Should we fit an alarm...opinions please!

Rec

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Should we fit an alarm...opinions please!

Collecting our new van in Feb but been looking for quotes for insurance. I have had several companies say that they will not insure a new van or one valued over £40000 unless it has a Thatcham ?( Or similar) alarm. This has got us thinking...should we have one fitted anyway, we have quotes who accept just the immobilizer. The supplier can fit one for £395, is that reasonable and worth doing. Having spent a good chunk on the van it seems silly not to take precautions but it is easy to go OTT.
 
Had an alarm on all my previous vans, but gave it a miss this time see how it goes. In the past I’ve had Vanbitz brill system and ultra reliable with lifetime for you warranty and alarms can go wrong.
 
Having had a van stolen (and yes it was a Ford) we have a Vanbitz alarm. I always use it!!
 
Is the cost of £395 reasonable or would you suggest shopping around? Don't know what make the supplier proposes so will find out.
 
If you think an alarm going off might put off a thief, or if you think you would feel more secure when sleeping in your motorhome then yes, you do need an alarm.

I was parked next to a motorhome at an aire in Belgium when during the night their alarm went off. The door lock on their front door had been interfered with and the door opened but the alarm sounding scarred off the thief. They can be effective even though when they go off passers by may not take notice. However it takes a very determined person to continue in their thieving ways with an alarm blasting in their ear.

I have alarm but don't always use it as we have a dog which is a particularly nasty piece of work if someone comes a bit to close to our motorhome. However, if we ever have to stop in a place which looks bit suspect and for unreason or another cannot move somewhere else I put the alarm on. I also put in on if we leave the motorhome parked anywhere. I do know there are young gentlemen who sit in supermarket car parks in Italy watching for people to leave their motorhomes unattended, then taking the opportunity to break in. I expect the same thing might happen in other countries too, so if you can make it more difficult or appear unattractive I think thats a good idea. I don't know if it does a great deal off good but if we have leave our motorhome parked unattended, as well as the beep beep the alarm makes when activated I usually open a door to intentionally make the alarm go off, it does demonstrate to anyone watching that we have an alarm and might put them off.
 
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Our van had a Cobra Strikeback alarm fitted before we bought it. The cost was about £350 although we didn't pay for it. Having just renewed insurance this morning, I was asked if the alarm was fitted by an authorised installer and did I have the certificate for it, which I have.

All in all I would say the alarm is worth having and doing as suggested in the previous post is also a good idea.

Cheers

H
 
On balance, I would say yes. The benefits of peace of mind outweigh the cost. If the worst happened at least you can say to youself that you took all reasonable precautions. Having said that our only experience with an intruder occurred in Italy and the "b****ard" tried to gain entry via the high level window over the garage by standing on a wheelie bin. That was on a city aire with CCTV. The van alarm was no use in that situation as the internal motion sensor was off. My only advice on a new system would be to avoid wireless sensors and always ask for it to be hard wired. It would also mean that you can get future insurance quotes from all the companies.
Dave
 
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The cost of the alarm you quote is less than 1% of the value of the van. In my case it was about 0.5% so I am in the yes camp. Mine is a strikeback which has the features ***** has quoted. Peace of mind.

i am currently mulling over the value of a decent tracker which for a reasonable sum covers the monitoring for the duration of ownership of the van which is likely to be many years. And yes I do know about signal suppressing gadgets.

Davy
 
I noticed that the insurance policy stated that we had no alarm on our new Bessacarr, so rang them up to inform them that, yes, it did have a Thatcham alarm fitted. They said it will be corrected, Thank you I said and how much less will the insurance premium be? The answer was, there is no discount for having an alarm fitted! So why do they bother asking you in the first place if one is fitted?

 
Ask yourself how much notice you take when an alarm goes off, a good immobiliser and steering wheel clamp are far better, visible deterrent, not a sticker, especially if it's a ford
 
Simply yes... a good one but see other posts for details
ALSO get a DISKLOK a visible deterrent...I have both
 
Just been badly bitten by the alarm thing - we asked for the factory fitted system to be included on our new mh only to find it isn't Thatcham certified. Have had to add in a Tracker to satisfy our insurance company.
 
Motorhome came with Tracker. We had fitted by Vanbitz the Growler.
My understanding is that if a professional thief wants your van they will have it no matter what you do.
It's the opportunist scum who want a rummage for valubales while parked up the alarm will stop.
It is virtually impossible (painful to ears) to stand near the van with the alarm going off, it's louder inside, I am happy that no one will stay inside my van, unless already deaf.
Inside alarms easily switched off for night/pet.
Certainly not cheap 10% discount available (P.M. me if interested) as I'm not sure if it would be OK to mention another site on here.
 
Alarm is definitely worth having as having had 2 vans broken into over the years,the alarm has scared them away quickly.
Not keen on aftermarket immobilisers as have had one fail and shut the rv down at 70 mph on a dual carriageway !
Police were with us for 3 hours waiting for recovery and it had applied the prop shaft brake (not good )
Auto electrician said immobilisers created plenty of work for him !
 
Pudsey Bear;n17587 said:
Ask yourself how much notice you take when an alarm goes off, a good immobiliser and steering wheel clamp are far better, visible deterrent, not a sticker, especially if it's a ford

My personal opinion is that they scare me much more than they do the thief, who is hardened to it. They can be in and out in no time, before you could react even if in earshot. I might notice the alarm, but the general public does not. Plus, with some insurance companies, if you have specified that you have an alarm but did not use it, small print says they won't pay out.
 
I don't have an alarm and won't be fitting one for several reasons,I have a dog that is often left inside,if one is fitted and not used then that seems like a get out for the ins. company and finally,most people just ignore an alarm going off. IMO it's better to invest in securing valuables (safe) and fitting an immobilizer with a hidden switch.
 
Thanks for everyone's opinions....I knew there would be a variety.....still waiting for details of what alarm the supplier proposes fitting ( abroad at moment so cannot phone) but sounds like the type of alarm is critical. I do think it would be a deterrent for some opportunist burglars, same as the visible clamp. It is a big investment not to be protected as much as possible!
 
We got bigger discount on insurance for having tracker that is £95 per year or £250 for 5 Years, refundable pro-rata if we change van apparently.
I tend to agree by time alarm goes off expensive damage is probably done and who takes any notice of them!!!!
 
They supplier peoples fitting a gemini 913TH alarm which is a thatcham 2-1 upgrade. I cannot see that it has isolation of interior on this system either...real dilemma, the vanbitz looks best and cannot find any bad reviews just a bit of a trek to get there, & long waiting list. But also feel that a steering wheel lock is good visible deterrent, nobody mentioned wheel clamps? Are they a fiddle to fit? The cost is less of an issue though don't want to waste money on something ineffective
 
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Rec;n17945 said:
They supplier peoples fitting a gemini 913TH alarm which is a thatcham 2-1 upgrade. I cannot see that it has isolation of interior on this system either...real dilemma, the vanbitz looks best and cannot find any bad reviews just a bit of a trek to get there, & long waiting list. But also feel that a steering wheel lock is good visible deterrent, nobody mentioned wheel clamps? Are they a fiddle to fit? The cost is less of an issue though don't want to waste money on something ineffective

A steering wheel disklok is much easier to fit especially if it is raining, let's face it if it was tipping it down would you want to be outside on your knees fitting a wheel clamp ?
chances are you would wait until it stops, but the thief won't
 
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