DoctorQ

The more mods (a.k.a., cash) I put in my ride, the more I wish I had ordered with factory alarm. Looking for suggestions/recommendations for a good quality and reliable aftermarket alarm and your experiences... thanks in advance, TMS brethren...

Bruce0146

Lojack is still considered the best not only by Insurance Companies who reward its install with a 35% discount but by law enforcement agencies.

http://www.lojack.com/

theedge67

LoJack only works in certain parts of the country/cities. I don't know of any police agencies anywhere in my area that are capable of tracking a LoJack equipped vehicle. Go with something that uses GPS and a monitoring system/service.

Got Oatz

This is the system I have, and thankfully have never had to use it to it's full extent, but I love it....

http://www.mymobileguardian.com/


Mike

DoctorQ

http://www.mymobileguardian.com/


Thanks for the link Mike. I perused the MobileGuardian site, and like all the features... couple of questions for you:
(1) ballpark cost?
(2) any audible warning systems to deter the 'bust-n-******' thefts?

Got Oatz

Hey Doc,
No problem. It cost me 750.00 or so, when I bought the car. One time cost, no monthly fee. Only additional cost is if you use the first 10 locates, then purchase more. They are very cheap to purchase.

My audible warning is the factory alarm, which works great! The internal motion sensor has been inadvertantly tested on occasion...
and works great. What I really like about the Mobile Guardian is, that it is linked to my cell phone, home e mail, and work e mail. If the alarm is activated, or, if the battery is disconnected, it alerts me via all three sources immediately.....

Let me know if you need any other info.....

Mike

DoctorQ

Thanks Mike... you mentioned "If the alarm is activated, it alerts me.." I don't have the factory alarm, so would I need both an active alarm AND mobileguardian? (i.e., does MobileGuardian require communicating with an existing alarm system). Thx.

Got Oatz

No. When you set up your profile with the Mobile Guardian, you have the option of listing several e mail addresses, as well as cell phone messaging, for notification purposes.....This is functional without a factory alarm.

Mike

GTorV6

Mike,

What "triggers" the MobileGuardian if you don't have a factory or aftermarket alarm installed? All I can see on the MG site is "MobileGuardian alerts you as soon as your car is started without your permission.."

Thanks for all of your input!

Got Oatz

Well, upon doing some additional reading, it would appear that you do need a factory alarm in order to take advantage of the e mail / cell phone notification....This from the MobileGuardian web site;
Theft & Recovery


How will I know that my vehicle has been stolen?
The dealer will have connected the MobileGuardian unit to the anti-theft system in your vehicle during installation. You can receive notification on any email-enabled device that you have designated. You have up to two email addresses available for notification delivery. The first address should be your cellular phone, if it is enabled to receive text messages, and the second your regular email address.
How do I send an email to my cell phone? If your phone is SMS capable, you can enter in your phone's email address to receive notification that your anti-theft system has been activated. For a list of email naming conventions by carrier click here.


So based upon that, I guess you do need the factory alarm for notification purposes. That being said, the tracking and disabling system would be enabled without a factory alarm, apparently just not the notification feature....
For some reason, I thought all Mustangs came with the factory alarm, but the option was either passive or active....never really looked into it, since mine came with the active alarm....

Sorry if I mis-lead on the info....

Mike

Justabear

http://www.nohotwire.com/

Check these out.

CannonBaller

Tracking systems aside.

What you need is an alarm with 2 way remote. With a mile range.
I have one on my 2007 Stang. Range of over 1 mile.
I even have a proximaty alarm that will trigger a silent call to my remote when someone looks in the window.
Basically, i am alerted on my 2-way remote over 1 mile away to these conditions.
1 - soft hit anyway on the car
2 - hard hit anyway on the car
3 - gawkers in my window
4 - and 2-way remote will tell you the status of your car, even interior temperature.
5- And i can remote start my car from (Yes its a 5-speed, not auto)

People will tell you that Viperis the best alarm, blah, blah. Only good thing about it is industrial strength. But it lacks on features and usability, specially on range. I had a few Vipers, and ended up changing them.

ANyway, i have the CompuStar installed on mine. In my opinion, you can't get any better then this. ANd it cost me only $500 installed. WAY WAY better then any crappy factory system. SO don't sweat it, you should be proud that you didn't order the factory alarm.
http://www.compustar.com/

and i looks like they just instroduced GPS tracking to.

hope that helps.

DoctorQ

Nick... great input. Does compustar offer 'ignition kill' ? I know this won't allow killing ignition during operation.. but I've read where some will prohibit restart after jacked car has been shutoff...

CannonBaller

Yes it has ignition kill. Most decent alarms do.
Basically when the alarm is armed, the car will not start. So the theif will not be able to drive away.
All you need to do to get it working again, is turn of the alarm (disarm). Simple.

But you may also be referring to jacked cars (eg someone takes your car at gun point). In this case you would need a GPS tracking alarm as mentioned earlier in this thread. With this setup you can use your cell phone to call your car and initiate a shutdown command. When the car reaches a certain speed, it will shutdown and not be restartable unless you disarm.

It's nice to have both types of alarms. But for everyday use a 2 way pager system is fine.

BUt You can also accomplish the same thing with a 2-way pager system as with the GPS system, simply by carrying an extra remote in your pocket. This way when some jacks your car, you have upto 1mile to trigger the alarm. The car will shutoff as soon as the theif steps on the brake.
That's how im setup now.