Securing my Corrado / Quantum alarms

[JimSTORM 0]

hi all, i recently bought my first Corrado :D :D

it is beautiful, and i want to keep it that way. it came with an alarm called a Quantum but it seems very basic and old and the remote doesnt work very well. Have any of you ever heared of Quantum?? also would it be an immobiliser aswell??

i spend a lot of my time worrying what theiving scum have there eyes on the motor so i may just get a whole new system but i was wondering do alarms come with immobilisers or what ones do?

i one that will include a bonnet sensor and a tilting sensor i dont really know what price range these features are in , would i have to but an alarm and then get an imobiliser fitted aswell.any information would be greatly appreciated as i really want to look after this car especially as the B******S who got to my Golf and left the door handle hanging off and helped themselves to my stereo and my mates phone(which were Hidden) just lucky they didnt find his wallet with £250 cash it it cos they didnt have the brains to look in the glove compartment after finding the stereo face(idiots)

[Henny 0]

Quantum is the VAG own brand of alarm. I don't know if the factory one is Thatcham certified, but if it's playing up and you're worried about the car being safe, I'd have it removed and a nice new Thatcham Cat1 alarm/immobiliser installed. 8)

 

Cat1= Certified Alarm + Self arming immobiliser

Car2= Certified Self arming immobiliser (no alarm)

Cwt3= Certified mechanical immobiliser device. (not many about)

 

A good Cat1 system should cost you in the region of £300 fitted (has to be fitted by a certified fitter to get the certification for your insurance)

A good Cat2 can be had for around £100.

 

Every car I've owned, I've had the original alarm removed and a new one fitted for my own peace of mind... I then KNOW that no-one else has a fob that will open/disarm my car... 8)

[h100vw 0]

On top of Hennys post, Quantum alarms were mainly made by Scorpion. Most of them are now pretty old and not that electronics wear out but they do make them more compact these days.

 

Most Cat 1 alarms will not feature a tlit or shock sensor, these are often the culprits giving off false alarms.

 

I do a bit of fitting and use GT. Their stuff is small and simple to fit.

 

When you are running round for prices ask how long it'll take. If the reply is a morning or afternoon I'd question the quality of the install. I usually take at least 5 hours, depending on the car and accessories fitted. There should be no need for additional modules on a C. It has total closure anyway.

 

The only extra I like fitting is a microwave sensor instead of ultrasonics, they are less prone to false alarms if you leave airvents open or park your car in the sun.

 

Gavin

[vr6corrado 0]

I think alarms have to have a bonnet sensor to obtain Cat 1 approval but you would have to look at the higher end Cliffords to get a tilt sensor - around £500 I'd guess. Why do you want a tilt sensor? Only really useful if you have expensive wheels, in which case I'd hope you have locking wheelnuts.

[h100vw 0]

vr6corrado is correct, a bonnet switch is a cat 1 requirement. As is a boot one, battery back up siren, rolling code transmitters, auto re-arming if not started, soldered joints and 2 circuit immobiliser. The alarm should need behind at least one panel, that needs tools to remove.

 

They should have 2 seperate earths, ign lives and perm lives. The immobiliser cuts should have at least 30cm removed from them, to prevent tealeaf from just touching them back together and doing one with your motor.

 

The list goes on....

 

All alarms are only as good as the install. Thats why I dont think they can be fitted in half a day.

 

They are all tested at Thatcham, so any that has Cat 1 status should be a reliable and simple to use system.

 

Gavin

[woody 0]

I had a clifford concept 300 fitted in my g60 by a chap in west sussex ( mobile fitter) for £280. He does travel arround so try 07748357028. That included taking out my heep of junk scorpion alarm which was just adding more weight to the car ( did not work )

[vr6corrado 0]

That sounds like a good deal woody, is he a VSIB accredited fitter? Happy with the install?

[JimSTORM 0]

would any one happen to know wether the quantum alarm would be a cat1 or cat2?????? because i need to let the insurance company know what immobilizer i have got and i at the moment i dont even know wether i have one if not i need to get one fast.

i have 17 inch azev A's on my car so i want to be quite sure that there safe, i do have locking wheel nuts but i still feel that people will have a go and that people could still get away with them.

thakns for any info.

[stevemac 0]

would any one happen to know wether the quantum alarm would be a cat1 or cat2??????

 

See http://www.thatcham.org/resources/pdfs/compliance.pdf

 

 

Full list of compatible alarm systems.. :wink:

[JimSTORM 0]

i had a look through the pdf and lots of good info on there thx,

it just didnt mention the quantum alarm at all i need to try and find out wether it is an immobiliser or not before this weekend

[vr6corrado 0]

If it's not on there it won't be Thatcham approved or may have been delisted.

[dazzyvr6 0]

if its delisted the insurance companie should still recognise it,as the quantum is a scorpion alarm then you should be ok,take a look at the special notes on p45

[h100vw 0]

I am pretty sure the quantum/scorpions are cat 1 but if they want to see a cert you won't have one. I removed one from my MK3 and none of it is soldered which is a thatcham approval stipulation for aftermarket fits. I don't know that it applies to factory/dealer fitted alarms.

 

To be honest, I think after ten years its worth having a new one fitted. Just for the peace of mind. Getting remotes and stuff will only get harder and more costly with older alarms.

 

 

Gavin

[dazzyvr6 0]

ive still got the certificate stating that it is a cat1 alarm,and im sure midlandvw are authorised by scorpion to do alarm repairs etc

[dr_mat 0]

There's 4 scorpion alarm systems listed on page 18 of that doc, which are all cat 1. Only one has been delisted. Question is - are any of those the ones fitted to Corrados..?

 

As for peace of mind, I have the original total closure alarm, plus a self-arming immobiliser, plus a disklok..

 

I'm not saying it's never gonna get nicked, just that someone has to be pretty serious about it!

[stevemac 0]

The Scorpion CAT1 alarm system available when Corrados were still in production will have been based on their 918 model. From memory, the rectangular handset had 2 buttons - 1 raised & 1 concave (some also had a small slider switch on the side). For Thatcham approval, this system had to be fitted with a "battery backup" siren i.e. the siren will still sound even when the battery is disconnected. All of the wiring on Thatchan CAT1 systems is black - there is no colour coded wiring at all. Visual identification of the alarm wiring system is not possible.

 

Scorpion also marketed a "budget" 915 system which had a very similar handset with only 1 button. This system was not Thatcham approved.

[dazzyvr6 0]

scorpion user booklet the user guide for the vw/scorpion alarm

[dr_mat 0]

Sadly, I definitely don't have the original remote for it.. I have an aftermarket single-button unbranded remote on mine.

Fortunately I told my insurance that "it has a factory-fitted cat 1 alarm, but I don't have a certificate". They were happy to accept that.

[dazzyvr6 0]

dr_mat, you can get replacement remotes from scorpion

[stevemac 0]

Sadly, I definitely don't have the original remote for it.. I have an aftermarket single-button unbranded remote on mine.

Fortunately I told my insurance that "it has a factory-fitted cat 1 alarm, but I don't have a certificate". They were happy to accept that.

 

Due to the increased cost, battery-backup sirens were only fitted to the CAT1 systems. Stuff a rag over the siren (to lower the volume). Arm the alarm & then disconnect the car battery. If the siren still sounds with the car battery disconnected then you almost certainly will have a CAT1 system fitted. If the siren will not sound with the battery disconnected then you definitely do not have a CAT1 system.

 

Battery backup sirens are a requirement for CAT1 certification.

 

You will need to re-connect the car battery to disarm the system, regardless of which type it is.

[dr_mat 0]

Hmm. I know for a fact that the siren doesn't sound when the car battery is disconnected, but I wonder if it's possible for the battery back up battery to die?

Just an idea ...

[stevemac 0]

There should be a model number on the siren - this will confirm wether it should be battery backup or not

[dr_mat 0]

I'll see if I can have a look, cheers for the pointers! :)

[stevemac 0]

If you look at the users manual - posted earlier in this thread. You will see model codes listed in the "extras" section. The code on the siren will tell you if it should have backup

[skid 1]

According to local stealers(specialist motors Aberdeen) the quantum(scorpion) alarm that was fitted to early VWs was only a Thatcham class 2 alarm system.

As these were fitted over 10 years ago that was the insurance requirements before the thatcham 1 class become the norm.

If you got to your local dealers they will might be nice enough to supply a certificate(or even just a note) to say that the has been fitted with a original VW fitment alarm.