What do you all do to protect your car? eg Car alarm

[SJB1985]

Am i right in thinking you have a punto or a lambo

Regardless of what we drive we all want to keep out cars safe and secure.

I personally have my car alarmed and I also use one of these if I am going to be away for a few days or if I leave the car in a bad area:

http://www.autolok.co.uk/Pages/Aoriginal.htm

Regards
Stephen

 

[jameshobiecat]

Not a bad idea, although the GPS on my Samsung isn't usually very accurate especially in rural areas.

Gps should be at its best in rural areas where there is a clearer view of the sky and less ghosting caused by reflections off buildings.

If wiring a phone in under the bonnet, how is it going to get a GPS signal? Mine struggles in a trouser pocket, let alone under 2mm of steel.

 

[middo85]

Gps should be at its best in rural areas where there is a clearer view of the sky and less ghosting caused by reflections off buildings.

If wiring a phone in under the bonnet, how is it going to get a GPS signal? Mine struggles in a trouser pocket, let alone under 2mm of steel.

It should work better but mine doesnt! Yesterday i used it walking through a rural area with a clear view of the sky and it showed me being half a mile away from where i was yet later in a town it was accurate to within a few feet, i always assumed it was just poor GPS software in a phone as opposed to a proper GPS system

 

[jameshobiecat]

It should work better but mine doesnt! Yesterday i used it walking through a rural area with a clear view of the sky and it showed me being half a mile away from where i was yet later in a town it was accurate to within a few feet, i always assumed it was just poor GPS software in a phone as opposed to a proper GPS system

There must be something wrong with your phone. I use the GPS on my Sony android phone all the time to track bike rides etc, its always bag on unless in woods.

 

[SeanW]

In town, the phone likely uses the network to improve your position fix.

 

[jameshobiecat]

In town, the phone likely uses the network to improve your position fix.

That's aGPS (a for assisted) your talking about (which most phones do have) but it doesn't help improve the precision of the fix. It helps to get a rough fix quickly and can provide rough position data if you lose GPS signal (because of tall buildings etc). If you have a good GPS signal then the assisted data isn't going to improve anything.

 

[SeanW]

Not so much anymore - it is possible to get a reasonably accurate network fix in built up areas.

At least phones don't use LORAN-C lol

 

[AgnessGP]

Just thought id keep this in the same thread.

My car (also a gp) is not worth much. Most of the people that would damage it/regularly thieve things, know me and know my car so I would hope they wouldnt do anything.

However, with around £600 worth of audio gear and people knowing about it, it does worry me sometimes (just told the whole world there you go).

Last year, someone near me had his full speaker system stolen without a trace of damage...old saxo though much easier to get into.

So, with an upgrade planned for the future (touching £1k), how the **** do you protect things like this?

Even with a car alarm, would I run out and kick the **** out of them? I could do, but then they'd probably come back again for me, or worse, just knock me out and steal my stuff.

With equipment at this cost, most insurance companies won't cover it. So, how do you protect it, and your car?

 

[SeanW]

I believe the South Africans had an idea...involving gas bottles and pipes under the sills...

 

[GrandeGuy]

Seriously if someone stole your car would you want it back?
You don't steal a car then go for a nice quiet trip down to ASDA for some shopping . .

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Alarms are a waste of time IMO, how many times have you heard someone's car/house alarm going off? Did you ever go and see what was happening?

Would you not think twice seeing a car in motion with an alarm going off

I personally always have a quick check if an alarm is going off close by.

Might get you some dosh off your insurance which would be welcome if you are young and a new driver.

Don't count on it, cars are more secure than they've ever been, majority of cars are stolen with keys, rendering an alarm pointless, insurance companies don't give much, if any, of a discount for alarms these days.

This is what he has seen...

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=140680779661

Cheap crap that won't work on your GP as its not CANBUS compatible. Get a proper Meta system from Fiat

Well how many of you have an old smartphone lying about? For a while I've been meaning to wire in my old HTC somewhere under the bonnet to keep it always on, put an old sim in and let it keep reporting its location online (will use bugger all data, and none most of the time at home on wifi). Much cheaper and dare I say it more effective than a purpose built GPS tracker.

Would work out more expensive than what my Trackers cost to run and maintain. If you want a job doing properly then buy something designed to do the job in question

Gps should be at its best in rural areas where there is a clearer view of the sky and less ghosting caused by reflections off buildings.

GPS ghosting from buildings. You serious? GPS is straight up, nothing moves sideways with a GPS signal. If a building blocks a GPS signal then it blocks it, it doesn't start bouncing about.

With equipment at this cost, most insurance companies won't cover it. So, how do you protect it, and your car?

Get an insurance company that will cover it or take the risk

Seriously if someone stole your car would you want it back?

Depends how quickly its recovered. People seem to think that one joy ride knackers the car, which is very rarly the case tbh.

 

[dombooth]

Would you not think twice seeing a car in motion with an alarm going off

I personally always have a quick check if an alarm is going off close by.

If it's moving yes but in a car park i'll have a quick look but most of the time it's false.

Dom

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

If it's moving yes but in a car park i'll have a quick look but most of the time it's false.

Dom

So you've confirmed its worked then, you've looked. If someone was half out of a window I'm sure you'd then call the Police or something.

 

[dombooth]

So you've confirmed its worked then, you've looked. If someone was half out of a window I'm sure you'd then call the Police or something.

Yes but even with a house alarm, I won't go onto the property so more than likely I won't see anything.

Dom

 

[Didge3]

I didn't do anything to my GP security wise, it was a completely standard affair. I was happy with the stock alarm/immobilizer/dead locks.
To prevent theft of the Panda I just have a manual choke, most idiots don't know how to start it

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

stock alarm/immobilizer/dead locks.

I thought you were UK based

 

[Cento186]

Just lock my seicento, sometimes turn the wheel to get the steering lock on (a little paranoid when leaving it in dodgey places)

Although I've accidentally left it unlocked before overnight when it was parked on the street in Stowmarket and a couple of days ago I left it overnight with the window down and my wallet in it

Now its parked on the drive every night and I live in a village I don't worry about it being broken into/nicked anywhere near as much as when I lived in Stow

 

[Didge3]

I thought you were UK based

Don't understand?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Don't understand?

Using the dirty word 'Stock'

It's standard or OEM unless you're American

 

[Didge3]

Using the dirty word 'Stock'

It's standard or OEM unless you're American

Oh I see, forgive me. I used standard already in that post and I hate using the same word twice, I'd forgotten about OEM so used stock.