Purchasing Car Alarms

From LoveToKnow Buy

Purchasing Car Alarms

Whether you've spent a fortune on a brand new vehicle or a handsome sum on a used car, it's a good idea to protect your investment with a car alarm. Having proper anti-theft devices in place can also save you substantial amounts on your auto insurance, not to mention protect the modifications and electronics you may have added along the way. But how can you tell which alarm system is right for you? Keep reading to find out.

Buy a Reputable Brand

As with most things electronic, buying a reputable brand is usually worth the extra money. When it comes to car alarms, you don't want it malfunctioning at the worst of times, allowing thieves to break into and drive off in your car. It would also be incredibly frustrating if you were not able to disarm the vehicle. Here are a few names that I know and trust:

Compustar
Alpine
Clifford

There are many other companies out there that make quality products as well, so just make sure you read up on the specific model you are interested in (there are many reviews on the internet that are readily available) before spending your money on that particular car alarm system.

Installation

When it comes to car audio (speakers, decks, subwoofers, amplifiers, etc.), the installation is just as, if not more important that the actual unit itself. The same is true when it comes to auto security as well. While it may seem like much more of a bargain for you and your buddies to get together on a sunny Saturday afternoon to install your new car alarm, you are probably better off leaving it to the professionals. They can better hide where the unit is, where the wiring goes, and make sure that everything is in perfect working order before you go on your way. It is important to have a stealthy installation, because otherwise it would be far too easy for a thief to pop your hood and clip a couple of wires.

A handy tip is to have a backup power source dedicated to your alarm in case the would-be criminal disconnects your car's main battery, thus deactivating your alarm.

Features

Reading through your weekly dose of flyers, you can often find seemingly great deals on car alarms, but bear in mind that most features either cost extra to purchase, extra to install, or both. Here are a few key elements to a car alarm that may want installed into your application.

Hood pin: the alarm is set off when the hood is opened.
Trunk pin: same as the hood pin, except for the trunk.
Door pins: same as the hood pin, except for the doors.
Glass sensor: the alarm is set off when any glass is hit/smashed
Tilt sensor: the alarm is set off when the car is tilted, usually indicative of someone trying to steal wheels or trying to tow the vehicle away
Engine kill: the car cannot be started when the alarm is on
Remote start: an additional option that allows you to start your car with your remote
Two-way paging: available on certain models, you are notified via your key fob if your alarm is set off
Staged impact sensor: two thresholds are set, one that results in a sharp chirp, the other resulting in the alarm being set off
Light flash: the interior and/or exterior lights flash in response to the alarm being turned on and off, as well as flashing when the alarm is triggered
Motion sensor: the alarm detects any motion within the vehicle cabin, particular important for convertibles