In light of recent events...

Other than mechanical theft deterrants (seat and wheel locks, parked in a garage), is an alarm really going to stop or prevent damage to the S?

After my deductable and other associated costs, a decent alarm is going to cost at minimum several hundred dollars...Just trying to weigh my options.

Opinions?

 

There is a small difference in your ins premium i believe.

Generally, it makes you feel more comfortable.

I think it will reduce damage. tachman feels his seats were 'saved' by his alarm.

 

Come to BB tonight Bryan and talk with owners. It will be worth the trip.
You might consider options that render the car undriveable if theft of the
car is your primary concern (take a look at Powerlock, for example) and
if you're worried about seat theft, consider the seat locks with the sticker.
They "might" see the sticker and move on to easier prey. I think S2000's
without an alarm are just easy pickings for these punks. A pro is going to
take yer shit one way or the other but I think it's the punks that do most of
the S2000 seat thefts. A good alarm might save you the hassle of another
claim.

 

I'll be at BB tonight...
Seat locks and sticker ordered.

 

Getting the best alarm is always a smart thing to do - then going a few extra steps.

As a previous owner of an Integra I know all about car-theft and vandalizm attempts, etc... I bought the Clifford RS3 alarm for my integra with the 2-way paging - It's saved a couple cars - basically it sends a signal to your keychain if ur a mile away that your cars alarm has been set off. Even if a thief cuts the battery he won't stop that signal going out to your keys...

Outside of that, since the main problem with S2's seem to be seats, etc - I'd get motion sensors installed on the windows, I forgot what they're called on cars but basically anytime somebody gets close to your window it'll buzz real loud, enuff buzzing and it eventually sets off your alarm..

Backup battery also helps..

Buncha stuff you can do but the bottomline is you can never stop a thief if he wants your car/items bad enough - you can only make it harder on them and hope they go off to an easier car.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Russ
A pro is going to take yer shit one way or the other but I think it's the punks that do most of the S2000 seat thefts.

 

I have an Alpine alarm. For all of $129 shipped I have a proximity sensor, shock sensor, glass sensor, and two 4 button remotes. It can do just about everything the Clifford can but is less money. All adjustments are done via the remote.

An install will run you $200-$300.

I think rateds2k has the same one. Its a good deal on a decent alarm. Honestly alarms are just something to scare people away. No one is going to steal the car without flatbedding to you really dont need anything too fancy. Also unless your packing heat getting a two way might be more trouble than its worth.

I suggest hooking your horn up to the unit though. Its much louder than a siren. Especially if you have 2004 horns.

 

Plus the horns cannot be disabled by popping the hood. Another plus.

 

Anything can be disabled when the hood is open. every device has a wire, once the hood is open it's easy.

However Keith does bring up a good point regarding the facotry horns, 2004 or not, it draws more attention and is one more thing that takes time to disable

Mitch

 

IMO, an alarm is no better than a flashing LED in the center console. A petty theif isn't going to be interested in a car that looks like it has an alarm. A pro will take the car (or seats) no matter what you do.

FWIW, I have an alarm, seat locks, and wheel locks. The seat locks make sure the seats don't leave (without SERIOUS effort). The alarm is simply there as a visual deterrent - no one cares if a siren goes off anymore. The wheel locks I'm not so sure about. I doubt anyone would want to steal S2000 wheels, the stagger and offset severely limits their use on other vehicles.