posted 05-02-2001 03:45 PM                    

I also got Teletrac which makes it possible for the alarm company to track the vehicle to its exact location if it is ever stolen.

It's pretty kewl!

Funny thing already happened - I set the alarm while the garage door was up and didn't put the car cover on. When I closed the garage it sensed the movement and set the alarm off... Got some things to learn I guess... hah
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Cliff Watson

posted 05-02-2001 04:01 PM                  

Sounds like great protection.
My car alarm saved my Kat from being stolen in the middle of the night, while in West Palm Beach.

posted 05-02-2001 04:19 PM                  

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CJ - 1999 Black
Stock / Classic / Beautiful

posted 05-02-2001 05:23 PM                  

As far as the Teletrac? Why not just LoJack? I usually pay $4-500 for that and there is no yearly fee. Plus you can ususally get a discount on your insurance, although you will probably get one for Teletack too.

posted 05-02-2001 06:08 PM                    

I went to the guy that Dan Remington referred me to (Car Fidelity of North Hollywood - Tony) for the Alpine OnGuard system - Alpine does not offer that system anymore so the next best thing is Teletrac.

Working in the law enforcement industry I already knew that I didn't want LoJack because there are too many factors against recovery (method of activation, method of retrieval, etc) although it does cover a wider area.

LoJack puts out a radio signal and PARTICIPATING departments will have a certain percentage of their cars equipped with the tracking sensors. To locate a vehicle, the sensors tell them to go in a certain direction - they don't know how far and they basically have to triangulate the location - even more difficult if the target is moving. Also, LoJack will not activate until a police report is taken and PROCESSED. If you don't know it isn't taken then you give the thief a headstart. I AM NOT saying anything bad about LoJack - they have a decent recovery rate - but I would rather have a system like Teletrac, OnGuard or OnStar (GM only vehicles).

Teletrac will activate when the alarm is activated and the company will try and reach you by any means they can (pager, cell phone, work phone, home phone, etc)to verify that it is stolen - then you place the stolen report and they call the dispatch center and tell them where your car is - to the EXACT LOCATION - even if it is moving - they can tell how fast, which direction, etc. The bad part about Teletrac is they only cover certain areas - for my area, Ventura County to the Mexican border. I don't know about out of state - I need to check that before we leave for Arizona. Also Teletrac includes roadside assistance, peace of mind location (if someone is overdue they can check where the car is), remote door unlock (I doubt I will use this ), and OZZ Mobile Information (atms, gas stations, police stations, etc).

Because Dan referred me, Tony gave me a package deal - $1K if I had Teletrac and an alarm system installed. He broke it down to $650 (that includes first year subscription and activation fee) for Teletrac and $150 for the alarm. He did not want to mess with the manufacturers alarm so he installed it separately. He could not use the manufacturers alarm to activate Teletrac because it did not have the right kind of outputs. The alarm itself is an Alpine SEC-8028 with a radar sensor. There is a better one that includes an outside perimeter, but I didn't want that. So basically - I have the Alpine and Chrysler alarms and Teletrac. Also, the Alpine alarm will go off if the vehicle is bumped too hard (in case they try and put it on a flatbed and tow it away).

Oh - and I have to call them to tell them when it will be in for service so they know I will not have it.

Sorry for the length of the posting but I think I covered all the questions at once.