Best Car Alarm for £300?

AmDaMan · 13 Oct 2007 at 19:45

Hi need to get an alarm for £300 max budget. The reason it's £300 is because remote start would be a nice feature

Heard mixed opinions from all major names such as Clifford 650, Toad Ai606 and Viper so don't know which to get?

Any help appreciated!

thanks.

Matt82 · 14 Oct 2007 at 07:17

with the same budget as you i got the Toad AI606. was installed by MSI from Dudley, £250 i think, i got dual proximity sensors too. basically, if the car is parked close to your house, it will give you some warning if a scrote is hanging around it.

no problems with it to date

CB666 · 14 Oct 2007 at 08:46

another vote for the toad AI606.

Matt82 · 14 Oct 2007 at 09:26

i think the installer pays a massive part in how well it will function. i met a guy at a golf meet with an AI606 whose windows came down everytime he unlocked it... dodgy install it seemed

my full closure works to a tee... hence i recommend MSI to fit it

Wullie · 14 Oct 2007 at 14:52

I have used Toad and Meta in the past.

Toad Ai606 gets my vote.

Also had dual zone microwave sensors on it. Brilliant tool as you can set it to warn them off and also if you increase the range of the internal slightly it will trigger the alarm if anyone touches the car. Great if you are fed up of chasing the local kids from peering into the car.

*Moangroan* · 14 Oct 2007 at 17:23

Installed a Toad in mine never had one false alarm...or trouble.

AmDaMan · 14 Oct 2007 at 17:28

cool will go for that then, is remote start not worth the effort? Would be useful in winter wouldn't it?

*Moangroan* · 14 Oct 2007 at 20:25

If your car has an immobiliser which needs a chip in the key you start to have security issues with remote starts and thus the thatchcam rating of the installed alarm drops.

But a remote start would be lovely in the winter...lol..Toastie car while you eat your porridge.

loltim · 14 Oct 2007 at 21:12

I've got an Ai606 on the Civic too, good alarms

gobbo · 14 Oct 2007 at 22:07

Matt82 said:
with the same budget as you i got the Toad AI606. was installed by MSI from Dudley

Same guy who did mine, cost me £220, sells stuff through eBay. Very highly recomended, did an excellent job and showed all the features of the system.

AmDaMan · 14 Oct 2007 at 23:36

A certified company on ebay will do:

The AI606 for £210 fitted or £290 with remote start

or the A201? for £300 with proximity sensors and remote start.. never heard of the 201 though?

Cyber-Mav · 15 Oct 2007 at 03:48

i use the toad AI606, no problems with it.

agw_01 · 15 Oct 2007 at 03:56

Anyone with an AI606, how loud are the sirens?

I've heard a few comments about them not being very loud, and others saying they're more than adequate.

Matt82 · 15 Oct 2007 at 08:43

id say its so-so loud. when ive set it off i dont think 'holy crap thats loud' and i dont think 'eh, thats a bit quiet'

thatcham rules say that the siren should point down to the ground so that it doesnt catch water, but mine is pointing to the front (ooops for MSI lol) pointing it down may make it louder

Virdi · 15 Oct 2007 at 10:22

Toad is the best!!

no gimmicks - Just a good reliable alarm.

Phil W · 15 Oct 2007 at 16:51

I've got an Ai606, very impressed with it so far

Gav · 16 Oct 2007 at 21:55

If you want remote start them go for a Clifford 650 with Intellistart. It's the best remote start in the business.

If you want a bargain budget alarm then go for the Toad. The build quality isn't as good but it will do what an alarm needs to do. An alternative to the Toad is the new Hornet Maxx1 from DEI (the company behind clifford and viper). It's got a slightly better spec than the Toad but comes in a bit cheaper.

The downside is that you won't get a decent alarm and remote start for under £450. Anyone selling remote start for £80 must be using imported chinese units which are not safe for use on manual cars.

AmDaMan · 16 Oct 2007 at 21:59

Just managed to bag a Toad Ai606 with remote start and proximity sensors for £270 because I was very persistent!!

mejinks · 17 Oct 2007 at 10:09

The toad Ai606 has been around for more than a decade now I was told, but I can't recommend them highly enough. As stated earlier, its all down to the installer. The firt thing I do when I get a car im going to keep is remove the old alarm system and install an Ai606 with dual prox.

Gav · 17 Oct 2007 at 18:12

mejinks said:
The toad Ai606 has been around for more than a decade now I was told, but I can't recommend them highly enough. As stated earlier, its all down to the installer. The firt thing I do when I get a car im going to keep is remove the old alarm system and install an Ai606 with dual prox.

Bad Info: They were released in 2000

More Info: Toad don't make alarms :eek:

They are made by lite-on and are available under many different names all over the world.

Toad Ai600: http://www.allproducts.com.tw/manufacture2/liteon/vs400.html

Toad A101: http://www.allproducts.com.tw/manufacture2/liteon/p01.html

Recognise the remotes.....?

DEI on the otherhand, design, manufacture and sell all their own products. Hence the reason Clifford are far more advanced and have more upgrade potential. Build quality and reliability on the DEI stuff is second to none.

BUT.......

A toad system can be fitted by a bad installer and you would probably be none the wiser. A dei system fitted by a bad installer is far more likely to give you trouble.