Random thoughts: Are car alarms just useless now?

[SALvation]

I was suprised with all the security stuff that came standard on my new Jetta 1.8T. It has an alarm, disables everything if it goes off, the radio only plays in my Jetta, computer chip in the key, and I got a valet ket that only starts the car and unlocks the driver's side door.

 

[Viper GTS]

Kinda off topic, but how many people laugh their ass off when they see someone get out of their car and POINT THEIR REMOTE AT THEIR VEHICLE TO LOCK IT. I always want to tap them on the shoulder & say "You do realize that radio waves propagate spherically, right?"

Viper GTS

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Kinda off topic, but how many people laugh their ass off when they see someone get out of their car and POINT THEIR REMOTE AT THEIR VEHICLE TO LOCK IT. I always want to tap them on the shoulder & say "You do realize that radio waves propagate spherically, right?"

Viper GTS

actually at certain angles mine won't work. *shrug* radio waves propagating spherically or not, sometimes it doesn't work unless i hold it up a little and in the general direction of my car.

 

[BooneRebel]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Bah. Screw car alarms. Next decent vehicle I buy will have the onstar system on it.

I walk out to find my car missing, I just call up onstar service. Conversation goes as follows:

Me: *dials onstar number*
On* Operator: welcome to onstar, can I have you vin and pin numbers please
Me: *gives pin and vin*
On* Operator: Thank you for calling Mr. Dunne, how can I assist you?
Me: My car has been stolen!
On* Op: Ok, we've tracked the car, and it is located at 1234, South Main Street, Blah Blah City, Iowa. We are disabling the engine and calling the proper authorities. The police will be contacting you shortly.
Me: Thanks!

Built in GPS and remote control capabilities are cool!

Don't forget that the GPS is functioning at all times, not just when you're calling in a theft.

5/22/02 - Mr. Dunne leaves his residence at 321 Main St, Blah Blah City, Iowa at 8:21AM. He stops for 12 minutes at the Drive-Thru Beer Barn. At 8:47AM he arrives at his place of employment. Leaves at 11:23AM for lunch, spends 1hr, 15 minutes at the Dancers-A-GoGo topless bar. Returns to work. At 4:33PM Mr. Dunne's car is tracked leaving his place of employment, headed south on Main St. After a 52minute stop at Jimbo's XXX Video and Arcade he proceeds south, again stopping at the Drive-Thru Beer Barn at 5:29PM. Authorities are called after an apparent armed robbery occurring at the store, with a vehicle matching the description of car timed leaving the store at the same 5:43PM timestamp that Mr. Dunne is tracked leaving and returning to 321 Main St.
The 6 o'clock news reports that a Mr. Dunne of 321 Main St. has barricaded himself in his residence after authorities track him with the assistance of the National Watch-Doggie Northstar program following an armed robbery at the Drive-Thru Beer Barn.

Probably a little more action than you see in a given day but I think you get the idea. It baffles me that people so concerned about giving up there SS# or credit card information and cringe at the thought of participating in direct marketing will willingly permit themselves to be tracked for every mile that they drive.

 

[vi edit]

BooneRebel, what's incredibly amusing, yet scary about your post is that the nudie bar IS about 2 minutes from my office, and I DO drive past the porn shop everyday on the way home! :Q

 

[Ns1]

My car has a lo-jack on it. Probably not as nice, but still, it's good enough

actually lo jack is quite worthless. my friend's civic got stolen. he had a lojack on it. guess what? the theives deactivated it, stripped it, and turned it back on so they can find his bare civic in some warehouse in long beach

spiffy


pagers are worthless because by the time you get out to your car chances are it'll already be gone

i mean you're watching a movie and your pager runs off, you're gonna take 5 minutes to run out to your car and see what's up?

if it's in your driveway, if a very loud siren won't get you up, a pager won't either

and what are you gonna do if you have a pager anyway? unless you're really big or have really big guns, what are you gonna do?

i invested heavily into my alarm system, and my car isn't going anywhere unless it's on the back of a tow truck (which is quite a large possibility)

 

[BooneRebel]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
BooneRebel, what's incredibly amusing, yet scary about your post is that the nudie bar IS about 2 minutes from my office, and I DO drive past the porn shop everyday on the way home! :Q

What should scare you is that I know. I might add, that's a great shirt you're wearing today.


:Q

 

[StageLeft]

pagers are worthless because by the time you get out to your car chances are it'll already be gone

Well I don't know of any theives who can break into a car and steal an audio system in under 15 seconds including speakers. Do you? Or who can hotwire a car that fast? I live in an apartment complex - if I had a pager and it went off I'd grab cellphone ready to call if I go see people outside. By the time the crooks got it onto the road at least one cop car would probably already be here.[/quote]

i mean you're watching a movie and your pager runs off, you're gonna take 5 minutes to run out to your car and see what's up?

Yes - that's the point of it. You mean you wouldn't take 5 minutes to stop your movie if you thought your car was being stolen?

if it's in your driveway, if a very loud siren won't get you up, a pager won't either

True - but if you live in an apartment complex or you're in a restaurant or something you likely won't hear it.

and what are you gonna do if you have a pager anyway? unless you're really big or have really big guns, what are you gonna do?

Get your gun if you have one or if you don't call the police.

 

[Bignate603]

I would go with one that killed the ignition rather then made alot of noise.