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Hi All.

Looking to replace and old alarm/central locking unit that is currently fitted to my NA8. It is flaky and doesn't get used anymore.

What do you guys recommend these days, any particular brands to go with or avoid? I used to have a rhino many years ago and wasn't particularly impressed. Not sure if they even exist anymore as a company.
Would like it to have an immobiliser function and be able to handle central locking. (guessing they all do that these days). Is GPS/SMS tracking worth it?

Cheers all. Great forum btw.

Just talk to your local car audio store. Most entry level alarms are all much of a muchness.

I personly wouldn't bother with GPS/SMS stuff. Presumably your car is insured anyway?

Rhino still exist, their shop is in Haberfield, Sydney. It is probably their last shopfront in the entire world. The guy told me when I was in there that people just don't buy aftermarket car alarms these days, because (A) most new cars have them from factory, and (B) nobody takes any notice to alarms anyway. He said the main reason why people are still buying them is for the central locking function.

marty085 wrote:Rhino still exist, their shop is in Haberfield, Sydney. It is probably their last shopfront in the entire world. The guy told me when I was in there that people just don't buy aftermarket car alarms these days, because (A) most new cars have them from factory, and (B) nobody takes any notice to alarms anyway. He said the main reason why people are still buying them is for the central locking function.

It makes sense.

To be honest, apart from certain JF Hi-Fi stores, I don't even know where to go for after-market car alarms these days. Do Strathfield Car Radios still exist?

That's pretty much the issue I have, pretty sure our Strathfield has closed down, I could have a look at supercheap I guess and the other auto places and I will have a look at JB Hifi (want a new headunit anyway) but I do most of my shopping online so thought that's where I would start. Don't want to buy some random ebay chinese unit that will be more trouble than it's worth.
Will suss out JB and then keep looking online if necessary. Cheers all

Mate, for what it's worth, i have a Rhino alarm/central locking in my NA8 and it works fine. At least you know where they are now (Haberfield) lol

Bigmaxy, where are you located?

I did a bit of search and found some great offering from Mongoose - http://www.mongoose.com.au/ - as I too am looking at replacing the aftermarket system in my NA8 (which was installed by the first owner).

The Mongoose look like good quality products. They even have OEM replacement GPS/Audio unit to cars with unique audio interface (like the current Mazda's these days). But I think they're only in Sydney and Brisbane.

Hammer wrote:
I did a bit of search and found some great offering from Mongoose - http://www.mongoose.com.au/ - as I too am looking at replacing the aftermarket system in my NA8 (which was installed by the first owner).

The Mongoose look like good quality products. They even have OEM replacement GPS/Audio unit to cars with unique audio interface (like the current Mazda's these days). But I think they're only in Sydney and Brisbane.

Years ago I once worked at a car audio business which sold & installed Mongoose car alarms. IMHO they make quality alarm systems to a reasonable budget. They're an Australian company so their alarms all meet Aus immobiliser standards (important for insurance). Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember other common USA alarm brands on the market do not meet Aus immobiliser standards so they're not recognised by insurance companies should you declare your car to be fitted with an alarm to get a cheaper premium. I highly recommend Mongoose and I'm sure their website can direct you to a local dealer/installer.

Of cause, if you want to go all out with an alarm, check out Brant Car Alarms - http://www.brant.com.au. These guys are considered one of the best and make the PIN keypad equipped anti-car jacking alarms. Back in the late 90's the WRX was the ram-raiders weapon of choice. So many were getting stolen that Subaru Australia decided to install Brant alarms in all future WRX's, fixing the problem overnight. Brant alarms are not cheap, but I'm pretty sure their prices include mobile installation.