recommended and what is everyone else doing?

Ted was pretty neutral on the whole matter based on the perception that it would be difficut for a thief to sell it on as it would be difficult to register.
The 'joy rider' aspect could be dealt with by the inexpensive use of hidden fuel pump switches and the like.
This thread could be interesting!!!!
Steve

[ultimasimon]

This may be directed primarily at Simon as it is his field but is still of general interest.
I had it in mind to fit:-
1. An immobiliser. (Required by the insurance companies I believe).
2. An alarm. Probably packaged with the Immobiliser above.
3. A tracker type system. This is the one I am not sure about as there are now a number of them out there but I have no feel for which one is best.
This thread could be interesting!!!!
Steve

Ok to kick things off for those that didn't know I used to fit bespoke alarm systems for expensive vehicles. These systems were varied from run of the mill car alarms to sophisticated systems that provided physical force to repel the intruder. I have also been quite involved with GPS and GSM tracking devices. Simple advice is as follows:

1) If you are to comply with the requirements of your UK insurance company, they normally specify a Thatcham Category 1 system. These systems have to be fitted by an approved and certified dealer, and offer a guaranteed level of security, ie two different immobiliser points, and automatic passive immobilisation after 30 seconds of key removal - to name but a few.

2) If you stick to the mainstream companies ie Toad, Clifford, and Laserline, you will get an integrated alarm system WITH immobiliser. My rice burner has a Clifford which has a lifetime guarantee for as long as you own the vehicle. I have also owned the others mentioned here and they are also excellent systems as they all comply with the latest insurance regulations. If you havent bought a car alarm recently and still have the old school mentality that they are always false-alarming, times have changed and so has the technology.

3) I have recently had a nasty experience while getting my Nissan fitted out with an alarm, so my advice is to get a mobile approved alarm fitter to fit your chosen system at your place and show him exactly where you want the main control unit positioned rather than let him get on it with it - after all the majority of you built your own cars so you will know what space you have and where.

I WOULD ADVISE THAT AS THIS IS AN OPEN FORUM YOU DO NOT POST DETAILS OF WHERE YOU HAVE MOUNTED YOUR SYSTEMS ETC. (If you have any specific questions then email me directly)

4) As others have done, a removable steering IS the way to go. Steal that!

5) Fuel pump and ignition immobilisers are good, but on their own as any auto electrician knows, one piece of wire with two crocodile clips is all you need to get past this and the ignition system.

6) If you buy a branded alarm system fitted DONT PUT THE MANUFATCURERS STICKERS IN THE WINDOW. This just helps the scrote identify your system and then cuts down the time needed to circumvent it.

7) If possible fit two different alarm systems if you are serious about keeping a special car. These days most people ignore a car alarm but if two go off with different sounds within a few seconds it gets peoples attention. Mostly because it pi$$es them off!

8) If you are making your own alarm, fit the loudest siren you can find AND put another sounder inside the car under the dashboard facing down. 128 db is painful inside the car! Also use battery backup for a home made alarm.

9) If you like your sounds loud in your car (n/a to most Ultima drivers) then turn the stereo down when near your home as you are just advertising “steal me”.

10) Test your alarm every week if you use it every week, or every time you use the car if it is just a toy. DON’T do this at home, but try to find a secluded place. If your alarm system false alarms get it fixed immediately – AN ALARM SHOULD NEVER GO OFF UNTIL NEEDED. One false alarm and everyone will ignore it.

TRACKING SYSTEMS – There are quite a few to choose from now. This is mainly aimed at the UK guys as I don’t have much knowledge of the systems in place elsewhere. The three that I have used is Tracker – the original, RAC Trackstar, and recently CarBug. These systems are monitored in a variety of different ways, ie satellite and or mobile cellular phone system. They are all very good but with out going on for ever the first two have a common limitation. If your vehicle is stolen and the police find it, they may not actually allow you to recover your vehicle or tell you where it is until they have made an arrest. i.e. your car joins a shed full of other stolen vehicles, but no-one is around to be arrested and charged. It could be a month before you get your vehicle back (unlikely but still possible). CarBug is different though, it comes with Microsoft Windows software which allows you to track your vehicle on your home PC or even a laptop with a mobile phone connected. You just follow your car around the on-screen map. Very good if you are a bit of a vigilantly or you just want to check up on your missus, ahem! Also they are available in the US. Over here there is a promotion on and they are half price now @ £499 plus vat - roughly half the price of the competition.

If you any specific Ultima queries I would be glad to help but I didn’t build my car, and I am still learning my way around it. Hope this helps.

Links for tracking systems.
www.thankstotracker.com/
www.ractrackstar.com/main/
www.carbug.co.uk/flash/

Simon.

Edited to add links and fix typos.

>> Edited by ultimasimon on Saturday 8th February 13:32

[GTRCLIVE]

Forget all that crap Simon, just looking at your engine I think thats a good Imobiliser on it's own...... Sorry it's not Simon anymore, It's Brown Stain.

[G Man]

On the Sat Tracker systems, I put Nav Trak on my Merc

Simple reason, unlike Tracker when I sell vehicle NavTrak remove the system and fit it in your new car and save my investment,

PS they also work in Europe, at the time the others did not

[Stig]

Well, I've got a removable steering wheel and a remote power cutoff which does what an immibilser does (only more reliably in my experience).

Just a question of getting the insurance companies to recognise it for discount. Ted's right, with a complet register of all the chassis numbers, moving one on would be a right pain.

Joyriders will nick it if they want to even if it's encased in concrete! Sad, but true.

If I had my way they'd be

[ultimasimon]

Stig said:
Joyriders will nick it if they want to even if it's encased in concrete! Sad, but true.

If I had my way they'd be

Er if you had one of my old systems it would shoot them

[ultimaandy]

There is another thread talking about this subject.

I've fitted a Toad, its been 100% reliable, was fitted exactly where I wanted it. It's also thatcham 1 approved so I get an insurance discount.

There are two similar Toad Thatcham 1 alarms one is £250 the other is £300, I have the £300 one but also have a £400 clifford G4 on my other car and I much prefer the Toad.

Obviously I also have the removable Steering wheel and a few other manual cut outs that are so easy to add to a car you build yourself.

To me, security is more about deterant and user friendlyness, if they really want it they will have it or damage your car trying.