Car alarm options?

Holiday

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Protege 5
So my P5 has remote entry but I assume no alarm as there was no mention of such by the previous owner. So I've been considering getting one. As far as I know there is a factory option and of course aftermarket options. Just wondering if there are any recommendations. A good system for the money that's easy install. Thanks.
 
Just hide a kill switch somewhere.

My friends mountain bike is worth more than my car.
 
are you more concerned about someone stealing the car? or whatever you have inside of it?

If you're worried about the car itself, i wouldn't. I don't see a high demand for stealing such a cheap car, and if you're concerned about it just make sure your insurance covers theft.

If you are trying to protect the contents (wheels, planning to add a big stereo, etc) then it's a little different story as most insurance companies won't cover anything that isn't physically bolted to the vehicle. At that point, an alarm isn't a "sure thing" but could be a good deterrent against less experienced thieves. However, no alarm, regardless if it's a $29 kmart special or a $1000 custom install is going to 100% prevent anything. if a good thief really wants something, they're going to get it.

my key is to make my car look as crappy as possible. i've left it for weeks straight in "less than desirable" parking lots and nobody touches it lol. Nobody seems to want to steal a muddy beat up looking protege with a cracked windshield...
 
Yeah I've been debating the necessity of a car alarm. Car aint worth that much so I'm not really worried about having it stolen. More wondering about someone smashing the window because they think something valuable is inside. I do have tints on all the rear windows though and I suppose insurance covers me. This is my first car so I've been wondering. Perhaps the single most attractive thing someone would want off the car is the rims I have for summer time, though they are like $130 each, which aint all that much.
 
Yeah I've been debating the necessity of a car alarm. Car aint worth that much so I'm not really worried about having it stolen. More wondering about someone smashing the window because they think something valuable is inside. I do have tints on all the rear windows though and I suppose insurance covers me. This is my first car so I've been wondering. Perhaps the single most attractive thing someone would want off the car is the rims I have for summer time, though they are like $130 each, which aint all that much.

Tint is good, don't slap a bunch of audio stickers on it, and if you have a stereo don't bump it close to home.

If you're worried about someone smashing a window, leave it unlocked with nothing valuable inside.

Alarms are more of a pain than they're worth unless you want remote start or something that commonly comes with them. It's not going to stop them from smashing the window, the alarm might just make them take off after the fact. You're still left with the busted window.
 
Alarms are more of a pain than they're worth unless you want remote start or something that commonly comes with them. It's not going to stop them from smashing the window, the alarm might just make them take off after the fact. You're still left with the busted window.

Not necessarily true. Installed and set up correctly, you should never know it is there. And if you do have something inside the car you want to keep there, they are a good deterrent for that. Yes you may have a broken window still but you'll still have your stuff because they will generally take off as soon as the alarm goes off. Which is why i asked about vehicle protection vs. content protection. The car itself, let insurance deal with it in the *very* unlikely event someone actually steals a $2k car. That's what insurance is for. But if you have a stereo, frequently carry items of value, firearm, etc. in the car then a properly installed alarm is a good investment. Plus many insurance companies do offer a discount. Depending on the intended purpose alarms can be valuable. Area crime is also a factor. I live way out in the country and 3 of my neighbors (out of a total of about 8 houses on my street) are law enforcement. I'm not concerned about my car. I do have an alarm installed (it's part of what i do for a living), but i never even lock the doors, let alone use the alarm. But if I lived in a city and parked every night on a busy street it would be a different story.
 
Coming back to this thread because I will be traveling to a new city to live and packing up all my belongings in my car including electronic items. So I'm wondering if this situation would warrant a car alarm as a deterrent. Probably a 80-90% chance my car won't be touched but I can't afford to have items stolen out of it. I've considered too if perhaps just slapping on a couple anti-auto theft stickers and a blinking LED light on the dash might work.

At any rate any suggestions for a good car alarm?
 
Get a killswitch and hide it; reading over the other replies and there's not much more to be said.

I have the factory remote with autolocks etc and decided just to hide a killswitch in it to flip in sketchy places rather than get a full alarm system.
 
Get a killswitch and hide it; reading over the other replies and there's not much more to be said.

I have the factory remote with autolocks etc and decided just to hide a killswitch in it to flip in sketchy places rather than get a full alarm system.

A kill switch will make it harder to steal the car, but will do nothing to protect contents. If someone really wants to steal my car, they can have it. I'm not that attached to it :)

As for suggestions, I work for a company that makes alarms, remote start systems, and etc. (We even made/built the add-on alarms that you would have bought from the dealer when your car was brand new). So for brand preference, clearly I have a bias. But as I said before, even the best alarm in the world isn't worth squat if it's not installed well. My generic advice would be to seek a REPUTABLE car audio shop to you locally, and see what they have to offer. I'd take a $50 alarm with a great installation over a $500 alarm with a hack-job installation without hesitation.
 
A kill switch will make it harder to steal the car, but will do nothing to protect contents. If someone really wants to steal my car, they can have it. I'm not that attached to it :)

As for suggestions, I work for a company that makes alarms, remote start systems, and etc. (We even made/built the add-on alarms that you would have bought from the dealer when your car was brand new). So for brand preference, clearly I have a bias. But as I said before, even the best alarm in the world isn't worth squat if it's not installed well. My generic advice would be to seek a REPUTABLE car audio shop to you locally, and see what they have to offer. I'd take a $50 alarm with a great installation over a $500 alarm with a hack-job installation without hesitation.

Yeah just wasn't sure on what he was trying to protect, the protege5 itself is pretty easy to break into (as I've locked my keys in it before) but the killswitch is there so I know my car will still be there after lol. You're right, +1 with finding a reputable car audio shop. There are quite a few around me that have cheap alarms with free installation (great deals all year it seems) whom I've previously went to; you just have to look around. As for contents, maybe the privacy cargo trunk cover to help hide valuables in the back? Otherwise just don't leave it in the car.
 
I scored a couple of the oem alarm setups with the impact sensors way back. Car had keyless entry but no alarm when purchased new. Still on the first one after 8-10 yrs. They are plug-n-play into harness with just one wire needing ground and finding a place for the bypass switch. Easy install and it is what it is as alarms go. It does it's job and has good sensitivity setting on the sensor. Others have had issues with the oems, I have not.
 
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