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Sorry to hear of the violation, James. I hope the damage can be easily fixed. Volks, it's stories like this that make me wonder why y'all don't install a car alarm? I think the general public doesn't like them because of earlier times but they've come a long way, baby! First, you can buy a good alarm for under $50 -- heck, even under $30. And they are very easy to install and hide (mine is under the stock speaker grill). They come with instructionsw ese who prefer to do it themselves but car audio shops (Car Toys, Circuit City, Good Guys, etc.) will do the installation for you...in less than a day! If you decide to do it yourself let the sales rep know as the price generally includes the cost of installation, this way you will save some money. Second, some insurance companies will give you a discount if you have an alarm system -- ask your agent for requirements (I know, I know, you'd never believe it but they can be picky). Third, peace of mind. Ain't that enough? In the long run the alarm will probably pay for itself more than you think (or will ever know :) What to look for: Flashing light (LED usually) to let bad guys know the car has an alarm. I put mine in my "Fasten Seat Belts" lens but you may want to put it in a more conspicuous spot. Just make sure it is easily seen, day or night. A LOUD siren. It can make any noise you want, just make sure it is loud (over 100dB) and located far out of sight. I placed mine in the spare tire area, between the nose skin and the brace that the tire rests against; this way I don't loose any space and can keep the spare tire. Voltage checking. It simply connects to a door switch. When the door opens, the dome light comes on, the alarm goes off. If your dome light circuit doesn't work or you want added protection... Pin switches. These are a very simple plunger switch. When pushed in the circuit is open and no current flows. When the plunger is released, like when a door or trunk is opened, current flows and the alarm is triggered. You can use the stock door switch instead of a pin switch for door triggering. But to protect the trunk and rear hatch you will need to drill a small hole to mount the switch in. I put a pin switch on my hatch. Key fob (the little remote control). This allows you to turn the alarm on and off and also set it off in an emergency (normally called "panic mode"). Nice to have but not required: Light flasher. This just flashes your parking lights (and your headligè죹ou wish) whenever you arm or disarm your alarm and when the alarm is triggered. Many with this feature will also flash the lights in a different flash sequence it the alarm has or has not been triggered so you will know if there was a potential violation. Shock sensor. I personally think this is very important. If some idiot drives into your car or slams their long Trans Am door into yours or they try to jack it up (to steal rims, engine, or tow it) this little sensor will trigger the alarm. It measures impact so pushing the car won't set it off but a kick will. If too sensitive it may go off during a gusty wind storm. I know earthquakes and sky fireworks will set them off and some are sensitive to very low frequency sounds like my exhaust and tractor-trailer rigs (18-wheelers). Glass breakage sensor. I think the name is obvious enough. Proximity sensor. Again, something I think is important, particularly if you have any kind of convertible (sun/moon roof, targa, ragtop or true convertible), even rolled down windows. These are adjustable. You can pick out the ones who don't know how to adjust these as their alarm will go off if you sneeze within 4' of it. Basically, if something moves within the perimeter that it monitors then the alarm will go off. They use either very high frequency sound waves (you can't hear it) or a type of radar wave like what's used in automatic door openers at supermarkets. Mine is one of these and I can't park near an entrance without it interfering and setting my alarm off. Luckily, I was able to put a manual switch on it to turn it on or off for such situations. There are more but these are some of the basic ones. Most alarms will sound for 30 seconds though some will sound longer (90 seconds is far too long in my opinion) and some are adjustable. They even make alarms and add-ons that can page you. I bought a paging system that was made by Audiovox (1.5mile range) and patched it into my system...worked nicely. Heck, for less than $140 you can get a wheel 8ÈÏ•t's a taser system (http://www.freeman-mkt.com/aut.htm). Though a good deterrent it doesn't protect the entire car like a traditional alarm. There are other measures that you can do to protect your ride (park in well lit areas) but it takes a little initiative and, as I've shown, a small amount of cash. Toby Erkson air_cooled_nut@pobox.com <-- Please use this address for email '72 VW Squareback 1.6L bored and stroked to 2.0L, Berg five-speed '75 Porsche 914 1.8L, R.I.P., ORPCA member '95 VW Jetta GL 2.0L, boringly bone-stock Portland, Oregon, http://www.pobox.com/~toby_erkson/ > -----Original Message----- > There I stood, my car ransacked, my vent window broken > open, the chrome trim crushed where the little > (&#$@#*()$&@()*#&#$_)(*@_*$!!! jammed a screw-driver into it, > to break the > knob off. Every little drawer, box and bag in the car had > been ripped open and its' contents lie on the floor pans. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Search old messages on the Web! Visit http://www.vwtype3.org/list/