Factory fitted alarm, worth getting in new car?

Comhrá

I'm speccing up a couple of models for a possible order for 2020.

A factory fitted alarm in one option costs 493 Euro (Passat) and 691 Euro (Audi A4) in another.

Are they worth spending on, or does the standard immobiliser offer sufficient protection against theft?

bazz26

I thought they were pretty much standard equipment for years at this stage? I've had cars as old as 2011 with them fitted as standard. A factory fitted alarm on the options list in 2019 is a joke.

colm_mcm

My last 3 cars have had (standard) factory alarms.

I wouldn’t pay extra for one once the car has deadlocks. That’s a ridiculous price too.

Dravokivich

My parents 2013 ibiza doesnt have an alarm. The dealer argued what's the point with an immobiliser and they sided with him. So didn't get it added when they got the car.

Sure even with that, people generally dont respond to alarms when they go off.

JoeA3

Most new VAG’s don’t have them as standard.

terrydel

JoeA3 wrote: »

Most new VAG’s don’t have them as standard.

An alarm saved a motorbike of mine from being stolen. The little scrotes ran when it went off. And I used to think they were pointless on a bike as all they tend to do is drain the battery, and bikes are often just lifted into a sound proofed van when stolen. For that reason I'd always have one now on any car or bike. 200-300 should be plenty tho.

grogi

Comhra wrote: »

I'm speccing up a couple of models for a possible order for 2020.

A factory fitted alarm in one option costs 493 Euro (Passat) and 691 Euro (Audi A4) in another.

Are they worth spending on, or does the standard immobiliser offer sufficient protection against theft?

No. Alarm is completely unnecessary

EletricMan

Alot of high spec golfs were bought over the last few years in the UK without paying the Extra for the alarm. I have seen countless pics of Golf Rs, Gtds, Gtis sitting on blocks with alloys robbed off them, LED rear lights taken, xenon headlights etc. Sure a dead lock is grand but If your car has high value extras that will sell with ease I would definitely spec an alarm. Likewise if I was buying a used high spec VAG car I wouldn't buy it unless the alarm was fitted form factory.

colm_mcm

terrydel wrote: »

An alarm saved a motorbike of mine from being stolen. The little scrotes ran when it went off. And I used to think they were pointless on a bike as all they tend to do is drain the battery, and bikes are often just lifted into a sound proofed van when stolen. For that reason I'd always have one now on any car or bike. 200-300 should be plenty tho.

You’d have a job getting a Passat into a van though.

EletricMan

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/crime-gang-strip-wheels-30-15330601

terrydel

colm_mcm wrote: »

You’d have a job getting a Passat into a van though.

Ha, true.
If it's in your driveway going off you'll react or if the noise causes the lowlifes to scatter as it did in my case, then it's earned it's money.

Comhrá

500 Euro would hardly pay for one rim replacement. I'll give it some consideration when the time comes.

Prices for factory alarms are very saucy but as a mate of mine says "It's only dear the day you pay for it"

terrydel

Comhra wrote: »

500 Euro would hardly pay for one rim replacement. I'll give it some consideration when the time comes.

Prices for factory alarms are very saucy but as a mate of mine says "It's only dear the day you pay for it"

You'd get a non factory one for a lot less and it'll do the same job.

colm_mcm

is anyone using deadlocking in these cars? Is it standard in Golfs?

It’s called safelock on my Skoda, I think VW is the same. Not listed as standard on the Irish site for trend/comfort/highline

terrydel

EletricMan wrote: »

Alot of high spec golfs were bought over the last few years in the UK without paying the Extra for the alarm. I have seen countless pics of Golf Rs, Gtds, Gtis sitting on blocks with alloys robbed off them, LED rear lights taken, xenon headlights etc. Sure a dead lock is grand but If your car has high value extras that will sell with ease I would definitely spec an alarm. Likewise if I was buying a used high spec VAG car I wouldn't buy it unless the alarm was fitted form factory.

Stupid question, but without the locknut how are they doing it? Drilling it out?

colm_mcm

EletricMan wrote: »

Alot of high spec golfs were bought over the last few years in the UK without paying the Extra for the alarm. I have seen countless pics of Golf Rs, Gtds, Gtis sitting on blocks with alloys robbed off them, LED rear lights taken, xenon headlights etc. Sure a dead lock is grand but If your car has high value extras that will sell with ease I would definitely spec an alarm. Likewise if I was buying a used high spec VAG car I wouldn't buy it unless the alarm was fitted form factory.

If the car is deadlocked, how are you gonna get the boot door open to rob the tail lights, or the passenger door open to pop the bonnet?

EletricMan

terrydel wrote: »

Stupid question, but without the locknut how are they doing it? Drilling it out?

They are breaking the windows in the car and getting the locknut out of the car. No alarm means they can break the windows and jack up the car with no issues. Set of wheels would be taken in a few minutes.

EletricMan

colm_mcm wrote: »

If the car is deadlocked, how are you gonna get the boot door open to rob the tail lights, or the passenger door open to pop the bonnet?

I have no Idea, maybe they dont come with dead locks. I have attached pics of a golf r stripped at a dealership in UK.

colm_mcm

Uk ones would surely have an alarm standard? I’ve pretty much never seen any uk car bigger than a supermini to not have an alarm.

EletricMan

colm_mcm wrote: »

Uk ones would surely have an alarm standard? I’ve pretty much never seen any uk car bigger than a supermini to not have an alarm.

AFAIK it's an optional extra, I'm no expert it's just what I read over the years on forums.

dastardly00

As a few posters have said already, a lot of VAGs don't have alarms fitted as standard, including the GTI. I bought a new GTI this year, it was already built and in Ireland and the dealer hadn't chosen an alarm as an extra. One of the first things I did was to get a non-factory alarm fitted.

SBPhoto

Don't know about the A4 but the A6 has an alarm fitted as standard

JoeA3

Most UK VW's have the alarm as standard. I think UK insurers insist on it, whereas not so here, so the Irish importers delete it.

The only current (Irish spec) Golf that its standard on is the R.

Also need to be careful about deadlocks, a lot of VW's don't have this as standard either. It usually comes bundled with the alarm. (Safelock).

colm_mcm

It’s ridiculous that deadlocks aren’t standard, it’s just one of those things you’d just assume is standard these days.

terrydel

EletricMan wrote: »

They are breaking the windows in the car and getting the locknut out of the car. No alarm means they can break the windows and jack up the car with no issues. Set of wheels would be taken in a few minutes.

That's so obvious it never even occurred.

grogi

EletricMan wrote: »

They are breaking the windows in the car and getting the locknut out of the car. No alarm means they can break the windows and jack up the car with no issues. Set of wheels would be taken in a few minutes.

And how are you going to stop them when you have an alarm?

How would you act should you hear it wheening? Are you going to confront the scum over a set of alloys? Will anybody else pay any attention to alarm triggering? - no. Most people will just be annoyed by the noise.

Alarms are useless. And annoying.

Comhrá

terrydel wrote: »

You'd get a non factory one for a lot less and it'll do the same job.

I wouldn't install a non-OEM device in a new car. Unless it's done in the main dealer, the car's warranty would, I'm sure, be voided, and it would probably be cheaper to have it factory installed in the first place, rather than having the main dealer retro-fit it.

kooga

JoeA3 wrote: »

Most new VAG’s don’t have them as standard.

In Ireland only - standard on uk models

I have a 2008 golf gti bought from new, the first option I ticked was factory alarm and it has alerted me on two occasions over the last 11 years !

Limbo123

You would probably get a far superior aftermarket alarm for similar dosh that Audi is asking for..... .

freddieot

If a new car then always would choose the factory unit over an independently fitted alarm.

That way, if it goes wrong, there is no doubt who is to blame and who needs to sort it out - car manufacturer.

kooga

colm_mcm wrote: »

Uk ones would surely have an alarm standard? I’ve pretty much never seen any uk car bigger than a supermini to not have an alarm.

The spec for the R in Ireland includes an alarm as standard

Del2005

grogi wrote: »

And how are you going to stop them when you have an alarm?

How would you act should you hear it wheening? Are you going to confront the scum over a set of alloys? Will anybody else pay any attention to alarm triggering? - no. Most people will just be annoyed by the noise.

Alarms are useless. And annoying.

Turning your lights on usually moves them on. Most theft is opportunistic and they don't want confrontation.


Are VAG going back to the bad old days of having the radio as an optional extra. Alarms and dead bolts should be standard equipment on cars, especially since we are getting RHD cars and have similar amount of scumbags as the UK.

Personally I’d be fairly skeptical of an alarm’s Usefulness. House Alarm’s are complete noise pollution and nothing else, car alarms I would be inclined to put in a similar bracket.

A tracker and/or a kill switch would be a far better use of funds imo that will really stop the car being stolen or locate it very easily if it is.