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The Best Alarm For My Mini?


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#1 1987_ParkLane

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Posted 02 March 2009 - 10:25 PM

Hi all,

Well, with all the money I am spending on my mini, I thought it might be worth it to invest some of that money in a decent alarm kit. I am not too bothered about price or how hard it is to fit, I just need it to fit my requirements:

1. Door sensors, standard doors, etc.
2. Boot sensor.
3. Immobiliser.
4. And any other good features that are out there.

I'm just looking for reccomendations or tell me what you have and how it performs. I just need something very safe and reliable.

Thanks

#2 HickeyCM

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Posted 02 March 2009 - 10:57 PM

when i bought my car it had a toad alarm kit. i got it working and it works great!
it alarms itself after 5 mins of no use, for when you forget to alarm it. the alarm sounds when the door opens and the car won't start unless you turn the alarm off, which is the immobiliser bit. i havent checked if the alarm sounds if you open the boot yet.

Hope that helps
Conor

#3 Disco Dan

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 12:33 AM

Research suggests that more and more people walk right past car alarms going off, do not look out of there windows or call the police when they hear them.

Yes it is still a deterrent to a thief however depending on your area, no-one may bother investigating when your alarm is triggered.

Several alternatives:

There is a company (forget their name) that has come up with a great solution - smoke. When you alarm is triggered a smoke canister inside the car is activated, filling the entire car with white smoke in 1-2 seconds. Even with a door wide open. The thief is unable to see anything and draws a lot of attention!

Paging alarm systems are good. You have a keyfob with a lcd screen on it - when your alarm goes off the key fob vibrates, beeps and flashes it's lights. The screen then tells you what part of the car has been compromised - door/window etc. Very good and usually have a 2km range to them. I had one fitted to my landrover discovery, also had a remote start fitted which was great fun! Went off while I was in the movies once and legged it outside to find a young teen trying to break in. Usually found on trademe.co.nz as a chinese/japanese import product, for as little as NZD$200 so great value.

Anything remotely dangerous like electrified steering wheels and flame throwers etc etc are against the law.

Consider a 'screamer' system. A very loud siren fitted inside the cabin that is ear piercingly loud - so loud in fact you cannot physically stay inside the vehicle for more than a second or two. Very effective, I would avoid false alarms in the middle of the night with this one though!

Wheel clamps - Very effective and highly visual. A right pain to put on/off each time you use your mini though.

Ground anchors - My favorite! I have had several made up and concreted into the ground in the garage, not only for my cars but also my motorbikes. VERY effective. Downside - dont leave any tools out capable of cutting through the chain/anchor! Keep your tools locked in a box inside your locked garage.

GPS System - very nice to have, usually has a monthly fee attached to it. Great fun for spying on your girlfriend/wife etc - as you can see your cars location in realtime on a map in your web browser!

#4 Globule

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 07:00 AM

Paging alarm systems are good. You have a keyfob with a lcd screen on it - when your alarm goes off the key fob vibrates, beeps and flashes it's lights. The screen then tells you what part of the car has been compromised - door/window etc. Very good and usually have a 2km range to them. I had one fitted to my landrover discovery, also had a remote start fitted which was great fun! Went off while I was in the movies once and legged it outside to find a young teen trying to break in. Usually found on trademe.co.nz as a chinese/japanese import product, for as little as NZD$200 so great value.


Toad sell one similiar to this, if i remember correctly there was someone on ebay selling them for £220 (he is an alarm shop so it's all straight!), the Toad Ai606 is meant to be very good, does all the things you want and is most likely the one that HickeyCM has! It also has ultrasonics inside so if you move once it's armed, it goes off, standard one of them is around the £110 area

#5 1987_ParkLane

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Posted 03 March 2009 - 06:46 PM

Thats some good info guys, really just sticking to and alarm and immobiliser set up, any other ones?

#6 1275 SPRITE

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Posted 05 March 2009 - 08:43 PM

Yeah, the pager is what Giles has on his Evo, its really good, even shows you what sensor triggered the alarn e.g door, bonnet, ultrasonic etc. That has a 4 way immobilizer which cuts the fuel pump, ignition feeds and 2 others which i'm not too sure about. Its also got a tracker as mentioned earlier, but its a bit overkill for a mini and damn expensive.

#7 Darkscamp

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Posted 05 March 2009 - 08:55 PM

i had someone fit a toad one to my now ex's car and it was spot on. brought a central locking kit off ebay for £40 brand new, had them wire it to the alarm so there is no more fumbling around for the right key, the passenger can enter straight away, when the alarm arms it automatically locks both doors giving you piece of mind, and it also keeps the keys away from the paintwork. well worth doing.

#8 1987_ParkLane

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Posted 05 March 2009 - 09:51 PM

I'm really looking for an alarm that has some sensors to go on the doors and boot, etc, and an immobiliser, and its just for my piece of mind everytime I leave her.




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