Re: Auto Security ...

[four.rings@MCIONE.com]

> ... since this thread is active I thought I'd mention something that I
> just took advantage of ...
> 
> It turns out that Radio Shaft has a sale on an auto security system for
> ~U$100 (regularly $200).

Sorry to brake the bad news, but "the one who is warned could not be
defeated".

I must have installed several hundred Prestiges, and not a single one
had ever gone bad.
I must have installed several dozen Alpines, only one or two had gone
bad.
I also have installed various Cliffords, K-9 etc etc. They are
reasonably well built.

I also installed 3 Radio Shock alarms. All three falsed like crazy since
day one. 
Touch the car with a bare finger and it would go off (to be this
sensitive to static electricity when mounted on a 2ton hunk of
metal???).

Both owners had replaced them with the Prestiges per my advice and lived
happily ever after. Yes, the first dude did not believe me and took the
box back to Radio Shack for replacement, hence I installed 3 alarms on
two cars.

Every now and then somebody askes me to install a Radio Shock alarm, but
I refuse to touch it with a 3m stick.

>  My favorite feature of this system is the fact
> that it includes a transmitter and a pager that is triggered when the
> alarm goes off (as long as you're within 2 miles).

I never valued these things too much and never installed them on my
cars, although most Alpines do have them (and much much more).
Hmm, if I am at a restaurant or in a cinema and the pager goes off, am I
gonna rush outside to defend a 10 y.o. car, whose book value is probably
around 7 grand on a sunny day? While risking to catch a bullet trying to
do so? NE Philly ain't no Europe.

>  I have yet to
> install the thing, but it does include a starter disable and automatic
> arming if you choose to activate the features.  It comes with two key
> fob arm/disarm transmitters, and the nifty thing I learned about it is
> that the alarm learns the transmitter codes ... meaning that I can have
> the same alarm in both cars and not need to carry different fobs.

My Prestige APS-200 has all tese features too and was only $100 when I
bought two of them back in '94. Right before I bough the A4 w/alarm and
it's own transmitter, in my house it went like this:

On either remote:
1. Button #1 - his car
2. Button #2 - her car
3. Buttons #1 and #2 simultaneously - garage door.

One tiny remote instead of three, very convenient. Besides, in the
morning you can take the car which happens to be closer to the exit
without having to go pick up the keys and the remote transmitter and
rotate the cars.

Fellows, Radio Shock might have straightened it's act since, but you are
on your own. I personally am done with them, coz it takes 3 to 5 hours
to install a complicated alarm properly and if it turns out to be a bad
unit, you've just wasted time on the install. Hardly justifiably when
there are several bullet proof brands on the market at roughly the same
price, give or take.

-- 
Igor Kessel
'89 200TQ -- 18psi (TAP)
'98 A4TQ
Philadelphia, PA
USA