Both our Vanagon and our Jetta have a "fake" alarm LED on the dashboard.  I
bought a bunch of these from England several years ago with the idea of
selling them.  Ended up giving them all away.  The idea though is what
counts. It's wired so that as soon as I remove the key it starts flashing.
Both my Vanagon and one with a real alarm have the LED.  If the LED doesn't
scare them away, then they are knowingly breaking into a car that they think
is alarmed.  At that point the perpertrator (sp?)is going for it.  The alarm
can beep, buzz, shriek, flash lights, release a smoke screen, whatever.  It
won't stop him.  If the fancy alarm system imobilizes the ignition, then he
gets pi**ed off and start wrecking things.
A loud fancy alarm isn't going to stop a hit if mine is the car that's been
selected.

Deterence is best.  In the vast majority of potential break-ins, they'll
choose the car next to mine without the $2.00 flashing LED (And mine doesn't
force me to run outside in the middle of dinner when it goes off 'cause a
truck went by.).

Gary
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andree Hurley" <ahurley@VIEWIT.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 1:47 PM
Subject: Car alarms

> I hate car alarms but I think I want one.....easy to install, not related
> to the key but to vibration? Little blinking red light, and remote
> controlled (of course). I have a mechanic friend who installed the light
> but no alarm, not a bad idea either!
>
> Any recommendations?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Andree
>
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