Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[floride]

My brothet in law has a 72 vw beetle. What alarm system would anyone suggest.
Want doors, boot and bonnet lids included also movement.
The car is going to be fully stripped and restored shortly and the alarm fitted at same time so wiring is kept neat.
Thanks.

[Greg]

There are now plenty of makes available but one make I used to fit was 'Autowatch' which were and still are very reliable.
If you want lots of accessories and lots of channels to operate a range of things via remote then Clifford maybe one to look at but they can get very complex and expensive, also they always used to be 'Dealer-Fit' only.

On a '72 beetle you can use the original door switches but will have to fit contacts onto the boot & bonnet.
The car can be immobilised by cutting the starter & ignition coil.
Most good quality immobiliser circuits have 30A capacity (always worth check current draw of starter, especially on the older vehicle).
...(or take the rotor arm out )

Internal sensors can be:
'Ultrasonic' which are a lot better than the earlier ones. These detect air movement.

'Microwave' (usually used for cabriolets) as they detect 'mass' movement such as a body leaning into its zone.

'Infrasonic' this detects a change of pressure inside the cars cabin/ interior

It's been a while since I was in the Auto Audio/ Security trade so obviously things have changed as they do, so there may be some different devices on the market now but I hope this helps
All the best,
Greg

[Roger-hatchy]

Might be worth fitting a tracker as well.
When set, my car will phone me if it's moved out of an area and I can immobilise the car via a mobile.

[Riley Blue]

Have a look at the low cost tracking devices here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=gps+tracker&_sacat=See-All-Categories

[ukdave2002]

The only car I have ever had stolen; was a modern with the most sophisticated manufacturer fitted alarm and anti-theft devices . The thieves had followed me 50 miles home from work 3 times apparently and the one time I left the key on the kitchen table, the moment we were out of the kitchen, they walked in the house stole the keys (and thus the immobiliser)...I'd also had a tracker fitted and it was this that enabled the police to find the car. Apparently it is common practice to, steal a car, park it up and if its still there in 2 days it probably doesn't have a tracker.

With my approval the police waited for the toerags to return to the car, but were not quick enough and the thieves drove off, resulting in a chase ..the thieves got away and dumped the car , not after scraping 6 other cars .

I said to the police that I'd start to sleep with the keys, the officer shook his head; if they really want your vehicle they will simply knock on your front door with a baseball bat or worse and demand the keys..

So what I have done its fitted a simple timer to the fuel pump, that cuts the fuel supply after 30 seconds with a hidden switch that overrides this..so now at worst they will now get 100 yards up the road and probably panic and dump the car.


By the way the theives were caught as one of them had, in thier rush to dump the car droped a bottle of water..and the DNA was on file..
Dave

[floride]

many thanks for the replies. may well add a tracker

[ajlelectronics]

The fuel pump timer reminds me of an anti theft device from the 70s. It was a timer that dropped out the feed after a short distance, then reset so the car would restart. Then it would drop out again and again until they got fed up of the unreliable car and dumped it not too far away.
_________________
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Find this and more at http://www.classicmicrocars.com
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[Riley Blue]

I forgot to mention the simple battery cutout I've fitted, it goes by the name of Discarnect and bolts onto the battery terminal. There's a fused version to keep clocks going. It's a cheap, simple and effective immobiliser - provided you remember to use it!

[Greg]

.....Also, if I remember rightly, you can remove one of the fuses from the fuse box to disable the car. I maybe wrong, it's been a long time since I had a Beetle, but mine was also a '72

The timer is a great idea, but if the beetle still has its standard fuel pump, they are mechanical.

[baconsdozen]

I swap plug leads over,the car may or may not start but runs so badly it wont be driven away.I know it wont stop the determined thief but it slows them down a bit and its free.