Thatcham approved alarms (1 Viewer)

Jan 11, 2010
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
How annoying is it that you purchase a new motorhome but can`t insure it until you have a Thatcham approved alarm.
If it is a condition set by insurance companies apparently cast in stone I was told on the phone why aren`t fitted as standard.:Angry:
 

rainbow chasers

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Should have a standard immobiliser - I know citroen cars immobilisers have thatcham approval.

I guess the reason alarms are not fitted is the base vehicle is a cab - just in basic form. The converter builds the body and turns it into a motorhome, and after that they leave security extras down to the owner.

Surprised you were not offered as an extra at point of sale though. For what it is worth, trackers better value than alarms as they are more useful if it is stolen. Just look carefully.
 

eddie

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How annoying is it that you purchase a new motorhome but can`t insure it until you have a Thatcham approved alarm.
If it is a condition set by insurance companies apparently cast in stone I was told on the phone why aren`t fitted as standard.:Angry:

Hi RobnChris,

Alarms are difficult! If your insurance company don't require an alarm as a condition of insurance, and you as a customer don't like alarms (some people don't :Eeek:) it could be argued that your paying for something that you don't want or need, Therefore a waste of money.

If the manufacturer put a basic alarm in, just sufficient specification to satisfy Thatcham, and you bought the motorhome, an realised that the alarm was extremely basic and it had none of the features that you wanted/expected you would consider it a waste of money.

You would probably (as many of our customers do) have to have it removed for a more comprehensive system to be installed to offer you greater protection and facilities.

Also, we're often told that we take as long demonstrating the installation and operation or our Strikeback and Growler systems, as people had for the entire motorhome of the previous day or twos "handover" So if the security system operation was lumped into the general handover, potentially yet another problem for the customer.

Also I truly believe that people are better buying the motorhome that they like, with the correct layout and colour scheme etc and then "cherry picking" the accessories that they want.

The buyers for companies are often more concerned with price than spec when it comes to selecting accessories such as satellite systems, audio head units, reversing cameras etc.

How many motorhomes in showrooms at the moment are interconnected with HDMI technology? If any very few, they're still using SCART leads or worse Composite RCA (Yellow, Red & White phono plugs) So the manufacturers never seem to be at the leading edge when it comes to technology unfortunately.

Eddie

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robnchris
Jan 11, 2010
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
alarms

I fully understand where you are coming from here but my point is similar to that regarding hands free phones, it`s against the law in this country to use a phone whilst driving so how come car manufactures are allowed to import a vehicle that doesn`t comply with a law requirement.
Back in the 1970`s the foreign ports were full of British built cars that didn`t meet the countries standards.

We are insured with Caravan Guard and when I spoke to them on the phone the person was obviously just reading off a screen and couldn`t make a decision, I was led to believe that the immobilizer fitted to the Fiat was Thatcham approved, personally I think the added habitation door and any outside lockers being alarm protected is of more use than a tracker.
A tracker is fine if the vehicle is stolen but not much use if the doors and lockers are forced open.
Horses for courses I suppose.
 

eddie

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I fully understand where you are coming from here but my point is similar to that regarding hands free phones, it`s against the law in this country to use a phone whilst driving so how come car manufactures are allowed to import a vehicle that doesn`t comply with a law requirement.
Back in the 1970`s the foreign ports were full of British built cars that didn`t meet the countries standards.

We are insured with Caravan Guard and when I spoke to them on the phone the person was obviously just reading off a screen and couldn`t make a decision, I was led to believe that the immobilizer fitted to the Fiat was Thatcham approved, personally I think the added habitation door and any outside lockers being alarm protected is of more use than a tracker.
A tracker is fine if the vehicle is stolen but not much use if the doors and lockers are forced open.
Horses for courses I suppose.

Hi, All cars and light commercial vehicles built in the Euro zone since 1997 have had to have a immobilisation device installed.

As for hands free devices, again, if you never travel alone or like many don't bother with phones (me included :winky:) so again would be miffed to find that they had paid for an "option" that they don't want or need.

Not only that, every car that I have ever bought has crap navigation systems in, when compared to retro fit after market systems, even when the manufacturer does install decent quality audio equipment!

Eddie
 

rainbow chasers

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It isn't law to have a thatcham approved alarm - it is a stipulation of the insurers.......they do have many over a barrel in most cases. There is no law to insist a vehicle is alarmed. Alarms, types and features vary greatly - it is a personal thing, same as what type of TV you have fitted.

(most) Trackers will notify you if your vehicle is tampered with. As soon as someone starts messing with a door, both you and the tracking company are notified and the vehicle is monitored.

In this case, better than an alarm that many people are used to ignoring, as you will receive a message stating that it is being tampered with whilst you are away from your vehicle.

What alrms are very useful for is security and peace of mind whilst in strange areas - many alarms have a panic or warning feature which could scare off potential night time visitors, and can control outside lighting whuch is a useful feature.

As already said, it depends what you are after.

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Arduino

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How annoying is it that you purchase a new motorhome but can`t insure it until you have a Thatcham approved alarm.
If it is a condition set by insurance companies apparently cast in stone I was told on the phone why aren`t fitted as standard.:Angry:


'Cause it's extra money for someone else.And because the insurance companies insists that they are installed by 'approved installers' it costs even more..so nice little earner going on here.
I guess you need to work out costs of installation by said 'approved' installer vs cost of real saving of insurance compared to say ,a cheapish alarm and see if it's still worthwhile.

Andy
 

eddie

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[/I]

'Cause it's extra money for someone else.And because the insurance companies insists that they are installed by 'approved installers' it costs even more..so nice little earner going on here.
I guess you need to work out costs of installation by said 'approved' installer vs cost of real saving of insurance compared to say ,a cheapish alarm and see if it's still worthwhile. Andy

Why would a motorhome manufacturer, give a flying duck about "extra money for someone else"?

Insurance companies don't insist that they are installed by "approved installers" just that it is a "approved product"

The fact that the alarm manufacturers will only supply their products to certain people is more about a "correct fitment" policy than a "nice little earner"

Most of our customers want the peace of mind of having a well respected, effective, proven motorhome security product, that will help protect them and their belongs (inside and outside) the motorhome, than the savings, you may get from an insurance policy.

After nearly 25 years on specialising, installing security equipment into motorhomes I believe that people have alarms installed because they want them, and Tracking systems because their insurers have insisted that they do.

I have probably the most sophisticated security system on my motorhome (certainly one of the loudest :winky:) but I do not have a monitored GPS/GSM tracking system.

Also, there is lots of chatter about GSM tracking systems being "jammable" which is debatable:winky: but we also have the ability to offer satellite tracking systems which do not require a GSM signal to operate as they uplink directly to a satellite. The vehicle data can then be downloaded by either the owner (as in my case) or can be downloaded by a monitoring centre.

Eddie
 

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