[sunchild]

until I read some further posts... I can't believe I didn't know my car wasn't coming with alarm... I'm upset that my salesmen didn't inform me my car wasn't coming with alarm... :mad: anyone else on the same boat?

2006 330i E90
Premium Package
Sports Package
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[peakpro]

Didn't you read everything you can abou the car before YOU ordered.

A look at any sticker on the showroom floor should have tipped you off that there was no alarm.

I don't think it's the salesman fault.

[LEDZEP]

I have to admit I was a little surprised, but I had one installed. I think they are standard on every model above the 3. Mine was $455 installed.

[David328M-Sport]

the 3 series hasn't come with an alarm as standard as far as i am aware.

certainly not in e36, e46 & e90 guises. i believe this to be standard worldwide.

i think the immobiliser is more than an effective way to deter the common household pest thief.

here in australia, BMW have every new car sprayed with 'datadot' technology against would be thief.

tiny metallic dots with
your cars info are sprayed onto various parts of the body & components rendering them useless in a car racketeering scam.

it has been very effective in reducing the number of bm's stolen by crime gangs.

of Course if those sickos really want your car......

sorry you weren't aware of the alarm but your salesman should have gone through the list of all options with you.

[Broken1]

Us in South Africa do get alarms. Mercedes didn't put alarms in their previous C class and everybody was upset about it. Alarms are standard in south africa, I guess we're all just paranoid!

[E90Fleet]

Yup, we have had alarms in E30, E36, E46 and E90 as standard

[davinet78]

yes i paid extra to get an alarm on my car

[siriusinvestor]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

I have to admit I was a little surprised, but I had one installed. I think they are standard on every model above the 3. Mine was $455 installed.

Yeah I paid the same amount as you did for the alarm.

[petesamprs]

How steal-able is the 3 series? I'm not a fan of paying more for an alarm...especially since it's not really that much of a deterrent.

[bmwboy29]

I would like to know the same too, because I hear its really not worth it... You think? I hear thats it is really hard to steal a 3

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by petesamprs

How steal-able is the 3 series? I'm not a fan of paying more for an alarm...especially since it's not really that much of a deterrent.

Very hard to steal, thats why they get hi-jacked here

Its really to tell you someone i stealing your stuff out the car

[theclay]

I have to admit, I thought my car would have an alarm as well. Guess I confused "pre wired" for actually having one. I'm not sure if it's worth the extra $700.00 they want here to install the OEM alarm.

[AW330i]

I was quite surprised about the fact that the e90 didnt come with a cd changer or an alarm, but I went ahead and purchased each and spent $500 total for both p.s. I installed the alarm and now I am looking for directions to install the CD changer...

[NaTuReB0Y]

Alarm....."As seen on TV" autolock gadget.....LoJack.....etc...if thieves really want your car........they'll find a way to disable it. And cops don't really do anything if your car is broken into....my brother's car's window was broken into broad daylight.....they stole the CD player and his CD's.....witnesses got the license plate and description of the car and thieves.....when the cops showed up....they wrote a report....and said...."Your insurance will take care of it.".....that was the end of it. The best part of the break-in was that one of the thieves accidently dropped his cell phone behind....but in the end, it's not worth getting the insurance involved....so he took it as a lost.

I was really disappointed that alarm wasn't standard.....but I wasn't surprised because even FLOORMATS are not standard!

[deutschmann59]

Originally Posted by NaTuReB0Y

I was really disappointed that alarm wasn't standard.....but I wasn't surprised because even FLOORMATS are not standard!

Yeah, that's a good point. Sometimes I just don't get BMW.

I had my alarm installed a few months ago, but just had to take it back because they never replaced my ceiling light with the slotted replacement part to make the motion sensor work.

I only paid like $300 for the whole thing and installed, so I'd say it's worth it. It's not so much worrying about stealing your car...it's someone screwing with it. If you're in a hurry and accidentally leave the windows down, if someone so much as tries to stick their hand through the open window, the motion sensor will set it off.

[theclay]

Originally Posted by NaTuReB0Y

Alarm....."As seen on TV" autolock gadget.....LoJack.....etc...if thieves really want your car........they'll find a way to disable it. And cops don't really do anything if your car is broken into....my brother's car's window was broken into broad daylight.....they stole the CD player and his CD's.....witnesses got the license plate and description of the car and thieves.....when the cops showed up....they wrote a report....and said...."Your insurance will take care of it.".....that was the end of it. The best part of the break-in was that one of the thieves accidently dropped his cell phone behind....but in the end, it's not worth getting the insurance involved....so he took it as a lost.

Yeah, I've had to replace a couple of windows in previous cars that I have owned. I learned two things.

1- Don't go for the after market stereo (unless you take the face plate with you every time you leave the car). After market systems are much easier for a thief to sell.

2- Don't leave anything visible through the windows that someone else might want. That means pretty much everything and don't think tint will help because a crack head will put his face on your glass to get a better look.

NaTuReB0Y is right about the cops. If they didn't take the whole car, the cops don't care.

[visor]

These days there are so many cars out there with false alarms sounding off (triggered by even a cat walking by, or a truck going by) that no one really pays attention to an alarm going off in a garage or the street. Do you? I pretty much find it an annoyance when it goes on for 10 or more minutes and the owner is not around to shut it off. A two-way pager alarm would be much better in these cases as it notifies the owner so that an action can be taken to confirm whether it is a true or false alarm.

Secondly, the e90 has double locking doors that once locked makes it difficult to open the doors to get into the car. The door pulls on both outside and inside are disengaged so that even if you break the windows, you can't unlock and open the doors. All you can do is reach in and steal whatever is on the seats. If you really want to open the doors, you'll have to really reach waaaay in to press the door lock/unlock button on the dash next to the DTC button. This makes it difficult for thieves to get in and out quickly, so they would think twice about breaking in.

Thirdly, having lived in Vancouver, BC, (which is known as the property crime capital of North America due to a disproportionately large number of drug addicts in the city), let me give a piece of advice: never leave anything lying around inside your car after you are parked. Not even loose change, or cds, or clothing, or any bags that can be construed (if those low-lifes actually do this at all) to contain any valuables like cameras/computers etc. And if you are going to put any valuables into the trunk, don't do it after you're parked at the parking lot. If they see you doing that, even your trunk can be open with a crowbar, alarm or not. And if you think having an alarm means you can leave things lying around in the car, think again to my first point above. These thieves can break the window and steal whatever in less than 10 secs, so don't even count on anyone catching them. And even if you do catch them, you still have to deal with a broken window and glass shards on your seats. Not worth the risk to leave anything in the car.

Lastly, if someone really wants to steal your car, having an alarm or even an immobilizer is not going to deter him. An experienced thief knows how to disengage the alarm and a flatbed tow truck can remove the car physically.

[Nikki]

I didn't get the alarm because I feel it is pointless. The car is not likely to be stolen since it is hard to steal, and since it is not a commonly stolen vehicle in any way. The other reason I thought it was pointless is because what is the point of hearing something going beep beep beep, I never even pay attention to alarm noises anymore because they go off all the time.

[BellasBmw]

Originally Posted by sunchild

until I read some further posts... I can't believe I didn't know my car wasn't coming with alarm... I'm upset that my salesmen didn't inform me my car wasn't coming with alarm... :mad: anyone else on the same boat?

2006 330i E90
Premium Package
Sports Package
Navigations

Yeah i was pretty PO'd that the car didnt come w/ an alarm, esp after my $16K jetta had one standard. However, i wont be installing one. I figured im paying a shitload of insurance for a reason- if anything happens, insurance will hopefully cover it...

I just think if someone really wants your car, an alarm wont do too much. Esp experience theives.. im sure they're more likely the ones targeting higher end cars, rather than civics, accords, celicas..etc.

[Petercat]

I too was suprised... I just thought every car had an alarm these days (at least in this bracket). I did look at the sticker and I guess I confused their "anti-theft or theft deterent" as an alarm system. The prices they want for the alarm seem outrageous since the car has almost all the capability already (prewired, sensors, etc).
I guess I'll do more research before I buy my next.

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by Broken1

Us in South Africa do get alarms.

I knew that! I was just testing you all!!!!

[LEDZEP]

The alarm is an expensive add-on, but decided to go with it because even though a pro will get your car if he wants it, the blinking red light and audible alarm will probably deter the amatures and joy riders. They will simply find an easier target (like a 3 without the alarm).