Alarms

[Baden87]

What’s people’s views on Motorhome alarms , should I t one on my 2019 van ?
and why don’t Autotrail put them on when building the vans ?

 

[tkk]

1. Essential
2. Yes
3. Don’t know

 

[AXO66]

What does your insurance require.?

We only had one fitted ’cos insurance required it.

We leave nothing of value in the van, so no loss if broken into.
We don’t full time , so pressure to have all ones goods in the van dosn’t occur.

Tend not to use sites, so the argument that the thief moves on to another van not that relevant.

We use a clutch claw on the pedals as one way of stopping the opportunist driving away.

Overall, however, got to be a good thing.

If it’s used in anger then the chances the thief leaves is greater than if no alarm at all.

There are a number of products around.

We went to Van Bitz, as they seem to have a good reputation for aftersales support and been fitting alarms for a number of years.

And the alarm draws from the battery, so a solar panel is probably required.

( and I just like the flashing lights........even better on dark nights )

 

[TheBig1]

be very careful with manufacturer or dealer fit alarms as they are nearly always a car alarm wired into the canbus system so one remote unlocks the doors and turns the alarm off. thieves know that if you punch a tiny hole in the drivers door by the handle, it unlocks and as mentioned turns the alarm off. basically worse than no alarm as most owners assume that the vehicle is protected

 

[Baden87]

I’m thinking that if they were any good the Motorhome manufacturing would install them when building them
I don’t think there are any cars that don’t come with them as standard nowadays
I have a manufacturer’s fitted tracking system

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[Wh05apk]

I’m thinking that if they were any good the Motorhome manufacturing would install them when building them
I don’t think there are any cars that don’t come with them as standard nowadays
I have a manufacturer’s fitted tracking system

Car manufacturers only install as it would adversely affect the insurance rating which would severely affect sales, and to fit at manufacturing stage presumably costs peanuts.
Motorhome manufacturers are not in the business of installing what is good, purely what makes them money, as they are much smaller scale the additional cost due to reduced buying power compared with car manufacturers would be far higher.
Not everyone would want an alarm installed, prior to our current van, our insurers did not require one fitted.

 

[ManTheVan]

You also have to factor in that all coachbuilt motorhomes are built on a largely stripped-down vehicle skeleton, so it would be pointless even attempting to retain any manufacturer-installed system.

You pays your money and takes your choice, but I doubt you’d find an insurer which would not give a significant discount for having a top-flight alarm fitted, and I suspect that many would decline to quote if one was not fitted.

Your tracker is worth having, but any accomplished thief will also have a tracker scanner and will locate and disable it in a matter of minutes.

In the grand scheme of things, the cost of having Vanbitz or similar fitting an alarm to your new van is only a fraction of the cost you paid for it. If it was me, I’d bite the bullet and just get it done. You’re not likely to regret it in the long run.

 

[Jim]

My thoughts <Broken link removed>

 

[Minxy]

What’s people’s views on Motorhome alarms , should I t one on my 2019 van ?
and why don’t Autotrail put them on when building the vans ?

Yes as they give some security for you when you are in it overnight, they also hopefully deter thieves, you'll usually get a discount from your insurer for having one and some insist on it anyway.

As for why they are not fitted as standard? Not everyone wants one, some people want their alarms to do extra bits etc which would be difficult as an 'after-fit', and not all systems are the same.

As for Autotrail not fitting one ... they probably couldn't get one that can survive being 'submerged' in water from when they leak!

(last bit was a joke by the way! )

 

[Pausim]

I have an alarm and a tracker but neither are required by NFU for my insurance. However they give a 15% discount for the tracker but nothing for the alarm which suggests they see the tracker as more important. I am happy to have both.

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[Nasher]

I would like to see some accurate statistics on motorhome theft/break-ins

By statistics, I mean a breakdown of reported instances compared to other forms of vehicle theft as a percentage of total number, not anecdotes on social media

If the insurers don't insist on an alarm I would assume that the risk is small

I wonder if all the threads on here about security are simply creating more paranoia?

Mind you, this thread has just reminded me, I've forgotten to change the time on the Rolexes in the van when the clocks went forward a couple of weeks ago - I'll go & do it now?

 

[Coolcats]

What’s people’s views on Motorhome alarms , should I t one on my 2019 van ?
and why don’t Autotrail put them on when building the vans ?

Yes, Yes, Yes have one installed look about the market but do have a look at Vanbits Review on here look at their web site and even call them, like many I have additional physical security such as a Clutch Claw and Stop Lock, many have Trackers

So if you value your MoHo and want to sleep soundly when away or at home it is a good idea to arm the van with as much security as possible. Its only a view but I suspect others will agree

 

[Kannon Fodda]

My van is left unattended for lengthy periods. A soft target. The alarm creates a deterrent. But better it's stuff like the immobiliser function that will make it really challenging for some scroat to just drive away, even if they were to break in to the house and find my keys and alarm fob. Also having an accessory loop so I can include the bike on the back when it's mounted on the back of the van is great, especially when some of the sites I attend regularly give warnings that bike thieves are active.

I doubt if an alarm system was manufacturer fitted it would do half of that.

 

[peterc10]

Most insurers will insist upon an alarm and/or tracker if your motorhome is over a certain value. If not they will usually charge more. Our first insurer, Safeguard, insisted on a Cat 1 alarm on our new Hymer because of its value. After a couple of years the premium increased so much that I chose to go with Comfort. They insisted that I needed a Cat 5 or 6 tracker, but did not need the alarm! The cost of installing the tracker and paying the first year's subscription was lower than the difference between Safeguard's and Comfort's premiums. So it was really a no brainer.

In our A class the cost of repairing the damage caused by a thief's efforts to break in could run into thousands of pounds, even if they do not take anything. Therefore the whole idea of a decent alarm is to deter people even trying to break in and encourage them to move on to try an easier target. And break ins can and do happen in campsites, which can often be an easy target for rich pickings.

I do not know about UK converters, but Hymer do offer an optional factory fit alarm. But there is no point in buying one if you have a UK registered van because it has not been approved by Thatcham, so will be ignored by all the UK based insurance companies.

My alarm was fitted by eddievanbitz and I am very pleased with it. Links with the non-starter they also fitted and it warns us both by text to our phones if the alarm goes off, wherever we are in the world.

 

[Basildog]

As for Autotrail not fitting one ... they probably couldn't get one that can survive being 'submerged' in water from when they leak!

(last bit was a joke by the way! )

Same as HYMER then ????

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[Minxy]

I have an alarm and a tracker but neither are required by NFU for my insurance. However they give a 15% discount for the tracker but nothing for the alarm which suggests they see the tracker as more important. I am happy to have both.

Not necessarily, you usually only get one discount for extra security so having a tracker has automatically given you that benefit.

 

[Pausim]

Not necessarily, you usually only get one discount for extra security so having a tracker has automatically given you that benefit.

They told me before I had them fitted that the tracker would earn a discount but not the alarm.

 

[eddie]

Manufacturers have tried to install alarm systems over the years, but it has never been particularity successful

We are often told that we take longer demonstrating our alarm systems that the dealer spent on the handover of the whole motorhome. Ask the dealer if the solar panel charges the engine battery or a myriad of other important technical questions and often they simply don't know

We see it as a specialist installation, done properly somewhat bespoke after discussing what the customer wants.

The security needs of someone who keeps their motorhome at home, in a building, on hook up with CCTV who only travels fairly local to Caravan and Motorhome Club sites and home again, has different security criteria than someone for example who has to keep their motorhome in storage, or on a friends drive. Remote access and alarm paging may be appropriate to some and not others

To those that don't see the need for an alarm, any money spend on one would be deemed a "waste of money" to those who see the benefits of an alarm and want the peace of mind, they would see a cheap "entry level" alarm as a waste of time, not having the security features and benefits of a sophisticated system such as ours.

Factory fitted doesn't sadly make for good security, I for one would never recommend that anyone admit to having a factory fitted tracker! as the second that I know that, I know where it is!

Not that Trackers or anything with a SIM card in is secure anymore unless it has anti jamming technology and is used to immobilise the motorhome when it is parked up using the owners smart phone as wireless sensors, GPS and GSM can be turned off with a flick of a switch, some thing we were pressing the insurance industry to urgently review, and will continue to press for once everything returns to normal

Also, as has been suggested, each Country has its own insurance specification and equipment has to be tested to that standard, to gain across the board insurance, your choice of insurance company shouldn't be dictated by your choice of alarm system.

 

[Brains]

On a 2019 van I'd suggest a Tracker and Alarm is essential.

We picked up our new (to us) van three weeks ago
Our first trip, strait from the dealers, was to Eddie Van Bitz to get the alarm and tracker done.

I guess we must have been one of the last jobs they did before the lock down
Van has now gone into storage, and I can see from the app on my phone, it's still there.

 

[RandallC]

Ok where to start?

Our ex 2010 Kon-Tiki (no it NEVER had any damp issues) was without alarm or tracker. Just had to pick and choose insurance companies WRT their requirements. Had the case once of we prefer a tracker, Ah Ok whats the price with =£x and without =£+50. So you want me to spend £200 on a tracker and subs of >£120 to save £40 .

Think not.

Would add recently (really bad timing) bought a new MH and had to fit tracker & alarm. Now thinking can reasonably walk away in remoteish locations for a walk without being too worried. YES it's a vanbitz Growler.

As a newbie to the Growler set it of by accident last week, quite a few turned out to see what the noise was.

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[Minxy]

They told me before I had them fitted that the tracker would earn a discount but not the alarm.

That's likely to be because of the value of your MH, out of interest who are they?

 

[TCG]

it was a condition of our insurance that we had an alarm fitted, they gave us 14 days to get sorted

 

[RandallC]

Ok where to start?

Our ex 2010 Kon-Tiki (no it NEVER had any damp issues) was without alarm or tracker. Just had to pick and choose insurance companies WRT their requirements. Had the case once of we prefer a tracker, Ah Ok whats the price with =£x and without =£+50. So you want me to spend £200 on a tracker and subs of >£120 to save £40 .

Think not.

Would add recently (really bad timing) bought a new MH and had to fit tracker & alarm. Now thinking can reasonably walk away in remoteish locations for a walk without being too worried. YES it's a vanbitz Growler.

As a newbie to the Growler set it of by accident last week, quite a few turned out to see what the noise was.

Just left a review for Vanbitz, (Eddie expect a bit of discount in the future) NO seriously was one of the few firms we have delt with vis motorhome who actually seem to get its your pride and joy, cost you half your pension, and offer a decent service. Thanks and well done.

Oh incidentally did i mention your guys are underpaid and you charge too much!

 

[MikeD]

We had a condition of the insurance that we had to have a class 1 alarm. But I also know as we usually only stay on sites and the motorhome is reasonably secure when parked at home the chance of theft is low to non-existent.

So we went for the cheapest option to up-grade the makers alarm system to the insurance companies requirements.

If we liked too wild camp, leave our van parked at the side of a strange road or store our van in a remote storage I would be beating a path to eddievanbitz door.

 

[RandallC]

We had a condition of the insurance that we had to have a class 1 alarm. But I also know as we usually only stay on sites and the motorhome is reasonably secure when parked at home the chance of theft is low to non-existent.

So we went for the cheapest option to up-grade the makers alarm system to the insurance companies requirements.

If we liked too wild camp, leave our van parked at the side of a strange road or store our van in a remote storage I would be beating a path to eddievanbitz door.

Yes we went 8 years without an alarm or Tracker, was always a case of WILL it be alright etc,,, but have been (perhaps) lucky and no problems. Think an Alarm is only a comfort blanket in some respects as often well out of earshot of any problem.

But it's not all about you, It's about making the thief think there are easier targets. Ok is about you being lower in the thieving order.

Think at this rate Vanbitz should send me a refund!

Happy with cash or say a satellite system am open to fofers?

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[peterc10]

Think an Alarm is only a comfort blanket in some respects as often well out of earshot of any problem.

It will not be out of earshot if you buy Eddies one, and his non-starter. If it sounds on my drive in Kent when I am in the USA I will still hear about it

 

[Pausim]

That's likely to be because of the value of your MH, out of interest who are they?

NFU.

 

[WESTY66]

Our first trip, strait from the dealers, was to Eddie Van Bitz to get the alarm and tracker done.

Us too, We bought a new to us A class from Simon Howards Motorhomes over the Xmas period and the first thing we did was have the Outsmart the Thief Alarm ripped out and a nice new Growler and non starter put in the van......Peace of mind......Lovely???

 

[Ernesto]

1. Essential
2. Yes
3. Because it’s not a factor most people consider when purchasing the van ... your experience/example bears that out... and explains why they don’t

 

[RandallC]

It will not be out of earshot if you buy Eddies one, and his non-starter. If it sounds on my drive in Kent when I am in the USA I will still hear about it

Hi peterc10,

Please don’t quote out of context.

As posted we have fitted a VanBitz growler only 4 days after taking delivery. The intention of the post was to highlight that run of the mill alarms are just background noise. Also we previously viewed alarms as; “we have all heard an alarm and looked vaguely in that direction“
with a Growler you don’t just look you go “WTF is that”

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