My Prius v 2012 was parked in front of my house in a quiet suburb of Los Angeles. During the middle of the night, thieves dismantled it and took the front bumper, engine parts, seats belts, etc. They tried to take the rear bumper but ran out of time. The car is in the shop and this weekend I am going to look for an aftermarket alarm system. My insurance suggested alarms not tied to the power. Any suggestions on systems or brands?
That's horrible and surprising. Usually it seems thieves target older cars (presumably for spare parts to be used on older car that need it). You can get battery backup sirens for alarms. They'll go off if the power's cut/battery's disconnected as they have their own battery. I got that on the alarms I had on my previous cars. I have no aftermarket alarm on my Prius. Problem is, they can still smash the battery backup siren.
Thanks for your replies. It is horrible. I have the Prius V Three, which according to Edmunds has the V.I.P. alarm system. I know the car was locked because they jimmy the driver's lock. I went to Ed & Al's, a car stereo/alarm shop and was quoted $1050 for a alarm system. Considering it since I am already out the pocket for my deductible of $500 and sales tax on auto rental. If in LA, any alarms shops to consider?
Not familiar with any good places. Try Fry's Electronics. They Are in LA area. Can you garage the car or also park it in a well light area. Motion alarm may help.
Check to verify that you do have the VIP system first: Roll down window, exit and lock the car, remove your smart key from the vacinity, reach in the window and open the door from the inside. If the horn blow, you have VIP alarm and it's operational. If it doesn't blow, either you lack it, or it's not working. I live in Philly and bought the alarm to discourage vandals. If you have it and it made no difference to the thieves, then it's worthless. If you have it and it's non-operational, then before spending money getting an alarm, you're better of getting it fixed under warranty.
Viper - Viper 3303 Responder LC SuperCode 2-Way Security System Friend of mine has this one on his Explorer with close to $1500 in sound system equipment. Viper - Viper 5704 Responder LC3 SuperCode SST 2-Way Security and Remote Start System
Aloha, Installed a Hornet 700T in my 350Z roadster. Perimeter and interior sensors, glass breakage and vibration sensors and a battery back up. Also installed a "pain generator" (120db + high freq. car interior horn). Activation was through the factory door lock function, so no additional key fob was needed.
