car had stuff stolen out of it last night, question about the alarm

[IwantMKIII]

So i came to discover this morning right before i left for class almost ALL of my change and left over bolts and such i keep in the coin tray by the shifter were taken :aigo: . Thanks god nothing else was. My suspicions lead me to believe this was done at the gym at my school.

My question is: Recently (as in a couple days ago), i noticed my passenger door lock gets stuck when its very cold out, it won't lock or unlock electronically only manually. This is how i suspect the asshole last night got in, it was cold so i guess teh door didn't lock properly. So if the door doesn't lock properly but is closed fully, does the alarm still activiate???

If it does i assume this is why he only got what he did being that i was under a lamp post and such with an alarm blaring (maybe). if not..this greatly concerns me. I saw that microphone mod on supra.com tech tips page, is there any mod that you can hook up a wireless alarm to carry on your key chain by chance???


Edit: i don't think this was done anywhere BUT the gym simply b/c my car is parked off street in a well lit complex right outside my bedroom. I have not had any problems up here and never heard of any.

 

[Guyana00]

Yes, there are many aftermarket 2-way alarms. Some can hook up to your pager or cell phone, but most of them come with a remote with lcd screen to display status of your car and let you know what's going on with it. For example if your hood or trunk or door is open. There are also ones that come with led's on the remote, different color/sound and blinking combinations mean different things. CompuStar is a popular choice.

 

[IwantMKIII]

Yes, there are many aftermarket 2-way alarms. Some can hook up to your pager or cell phone, but most of them come with a remote with lcd screen to display status of your car and let you know what's going on with it. For example if your hood or trunk or door is open. There are also ones that come with led's on the remote, different color/sound and blinking combinations mean different things. CompuStar is a popular choice.

ones that work with the stock one? cause that would cut down costs big time i would assume?

 

[supradan22]

Your really not gonna find one that works with the factory one.


I could be wrong but I doubt it maybe its time to upgrade the security system as well most of them come with a 2-way.

 

[Guyana00]

No, not to work with the factory alarm. The aftermarket sends a signal that makes it 2-way, unlike the factory alarm.

 

[Jaguar_5]

Any aftermarket alarm has a wire to disable your factory alarm (which has a wire to be disabled) I just took my factory alarm out and used some of the wiring from the harness.

I went with a Autopage 2-way remote start alarm system, I'm very happy with it

 

[IwantMKIII]

what are the ranges on the remotes you guys are using? and do they workin while you're in like malls and stuff, where this is a lot of metal to interfere?

 

[Guyana00]

They have them with up to 3 or 4 mile ranges, possible more by now, and with the interference from the mall to the parking lot that range is reduced but still close enough to tell you what's going on with your car, since you're nowhere near a mile away.

I know this may be out of price range but there are a lot of cool options out there:

- I'm sure you already know about the mics, when a window get smashed or tapped the alarm senses it and warns/goes off.
- Compustar has a window sensor on it so you can tap it and it will page the user, via his remote. More usefully though you can tap a certain amount of times ( 1 tap = the number 1, duh, etc.) and you can put in a pin number to get into your car. Of course this is if you lost your keys only or if you locked them in the car, not really an everyday use thing.
- There is also alarms with a keypad inside the car tht you must punch a pin into it about 45 seconds after you get into the car or you cant drive it. Also arms when you lock all doors and start driving.

^ That last point is good if you get carjacked and the door is opened, get the hell out and let him have the car and 45 seconds later down the road, car is shut down. dont follow him obviously since he'd be angry, lol.

Anyways, those are just things that are options, go to a store, not a large retail store, try a littler shop. they usually have people who know a lot about the alarms and have a large selection unlike the retail stores. You'll learn about your options, shop around. Let us know what you decide to go with.

-Shankar

 

[Poodles]

There was someone that was making near plug and play installs for our cars...

Dunno what happened to him...

 

[IwantMKIII]

They have them with up to 3 or 4 mile ranges, possible more by now, and with the interference from the mall to the parking lot that range is reduced but still close enough to tell you what's going on with your car, since you're nowhere near a mile away.

I know this may be out of price range but there are a lot of cool options out there:

- I'm sure you already know about the mics, when a window get smashed or tapped the alarm senses it and warns/goes off.
- Compustar has a window sensor on it so you can tap it and it will page the user, via his remote. More usefully though you can tap a certain amount of times ( 1 tap = the number 1, duh, etc.) and you can put in a pin number to get into your car. Of course this is if you lost your keys only or if you locked them in the car, not really an everyday use thing.
- There is also alarms with a keypad inside the car tht you must punch a pin into it about 45 seconds after you get into the car or you cant drive it. Also arms when you lock all doors and start driving.

^ That last point is good if you get carjacked and the door is opened, get the hell out and let him have the car and 45 seconds later down the road, car is shut down. dont follow him obviously since he'd be angry, lol.

Anyways, those are just things that are options, go to a store, not a large retail store, try a littler shop. they usually have people who know a lot about the alarms and have a large selection unlike the retail stores. You'll learn about your options, shop around. Let us know what you decide to go with.

-Shankar

those are some pretty sweet options....and yes price is a big concern as usual. That tapping on the glass option is pretty sweet if you lock your keys inside. ill def look into it...i know just where to look actually.

 

[Jaguar_5]

My alarm has the window tapping feature, but I can't use it to enter my pin... But i have spare keys, i have somewhere else to enter a pin inside, i have an extra remote, so I've never had this problem. You need the remote to lock the car, so how are you going to lock your keys in the car?!

I seriously recommend you check out autopage alarms like I said earlier, best bang for the buck imo, and very reliable!

I also recommend you install it yourself, asfar as the 'small shop' thing, there's one of those around here that was known for stealing items back that a customer bought, they installed the alarm system, and they usually get the address too, doesn't get any easier to steal from someone!

 

[Guyana00]

By small shop I of course mean a place you trust....as in one recommended by a good friend or family member who has done business with them. The window tapping feature is on the newer models.

Also, you can lock the keys in the car by accident, some alarms auto lock, either when all doors that were opened are locked or after a few seconds if you dont lock it yourself. It happens.

My bro was working on an mx6 he had bought, (sold now) and he had the key in the car and wasn't aware there was an alarm on the car, aftermarket, no led or warning on it, the seller didnt mention it. So anyways, since he bought it with no battery, he had put one in and once the alarm got power it locked the doors.

He just ended up getting another from the dealer though.

If you look around you can usually get decent deals on Python systems as well.

 

[IwantMKIII]

My alarm has the window tapping feature, but I can't use it to enter my pin... But i have spare keys, i have somewhere else to enter a pin inside, i have an extra remote, so I've never had this problem. You need the remote to lock the car, so how are you going to lock your keys in the car?!
I seriously recommend you check out autopage alarms like I said earlier, best bang for the buck imo, and very reliable!

I also recommend you install it yourself, asfar as the 'small shop' thing, there's one of those around here that was known for stealing items back that a customer bought, they installed the alarm system, and they usually get the address too, doesn't get any easier to steal from someone!

ummm...you could lock the doors with the e-switch on the inside before you exit the car and leave your keys inside....how most people do it lol :biglaugh:


and yes there is a smaller shop around here i can trust...

 

[Jaguar_5]

That is true lol! I don't have the autolock feature enabled for that reason, and locking the doors doesn't arm the alarm, so I'm so in the habit of using the remote, i can't even imagine using the lock button!

 

[bfr1992t]

ummm...you could lock the doors with the e-switch on the inside before you exit the car and leave your keys inside....how most people do it lol :biglaugh:


and yes there is a smaller shop around here i can trust...

Actually 99% of people get out, swing the door towards closed, walk away and hit the button on their remote.

Many locksmiths are going out of business because of it. My friend had to close up shop.

 

[isnms]

For wiring that retains factory alarm also, check my sig for:
◊ Aftermarket Alarm wiring installation -'91 MKIII ◊

 

[jetjock]

I like the Crimestopper RS or CS systems, especially the slightly outdated models because they can be had for cheap. A one-does-all box. Long range alarm with shock sensor, remote start and keyless entry along with multiple AUX outputs for trunk or fuel door popping, etc. It'll also integrate with the stock alarm. Easy install too.

 

[mkiiSupraMan18]

- There is also alarms with a keypad inside the car tht you must punch a pin into it about 45 seconds after you get into the car or you cant drive it. Also arms when you lock all

make...?
Price...? Thats sounds like a great idea.