I'm sure all of you are sick of the large number of car alarm posts lately. However, I'm going to add insult to injury. I have been going back and forth on buying the dealer installed Mini Alarm. However, I have always detested the habit of overanxious alarms going off at inappropriate times. I live in Oklahoma which is famous for its severe thunderstorms which only increases the chances of false alarms. However, on the other hand I live near a high school and vandalism has been a problem in the past. With that said, my question is to other alarm owners. Have you had any problems with the alarm going off accidentally in thunderstorms or from mild bumps? Any help is most appreciated.

Objxs

 

I don't have a mini yet but I have been investigating the optional factory alarm system and I remember reading that the alarm does not have an impact sensor.

 

Yes, it does have some sort of impact sensor - Believe me, it will go off if the car is "aggravated" a certain way. But it won't go off if, say, a Harley or garbage truck rumbles past it.
It most definitely will go off if there is any interior motion....and it is PAINFUL to the ears.

 

this is one of the main reasons why i am such an advocate of the mini alarm...it has never false alarmed yet in roughly a year of ownership.

as i stated in previous posts, my p/u has a viper alarm that was installed back in '96. early on, not too much false alarms. but they still did occur with hard accidental bumps from objects or people, especially at crowded parking lots. also they did occur with loud or powerful noises, which are often magnified in parking structures. thus, a loud exhaust, for example, can be magnified and set off an alarm in a parking structure, when the same exhaust out in the open wouldn't set off the same alarm. in addition, there is usually a trial period of a few days to a few weeks when the installers have to make fine adjustments to the alarm's sensitivity. on top of all this, as the years have gone by, false alarms occur more frequently, as the sensitivity setting has to be reset over time. of course, all i have to do is take my p/u down to the alarm shop and have them readjust it, but for those who live a ways away, that can be kinda hum-bug.

i do believe that the oem alarm uses a motion and tilt sensor, and does not use a shock sensor as many alarms, including the viper, do. this is where i believe the problems with false alarms falls. the shock sensors pick up vibrations from an impact, eg. a bump from a car or a rock hitting the window. they can also pick up vibrations from loud noises, as noise is transmitted thru solid objects as vibrations. this is especially why those powerful bassy stereos can set off multiple car alarms as they roll down the block rattling windows and people's ears.

the oem alarm won't detect an accidental bump from a passer-by or a loud bass note, as there are no shock sensors to pick up the vibrations. for me this is exactly what i want, especially in the city where noise and people are everywhere. but this is also perhaps a weakness of the oem alarm, as it is not sensitive to any possible break-in attempts. for example, if a potential thief is trying to punch the lock but takes several attempts, the oem alarm will not detect the screwdriver hitting the door lock. but the alarm with a shock sensor most likely would.

but i believe that the oem alarm provides enuff protection for me as the motion sensor would detect the break-in once the door is opened or glass is broken. of course, the problem here is that the alarm would only set off once the thief has penetrated the mini's exterior. but it does have the LED to warn potential thieves away. and the electronic key with chip will make it especially difficult for them to actually steal the mini. and or course, there is only one keyhole entry on the driver's side.

and the tilt sensor will discourage any thieves from attempting to tow the mini away.

but the best protection is still to park smart. don't tempt, don't show off your stereo, don't leave things laying out in plain view, and don't park in obviously sketchy or lonely spots.

 

Generally, an impact sensor is a sensor that will set off the alarm if it's bumped by another car. Is that what you are saying? I was told by my MA that it does not have that sensor. Its does have a sensor that will set off the alarm if the car is jacked up.

In a former car, I had a car alarm that would go off if bumped and if someone put his hand inside the interior when the top was down the alarm would go off. In addition, if any glass was broken, it would trigger the alarm. I had the alarm installed in the early 1990's for under $300.00. The current technology has been around for a long time.

Honestly, I would probably go aftermarket because more features are available and it would be cheaper.

 

I agree with you. I would add that it depends on where you park your car. If you do lots of parallel parking you might want an impact sensor. Case in point, our Lexus had repeated marks on the bumper from people bumping it and their license plate screws would gouge the bumper. If it had an impact sensor, the person playing bumper car might only hit it once and then be alerted that repeated bumping will attract the owners attention. People in Noe Valley tend to park this way. Why, I am not sure.

 

yep, the features are probably better on aftermarket alarms. especially if you want to be alerted/beeped if your alarm was tripped off, which is something that i was interested in. plus, they are less expensive.

the mini alarm does have the ability to open and close your windows and moonroof i believe. interior motion sensors to detect any violation of the exterior shell. and tilt sensor to detect any jacking the mini up. no shock/impact sensors to detect vibrations or bumps though.

one possible way the mini alarm may falsely go off is if you leave your windows or moonroof open or even partially open. in this case, since the exterior shell is not fully encased, the motion sensors can pick up people or objects that pass nearby.

but for me, cutting down on false alarms was a top priority. and the alarm features together with the mini's already-present security features seemed to provide me with enuff security to ease my mind.

as for cost, installing the alarm yourself and then having the dealer code it will save quite a bit. and the install is really simple, as there are only a few pieces to install, the tilt and motion sensor and the siren.

 

Thanks for all the great info. It is most appreciated!

Objxs

 

Self installation seemed to be the best part of the OEM alarm. With shipping and activation it;s under $300.00. If the dealer does the installation it can be quite expensive. I believe the price at our local dealers is $635.00 installed.

I am still considering aftermarket alarms at this point because of the extra features. But a determining factor could be whether they can utilize some of the existing factory wiring and contacts.

 

I live in Arlington, Texas (between Dallas and Ft. Worth) and we get some of those big storms, too....not as many as OKC but some. Anyway, I've had no false alarms with my OEM alarm and we've had lightening strikes aplenty. I swear one hit right next to my pillow the other night! Heard lots of false alarms going off but not my MINIs.

 

I'll just add that earlier this week an idiot backed into my front end with his rear bumper corner hard enough to rip the license plate assembly right off my MC, and the alarm didn't go off. (Yes, it was armed)

Whether you consider that a plus or a minus is up to you.

 

Sorry to hear that. Do you have an OEM or aftermarket alarm?

When I had the mustang I had very few false alarms except for the time my brother's co-worker figured out that his shortwave radio had the same frequency my alarm remote and it would set if the panic feature. Modern alarms probably don't have the problem with the roaming codes.

I probably will purchase an aftermarket alarm because I am sure it can be fine tuned to reduce false alarms, and because I know how city drivers park, at least in San Francisco.

For those folks with aftermarket alarms is your alarm active or passive? In other words, do you have to set it or does it set automatically after you take the key out of the ignition(after a preset time).

 

Thanks - damage is around $750 but it will be coming out of his insurance not mine. :smile: Sorry, should have mentioned mine is an OEM alarm. Bought it from Classic, installed it myself. Pics and descriptions of the install on my webpage - click the link in my sig if interested.

 

I bought my MINI with the dealer installed alarm, but I wouldn't do it again. False alarms are *not* a problem. In fact, the alarm is so insensitive that it really only protects against the actual theft of the car. I think the active ignition key system, and my insurance coverage provide enough protection against amature theft. If a professional car thief want's my MINI, he'll probably get it regardless of the alarm. I was hoping the alarm might scare off vandals, but it would be easy for someone to vandalize a MINI without setting off the alarm.

 

I have an '02 with a factory installed alarm. I got a bit of an education regarding how it really functions when the driver's side window was busted out and the alarm didn't go off. It happened at night, and I'm not sure how it was done, but there was glass everywhere. I was under the impression that there was an impact sensor or a window sensor or something. That is NOT the case. I walked out and looked the car over and as soon as I went to knock some of the glass off the door, the alarm starts.

I called the MINI dealer here (NW MINI in Fife, WA) and was talking to the guy about it. I mentioned being confused as to why the alarm didn't go off. He said pretty confidently that they didn't take anything, and he was right. This is what I was told, and it jives exactly with my own experience. The factory alarm DOES NOT have any sort of impact sensors. None. There is a motion sensor within the car that will sound the alarm if anyone tries to get in. In other words, the windows can be knocked out without sounding the alarm, but the moment someone puts their hand or anything else inside the car the alarm will sound.

So, in a nutshell, if you're worried about thunderstorms sounding your alarm, don't. The brisance of a thunderclap (or a 2000 lbs general purpose bomb for that matter) won't set the alarm off.

 

yep, i'd hafta agree that the oem alarm does not protect against vandalism, as somebody could key your mini or punch out your wheels and tires without any response from the alarm.

it does provide additional protection/deterrance against theft, however, thru the addition of LED and siren. yes, so i'd say we're paying $300-$600 more for a blinking red light and annoying alarm, or basically, audio and visual deterrents. put that way, it does sound rather expensive for two more anti-theft features.

for me, i wanted additional theft deterrance beyond the stock security features, but without added headache of false alarms. as for vandalism, yes i'm concerned about it, but i do believe even with an aftermarket alarm, i'd still get vandalized if someone really wanted to. if they slashed my tires, keyed my door, poured crap on my hood, the alarm wouldn't sound off. if it did, the alarm would be more of a nuisance than anything, as i'd be getting false alarms daily. plus, i know people would get irritated at such a sensitive alarm, such that they'd probably do something just cause they're so annoyed. ontop of that, a ticket for noise pollution would probably seal the fate of that alarm.

it's just that my experience thus far with aftermarket alarms with shock/impact sensors makes me believe that the headaches of false alarms and periodically readjusting the sensitivity level far outweighs the additional protection against theft and vandalism.

 

Is their a web site that compares aftermarket alarms? Things like features or reviews?

 

My MA recommended an after-market alarm, and I went that direction. I bought one called The Pursuit, by AudioVox- $299 installed. An extra $100 would provide the proximity feature, something I don't feel I need. This alarm works w/ either the MINI remote or the key in the door, has a small blinking LED, can be disabled, can function w/ beeps and light blinks or w/out beeps, as you want. If you bump the car hard, you hear 4 quick warning chirps, and I've had zero false alarms. I teach school, so impact or vandalism are my main concerns. A few months back, a couple of kids were thinking about messing w/ the car. One of them kicked the front grill and the alarm went off- first time ever. They went running off as fast as they could, according to some witnesses, so it did exactly what I hoped it would. If I get another MINI, I'll definitely get the same unit installed.

 

I agree, I have had my dealer installed system since Dec of 02 and no false alarms. In fact sometimes I wonder if it is working

 

No false alarms here, and there are plenty of cars at my appartments that go off at the drop of a hat. Heavy thunderstorms set a lot of car alarms off here, but so far not my MINI.
Cheers,
Sprydle

 

i think the oem works just dandy. especially since i got mine for free, as my advisor forgot it was installed for the guy who was supposed to get my mcs. oops. i did try out it's effectiveness by leaving a window open and then locking it. i pushed my car, rocked it a bit, and it didn't go off... kicked a tire, nothing... but as soon as i waved my hand in the window, there it went. and what a piercing alarm it is, too.
i personally appreciate the fact that it only has motion sensors. i don't need it going off every time a harley brigade goes by or a thunder storm happens. as for someone keying my car or whatever, the damage would be done anyways by the time another alarm would go off, so i find this one is quite perfect. only thing i'm worried about is someone trying to drive off.
if i'm not mistaken, when the alarm goes off it cuts the gas to the engine?

christina.