Car security

[Rich E.]

Not sure if this has been covered recently, searched but couldn't find a difinitive answer, but I'm interested in installing a security system on my SPF. Have anyone of you done this?

Obviously remote door locks or steering lock won't be an option but how about a zone sensor or a sensor that tells when the door opens? Any ideas?

Rich.

[Johan]

Do you have an interior light that comes on ? Maybe connect it to the horn...
It would be annoying at first, but you would eventually get used to it...

[Kalun D]

Your basic modern alarm is triggered by the opening pin switches, like dome light switches etc. It also has a shock sensor. Proximity sensors are problematic, they can go off just from a car being parked in the next stall.

My favorite is Clifford with one add-on, a battery back-up siren. So if they cut the wires it still keeps going off. I've had one in my Civic for 14 yrs. all I've done is replace the remote batteries.

The other option is GPS or radio tracking. The products I know are Lojack and CompuStar. (there may be others) Lojack is sort of spendy and the basic version is tracking only, no alarm. The Lojack upgrade has an alarm. The CompuStar unit is an alarm and tracking.

Basic Lojack depends on you alerting them the car is missing then they call law enforcement and the cops do the tracking. This is problematic in the coverage area is not total because not all law enforcement is equipped with their stuff. Lojack is not GPS though, it's a radio signal which is better than GPS.

CompuStar leaves the tracking to you. They supply the software and you load it on your computer. Your alarm goes off, if you have the paging option it pages you. Then you track the vehicle on your PC and then you call the cops or 911 and tell them where the car is or is going. The coverage is total in that GPS is everywhere, but GPS is problematic in that it goes away inside buildings and other cover.

Alarms are most effective as a deterrent. They turn away the joy riders and common thieves, (stereo etc). They don't always deter the pros although tracking would give them a run for their money.

[Ian Anderson]

Fit a removable steering wheel and take the wheel with you

Ian

[Cliff Beer]

If you don't already have it, a battery cut off switch (with removable key) is a nice low-tech safeguard, particularly if placed somewhere inconspicuous. See here: Hella Battery Master Disconnect Switches: HLA-002843011 - summitracing.com

[Peter D]

I reckon that a simple passive immobilser is arguably the best bet in terms of a preventative action against joyriders. Unlike the normal targets like WRX's, the wiring is probably quite different on each GT40 - so with a bunch of all black wires going from inside the wiring loom to the immobiliser, how do the morons figure out what to connect to what (even assuming they have the time to figure out where the immobiliser is located) ?

I have 3 circuits (ECU +ve, fuel pumps, & starter solenoid) going thru the immobiliser, & have all the black wires labelled with an alpha-numeric code. The decode info is kept off-site, so if the immobilser fails, I can easily find out which wires to bridge out so as to get the car going.

As Cliff suggests, add a removeable-key battery cutoff switch, & you should have solved the "drive-away" theft issue.

Then there is the "tow-away" problem. If someone really wants the car, they will get it - they'll just winch it into a steel container & its gone. The container is a Farady Cage & no RF will enter or escape - sattellite/GPS/Radio tracking is defeated - its totally gone.

However, given the rarity (& traceability) of the the GT40's, I think that is a fairly low risk scenario - to my knowledge, only one GT40 has been stolen in the US (Steve Toner's), & one here in Oz years ago. Nowadays, we have so many knowledgeable members of the Forum worldwide that any suspect sales of cars/parts would be detected & reported rather quickly.

Food For Thought !

Kind Regards,

Peter D.