alarm or Tracker
Hi, we are buying a new motorhome, Burstner City Car, and are trying to decide whether to have an alarm fitted, or a tracking device? It has the usual immobiliser fitted as standard. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
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I suppose it depends on what you want to achieve. I went for an alarm (Strikeback by VanBitz) because I wanted to a) to put people off trying to break in and
something to alert me at home if someone tried to steal the van. So I suppose an alarm is about prevention and a tracker about recovery. The latter is covered by insurance should you be unlucky enough for the van to be stolen. I maybe deluding myself but I just hope an alarm might be enough to make someone move on to the next vehicle? David
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There is a view that you can try to stop 'em nicking your beloved vehicle BUT once it's gone and been missing for a day or two many would not really want it back. Since you can never know what's been going on they reckon they want the insurance company to take the hit and just get out looking for the replacement
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Knowing where my caravan's alarm is, it could be silenced in seconds with the use of a carefully inserted screw driver. I'm sure that if someone had come to take the caravan, they'd have done some homework first & brought a screw driver with them. Does anyone take any notice of alarms anymore & would you want to tackle any would be thief if you caught them in the act? The could very well be bigger & uglier than you
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A narrowly focused explosive charge under the driver's seat would be good. All it would entail would be a new driver's seat.
Seriously, I'm just about to register my MH with the Tracker company which does a five year contract which works out at £60 per year. That's in addition to an alarm system which I've already managed to trigger a couple of times.
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Hello ipt,
Some alarms are actually linked into a tracking device now so when one is activated, the other is too.
A tracking device will track it, if stolen but as ABM and a lot of Members have said to me on the phone, would you want it back?
It is a matter of choice, whereby some feel the alarm is adequate and others choose to pay a subscription to have the tracker active as well.
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I had a very good Category 2-1 'dog friendly' Alarm fitted.
I also bought a couple of stickers, see pic, for £1 to fasten to the Motorhome – now the Thief doesn't know whether there is a Tracker fitted on not – cheap and hopefully effective.
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I went the tracker route because it lowered my insurance, alarms did not. (They may with other insurers).
I went for a lifetime subscription because it works out cheaper assuming you keep the vehicle more than about 4 years.
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We're just in the process of buying our first motorhome. My experience of alarms on vehicles to date is that they are generally more trouble than they're worth and certainly stress-inducing when they malfunction - which in my experience has been often. The only exception to that is the factory-fitted alarm on my Kia car which has been entirely faultless for three years. I don't even know what it sounds like when it goes off!
My personal feeling regarding our new van is that physical security devices which make it harder for a thief to actually enter the vehicle and impossible to drive away if they do is the way to go. Was considering a Thatcham Category 5 tracker but having read this thread I'm now not so sure.
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If your worry is it being stolen from your drive then a decent locked wooden or metal gate will possibly deter thieves.
If they are really determined to take it and you equally determined to stop them then a good alarm and tracker are going to be cost effective in probably stopping or recovering the vehicle.
But - what damage they make to your vehicle might determine whether you actually want it back again!
Also steering wheel locks and driving wheel clamps will give an easily seen deterrent and make them think twice.
I would presume most stolen Motorhomes from driveways are driven away with the keys and, surely, not keeping the keys anywhere obvious is another deterrent.
A simple way to stop the vehicle driven away is, especially if the MH is stood on the drive for some time, to take out and replace the fuel pump fuse with a 'blown' fuse.
That way the thief cannot start the vehicle and without a lot of time on his hands and a pocket full of various size fuses he will never get it started.
Even if he has a mechanical brain he has to find which fuse to replace, that can't be easy in the dark and with the risk of being caught, and could be worth a try to give more piece of mind.
I have a 2013 Fiat Ducato and it takes no longer than five minutes to remove two easily found screws, remove fuse cover, pull out 'good' fuse, replace with 'dead' fuse, replace fuse cover and two screws.
It may not be 100% secure with an inoperative fuel pump - but it must come pretty close.
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Ok I put a free App from GPSTrackerforandroid.com on my old phone. It works fine showing the location every two minutes. I just left the phone in the roof of the van for a trial run to test it out. It tracked my wife marshalling at a Husky rally in Swinley Forest with no problem. I can track using a PC on the internet.
Now I just need to be able to hide the phone with a charger attached. I think I will see if it works in the cupboard where the leisure battery is located. If it works there then I just need to know how to connect to the leisure battery. The leisure battery is charged by a solar panel. I have a charger cable that has a USB socket, and also an adapter for that to go in to a cigar lighter socket. I do have both those types of socket in the front of the van but it would not be so well hidden there.
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Your insurer will specify whether you need an alarm [almost certainly a Thatcham cat1] or Tracker [usually for high value vans]. This should be your starting point. Whatever systems I've had in my various motorhomes, I have always ensured they met the requirements of the insurer as it will be the one paying out - or not!
Passive security is also important and again you can get tips from the terms of your policy - it will tell you what you must and must not do. Where you store your motorhome is something worth considering and what protection you decide is necessary to deter thieves. I don't insure with Caravan Guard but this is useful advice on its website:
Enjoy your motorhome. We enjoy ours!
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ipt, that is a good budget solution but is dependant on a decent phone signal that isn't always available, particularly if your van is concealed in a shipping container or underground.
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Tracker claim that theirs works even in such a situation. Hope I never have to find out.
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