Theft deterrent light

[Ginsu]

So does anyone else wish the factory anti-theft system had an led light on the dash? I live in kind of a rough neighborhood and I put a little light in my last car which didn't have an alarm at all--I just drilled a little hole in the dash and wired it up to the battery and the ignition. It actually looked pretty good.

Now that I have my V though, I'm not as comfortable with the thought of drilling a hole in my dash and there's no really convenient place for one to go anyway. Also, the place I bought the old one at no longer carries stuff like that and when I go to other stores they only have really cheezy panels or strips of lights that you just stick on with adhesive pads and they usually have fake flames around them and stuff, which is NOT what I want. The old light was just a single little bulb that looked completely professional when installed properly.

Has anyone seen something like this on-line? Has anyone installed one?

[vpnavy]

I put a "fake security light" on my ride - it works like a champ!



I bought the flashing red led from Radio Shack - I've had to replace the battery every 3 or so months. It is nice and bright.

I pulled the piece out (held by four tabs) and drilled a hole. Slide the led in (from the bottom), place the piece back in (snapped back in) and the job was done. What could be easier.

[1_Sleek_Versa]

Do you really think a small flashing light will help a keep distance from someone who REALLY want's to get in?

[frankoV]

Are Versa's really that high on the "must steal" list?

I think they're more likely to be keyed than stolen.

[feloniousmonk]

Do you really think a small flashing light will help a keep distance from someone who REALLY want's to get in?

Ditto. Leaving nothing in the car is the best practice, and it's FREE!Common sense is uncommon.

[Vahagn23]

Thats wierd, because when I got my V I took the next day so I get that alarm that the dealer told me to sign up for. They drilled a whole and put a red LED light in my Dash. It works too.

[Ginsu]

Do you really think a small flashing light will help a keep distance from someone who REALLY want's to get in?

Yeah. You gotta understand, people in my neighborhood (ghetto) are not professional car thieves like on TV, they are drunk or high punks or just really poor dudes who will break your window to see what change you have in your ash tray. I bought my house 3 years ago and that happened to me within the first week. My neighbors said it happened to them four times. I went out that day and got a pit bull. No more break-ins anywhere on our street. However, I gave up the dog when my daughter was born and put in the flashing light. My car was too crappy to spend any $ on a real alarm, but it worked. When drunken bums saw the light, they just moved on to the next car.

Now I actually have an alarm in my new car, but aside from the little sticker in the window, nobody would know until they had already smashed my window--at which point the alarm doesn't do me any good. So the light is really a deterrent thing.

vpnavy: does the light stay on all the time if you don't have it wired to the ignition and grounded? Is that a distraction?

[Red Devil]

It's a light. If they're really trying to break in as you put it "Yeah. You gotta understand, people in my neighborhood (ghetto) are not professional car thieves like on TV, they are drunk or high punks or just really poor dudes who will break your window to see what change you have in your ash tray." I dont think anything is really going to deter them. Isnt there a flashing light on the instrument cluster?

[feloniousmonk]

It's a light. If they're really trying to break in as you put it "Yeah. You gotta understand, people in my neighborhood (ghetto) are not professional car thieves like on TV, they are drunk or high punks or just really poor dudes who will break your window to see what change you have in your ash tray." I dont think anything is really going to deter them. Isnt there a flashing light on the instrument cluster?

Exactly. Security measures are there for the owner's own peace of mind (however artificial it may be). If someone has reason enough to break in and cause property damage in the process, they will regardless of a blinking light or presence of an alarm. Like I said, best thing to do is not to give them a reason to break in in the first place. If anything alarms tell the ones with serious intent that you have something to hide. I've owned a few cars so far and have spent thousands on alarms. None of them prevented squat. If someone wants to break in, they will.

To outsmart these scumbags, you have to first think like them. Not think like how you would do it if you were one of them.

[vpnavy]

vpnavy: does the light stay on all the time if you don't have it wired to the ignition and grounded? Is that a distraction?

It stays on all the time. I don't even notice it until it is dark outside and I walk up to my ride. If you look at the picture - I included the blinker and 9 volt battery pack. You just push it into the hole (you drill) and the battery pack rests on the frame when you pop the plastic dingy back into place.

[vpnavy]

Do you really think a small flashing light will help a keep distance from someone who REALLY want's to get in?

BINGO 1_Sleek_Versa. If someone REALLY wants to break into your ride it won't matter if you have a $20,000 alarm of a fake one. The "blinking light" is for the stupid idiot who will jump to the next car rather then risk getting caught. It only costs $5.00 for a little piece of mind.

[superskunk]

so what youre saying is that we should get drunk and high then try and break into our cars? lol...j/k.... and your car came with an ashtray?

[Versa Madness]

Here are two options for "fake" alarm LEDs I found on eBay.

I have this style of LED in my DD.This one is hard wired and turns on only when the ignition is off: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...&rd=1

This one is kinda neat. It has a ten year LITHIUM BATTERY, but it will flash always unless you wire in a switch: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...h=015

[Shad0wXCalibur]

If your car is far away from you such as when you're in a store or something, then a loud alarm system does no good if someone breaks into it. If you're at home though, you can get outside fast enough to catch the POS before he can actually take anything.

[pfc369]

it is very cheap to make one. get a 10 cents led from ebay usually comes with the required resistor. solder the resistor to the long lead and connect to battery (+) power all th time and connect the other lead to the cigarette lighter (+). if you turn off the key the led will start blinking.

[matttail]

it is very cheap to make one. get a 10 cents led from ebay usually comes with the required resistor. solder the resistor to the long lead and connect to battery (+) power all th time and connect the other lead to the cigarette lighter (+). if you turn off the key the led will start blinking.

You've got a nice idea there, but a LED and resistor does not a flashing unit make. You need a few more pieces there to magically get a light that flashes only when the car is off.