posted
I wanted to tell my story to verify the effectivness (if done right) of alarm systems and to educate others on how to better protect their custom rides from either the whole car or the contents being stolen. Here is my story:
Feb.25,1994 2:30am. Rainy (watch out when rainy, they LOVE it)! Muffles noise, but NOT sirens! They just got done jacking my brothers gear with MUCH damage done. Guess what? He DID NOT have a alarm. He does now. They then turned to my car. BAD, BAD choice, as they did find out the hard way! As a alarm installer, I had it rigged up! 2 30 watt home security sirens outside and 1 interior 130db car alarm siren (pain generator). To say the least, the bastards most likely ran like fire was up their a**. My pager went off also, but they were longgg gone!!! I had Viper perimeter voice, but did not have it on. If I did there might have been no damage to my ride. They broke my drivers side window, but the tint held it all together. They did not stay around to fold the window down into the car with the tint. It came off the track perfectly half way, just like I had rolled it down. Just one little tiny piece of glass fell inside. No water damage, because it had just finished raining. I will tell you all that there are FEW things in life better (for a car audio enthusiast) than find YOUR gear still intact and YOURS after a attempted burglary all for under $200 spent VERY wisely (compared to the $ spent for your audio gear). I just wish they had tried to hit my ride first, then ALL would have been saved, except for my broken window. I have been enjoying my same audio system for 10 years now, all thanks to a 'custom' alarm system!
The bottom line is this: Do yourself and your audio system a BIG favor and get a good alarm system and make it as LOUD as you can (both outside and interior sirens, flashing HEADLIGHTS, and interior strobes to blind them)! A pager is a good idea also. But be careful. You never know exactly what you are up against. If it was me I would yell at them and maybe shoot my shotgun up in the air to scare them off. That would most likely be enough!! I did hear a story of one car owner who snuck up behind the punk in the car and broke his legs with a baseball bat! I say, serves him right.
I will give the benefit of the doubt to the 'not in their right mind' punks, as we all know, but for the majority of the sane population a GOOD VERY LOUD alarm with A LOT of flashing lights will do the job!!
Some other theft prevention tips:
.Get a back up battery and siren for your alarm. (The back up batteries are little and DEI makes them) or you could use your second audio system battery, if you have one.
.Get a hood lock or hid your hood release lever, so they cannot get to it. Also, disable your hatch/trunk cable release lever inside.
.Shave off your interior door opening latch, so they cannot reach in and unlock.
.Make your audio system as stealth as you can. (Bolts, security screws, false faceplate, etc...)
.Get a starter kill or DIY ignition kill. I have seen ignition kill kits at Pep Boys Auto Parts. Make sure you use 2 kill switches hidden at different locations, so IF they find one, it still will not start.
.When you park your ride, turn your wheels toward the curb. (Makes it harder to tow away). Always put on your emergency brake and lock it in gear for manual.
.Use wheel locks with special keys that are notched to fit in a tire lug wrench. Also, use a locking gas cap lock.
.Use common sense. (Park in well lit areas, do not leave valuables in plain sight, etc...)
.The most important of all tips: Turn down your audio system when you are going to park it for a extended period of time. Do it plenty of time in advance, especially if you are a big bass head, like me. You never know if you will be turning the wrong heads to look at your ride.
I hope this true story and these theft prevention tips will help other custom riders and sound enthusiasts stay safer and keep their gear longer.
You might be riding in a mobile Fort Knox, but you will feel better when you park it knowing your ride can defend itself!
Take care, keep safe and keep crankin' the noise (within reason, of course)!
-------------------- RF Vintage Old School Fanatic, The Punch Car Audio for the dedicated sound enthusiast with a passion for performance! Cerwin Vega! Turn It Up! Since 1954. 50(more)years of disturbing the peace! -----------------------------------
quote:Originally posted by nv529: cool story.. where can i get my hands on some of the sirans????
Radio Shack sells them. They are self contained and are bigger than the regular car alarm sirens. I had to cut the plastic flare out, so just the long trumpet is pointing out to put it in my engine hidden. You could put it intact inside your ride, just make sure you hide it well. They are much louder than car alarm sirens. A car siren is good inside because of its very high pitch tone sounds.
-------------------- RF Vintage Old School Fanatic, The Punch Car Audio for the dedicated sound enthusiast with a passion for performance! Cerwin Vega! Turn It Up! Since 1954. 50(more)years of disturbing the peace! -----------------------------------
quote:Originally posted by nv529: cool story.. where can i get my hands on some of the sirans????
Radio Shack sells them. They are self contained and are bigger than the regular car alarm sirens. I had to cut the plastic flare out, so just the long trumpet is pointing out to put it in my engine hidden. You could put it intact inside your ride, just make sure you hide it well. They are much louder than car alarm sirens. A car siren is good inside because of its very high pitch tone sounds.
How much are they? Is it something I'd need my alarm dealer install or is it something I could add myself? I have a Clifford RSX3.5 with an extra battery backup siren, btw.
posted
you should look into a couple loud piezo sirens too...i put them in the rear cargo area where my subs are and when they go off you cant hold your head near them for more than about 10 seconds. Those things HURT. The important thing w/ sirens is make sure its not getting muffled, dont put it behind anything. If they wanna steal my subs they are going to be in huge pain while they do it. I've got one siren on each side.
The loudest of all would be air horns...a little harder to install but damn those things are LOUD.
btw, piezo sirens are cheap, $4-10 on partsexpress.com
Posts: 429 | From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:Originally posted by nv529: cool story.. where can i get my hands on some of the sirans????
Radio Shack sells them. They are self contained and are bigger than the regular car alarm sirens. I had to cut the plastic flare out, so just the long trumpet is pointing out to put it in my engine hidden. You could put it intact inside your ride, just make sure you hide it well. They are much louder than car alarm sirens. A car siren is good inside because of its very high pitch tone sounds.
How much are they? Is it something I'd need my alarm dealer install or is it something I could add myself? I have a Clifford RSX3.5 with an extra battery backup siren, btw.
They are listed retail in the Radio Shack catalog for $50. I can get mine cheap because I work home security and can get them wholesale from a distributor. You can install them yourself. I would say you are safe with your backup siren! I would also agree with the other post about piezo sirens and air horns.
-------------------- RF Vintage Old School Fanatic, The Punch Car Audio for the dedicated sound enthusiast with a passion for performance! Cerwin Vega! Turn It Up! Since 1954. 50(more)years of disturbing the peace! -----------------------------------
quote:Originally posted by RFVega115: I would say you are safe with your backup siren!
I hear the DEI battery backup sirens are pretty tough to beat into submission if you don't have the key. I've accidentally set it off a couple of times under the covered parking at my apartments. It's friggin loud under there. The last time it happened it was around 1:00 AM. I don't think the neighbors appreciated it.
I'd just like to add something to the interior of the car. Maybe the piezo sirens are the way to go. I should probably add a couple/few of those this summer just for kicks if they are that cheap.
posted
If I were you I would not wait until this summer, I would do it ASAP! The thieving punks might not wait until this summer! The main problem with theft is you never know when or where. Not meaning to make you paranoid, but the motto I live by is: "It is always better to be safe than sorry".
-------------------- RF Vintage Old School Fanatic, The Punch Car Audio for the dedicated sound enthusiast with a passion for performance! Cerwin Vega! Turn It Up! Since 1954. 50(more)years of disturbing the peace! -----------------------------------
posted
i know what you mean, a few years ago during a snow storm a friend's car was broken into. We could see ATV tracks going right next to his car and footsteps all around it. Unfortunetely for him he had to park about 100ft. from his house and couldnt hear the ATV and they got him for almost everything. The thieves will take advantage of bad weather, i've heard of this happening several times.
Posts: 429 | From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I haven't had any problems with attempts to break into my car, even tohugh I have heard rumors that it was going to happen. The rumors were before I changed out the status LED. I put 2 blue LEDs, one on each side of the windshield, near the top. It is a pain with having them there, since I have to wait a few seconds to be able to drive. The blink a few seconds after I start the car and put it in gear. The piezo things from radio shack (I reall yhate shopping there), can you just wire it to the original siren wires? How many sirens can an alarm handle at once? I am setting the car up with accessory lighting to be only used for the security system. when the alarm is set off the headlights, turn signals, taillight, brakes, and tag lights will strobe. The underbody kit will start flashing. The interior will strobe, and the word "Beretta" will light up, like the knight rider scanner. In other words the whole darn car will be lit in one way or another.
posted
i dont know if you can get piezo's at radio shack...they sell regular sirens but i dont know about peizos...and no you cant wire them up directly into the existing siren wire, you have to use a relay and supply each siren with its own constant 12v source. The piezo's might be different since they dont use much power, but I ran them each their own just to be safe.
Posts: 429 | From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I managed to hook up all my 3 sirens to just the siren output wire from the alarm without using a separate relay. It is probably safer to use a relay though. Some alarms have higher amp relay capabilities built in to handle a increased load of additional equipment wired up. I am using a Magnadyne Carbine.
-------------------- RF Vintage Old School Fanatic, The Punch Car Audio for the dedicated sound enthusiast with a passion for performance! Cerwin Vega! Turn It Up! Since 1954. 50(more)years of disturbing the peace! -----------------------------------
posted
I picked up a piezo from Radio Shack last weekend. I is supposed to do 108dB, but doesn't seem like it. It has 3 wires, red/black/blue and can be wired as pulsing or constant. Cost was about $8. I will probably be installing it this weekend, if nothing else comes up. Going to use my overhead console which is shaped like a horn, of sorts. Well, it has a pocket in it and makes me think of a tweeter horn. If it works out good, I will be getting 3 more and placing them in various spots. Also working on some bright LED strobe lights for the interior. In other words, pain and blindness is what I am after. I sure wish I could hook up a 5kw volt stun gun to the interior of the car.
posted
Sounds like your on the right track! I would recommend using the pulsing sound of the piezo. Louder than the steady (constant).
-------------------- RF Vintage Old School Fanatic, The Punch Car Audio for the dedicated sound enthusiast with a passion for performance! Cerwin Vega! Turn It Up! Since 1954. 50(more)years of disturbing the peace! -----------------------------------
posted
a trick i did on my alarm.... use dei 524n door lock actuators, attach a steel pin, run it through the door itself intot he door frame from inside the door... if someone breaks my windows, they will have to crawl over it... you cannot get inside my truck without the alarm remote at all...
-------------------- Team Art of Noyze DiRtY SoUtH DEAF SqUaD Elemental Designs Representative 150+ Nissan pickup and 150+ Rex United States Marine Posts: 2110 | From: Atlanta,GA,USA | Registered: Dec 2000
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posted
I am bumping this up because I want other new people to see this on the front. Very useful info for everyone.
-------------------- RF Vintage Old School Fanatic, The Punch Car Audio for the dedicated sound enthusiast with a passion for performance! Cerwin Vega! Turn It Up! Since 1954. 50(more)years of disturbing the peace! -----------------------------------
posted
I am very paranoid about my car. My key hole for my trunk is gone (replaced with a backup camera). The hood needs 2 people to open one at the latch one in front to pop it. I have both pinned so if someone manages to get to them the alarm will go off. I pulled my entire dash to install the alarm. No way to get to it easily. I have ign and starter disable. In the past I hid my amps in the side pannels next to the back seats and the box for my subs had to be built inside the trunk and was bolted though the metal behind the back seat. It is important to protect every possible means of entering a vehicle. I recomend glass break and tilt sensors. When it comes down to it the only fail safe way to protect your vehicle is with a tracking system. Clifford and Prestige are some of the many companies that offer this service. That way you will be able to locate your car if it is towed/dragged away or car jacked. I definetally agree Do Not Bump Your System Anywhere Near Where You Live Or Park The Car For Any Length Of TIme!!! Don't leave anything out in the open. If you have a hatchback tint the back windows so nobody can see your system. Adding different color LED's is also a good thing to do. A thief would see that as a possibly more advanced alarm.
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