Posted by NCLisa on 12/30/08 9:52am
Msg #273080

Car Alarms?

Anyone buy one of those car alarms from BestBuy or somewhere else? Do you like them?

Had my car broken into the day before Xmas and my GPS stolen, so I'm looking for an alarm or some kind of determent.

Reply by Dave_CA on 12/30/08 9:58am
Msg #273082

I do have alarms on both our cars but would not rely on that to stop someone after my GPS.
It can be removed too quickly and car alarms go off too often for most people to pay much attention.
I always remove mine from it's mount and put it out of view.

Reply by rengel/CA on 12/30/08 10:25am
Msg #273083

Just having the mount on your dashboard alerts them that you have a GPS. They will break in to find it.

Just make sure your insurance is up to date.

Reply by John/CT on 12/30/08 10:34am
Msg #273085

Re: Car Alarms

Removing the mount along with the GPS unit still won't stop theives if see the residue left by the mount's suction cup ... either on the windshield or dash. That's a sure sign that it's hidden someplace in your car, and an invitation to look for it.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 12/30/08 8:56pm
Msg #273166

Re: Car Alarms

"Removing the mount along with the GPS unit still won't stop theives if see the residue left by the mount's suction cup ... either on the windshield or dash. That's a sure sign that it's hidden someplace in your car, and an invitation to look for it. "

Simple solution - don't use a windshield mount.

I purchased a weighted dashboard mount for my Garmin. Simple to use, the GPS sits rock-solid on my dashboard, and when I'm done I remove the GPS and stow the mount under my seat. No evidence that there's a GPS in the car...

I think Garmin offers these mounts for all of their models; not sure about other manufacturers. I bought mine on Amazon, but you can probably find one on eBay...

Reply by CopperheadVA on 12/30/08 10:32am
Msg #273084

I had a car alarm many years ago after having a couple of car stereos stolen and I don't think they really help at all. They do go off in error sometimes, and when they do go off it's more of an annoyance to others than anything else.

I bought a case for my GPS at Staples and take the unit in with me when I go into a closing appt. I also take the mount off the windshield and put it away in a bag under the seat. Additionally, I wipe the suction cup residue off the windshield. When not in use, I keep the entire GPS assembly in a bag (one of those bank bags) and in the house. I store it next to my notary bag and grab both when I'm off to an appt. Kind of a pain for all the extra steps, but I've heard of too many being stolen from vehicles.

Reply by nolanotary on 12/30/08 11:15am
Msg #273087

I have a Viper 2-way alarm which notifies you immediately, via the remote, when your alarm is triggered. I don't really depend on it to prevent theft; that's what my Beretta 9mm is for. As others suggested, hide/remove valuables when leaving the vehicle.

Reply by sue_pa on 12/30/08 11:16am
Msg #273088

Get a new car w/alarm and GPS built into the car (smiley face here !!!)

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 12/30/08 11:25am
Msg #273089

Well, some alarm is better than no alarm .. but....

My two main vehicles came with alarms from the factory. Still did not prevent a smash and grab. No one pays attention to car alarms these days. I try not to leave anything of value in my truck when I am gone. Sometimes it can't be helped and some alarm is better than no alarm.

A few years ago, when I was still working full time, at a manager meeting, I had a friend get his nearly new GMC truck stolen and he had the kind that had the hidden pager and Lojack plus he used the "Club". The pager went off and by the time we got to the parking lot (no more than 60 seconds) the thing was gone. We reviewed the tape from the security cameras and from the time the thieves pulled up and began to the time the truck was leaving, 22 seconds had expired. The Lojack helped find a nearly stripped truck in about 30 minutes. Thieves gone.

I did buy one of those alarms for my 1967 Mustang that just hooks up to the battery and detects voltage differences (door opens) or motion (which you have to set to compensate for windy conditions in some areas). It works as good as anything and did prevent a problem, but I was only 40 feet away. But that car I try not to get too far away.

Reply by Lee/AR on 12/30/08 11:41am
Msg #273092

Just curious...How'd they get around The Club? n/m

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 12/30/08 11:46am
Msg #273094

Re: Just curious...How'd they get around The Club?

Don't know. When the truck was found, it was stripped. No wheel or club, seats, tires, engine, tranny, rear axle ... all gone in less than 1/2 hour. A team effort.

The cops said that the Club was easy to defeat, although he didn't offer any details. .....

Reply by Steven Pearce on 12/30/08 12:10pm
Msg #273098

I use to use my Club, till I found out it was easier to cut

the steering wheel which is not as hard as the club.

Reply by Michelle/AL on 12/30/08 11:27am
Msg #273090

NCLisa, I don't use the suction cup for my GPS

instead I use the gizmo that sits on top of my dash - it's a weighted mount that leaves no indication that a GPS device was in use. Like others I remove everything: mount, cord, device after a trip and put it in my trunk or take it in the house.

Up until recently I never had a problem with the device sliding around on the dashboard. Either my driving skills are worsening or something's changed. That GPS device has been falling on the floor. It could be that I'm not positioning it correctly.

Lisa, I'm sorry to hear that your car was broken into. What a PIA. The city I live in is still considered a small town. Car alarms going off in my neighborhood would immediately cause an uproar.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 12/30/08 1:43pm
Msg #273112

Re: NCLisa, I don't use the suction cup for my GPS

Thanks for posting this, Michelle! I had no idea that something like this was even available. It's called a "friction mount". I'm checking into which one will fit my GPS.

Reply by NCLisa on 12/30/08 4:06pm
Msg #273124

At least it was a 2 yr old GPS that wasn't worth much, and

they left the $1200 saddle that was sitting on the seat! They also left the 2 $20's sitting in the ashtray.

Reply by LKT/CA on 12/30/08 11:33am
Msg #273091

I set up and use the security feature with my Garmin Nuvi - need 4 digit PIN. The unit is then useless to a thief. In order to "unlock" the unit, I'd have to send the unit to the company along with proof of ownership. Without proof of ownership - and I registered my unit online with the company when I got it, Garmin will not unlock it. Too bad for me if it's stolen, but certainly too bad for the thief.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 12/30/08 11:43am
Msg #273093

Re: Car Alarms?...LKT Lisa..

I think NCLisa's talking about a car theft and vandalism deterrent - not so much a GPS theft deterrent...unless I read her post wrong..

Too many Lisa's here!!...

Reply by Linda Juenger on 12/30/08 12:34pm
Msg #273105

Thanks for this thread today. My kids bought me a GPS for

Christmas and I was debating whether to mount it or not. I am not going to after reading these posts. Not worth taking the chance. Its not the GPS that would upset me if my car was broken into, it would be the vehicle damage getting to it.

My opinion about car alarms is that no one pays much attention to them. That's too bad and I don't think people want to get involved. It is dangerous in confronting someone in the process of a break in and like someone said, they are so fast that by the time the police are called, they are long gone. I wouldn't spend the money. JMO

Reply by PAW on 12/30/08 1:55pm
Msg #273113

Re: Thanks for this thread today. My kids bought me a GPS for

I don't keep anything of value in my cars when parked. And I don't lock the doors either. I would rather them open the door and rummage rather than break the window to do the same thing. And with my Roadster, a locked door simply means to slash the top to gain access.

When I was growing up, my Bubbie always told me that a locked door will only keep an honest person out.

Reply by BrendaTx on 12/30/08 2:17pm
Msg #273114

Amen, Paul.

I don't lock my doors either.

Or leave anything of value in it.

All over town cars are getting broken into because they leave nice stuff inside which is only a window break away.

I say open my car door and dig around.

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 12/30/08 4:08pm
Msg #273125

Re: Thanks for this thread today. My kids bought me a GPS for

I use to do that PAW, but a couple of years back the idiot thief did not check to see if the door was open, broke the window anyway and still found nothing .....

A lot of the time when I use a different car, I just lay the gps in the seat. The thing talks to me and I don't need it mounted to listen ....

Reply by NCLisa on 12/30/08 4:11pm
Msg #273126

We think they had an electronic key to get into all the cars

No broken windows, or doors. My car is always locked in the driveway because we have an annoying 4 year old neighbor that likes to take things out of our cars. (He also likes to lock his mother out of the their house on purpose)

Reply by PAW on 12/30/08 5:29pm
Msg #273136

Tool of the trade

Slim Jims work on just about any car. And a good Jimmer can open a door in a second or two. BMWs seem to cause the most problems, followed by Mecedes and Puegots. American cars are a snap and a pop. (No crackle necessary.)

Reply by NCLisa on 12/30/08 4:03pm
Msg #273122

The car was in my driveway!

The alarm would have at least woken me and the dogs up, and caught the perps as they kept stealing down the road. They just went right down the street, got an XM radion from a neighbor, and IPOD from someone down the road, and I don't know how many other things.

Reply by MW/VA on 12/30/08 6:47pm
Msg #273143

This is the new kind of crime. We had a huge rash of it a while back here in my part of VA.
The police can't do much--they told me it takes about 20 seconds for them to smash the window & grab it. The news carried warnings from the police about electronic equipment.
They advise never leaving the GPS mounted, and not even having the dash disk (a giveaway).
Apparently these are pros, and they know exactly what to look for. I live in a condo--they smashed my window & took my GPS. Now I only use it by putting it on the seat beside me--
I never mount it. It made me very leary of carrying a laptop or printer for this business.