Modifying Car Alarms? Boffin required.

Fordy

Hi All

3 weeks ago I had my car wing mirror kicked off by some young vandals. This week it happend again, and thay also did my girlfriends car causing almost £300 worth of damage and I expect it to happen again soon.

Problem is we dont have a drive and have to park our cars at the side of the road and we can only see the roofs of the cars from out bedroom window and I can't get too much work done cause im constantly looking out of the bedroom window, everytimr theres a noise outside, hoping to catch the little bastards in action.

Now, do any of you know if it would it be possible to have a couple of wires going from the alarm to the wing mirrors, that set the alarm off when the circuit is broken? Or would I be looking at some expensive over-the-top alarm system?

notman

Admit it, you want to trigger darts to fly into the kids when they nit your mirror

Honestly, I doubt it will help you to have a trigger for your alarm. They'll still probably drive off before you see them. You can attach a cable to the mirror (Internally), then feed the cable into the door and have a pull switch attached to it. Make sure it's taunt, then if the mirror get's pulled (from beinng knocked off), then the switch would be triggered.

Fordy

Dunno about darts but a hand grenade would do nicely.

When you day nit my mirror im guessing you mean catch it with their car? Actually it the mirrors at the side of the pavement that are being smashed off, not those at the side of the road which is why I know it's vandals.

BTW whats a pull switch? Something that can trigger the alarm?

Cheers!

notman

I was refering to someone driving by and hitting the mirrors with a bat or something. I figured it was on the outer mirror. So what you are refering to are kids on the walk. I still think they'd probably run before you get a chance to see them

I'll get a pic of the switch I'm talking about and post it. (if I can find one)

notman

Here you go:
http://www.euchner-usa.com/pdfs/RPS_Flyer-04-04_d-e_093905.pdf
http://www.eecontrols-safety.com/switches/ropepullswitches.htm

These are just examples of what I mean. You could probably find something doing a google search for cable pull switch. I just did a search for pull switch, but I got more results than I wanted.

Fordy

Cheers notman for the links!

Rhinokey

take a vid camera hide it in your car filming a area that would catch them, keep it hidden (black tape over any glowly lights also) keep it recording till it happends switching out tapes on a regular basis, get them on film go to cops

notman

That's probably a better idea

Fordy

No I want to catch them myself for a bit of re-education

Mark Dygert

I'm with Mojokey on this one, camera would work the best. Maybe a few cameras, one on your house, or one on a mail box. talk to your neighbors and see if they would be willing to help share the costs to net these little bastards. Or just stay up late, and follow them home.

Knock knock...
"WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU WANT AT 3AM!?"
"ahh yes hello, I live down the street, and you owe me for the side mirrors your little brat smashed off".
"Oh and by the way you might want to get a new mail box and it looks like both your headlights are out, ta! We can pick this up in the morning, just thought you might want to know what your shit-head son was up to at 3AM IN THE MORNING!"

- SMASH, there goes the mail box.
- CRASH, KICK, SHATTER, (tinkling of glass) There goes the headlights.
- THUNK, a dent in the door for good fun.

Fordy

LOL thanks for that vig. Their parents are probably asseholes too for letting them out that late and I still prefer my re-education.

The neighbours wouldnt be interested as they only do it to me and my girlfriends car. And thats probably because I smacked one of the little (well hes 6ft) shits a few months back for mouthing off. I know its his mates doing it on his say so but cant prove a thing. Trouble is they are all constantly in trouble with the police and because they are all 16 and under, they only ever get a teling off and as such, they think they run the place.

Rhinokey

you catch them your self, you do soemthign, you get put in jail, you film them, go thru propper channels they go to jail


the whole tough guy thing is played out, do things the proper way

Fordy

No jail for them, they just get their hands slapped yet again by the police and let off. The teenagers around here just think the police are a joke.

Its not a tough guy thing, I dont want to get locked up but I really want to catch them at it and beat the shit out of them. Thats the only thing that'll make em understand.

Last night a group of them were swinging on a bus stop and pulled it down, I called the police and no one bothered to turn up.