Car alarm installers rant

Re: Car alarm installers rant

GregS wrote:
> In article <voOdnX06H48Kz4rVnZ2dnUVZ judnZ2d@giganews,com >, ChrisB <ChrisB@somewhere.someplace,com > wrote:
>> ruens wrote:
>>> On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:22:17 -0500, ChrisB
>>> <ChrisB@somewhere.someplace,com > wrote:
>>>
>>> (...)
>>>
>>>> No shit. One of my police officer friends told me how sophisticated the
>>>> thieves were regarding the LS1 thefts in the state. He then went on to
>>>> tell me how the thieves have tow trucks in the New Orleans area, and
>>>> seem as though they are towing vehicles for legitimate reasons.
>>>> Uniforms, papers, you name it.
>>>>
>>>> Although I can't stop someone from stealing my car, I want to make the
>>>> bastard work to take mine! I already have a super stealth car alarm
>>>> install planned where the brain won't be where a thief would expect it
>>>> to be (unless he feels like disassembling the interior of the car) and I
>>>> am thinking of going with a non-traditional method to prevent the
>>>> vehicle from running, in addition to the starter interrupt! The only
>>>> downside to this is I easily see my install taking close to 16 hours due
>>>> to the re-routing of the wires and the not so standard location of the
>>>> brain. No shop around here would take on that monumental task, plus it
>>>> wouldn't be worth the labor they would charge anyhow!
>>> In addition to hiding the brain, you should consider a backup battery
>>> and a few backup sirens. A hidden alarm brain alone is useless if the
>>> battery wire is cut or removed.
>> Oh, I am definitely going with a battery backup! Every alarm I ever
>> installed had one, so this will be no exception.
>>
>> I am also going to use a couple of pain generators inside the cabin, as
>> Matt suggested! That delayed trigger is also a good idea.
>>
>> Of all the ironies, a friend of mine who works as an installer at Best
>> Buy has been telling me what I should do! He said that they, Best Buy,
>> don't do starter disables because they were forced to pay too many tow
>> charges, yet he told me that I need to disrupt the starter AND something
>> else (fuel pump and/or ECU) because the starter disable would not stop a
>> thief from push starting my car! I just find it ironic that he is
>> making suggestions of how to protect my vehicle yet he doesn't install
>> those protection features as a "professional" installer.
>
> I would not ever disable the starter. It gives the thief
> something to do. Creates a larger noise and time delay. Just disable the fuel
> or ignition.
>
> greg

That is what I meant by starter kill.... I usually break the ignition
circuit somewhere other than the ignition harness in the steering
column. I am of the opinion that splicing close to the key just gives
the thief the information he needs to hot wire the car! Hell, 15 years
ago I used to base my alarm installs off of the shoddy installs that I
saw other "professionals" do! I am still shocked to see that the
installs today are just as shoddy, except now they don't even disable
the vehicle.

I guess the factory immobilizer circuits are supposed to keep the
vehicles safe..... Oh wait, I almost forgot that the real thieves
already know a way around those too.

Re: Car alarm installers rant

In article <dIedneBNccaP64rVnZ2dnUVZ_vyinZ2d@giganews,com >, ChrisB <ChrisB@somewhere.someplace,com > wrote:
>GregS wrote:
>> In article <voOdnX06H48Kz4rVnZ2dnUVZ_judnZ2d@giganews,com >, ChrisB
> <ChrisB@somewhere.someplace,com > wrote:
>>> ruens wrote:
>>>> On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:22:17 -0500, ChrisB
>>>> <ChrisB@somewhere.someplace,com > wrote:
>>>>
>>>> (...)
>>>>
>>>>> No shit. One of my police officer friends told me how sophisticated the
>>>>> thieves were regarding the LS1 thefts in the state. He then went on to
>>>>> tell me how the thieves have tow trucks in the New Orleans area, and
>>>>> seem as though they are towing vehicles for legitimate reasons.
>>>>> Uniforms, papers, you name it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Although I can't stop someone from stealing my car, I want to make the
>>>>> bastard work to take mine! I already have a super stealth car alarm
>>>>> install planned where the brain won't be where a thief would expect it
>>>>> to be (unless he feels like disassembling the interior of the car) and I
>>>>> am thinking of going with a non-traditional method to prevent the
>>>>> vehicle from running, in addition to the starter interrupt! The only
>>>>> downside to this is I easily see my install taking close to 16 hours due
>>>>> to the re-routing of the wires and the not so standard location of the
>>>>> brain. No shop around here would take on that monumental task, plus it
>>>>> wouldn't be worth the labor they would charge anyhow!
>>>> In addition to hiding the brain, you should consider a backup battery
>>>> and a few backup sirens. A hidden alarm brain alone is useless if the
>>>> battery wire is cut or removed.
>>> Oh, I am definitely going with a battery backup! Every alarm I ever
>>> installed had one, so this will be no exception.
>>>
>>> I am also going to use a couple of pain generators inside the cabin, as
>>> Matt suggested! That delayed trigger is also a good idea.
>>>
>>> Of all the ironies, a friend of mine who works as an installer at Best
>>> Buy has been telling me what I should do! He said that they, Best Buy,
>>> don't do starter disables because they were forced to pay too many tow
>>> charges, yet he told me that I need to disrupt the starter AND something
>>> else (fuel pump and/or ECU) because the starter disable would not stop a
>>> thief from push starting my car! I just find it ironic that he is
>>> making suggestions of how to protect my vehicle yet he doesn't install
>>> those protection features as a "professional" installer.
>>
>> I would not ever disable the starter. It gives the thief
>> something to do. Creates a larger noise and time delay. Just disable the fuel
>> or ignition.
>>
>> greg
>
>That is what I meant by starter kill.... I usually break the ignition
>circuit somewhere other than the ignition harness in the steering
>column. I am of the opinion that splicing close to the key just gives
>the thief the information he needs to hot wire the car! Hell, 15 years
>ago I used to base my alarm installs off of the shoddy installs that I
>saw other "professionals" do! I am still shocked to see that the
>installs today are just as shoddy, except now they don't even disable
>the vehicle.
>
>I guess the factory immobilizer circuits are supposed to keep the
>vehicles safe..... Oh wait, I almost forgot that the real thieves
>already know a way around those too.

You should have your insurance reduced when you have a theftproof
device installed. My insurance still has that ever since I installed one
long ago.

greg

Re: Car alarm installers rant

GregS wrote:
> In article <dIedneBNccaP64rVnZ2dnUVZ vyinZ2d@giganews,com >, ChrisB <ChrisB@somewhere.someplace,com > wrote:
>> GregS wrote:
>>> In article <voOdnX06H48Kz4rVnZ2dnUVZ judnZ2d@giganews,com >, ChrisB
>> <ChrisB@somewhere.someplace,com > wrote:
>>>> ruens wrote:
>>>>> On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:22:17 -0500, ChrisB
>>>>> <ChrisB@somewhere.someplace,com > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> (...)
>>>>>
>>>>>> No shit. One of my police officer friends told me how sophisticated the
>>>>>> thieves were regarding the LS1 thefts in the state. He then went on to
>>>>>> tell me how the thieves have tow trucks in the New Orleans area, and
>>>>>> seem as though they are towing vehicles for legitimate reasons.
>>>>>> Uniforms, papers, you name it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Although I can't stop someone from stealing my car, I want to make the
>>>>>> bastard work to take mine! I already have a super stealth car alarm
>>>>>> install planned where the brain won't be where a thief would expect it
>>>>>> to be (unless he feels like disassembling the interior of the car) and I
>>>>>> am thinking of going with a non-traditional method to prevent the
>>>>>> vehicle from running, in addition to the starter interrupt! The only
>>>>>> downside to this is I easily see my install taking close to 16 hours due
>>>>>> to the re-routing of the wires and the not so standard location of the
>>>>>> brain. No shop around here would take on that monumental task, plus it
>>>>>> wouldn't be worth the labor they would charge anyhow!
>>>>> In addition to hiding the brain, you should consider a backup battery
>>>>> and a few backup sirens. A hidden alarm brain alone is useless if the
>>>>> battery wire is cut or removed.
>>>> Oh, I am definitely going with a battery backup! Every alarm I ever
>>>> installed had one, so this will be no exception.
>>>>
>>>> I am also going to use a couple of pain generators inside the cabin, as
>>>> Matt suggested! That delayed trigger is also a good idea.
>>>>
>>>> Of all the ironies, a friend of mine who works as an installer at Best
>>>> Buy has been telling me what I should do! He said that they, Best Buy,
>>>> don't do starter disables because they were forced to pay too many tow
>>>> charges, yet he told me that I need to disrupt the starter AND something
>>>> else (fuel pump and/or ECU) because the starter disable would not stop a
>>>> thief from push starting my car! I just find it ironic that he is
>>>> making suggestions of how to protect my vehicle yet he doesn't install
>>>> those protection features as a "professional" installer.
>>> I would not ever disable the starter. It gives the thief
>>> something to do. Creates a larger noise and time delay. Just disable the fuel
>>> or ignition.
>>>
>>> greg
>> That is what I meant by starter kill.... I usually break the ignition
>> circuit somewhere other than the ignition harness in the steering
>> column. I am of the opinion that splicing close to the key just gives
>> the thief the information he needs to hot wire the car! Hell, 15 years
>> ago I used to base my alarm installs off of the shoddy installs that I
>> saw other "professionals" do! I am still shocked to see that the
>> installs today are just as shoddy, except now they don't even disable
>> the vehicle.
>>
>> I guess the factory immobilizer circuits are supposed to keep the
>> vehicles safe..... Oh wait, I almost forgot that the real thieves
>> already know a way around those too.
>
> You should have your insurance reduced when you have a theftproof
> device installed. My insurance still has that ever since I installed one
> long ago.

Mine as well, although they require that it be a passive-arm device (so
you can't "forget" to activate it). Whether you believe it's effective
or not, everyone who has an alarm with an immobilizer of some sort
should INSIST that the installer connect it, as I believe most insurance
companies will give a discount for it.