so i go to a local shop to talk about getting an alarm installed. i'm interested in motion/shock sensors for the summertime when the top's off.

the guys at the shop tell me:
1) there's no point in installing motion sensors in a jeep. they use the roof to establish a picture of the safe zone (or something like that) and it won't work with the top off or it will constantly be going off with false alarms no matter how low you set the sensitivity.
2) won't work with the tinted windows. said something about the aluminum in the tint (??) will constantly set off the alarm.

so they said it's pointless in getting it installed, and no way around it. he said, i could probably find someone to take my money and install it, but it would be worthless.

the thing is, the shop is myer emco, which at least in the d.c. area is supposed to be like the premier top shelf audio/vido custom install shop. if anybody knew or could do anything, i thought it'd be them.
...so anyway, now i'm a bit disappointed AND really confused. it seems like plenty of people have these alarms installed. does this make sense to anyone? any truth to this? do people have these alarms, use them with the top off, and have good results?

thanks for any help.

 

i'm more interested in security for my topless jeep, from someone reaching in, or climbing in and sitting or messing with it, or trying to get at the mygig.
that's why i'm interested in the motion/shock sensors.

from my understanding ravelco is antitheft i.e. can't drive away with it, need to tow it to steal the whole vehicle.

 

I know some people have these alarms in their jeeps. i'd like to hear from some of them about how well they work, or how often they get false alarms, etc.

i get that an alarm might not stop someone from stealing my jeep, or even from grabbing something from inside it. but, when i have the top off, if it stops kids from sitting in it or messing with stuff inside it, it might be worth it to me. some people might not want to hear the alarm blaring away, if they just wanted to sit in it or just mess with it. i'm not talking about experienced thieves. if it deters just a few people from messing with it, i'd be happy.

anyway, i'd appreciate a response that actually addresses my questions.

so, any alarm owners out there?

 

I personaly dont have one but I have friends with jeeps that do. They work ok, as many people on this forum will attest to. But they are prone to false alarms no matter how much you tinker with the adjustment.

I passed because I hate touchy alarms. If you have dual zone shock sensors then they cant take the mygig without setting them off. The only thing the motion sensors are good for is if you leave valuable things just sitting inside, i.e. your wallet on the dash, laptop on seat etc... where they could just reach in and run. I dont leave anything in mine like that so I passed.

I've never heard the window tint thing, thats a first to me.

 

motion sensors have, for the most part, been set aside due to the constant false alarm thing. Audi has some on their convertables, but even those go off if you walk to close by the car with the top off. They also go off when leaves and bugs fly into the car. You could adjust the sensors so they only look at the seats, but if you do that, shock sensors would work better.

if you want to make sure people dont sit in your car, or mess with your stuff (that is fixxed to the jeep), some good shock sensors are your best bet. As for the things that are not attached (like some expensive sunglasses), mabye a lion can keep people from reaching in.

To sum it all up....... If your close enough for motion sensors to be effective, then you dont need an alarm.

 

i have the viper 5900 alarm /remote start with motion sensor and shock sensor, mine works great no flase alarms. took some time to get it set up correctly but once i did it works great and if a alarm triggers or something happens it can page you a mile away to alert you . im really happy with mine. they did say the motion sensor is not as senitve though the tint but thats ok because i mainly want it for when the top is down. im not to worry a about the jeep being stolen im more concerned with my audio stuff and i feel better know the alarm aleast might scare them away and it will alert me .

 

Well, I just had a system installed by my brothers friend who owns the shop. We put a proximity sensor in that works off of microwaves and surrounds the jeep in a "cloak". Work's pretty well once you figure out how to use it. We took the top off and rolled the windows down - things lets off a single chrip when you stick your hand inside. Good enough for me.

We also added a mercury tilt switch under the hood along with a hood lock. All in all I was in and out in about 3 hours and $275.00 lighter

If a pro wants it he will get it, I'm just trying to ward off the idiots that act as such.

Oh, and one suggestion. I decided to disable the auto arming function. No need to have the damn thing chirp chirpping everytime someone gets too close to it in my garage or driveway.

 

Hobbit,

My cousin had one on his TJ and it worked pretty well, so you can do it. Though I don't have one yet, I have been looking at them.

I would try Twetter if you are looking at something like this. They seem to be pretty good. One of my fraternity brothers used to work there. Their shops were clean and the sales staff was pretty knowledgeable. I have been in both the Fairfax shop and the one in seven corners. I would say that they are probably better than Meyer emco (they are the only ones who say they are premier). I would just avoid Best Buy if I were you.

You might also want to check out Trick Trucks. They are out in Chantilly off of Lee road. I haven't been in there but they sell alot of stuff other people don't or I haven't found around here.

Hope this helps.

 

I had one on my YJ. When it worked it was great, reach a hand in, goes off, put a foot in, goes off, leaf falls into it, nothing happens, perfect loved it. But........more often than not, I'd climb in and forget to turn it off, and nothing would happen, no alarm, no nothing. Also, it would go off in the middle of the night and it would not shut off, that was a real PITA. Due to that I'm not bothering with my JK. I don't leave anything of real value in there and if someone take the MyGI, well that's why I have insurance.

 

I added an aftermarket shock sensor to the OEM alarm. I've retained usage of the integrated Jeep transmitter and all the functions of the factory alarm. I had to work with the sensitivity (adjustable) to avoid false alarms but I have it perfect now. Plus I have the added security that I can lower the top and remove the doors and not worry that the alarm will only go off if someone tries to drive off in it!