I just bought a 98 Civic EX. I definitely live in the ghetto in Boston and I've been mugged. Anyway, I want to get an alarm system, which I know is not a surething from theft, but something is better than nothing. My Honda has a keyless entry system and I'd like the two (keyless entry and alarm system) to interface so I don't have to carry two alarms. I also know a person who has a shop who will do the install for me. I'm a novice, what can I say, my first real car.
Anybody got any suggestions, I read a little on other car stereo boards but I trust the opinions of this board more.

Just a data point to consider:

I've known people who had their alarms stolen.

I've got a Code Alarm factory add on to my '01 prelude. It connects up with the factory keyless entry, so it's only got one remote. Code alarm seems to stick with the keep it simple method, and doesn't have a lot of extra features, but everyone seems to think highly of their build quality.

My father's Bronco didn't start out with keyless entry, and he now has the full Code Alarm system, and I like it better than the add on. It just works better - mine chirps every time I lock it, with the stand alone system it chirps on the seccond lock. The factory integrated system doesn't have a panic button, so I just don't have one. The full Code Alarm system locks the doors when you start the engine and unlocks them when you get out...

The feature I'd like is a pager, so I know it's my car going off. I'm on the first floor in my appartment building above my car, and it didn't wake me up when someone smashed my window. It did, however, wake someone else up who woke me up, letting me call the police half an hour after it was stolen instead sometime the next day. Maybe I'll look into an even louder siren.

Matthew

Alarms are pretty useless unless you're just looking to make dogs bark. Look more into ignition cutoff switches and steering column locks (not the club and other suck BS, the big metal things that wrap around the column. And if your neighborhood sucks that bad, you might want to get some of that window laminate that holds the glass fragments in place to keep people from stealing airbags and such (you'd still need new windows tho).

I definitely live in the ghetto in Boston

I get the sense lately that, thanks to the Internet and BBSes, we're starting to suffer from ghetto creep, or ghetto inflation, or *someting* like that. Just to test that theory, I'm going to bet an imaginary friend $20 that you don't really live in the ghetto. You just live in Boston.

I certainly could be wrong. Tell me, though, what neighborhood/intersection do you live in/near?

Alarms aren't useless, they just aren't the whole solution. You might (or might not) find that Honda OE alarm is an easy upgrade, the limitations being that most OE alarms aren't very expandable, sensor-wise. The factory alarm in my Subaru is an OEM Alpine unit. No, not very expandable (and the brains is just where a thief would expect to find it) but I was able to figure out the wiring enough to add a pager to it, the best thing I've done. Yes, the thieves can quickly pop the hood, kill the alarm and get to work, but the pager will have already gone off, so I will be awake for a little chat.

Car thieves in Boston are organized and fearless, juveniles especially. I've seen them post lookouts at both ends of a block while 2-3 others went to work. Calls to Boston's finest (ugh.) did *not* produce a squad car in a timely fashion. I confronted 3 juvies trying to steal a girlfriend's Toyota. They just backed up about 50 feet and waited for me to get bored and go back inside, then...back to work!

I actually live in Roxbury, very close to the Roxbury Crossing T stop. I defintely live in the ghetto. I've been told "I'm on the wrong neighborhood" multiple times. I'll admit most of the people who own convenience stores and the like are very nice, but really I'm afraid to walk down my street after dark. Also, Loren has been here twice and I think he can reaffirm its not the most pleasant of places to live.

I appreciate the suggestions, and as I said "something is better than nothing". I also realize that if someone wants to steal anything of mine, car or otherwise, bad enough then there is little or nothing I can do to stop them.

So what are the brand of things that wrap the columns, I've never really heard of anything like that. Also, I think I am going to look into the code alarm thing, thanks for the input.

Mike 'Ghettoblastah" Gray

Alarms are too hysterical. You brush by a car and the thing starts freaking out. Like the little boy who cried wolf. It's like shut the F up. They need to start making alarms that can assess the situation at hand. So if it gets bumped it can give a little 'excuse me cough', and then when the windows break then it starts crying murder. Then you might take the damn thing serious.

I say buy a gun. Put a couple .22's on the back dash. They'll get the message. I don't know what the law is in Mass, but in LA if you're getting car jacked you can shoot'em dead.

I would look into getting the Alpine 8063. It has a dual radar zone, and can be hooked up with a pager. It will give a warning if the car is bumped lightly or if you stand by the car for more than a few seconds. These settings can be configured for times you don't want it so sensitive, like when your in a parking lot. The pager doesn't have the greatest range (about 50 feet) but it's meant more as an interactive pager than anything else. As well there is the option of adding the display module which can record the last five events. I use it myself and haven't had any problems with it. I've heard pretty good things about Clifford too. Hope this helps.

In reply to:

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Alarms are too hysterical. You brush by a car and the thing starts freaking out.

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I used to think this, untill I started living in a real city where stereos get stolen on a regular basis. When someone breaks my window, I want to know, and I don't really mind if the whole block knows. False alarms are annoying, but with a decent alarm, I only get them when I open the trunk without unlocking the doors. I may be biased, as I'm still vacuuming up the glass from the drivers side door window and have been without my empeg for a month.

Matthew

My clifford is pretty cool. Gives people 3 warnings if they are too close to the car. I can plug in my laptop in to configure the sensors, people can walk past the car, but if they stop they get a warning..
There are spare channels on the handset too so you can remote control windows, engine start, empeg etc....
It's also got a seperate fuel imob. on the tank with a wireless link back to the main unit. In the 2 1/2 years I have had it, it's only gone off twice when I didn't want it to, once when someone licked my wing mirror off and when I left my mobile in the car.

Cris.

I actually live in Roxbury, very close to the Roxbury Crossing T stop.

[thinking he just lost $20....] You *are* in the wrong neighborhood. Try moving across the Orange Line into JP. Your Honda will still get stolen, but you won't get mugged as often.

Alpines are nice. Cliifford and several other brands are now owned by Directed . They have a multi-channel pager that I am probably going to retrofit. Any of the pager units, even my $50 JC Whitney, have enough range to reach inside a house from the street . The downside is that if it goes off you then face the choice of whether you're going to step outside for a chat. In your neighborhood, I might roll over and go back to sleep!

Yeah, i can attest to the ghetto fabulousness of Mike's living situation.

I'd look into to LoJack or a similar system with a starter or engine kill. I have no idea what they cost, but if i lived in your neighborhood, i'd definitely consider them. Blinking red LED's for alarms are more deterants than anything. If the car next to yours doesn't have one, and yours does, guess which one they'll go for. Not to say they'll stop anyone who wants the car, like you said. But something's better than nothing. Just don't leave anything in your car visible from the outside... ever. Nothing on the seats, and certainly never your empeg. You could also consider one of those new club like jobbies that lock the accelerator... those seem to be really popular in my neighborhood, but i don't know if they are effective or just marketing bs.

Didn't know you got a new car man. Sweet. Are you gonna do a nice install?

I'm kinda green on the installs so I got somebody to help me out. He's got a shop and what not, so I think it'll work out. There will certainly be pictures.

I'm actually moving to a much safer neighborhood come June (Packard's Corner) where I will have my own parking spot behind my house. I just had a revlation in the shower (where I have most of my best thoughts) I'm thinking at the new house setting up a motion light and a webcam kinda thing. If the alarm goes off in the middle of the night, I can just check the webcam to see what's up. Anybody thought/assembled something similar?

Thanks everyone so much for your suggestions. I've been really looking at the Clifford's and I'm on my way over to the Alpine site. I'm also going to get one of the face plates that I think Tony has, either way the one on the pictures at riocar.org.

I'm actually moving to a much safer neighborhood come June (Packard's Corner) where I will have my own parking spot behind my house. I just had a revlation in the shower (where I have most of my best thoughts) I'm thinking at the new house setting up a motion light and a webcam kinda thing. If the alarm goes off in the middle of the night,

Off-street parking in Allston! Life is good!

Depending on distance/visibility to the parking spot, there are a number of options. Some USB cameras include Win software that will do this by out of the box. Smarthome.com has setups like this, but cameras and software are spendy. There are some home automation projects like "Mister House" for Linux that may have camera add-ons, but I don't know.

Yeah, i can attest to the ghetto fabulousness of Mike's living situation.

Having been stabbed on Dudley back in the 80s. I completely attest to your attestation!

I'd look into to LoJack or a similar system with a starter or engine kill. I have no idea what they cost, but if i lived in your neighborhood, i'd definitely consider them. Blinking red LED's for alarms are more deterants than anything. If the car next to yours doesn't have one, and yours does...,

I'd get Lojack if we had it out here. WRT LEDs, if a crew is working a whole block not to steal cars but to steal equipment, they may just save the ones with LEDs until last! Or not. Sometimes I think that LEDs just advertise that you care about something in the car. What a world we inhabit that such deliberations consume us...

Get a sticker that says "This car protected by Light Emitting Diodes".

"This car protected by Flame Throwing Diodes"

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa/9812/11/flame.thrower.car/

Yeah i live in a fairly nice area of town but one after going to the mall with a few friends I come out to find some punk trying to steal the wheels of my old integra. Well needless to say being 17 with two other guys friends rage got the best of me and we beat the kid down pretty bad(broke a few fingers and his nose), not something Im proud of but I do feel he deserved it, if you cant afford it too bad dont steal it. Now I drive a 93 civic VX hatch back with a tuned GSR motor. Looks liie crap on the inside and when I remove my empeg I stick an old wiring harness inside the cage with wires all dangling out so it looks like ive been jacked already.

That is badass. Did you see the video? And only $655. I'm definitely gonna have to get one.

And only $655

Plus a ton of legal fees as the criminals begin to sue you for damages. Gotta love a country where the wrongdoers can make money off the people defending themselves and their property.

we beat the kid down pretty bad(broke a few fingers and his nose), not something Im proud of but I do feel he deserved it

YES!

Having been the victim of two car thefts, all I can say is that I wish I'd had that opportunity. I wouldn't have stopped at the extremeties. I would have made sure that when I was done with him, he wouldn't have the ability to steal anything but air, and barely that.

Now, I'm a peace-loving guy for the most part. But there's nothing like being victimized to bring out the animal in someone, is there?

Then again, there's a difference between catching someone in the act (thus preventing the crime) and having your stuff already vandalized. Arriving to see my car completely wrecked by the thief is (I assume) a much more crushing blow than stopping the thief before he got away with anything. So if I'd caught someone before they'd really done any damage, I probably wouldn't have gotten angry enough to rip them up like that.

Well two wheels were already off the car and my car was on blocks of wood so technically it was already trashed. I had to get a new set of locking lugs since they obviously were no good and he broke them off.

So did anything else ever come of this? Did you just send him running home to his mama and that was the last of it? Or did the police get involved, etc.?

Guess I'm not completely over the hurt from my two thefts because when I think about this, I feel all that old anger and pain coming back. I can just picture the scene with you guys coming across the little trouser snake and surprising him. Too bad for him that he was alone and you were with friends. Wish I could have been there!

We called the cops after we "subdued" him. We told the cops that when we confronted him he tried to run and when we caught up to him he came at us with the tire iron(most of thats true). The cop didnt say anything and wrote up a report and hauled the kid off to jail. The cop also told us (off the record) "you guys just made my day, this is what I wish I could do to half the people i arrest"

while the logical side of me says this sort of thing is inappropriate, I think in your shoes I would have wanted to do the exact same thing.

When I was 8 years old, i was riding my bicycle around the corner when an adult thief pushed me off the bike and rode away. This was in plain view of several other guys in my neighborhood. So I pretty much sat there looking dejected and about 4 or 5 outraged guys jumped into a car and sped off after the guy. Apparantly the guy made it as far as baskin robbins 8 blocks away. They came back with my bike and said the guy is probably never, ever going to do anything like that ever again. I was happy.

I should also mention that the neighborhood, Ozone Park, I grew up in as a kid was at the time the home town of the mob during its heyday. Everyone was peaceful, cordial and friendly unless you wrong somebody or disturb the neighborhood. If you do, too bad for you.

Calvin

And you didn't catch any shit from it afterwards?

Wow, he gets a beating and he gets to go to jail. Instant fricking Karma. Too. Cool.

Being the young person that I am, I'm new to all of this car theft stuff. I live in a pretty nice neighborhood, but it's only a few blocks from a pretty bad one. My family has had car windows smashed a few times, but that's about it. I just bought a Rio Car, and I was wondering how careful I should be about having it in the car at night, do I need a good security system, etc. I have a '97 Pathfinder SE. Thanks!

BTW, this is a great community you've all got here!

To this day I have not heard a thing about being sued or anything I guess the guy just accepted his punishment, plus it would have been his word against my friends and I and he was the one arrested. I wish Integras werent the most stolen car (percentagewise) insurance was such a bitch because of little punks who steal [censored].

Pull that player out of your dash and take it inside with you. Do not ever leave it outside at night in the car. Period.

FAQ entry is here.

Yes dont be lazy.

Thanks! Actually, I think I remembered that message from the FAQ, but was wondering if some kept them in the car with good security... Anyway, that's fine, I'm sure taking it inside is the best idea. In my two weeks of following this board, I can definately tell that you live up to your "FAQ Master" title!

Thanks.

That is badass. Did you see the video?

Just watched it. That poor, poor mannequin. I'll bet she won't be hijacking any more BMWs anytime soon.

Can you imagine all the other great uses for something like that?

"Sir, do you know how fast you were goAAAAAHHHHH!"

"I'm sorry, I thought you asked for extra oninons on your burrito supreAAAAAHHHHH!"

How bout homeless people.
"Sir can I wash your windOOOOOOOOOOOOOWS"
or
"Hello Im with girl scout troup 42069 would you like to buy some girl scout cookIEEEESSSS"

I've never had GS Cookies offered to me when I'm in my car. However, I am a sucker for Thin Mints and would not turn them away.

On the other hand, you could have:

"Oh, sorry we just sold out of Thin MinAAAAAHHHHH!"

Ahhhhhhhh thin mints brb gotta get some of that Edy's Ice Cream. Damn should not have reminded me.

Damn you Tony, my stash of thin mints is at home, and I still have to sit here at work for a while. Grr.

Bonzi I hear likes them as well :-)

"Pardon me, do you have any Grey poupahhhhhh!!!"

"Hey, gotta light?"

ROFL, good one.