Are car alarms a complete waste of time?

[Japher]

The government has other ways of tracking you

[rah]

A lot of new cars (upper end) are equiped with GPS. The only thing about those is that crooks know that they're there and can disable them. Lojak is more discrete and hidden. And yes, the company works closely with the police and have provided information in situations that didn't involve theft of the vehicle.

Motto, If you're a drug dealer or pedaphile, don't buy Lojack.

[SlowwHand]

Lojack would be the way to go.
Keep in mind, and I've probably said it 100 times, locks only keep honest people out.

[Pekka]

Car alarms.. nah.. You know I'm thinking of ripping my system of soon. Every now and then someone accidentally bumps into my car just a little, and there it goes off again. It screams few hours and then I come back and I'll be all pissed, like everyone else, especially the ones living there.

I've had it going off in the middle of the night many times, and few times I've been close to it and saw with my own eyes that no one was trying to steal it.

And even if so, no one just gives a crap. The only thing keeping me still have it is insurance. It's a SOB to get your money from insurance here,no matter what has happened, so I figure it gives me some extra to claim my money back if it gets stolen (saying I had alarms and security).

It doesn't stop anyone stealing your car who is serious about taking it. Really. It only pisses people off, annoying sound going off all the time. So what's the point? Think of something else, something to keep your car safer. Alarms are not the best way IMO. I think it's just a waste of time and money.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Keep in mind, and I've probably said it 100 times, locks only keep honest people out.

The objective is not to make it impossible for a thief to get in. Making it impossible is... impossible.
What you are trying to do is make it not worth their effort to break into your car.

If you were a thief and there were two identical cars next to each other, only one had an alarm, which would you break into?

[Pekka]

Skanky Burns, depends what the cars are like. I'd take the better one, or the one I know how to boost.
Alarm comes last .

[Kuciwalker]

He said identical.

[Pekka]

Ups, that's right ... shame on me.

maybe I should develop car safety systems..
'Susie Q is protecting this vehicle' would raise respect and fear amongst car thiefs. Lethal, naturally. Or at least permanently injureable. Car protection South African style yeah baby! Flamethrowers and all kinds of nasty weapons..

[Dis]

and I said it before that most thieves are amatuers. This isn't the movies where every person knows how to disable a car alarm. Esp. the types of alarms that disable the ignition. Do you think most thieves know how to get the ignition working properly?

most thieves are teenagers or young kids just looking for a quick buck

[st_swithin]

Actually, no matter what kind of car alarm you have, if I want it, I'll just take it. That doesn't mean I won't put it back where I got it from.

[Verto]

Are car alarms a complete waste of time?

Completely, and utterly. If I hear a car alarm, I never even consider the possibility a car is actually being broken into.

[st_swithin]

Sort of like ignoring bratty little spoiled rotten kids who throw tantrums in the supermarket - just keep walking, because eventually one of 2 things will happen:

1) parents DO give in and buy the rotten little **** whatever they're screaming about, or

2) parents DON'T give in, child screams self into state of exhaustion or death, which is actually a blessing for the parents.