Alarm system

[LarryJewell]

Due to the recent thefts and attempted thefts of trucks, I have to question if it is really worth it to have an aftermarket alarm system installed, or is that just a small deterrant to a good thief and really not worth the time or money to install the system.

What would be the minimum system that should be installed if it is worth it?

 

[Chevy1925]

personally, i think an alarm system is more to keep an honest man honest anymore. If a theaf really wants your truck or stuff inside they will find away if time is allowed.

the one thing i like on an alarm is the ignition kill when the alarm is goin off (its usually an option with alarms) but it does no good for anyone to rip off your deck, personal items inside and so on. On mine i have the ignition kill and plan on puttin a no thorttle input tune in as well. id love to find away to keep the allison from shifting out of park as well by tuning or a simple way of stopping the NSBU switch from changing gears.

 

[MACKIN]

IMO you clever guys with EFI should be able to tune something so you have a switch and have zero throttle imput to set when the truck is parked. Not to bring him up but I recall Steve Cole had something like that a few years back with his 3 position switch you could allocate one position to no throttel input or just above idle.

That or a hidden switch pulling the starter circuit. That will stop all thief's from just driving away. Tow trucks ,rarely used,you cannot stop.

IMO that is the best anti-theft deterrent. All or most alarms can be disabled.

Like I said I unplug the bales BUT now I've let out my secret. Hope no one is lurking,ya right.

 

[MACKIN]

See that tells you my dumbness on EFI . My only experience is with Tony and the ECM I have which is switchable which I don't have hooked up. I dunno anything about the DSP thingamabob is it switchable tuning or do you guys have to upload each tune?

Teach me sum'tin.

 

[ripmf666]

I run the Viper think it's the 5100 if it's set off kills the truck from being started without the two way pager remote or key. Also my pager works upto 2 1/2 miles away and tells me if someone is messing with the truck and they haveca add on the works futher with smart phones and a gps Traker can be added. Best thing for my truck now is it's parked next to a cop car so if I don't shot them he will.

 

[Pondsy]

I think an alarm has its merits against local punks, but against a pro - they know how to get around em all if not almost all.

More than a few times I've been able to catch the prick who tried to break into my cars because they were just local punks and the alarm went off when they smashed the window. While they were trying to steal the stereo equipment and subs/amp/etc, I showed up with "help" and put an end to it.

 

[Pondsy]

And to answer your question ...I would want something that goes off when glass breaks, not just when the door opens/has a kill switch/and if I could afford it, a pager function with a good range.

 

[MACKIN]

I run the Viper think it's the 5100 if it's set off kills the truck from being started without the two way pager remote or key. Also my pager works upto 2 1/2 miles away and tells me if someone is messing with the truck and they haveca add on the works futher with smart phones and a gps Traker can be added. Best thing for my truck now is it's parked next to a cop car so if I don't shot them he will.

Didn't your truck get broken into recently out in Vegas? Not trying to be a dick just saying alarms only offer min protection.

 

[duramaxdiesel]

An alarm is good but this is even better: http://www.boomerangtracking.com/

It's what I have and if anything it gives me a little more peace of mind. The Espion model is the best out there.

Nick

 

[Brayden]

I have a viper 5902.. I haven't installed it yet but hope that it does a good job.

 

[Chevy1925]

I have an idea. what if you added a line onto your cell phone service (granted you will pay 5-10 bucks more a month), got a cheap cell phone, hard wired a charger into the truck and plug the phone into it, and hid the cell phone up under the dash/carpet/seat or somewhere so it was on all the time or made a way for the cell phone to turn on with an alarm. I know sprint has a deal where you can activate all the cell phones on your plan for tracking and you track them yourself. it will only work if there is cell signal but hell, there aint many places out here that dont have cell service.

obvious downfalls are cell signal, payin 5-10 bucks a month for something that you may never use, and if you dont hide it well enough it could be found and turned off.

something i jsut thought of and figured id throw out there seeing as most good theives look for lojack and what not and know how to disable it

 

[hondarider552]

I have arrowtrack in my dmax. Sends texts to my phone if boundary is set and there is movement. Will also kill ignition with a aftermaket alarm (viper 5100's) if programed. If your truck is stolen, it send you a text with gps coordinates exactly where it is, every minute. How fast it's going, what direction etc etc
http://www.arrowtrackgps.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=53

 

[jarheadhunter]

I have a Clifford and my main reasons are not because I thought it would prevent someone from stealing my truck. I got it because it has remote start and longer range to lock/unlock the doors. It does have a kill feature too, but I wouldn't count on that stopping a pro. Also I would never go with a Lojack product there coverage sucks and unless you live in Cali or AZ you probably wont get your ride back. I have heard good things about finditnowusa it is meant for motorcycles, but it could be used for any vehicle. Look at there coverage and options compared to lojack. Oh and this one will start tracking as soon as it's moved running or not. http://www.finditnowusa.com/compare.asp

 

[ripmf666]

Didn't your truck get broken into recently out in Vegas? Not trying to be a dick just saying alarms only offer min protection.

Yes and thats the only thing that saved it. They punched out the door lock and the door opens right up. But it set the alarm off and killed the truck from being able to start so they ran. If i had nothing on it I think they would of drove off with it. They were in the truck there was over 1k in tools and parts on the seat and floor not counting the pillar gauges they just ran with out anything once they set the alarm off from puching the key lock inside the door.

 

[LarryJewell]

Yes and thats the only thing that saved it. They punched out the door lock and the door opens right up. But it set the alarm off and killed the truck from being able to start so they ran. If i had nothing on it I think they would of drove off with it. They were in the truck there was over 1k in tools and parts on the seat and floor not counting the pillar gauges they just ran with out anything once they set the alarm off from puching the key lock inside the door.

They had punched out the door lock on mine too, they also took the top part of the steering column off and the black piece that your key fits into, looks like they stuck a screwdriver or something into the ignition but failed to start the truck so they ripped the dash apart and got the stereo and ipod. So far the dealer/body shop in Dallas is claiming over $7000 in repair costs so far without any incidentals. The thiefs left 3 amplifiers under the rear seat and the sub woofer box and they left my EFI Live that was under the rear seat too, guess they ran out of time.

 

[duratothemax]

They had punched out the door lock on mine too, they also took the top part of the steering column off and the black piece that your key fits into, looks like they stuck a screwdriver or something into the ignition but failed to start the truck.

see this is where the PASSlock system in the GMT-800's actually does its job. If you get some stupid punk idiot who tries to shove a screwdriver into the ignition, hot wire it, or take apart the steering column/ignition switch, it will disturb/ruin the PASSLock hall-effect sensor and therefore not send the ECM a challenge/response fuel-enable data signal...

The GMT-900's actually use a "chip" (passive transponder) in the key which is much harder to bypass. To steal a GMT-900 you'd not only need a properly-cut key, but you would also need a Tech 2 to re-learn the transponder/chip in the new key. Even when doing a force-key-relearn with a Tech 2 the ECM still makes you wait 30 seconds before it will allow the truck to start, as an additional deterrent to stop a professional thief who actually carries a tech 2 with him.

GMT-800, all you need is a properly cut key and the truck wont know the difference...it will pass anti-theft, start up normally and drive away.

GMT-900's, as I explained above, are much harder to steal. Id be willing to bet if a pro wanted a GMT-900 he would just bring a tow truck, because even with thousands of dollars of Tech 2, correctly cut keys, etc you still need to wait 30 seconds before the ECM will accept the new/relearned key....which is longer than most thieves will want to stick around...

Ben

 

[duratothemax]

the absolute best anti-theft device you can put on your truck is a custom hidden ignition/starter kill switch that ONLY YOU know about. The chances of a thief finding your secret custom switch and getting the truck to start are slim to none.

You can have the fanciest off-the-shelf alarm system in the world, but chances are a pro has seen/dealt with that particular system before and is going to know exactly how to disable it as quickly as possible.

 

[Dozerboy]

I have had an alarm in every vehicle I have owned and never had a theft or attempted theft. Other then the one time someone stole a lazer case off my tailgate but that was more of my helpers fault for leaving it there.

I know most of ya'll like the bling and that what makes your vehicles targets. I think my truck looks nice, but try and keep from attracting to much attention. Some of the areas I work the cops advise your gone by sundown and I ain't making no friends demoing building at 7 in the morning.

 

[MACKIN]

the absolute best anti-theft device you can put on your truck is a custom hidden ignition/starter kill switch that ONLY YOU know about. The chances of a thief finding your secret custom switch and getting the truck to start are slim to none.

You can have the fanciest off-the-shelf alarm system in the world, but chances are a pro has seen/dealt with that particular system before and is going to know exactly how to disable it as quickly as possible.

Exactly

Alarms wont stop popped door locks busted windows snatch and grabs vandalism and a pro can most likely disable for drive aways.

 

[lotsofmiles]

Link to the DIY for a hidden starter kill.

Ignition switch went out on my 99 van so I bypassed it with a hidden switch. Thinking it would be similar but the van was a "oh crap why is my starter running with the engine, I gotta be at a job in 30 minutes" install. Not pretty but it works