Bongo Fury

Thanks for that info' Geoff, I will see if I can connect into that wire tommorow. If that doesn't work I'll call it a day as it was only a temporary deterrent, and wait until I can get a better alarm. Thanks for all the help guys.

I know you get what you pay for, but can you recommend a half-decent alarm that won't break the bank and doesn't require a degree in Electrical Engineering to fit?

It occurred to me overnight that if it depends on the voltage drop from the battery when an extra load comes on then you also need to make sure that the light is ALWAYS switched to Door position, otherwise you have no protection at all

old_GH wrote: can you recommend a half-decent alarm that won't break the bank and doesn't require a degree in Electrical Engineering to fit?

Make a list of what you want it to do... Negative door triggers are a good, & can be tied in with the existing door pins for the interior lights & you don't have to leave em on in courtesy mode.

Most alarms have at least a shock sensor & these door triggers..

Ultra sonic or microwave interior cover? I have micro wave covering the back, normally more suited for convertibles which covers the back.. but then shock sensor should cover a broken window for a lean in & grab, the door pins got the rest! (Ultra sonic can be too twitchy for soft tops or with curtains.)

Most have an immobilizer..

Do you really need/like that neighbour annoying blip when looking up? Some alarms don't have the function to turn this off..

Another reliability aspect. Get one with in-line blade fuses, not the glass fuse holder type.. (The black fuse holder that opens like a pea pod with the fuse clip at each end, found on Sparkrite systems is particularly bad?)

Self powered alarm siren? Has it's own battery & charges itself from the alarm system.. The "scroat" cuts the power it kicks off!!

& what about remote central locking!?

I read somewhere on an American alarm site "a cheap alarm fitted well is better than an expensive one fitted poorly".

Solder all joints/connections!

End of the day as you say, you get what you pay for and however well you may think you might fit your alarm, a professional will do a better and more secure job. From what your saying, you wabt just a basic alarm that will give perimeter protection, in my experience get yourself a branded unit like a Cobra, not necessarily a category 1 (so no immobiliser), they are a fit and forget unti, any units with lots of fancy gadgets etc just gives more to go wrong. I'm always curious why people suggest shock sensors?

jaylee wrote:Ultra sonic or microwave interior cover? I have micro wave covering the back, normally more suited for convertibles which covers the back.. but then shock sensor should cover a broken window for a lean in & grab, the door pins got the rest! (Ultra sonic can be too twitchy for soft tops or with curtains.)

How you can say ultrasonics are twitchy as opposed to microwave is beyond me! microwave units need regular checks as the 'bubble' they produce is constantly changing. Ultrasonic sensitivity can be reduced easily. A decent alarm shouldnt (technically ISNT allowed) to make a noise upon arming in order to meet euro specs for alarms.

Lotys of people are fitting viper alarms, redily available on fleabay etc, they're rebadged CODE alarms, with most of the useless functions removed thus making them more reliable and less likely to give oyu problems in the future. If you can find a Cobra/Laserline/Toad unit cheap then your better off getting a unit like that. fitting an alarm to a Bongo is fairly easy, and lots of people will offer advice, best done by PM for security reasons!

Julian

As Julian says, a professional alarm installer will listen to your questions/requirements and advise accordingly to your needs regarding a car security system.

You didn’t mention whether you had remote central locking? Sometimes a good idea to have the remote CL tied in with the alarm, so as not to forget & trigger the system by yourself when opening up!

Thanks for the good advice guys, I will indeed visit a couple of local alarm specialists and see what they have to offer for my budget.

I've given up on the other alarm after diving in and out of the van in between the rain all day. Connecting to red wire behind dash still didn't work so I wash my hands of it. I'm going away for a couple of weeks camping in the Bongo in a fortnight's time so I won't be splashing out any money this side of the trip.

Again, thanks for the help and advice.