Alarm System vs. Window Etching

[04BlkVibe]

What's a better deal? The Dealer is trying to sell me something such as the window etch (Protector Plus: http://www.daledownie.ca/protectplus.html). From the slideshow in the link, it seems decent. If your car gets stolen, you get $4000 on top of what insurance company gives you. And if your car is stolen and recovered, you get as much as $2500. Sounds like a better system to have than an alarm system! Anyone here got any thoughts?

[Mavrik]

Well a car alarm can let you know someone is breaking into your vehicle by other methods then breaking a window since some car break ins are not to steal the car itself but whats inside. And since my car alarm goes off if someone even bumps my car, I like having it on there on top of the fact my windows are etched.

[ragingfish]

IMHO, if they want your car, they're gonna get it. Alarm or no alarm, there's always a bypass. I didn't bother springing for the alarm myself. If they want my radio, or my amp, they'll break in, nab and, and be gone before anyone noticed (or cares). Window etching is relatively inexpensive, I get an insurance credit, and it gives me the piece of mind that the car itself is less likely to be stolen. Just one's humble opinion, of course.

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »I get an insurance credit, I checked with my company in Ontario Canada. No discount for etching.

[kostby]

If you really want to etch your glass, you can find a kit on the internet to put the an ID number on for as little as US$20.00 --> http://www.autoetch.net/etchkits.htmCar dealers sell ETCH because it's a great add-on profit-maker for them --> http://www.theautochannel.com/....html'Dealer-installed' alarms can also subject you to large profit markups. You'll probably do better going to the alarm installer (and/or car audio installer) yourself.IMHO, the best deal is to skip BOTH dealer-installed options.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by kostby » IMHO, the best deal is to skip BOTH dealer-installed options.Oh that note I would like to add. PLEASE make sure its a good system and not some cheap generic one. I have seen all sorts of fun non warranty problems occure because of those things in a lot of cases making them more of a hassel then it would have been just buying it stock with the car. Of course anyone wanting power locks, windows and cruise control WILL end up automaticly with a car alarm and two keyless remotes. The Vibe has an alarm even though the horn does not beep when armed or dissarmbed, wanna check? Just arm your Vibe and then remove the battery cables, put them back on and wow you never knew your horn was that loud.

[Kari]

Cool...does it automatically arm when you lock the doors with the remote, or do you have to press it again a la every other GM vehicle?

[disco277]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Oh that note I would like to add. PLEASE make sure its a good system and not some cheap generic one. I have seen all sorts of fun non warranty problems occure because of those things in a lot of cases making them more of a hassel then it would have been just buying it stock with the car. Of course anyone wanting power locks, windows and cruise control WILL end up automaticly with a car alarm and two keyless remotes. The Vibe has an alarm even though the horn does not beep when armed or dissarmbed, wanna check? Just arm your Vibe and then remove the battery cables, put them back on and wow you never knew your horn was that loud.That's nice to know about the alarm system. When I switched from my 2001 Sunfire to my 2005 Vibe with Power Package I didn't think it had an alarm because of the abcense of the "beep" when hitting lock twice. I was kind of pissed off actually.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by Kari »Cool...does it automatically arm when you lock the doors with the remote, or do you have to press it again a la every other GM vehicle?It arms when you use the remote. If you just use the lock button on the door, I don't believe the Vibe's alarm will arm. Now on other GM vehicles like the Grand Am and such, you hit the lock button twice and close the door and the car will lock and arm with a sound of the horn once.Now since the Vibe is also Toyota, that can effect how the alarm works as opposed to GM made vehicles. I have not tried arming the Vibe and opening the door through the window and seeing if it will go off... My Vibe will only because I have an after market alarm installed through MASS Electronics which works with the car manufactures to ensure it works perfectly with the car. Dealerships use MASS when installing options to cars that came without if the buyer wants, like remote starts, car alarms, power locks, cruise control...

[GMJAP]

I'm pretty sure if you lock the Vibe with the remote, then open a door (from the inside), no horn or other type of 'alarm' goes off.........But I'll check again.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »I'm pretty sure if you lock the Vibe with the remote, then open a door (from the inside), no horn or other type of 'alarm' goes off.........But I'll check again.yeah check that out, I do know it goes off if it loses power (ie taking the battery out) and the car was left armed before that.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »yeah check that out, I do know it goes off if it loses power (ie taking the battery out) and the car was left armed before that.Tried it and no beeping when the door was opened (Sat inside, locked it with remote, then opended door). Also tried locking it twice in case the second click "armed" it.Haven't tried disconnecting the battery - and probably won't . Wonder what the purpose of that is? Why would someone be disconnecting & reconnecting the battery?I remember that someone posted that the Vibe will respond to a panic button, if you get a Toyota Matrix fob and program it to the Vibe.

[kostby]

There IS an extra 'Alarm' module available for the Matrix. I remember posting after seeing one on ebay a while back. -->http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=10298