I've found a source for the factory alarm module and alarm siren. My 2000 XJ Sport already has RKE...what else do I need? Is it plug and play? Anyone know what the install consists of?

 

My factory alarm is a nightmare. Very temperamental. I leave it in valet mode all of the time. If I could disconnect it I would. I sure wouldn't put another back in.

 

Interesting. Very good to know.

 

Tagged for the inevitable "PLEASE Help! My @#$%^&* alarm left me stranded!" thread.

 

Hahahahahaha. Okay, okay. I got it.

 

Go aftermarket they do work a lot better.

 

Hi,

I didnt want to start another alarm thread, but when I typically buy a new car, I go to the same local place and get a nice alarm with starter installed. I currently have an AutoPage C3-RS730 alarm/remote-starter with a remote that beeps me if the alarm is going off, and will want the same in the Jeep I'm about to buy.

My question is really not so much about alarms as it is about the popularity of Jeep Cherokee XJs and if they are still a favorite of thieves in 2014? Basically, how much do I have to worry, should I use a Club device along with my alarm? Are XJs really easy to "pop open" and take? I would hate to lose my baby because I wasn't in the know that they are popular with bad guys.

I seem to remember hearing some urban legend back in the 1990's that thieves would walk up to the Cherokee tailgate and basically rip a hole in the metal next to the key hole and just stick their hand in and move the linkage and open the tailgate. Can anyone comment on this story, and if this is a common thing or was a common thing, would it be a good idea to take the tailgate apart and weld in a 1/4 inch sheet of steel, so if anyone drilled a hole or somehow peeled the metal back, they wouldn't be able to get to the linkage or locking mechanism? Same for the front doors, the horizontal linkage, do the newer jeeps have anti slim jim/door tool, metal covers or no protection at all?

Thanks for your thoughts, ways you've protected your Jeep, etc. I'm very security minded, so I don't want to come off as a paranoid aluminum hat type, but going outside to find your car has been stolen is one of those things that I don't think I would handle well.


Squelchtone

 

Never heard that story. However there are much easier ways to steal a vehicle than making some kind of hole in the rear hatch. Bottom line, if a car thief wants to steal your vehicle bad enough, he will. No matter what you do.

 

Well, my question would be - what alarm system can I install that retains the keyless entry system? Any recommended methods of installing a kill switch?

 

Just about all of the after market alarms have all of those features.

 

Just my opinion, but I personally don't subscribe to that adage. I do hear people say that a lot over at the hobby lockpicking/locksmith forum I run. I honestly think there are things that can be done to secure a car or home so that a thief can't steal the car or get into the house, or at least make it so difficult and so frustrating that they give up and move onto an easier target due to limitations on time, noise they make, their personal expense to do it, etc. Cars obviously having more weak spots than a house, such as the fact you can steal a car using a tow truck in case you cannot start it or put it in neutral to roll it away. If the thief is going to get it anyway, I'm gonna at least make them really work for it.

Squelchtone

 

I agree there are preventative measures you can take but bank vaults have been broken into. Nothing is 100% secure. I don't mean to not take preventative measures but would I go through the trouble of welding a steel panel next to my rear hatches key hole? No. A smashed window and it's gone if they want it.

 

Clubs, alarms, dogs, firearms, etc. etc. Only if it makes you sleep better at night.

 

Well, benja455 and squelchtone must have Jeeps that are a lot nicer than mine!!!! I dont lock my doors on purpose. We do have car thefts in this area but "break, ****** n' grab" quick hitters are much more common. I dont keep anything overly valuable in it because no amount of security precautions can keep those type thefts away. I'd rather them just open the door than have to deal with all the broken glass and peeled awY sheet metal.
Honestly, I dont see Cherokees "targeted" either. I love em but they're cheap enough on CL and the parts are dirt cheap. If I was going to commit gta, I just think I'd aim a little higher.

 

If they want it bad enough they will get it no matter what you have on it. An alarm might stop or make it harder for them to take it. But nothing will stop them!