Is there any kind of light in the dash or anywhere visible that would indicate that there is a security system on the car (as a deterant to causual crooks)? In my Stealth there is a stock system but no way anyone would know. To remedy this, I had a little series of red LED's put in. They look like little tracer lights, just to show people that there is an alarm. It looks really cool in the dark, kinda like KIT on Knight Rider!

 

Check this out: Someone gave me a link to this site, it looks like a cool starter kill to install:

http://www.ravelco.com/

Check and see if they have an authorized installer in your area, or you can do it yourself.


Mikey

 

mikey, i had the same idea, i acutally talked to one of them ravlco reps, and they told me its very easy to install the system and u can do it yourself.
and they send me an email:

"We are sorry, but unfortunately at this time we do not have a Ravelco Dealer or Distributor in your area. The number of request we receive for the Ravelco from your area is overwhelming. We are working everyday to get a reputable dealer-distributor for your area but at the present time we do not have one.

You can do one of two things, if you are somewhat mechanical or know someone who is, you may purchase a RAVELCO directly from us and install it yourself. We will be more than glad to coach you with the installation over the phone, or you can have your auto dealer or mechanic install it for you (recommended). They should not charge you more than $50.00. In any case we guarantee the Ravelco for life so you will want to make sure it gets installed correctly. If you need the names of some references who have done it this way, email us and we will gladly give you them. Every single customer who has done it this way has been satisfied.

Your Insurance Company will give you a discount for the Ravelco.

If you wish to do this, send $159.95 US Dollars,
Cashier's Check or Money Order"

 

The person that replied to my emails has to be the WORST I have tried to communicate with all year... and I work in technology!

Extracting basic information was painful, all repies to my professional questions were rude and abrubt. Extracting information was like pulling teeth. Had to ask 1 question twice to get a reply. Replies were NEVER signed with the persons name. And to top it off, it's a friggin AOL email address being used by the business. **cough** shady

As for the reply mysteriumZ got, I got it to. It's a damn form letter. I sent an initial message with 2 distinct questions, and I get a form letter reply back. So I had to ASK again to get by the form letter.

I don't care if their product is as good as they claim. If that's how they run business correspondence, then I have to assume the quality of the product follows suit.

Any other recommendations other than the Texas Instruments product?

 

Has anyone used "The Club" the device that attaches on the steering wheel? Your thoughts on this.

 

You'll find that a Club on the steering wheel won't slow down a real thief for longer than several seconds, literally. They'll just cut the wheel to get it off.

I hear that the Club that locks under the brake pedal would be a better investment. Anyone know how secure those are?

WayneTN

 

You watch too many of those info-mercials.

 

If you do a search in the "Audio/Video/Security/NAV/Radar" area with the term "Compustar2000", you can read about and get links for that alarm system as well as the GPS tracking system I had installed.

ps..Doc..it has a blue indicator light..kinda gives the interior a black light-like effect at night.




VG

 

Check this system out...

PowerLock.com

Supposidly has the success rate similiar to the REVELCO system. Powerlock attaches to your starters selenoid. Unless its activated with the proper signal from the wand device on your keychain, it wont allow the starter to turn over. They claim if you install it improperly... you have just bought yourself a new starter. Also when the starter's life ends you must buy the part that attaches to the new starter again for a small price.

What do you guys think??

 

The lock that goes on your steering wheel MIGHT slow down an amateur, but nobody else.

To remove a steering wheel lock you just cut the steering wheel with bolt cutters or a hacksaw (just a few seconds) then bend the wheel enough to slip the lock out. All steering wheels have fairly thin metal because that makes them less dangerous in an accident.

The brake pedal lock might be better. The pedal is on some pretty hard metal and it would be awkward to work with a hack saw down there. It still won't stop a pro, but I bet it is better than the steering wheel lock.

As for the stock security system, a pro will know exactly how to beat it.

The more you spend the more protection you get. Your risk level depends on where the car sits. In a high crime area they will just use a flatbed. In a "nice area" near a high crime area they might prefer to drive off with it, so they might be more likely to circumvent the stock system. If you are lucky the would-be thief are just some dopey amateurs and the stock imobilizer will stop em.

For best protection you would want a high end aftermarket alarm with a secondary imobilizer. With a secondary alarm the quality of protection will depend on the hardware AND the quality of the installation.

There is no 100% protection. You just need to decide how much risk there is and how much you want to protect the car and even how good your insurance is.

 

I use one of those 'unbreakable autolocks'. It's somewhat more difficult to put on and to remove -- but its pretty damn sturdy. Theoretically someone could still steal the car without having to apply the brakes (and just use the e-brake/downshift to slow down and stop. But its probably a good deterrant. In most cases these days cars are stolen by towing. For that reason I usually try to park in a spot that would be difficult for a flatbed to get to.

I wish I had bought one of those electric shock steering wheel locks when they were around. Probably some sh*thead theives got good lawyers and sued the owners for getting electrocuted. I can't seem to understand how these scum get away with these cases. In my perfect world, it should be perfectly legal to have a 'boobytrap' that causes some permanent suffering to any of these parasites. As soon as a few reports of 'Car theif's left ******** blown off by advanced car alarm' get around -- you'll see the crime rate drop significantly

 

I spent a lot of time last weekend looking at the manual to figure out how to disable the fuel pump. From the testing procedures, it appears that you can disconnect the power line without causing the check engine light to come on. (This is the procedure used to dump pressure in the fuel lines prior to working on them).

Unfortunatly when I went to look for the rely (which appeared to be behind the battery in the pictures), I couldn't find it! I then spent some time trying to find a place for the switch, and couldn't really find a good convenient place. If anyone can decipher where the rely is, please let me know.

Adding a kill switch to the fuel pump is a very good (and dirt cheap) way to add security to your car. Just be sure to hide the switch somewhere its not obvious, and where it won't be accidentally switched off.

 

Oh well..I tried to help
VG

 

Why don't you use it on your clutch? They can't even start the car without the clutch all the way down.

Me, I don't worry about it. The car has an alarm. If the thief gets by that, I wont get mad. I'd get even with lojack. And, if he somehow gets by that, heck my insurance agent is a phone call away.

 

Take a look through the front window on the driver's side at night -- I believe there's a little red flashing light near the bottom where the window meets the dash. It's not very conspicuos -- easy to miss. An LED in the dash that is visible from either door window would have been better.

 

The Z Key communicates directly with the ECM. Without the ECM's permission, the Z can not start. I find it highly unlikely that this can be circumvented by any thief in the field.

See:
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ghlight=highly

 

I decided against lojack based on a friend's experience.

He got his Firebird stolen, but the police recovered it in less than a day. Problem was that it was never "right" after that. The thieves had been joy riding and hit some curbs HARD. He had a bent rim which nobody noticed until he got the car back from the body shop. Then when the rim was replaced the car pulled a little. Yup, the "frame/unibody" wasn't quite straight. The body shop "fixed" that but it was never quite right. It had more rattles to. They had also spilled something (some drink or something) in the car. The body shop cleaned it and replaced some carpet, but the smell was always slightly there.

That was when I decided. If someone manages to steal my car, I don't think I want it back. I would rather get the insurance money and a new or quality used car than get back a car abuse by thieves. Who knows how hard they revved it or bounced off of curbs? Too much potential for hidden damage in my book.

I just hope if someone steals my Z they keep on driving.


On the PRO side of lojack, it sure would be satisfying to see them go to jail. But professional thieves know better. They usually take the car somewhere and leave it for a couple of days or more.

Maybe we should just insitute the death penalty for car thieves. They used to short horse thieves and today a car is like your horse.

 

Yeah AndyB, some good points there. I know a good body shop guy that I've dealt with for over 10 years. He will restore a car to factory condition or better so, not worried about it.

I just like the fact that if someone grabs my car, he's going to have to deal with the consequences when the cops nab him. Getting to laugh at his *** in court will be worth the $300 or so bucks I paid. Plus, there's an insurance discount for lojack.