Nezz10

Bear with me on this one cause I am a turbo timer novice!

I am looking at getting a turbo timer for my scooby (MY00 uk turbo), the car has the original M30? Sigma alarm on it and I want it to automatically arm the alarm system when it has finished doing its timing job.

I can lock the doors as I leave it but I am not too keen on leaving it unarmed.

What system do I need to achieve this and is there is Sigma add onn that will do the job?

Thanks,

Nezz.

john banks

Why bother? Why not just drive gently for the last few miles then you'll have more cooling air passing through than you will by just idling? Additionally, whilst our cars do not have an after-run pump like say an Audi S4, the coolant can still circulate after shut down because of convection currents.

Coulster

Agree with John. Only way to do it is fit an aftermarket alarm, clifford etc.

I would rather drive slowly for 1 mile then sit for couple of mins. A lot cheaper than spending £300 plus for an alarm. Stick a good track on cd player and then 2 mins will fly in.

Nezz10

I do at the moment but I have better things to do than sit there doing nothing for 2 mins, if I am in a rush then 2mins to too long!! If there was a system that could do it for me instead then i would be sorted.

AlanS

I used to have a turbo timer on my old car with a clifford concept 600. I used to leave the timer set for 200 seconds in the summer, get out the car and with the engine running I'd lock the door with the key. When the turbo timer cut the engine the alarm would self-arm after 30 secs.

Obviously there are unattended issues here, but I would only do this when the car was on the drive at home etc.

I would imagine that any system with a auto-arm feature could be made to do this.

chrome

insurance issues too I would have thought Nezz.

Nezz10

Brad, this would only be left on private property of course!!!

A friend of mine has the Clifford system with all the window roll ups etc but I do not want to buy a new system. I didnt know if its an add on to my current alarm or there is a system that would link in to my alarm.

Sigma Sam

Your insurance company is unlikely to appreciate the need for a turbo timer, or the convenience of a remote start device for that matter, for the same reason.
“Cat 1” security systems are tested as a complete product and then given an evaluation number by Thatcham based on the products proposed usage.
In their view, adding any other product at a later date, which interacts directly with the approved security system or by-passes any of its circuits, can be looked upon as a modification to the system that was tested and could void the approval on that particular installation. To be fair, you wouldn’t expect a Category 1 product to still gain you the same recognition by your insurance company if the immobilisation circuits were not connected?
Adding additional products such as turbo timers and remote start devices are seen by Thatcham (the UK insurance industry’s test centre) to compromise security in the same way, as these systems usually have to by-pass the security system's immobilisation circuits to allow the engine to run. In theory a turbo timer need not cause a problem provided that it is not connected to or by-passes the existing immobilisation wiring, however the Cat 1 alarm's immobiliser would kick in 30 seconds after the ignition was turned off (a Thatcham requirement), limiting the turbo timer to 30 seconds.

Thatcham state that the passive immobilisation of a security system must occur within 60 seconds of the ignition being turned off or the key being removed, so the addition of any device that prolongs this delay would meen that the security system no-longer meets this requirement.

There are also a couple of other points for you to consider:
Due to the UK insurance industrys requirements (and EU legislation) a turbo timer or remote start unit is unlikely to have been designed with the UK market in mind and so is unlikely to have been tested to EU 95/54 (- electrical legislation) and will not bear a CE mark to show that the product has been tested and is fit for the automotive environment.
In addition, leaving a vehicle unattended in a public place with the engine running is also an offence in the UK, contravening the Construction and Use regulations.

If you don’t mention the mods to your insurance company, or the broker does not understand the implications of the modifications, then they will still be happy to take your money, but few vehicles with the standard system are stolen without the keys, so if an enlightened insurance inspector were to detect the modification it could invalidate a policy and save them paying out.

AlanS

Sigma Sam, valid points.