recommend a cheap car alarm?

foreign_correspondent

Can anyone recommend a cheap motion sensor alarm?

My old car was ruined by local kids climbing on it, so I put up a CCTV camera, caught them in action, the local bobby has had words and it stopped... the car, which was ditched, then died - a piston ring went, so I replaced it, with another second hand car.

The car is a W reg, but is immaculate, it had been garaged and was very, very low mileage, (26k) so I was keen to keep it tidy - I spoke to the local kids and made it very clear that although I had not looked for the damages to the old car to be paid for, that if any damage was done to this one I would be round to their mum's with the bill for bodywork repairs. They took this on board, and apologised, and I have had the new car for 2 months without any trouble...

.. till this Sunday, when I woke to find footprints across the boot, bonnet and roof of the car... :mad: ... and the corresponding dents... :mad:...when I reviewed the CCTV footage I was surprised to see that it was not any of the usual suspects - and in fact was a man in his forties, who appeared to be rolling home drunk, with two companions, when he felt is would be a good idea to clamber over the top of my bloody car :mad::mad: To say I am livid would be an understatement. (kids doing it I can sort of understand, because we all do stupid things to impress our mates when we are twelve, but I feel very much angrier about an adult doing this to my lovely shiny car)

I have given a statement and CCTV footage to the police, but I cannot stand this happening again, so have decided a cheap motion sensor alarm is the way to go now... I do not want to spend much, I just want something that will go off when anyone tries to climb on my car...

any suggestions appreciated! I do not even know what sort of thing I should be googling for, there are so many different sorts!

Also, how much should I be looking to pay to get it fitted? and do I need to go to a car alarms place, or will my local independant garage be able to do the job?

Thanks in advance!

Rallydriver

As with everything, you get what you pay for. So a cheap one won't be as good as a really expensive one.

Try looking at the Microscan range if you are just looking for a cheap self install option. There are various levels in the range and you can add the dual-zone thingy to most of them.

The Clifford Concept range seems to be the most highly rated at the moment but you'd pay for it.

If you want to declare it to the insurance then you'd need to get it professionally fitted and certified.

foreign_correspondent

Rallydriver wrote: »

As with everything, you get what you pay for. So a cheap one won't be as good as a really expensive one.

Try looking at the Microscan range if you are just looking for a cheap self install option. There are various levels in the range and you can add the dual-zone thingy to most of them.

The Clifford Concept range seems to be the most highly rated at the moment but you'd pay for it.

If you want to declare it to the insurance then you'd need to get it professionally fitted and certified.

thanks - what is dual zone?

not bothered about adding it to the insurance, the car was only £800 but I just dont want it wrecking.

- Just rang a local auto electrical place, they quoted me £215 - I asked for a price for a cheap motion sensor alarm and fitting - he said its £195 plus £20 for the motion sensor - I didnt know they were seperate things?

£215 is more than I want to pay - I resent having to pat anything, but I think if I do not I will soon have a car with the roof totally bashed in, like the last one!

Last time I had a car alarm it was a fat black cylinder shaped thing bolted on in the engine bay, and I dont think it cost anywhere near that much, and that was 7 or 8 years ago....

hewhoisnotintheknow

cant comment on the alarm, but when i was younger i had a problem with people running over the top of my car, as did others in the street, i found pointing the car in the same direction that that yobs coming back from town/pub would be heading worked, as they cant climb onto the boot as its too high.

if you have a neighbour you seem to park next too, park nose to nose then it makes it a lot harder for them to jump on the bonnet

foreign_correspondent

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

cant comment on the alarm, but when i was younger i had a problem with people running over the top of my car, as did others in the street, i found pointing the car in the same direction that that yobs coming back from town/pub would be heading worked, as they cant climb onto the boot as its too high.

if you have a neighbour you seem to park next too, park nose to nose then it makes it a lot harder for them to jump on the bonnet

thanks, I have tried turning the car around - in fact I have been parking the other way round since I have had the new car - we are on a hill and I cold see that running down the hill then up the bonnet of the car was somehow attractive - this p1ssed bloke did not run up the bonnet of the car though - he slowly scaled up the back end of the car, onto the boot and crawled over the top, then turned and slid down the front.

So, parking differently has not worked, putting up a big, visible CCTV camera has not worked, and I am livid - I just need a cheap and loud alarm as another strategy to try put off random idiots.

foreign_correspondent

I cant even find places that supply and fit the bo00dy things - Halfords have a couple in but dont fit them, my local garage doesnt fit them, and the auto electrician who will fit one wants over £200 to supply and fit them. If you supply your own they charge for 4 hours labour to make up for the loss of profit on selling the alarm!

The local auto spares place does not sell the, neither does the car spares shop down the road....

who would have thought it would be such a challenge!

exup

i had a toad alarm fitted - was about £200 all fitted but it saved me about £100 on the car insurance so there maybe that to take into account aswell

Takoda

exup wrote: »

i had a toad alarm fitted - was about £200 all fitted but it saved me about £100 on the car insurance so there maybe that to take into account aswell

Does that stop frogs jumping on your car?

foreign_correspondent

exup wrote: »

i had a toad alarm fitted - was about £200 all fitted but it saved me about £100 on the car insurance so there maybe that to take into account aswell

I doubt it will be a factor for me - my car is a cheap one and my insurance is only about £200 anyway.....

.. so any cheap alarm advice appreciated!

p.s. no problems with toads on the cas here, just rats!!!:mad:

steveo3002

dont think theres many alarms that will do what you want it to

i have a expensive one (800£) that includes a shock sensor , thing is you have to have it quiet sensitive and then storms and cats will set it off ...plus the thug will already be on the bonnet before the alarm goes off

you can get a proximity sensor that chirps if someone is near the glass...but again that wont stop em hoofing the door in

ailuro2

put something undesirable on the rear windscreen of your car, then they'll get covered in whatever it is when they slide on it...make sure it's easy for you to clean off and non-corrosive to the bodywork if it drips down. Would honey work? That would be annoying for them, if their parent sturned up you could make out it must be tree sap...

An alarm would only make them jump off quicker if they think you're going to come out and tell them off, which might turn it into a game for the younger ones. The old !!!!!! bloke won't be deterred.