I am trying to get an Alarm System for my Scoob and I decided to go for an all singing all dancing Clifford! However I have been told that Clifford are no longer in business and have been taken over by a company called Viper, and that the Clifford remote's were unreliable due to them forgetting the code for the alarm it was responsible for. Does anybody have any experience of these Viper alarms and is there any truth in the Clifford rumour.

Steve

 

It's true about the remote "forget" it's code but it's very easy to program them back to work.

 

Yes i'm afraid it's true about clifford they went into recivership over in the USA and were brought out by viper. Not to sure what is happening with them i have been told they will discontinue production some time next year but how true this is i don't no.
Another thing is if you have an Import scooby then make sure you get a modified Clifford as the UK units will blow.

 

What modified version???? I have a 93 WRX with a Clifford 500 system fitted a few months ago, had a problem with remote taking a few attempts to disarm but has been ok since then. What excatly is the problem with imports as I'm a bit concerned by you statement

 

Craigamungos - I live in Germany and according to my local authorised Clifford dealer, Clifford are not authorised in Germany so I will end up with a Viper, the dealer says they are more or less the same product but the Viper web site is $h1T and does not give the same info as the Clifford one, are these two systems basically the same
and is the Viper a Thatcham Cat 1? cos If I bring my Scoob back to the UK I would like it to be Cat 1'd.

Cheers
Steve

 

Charlie H,

Got any more details on the modification ??

My 93 Wrx sometime has a night mre disarming, I thought it was due to it being blocked, Its running a clifford consept 600.

Does anyone know if Cliford are out of it does that mean they lose their Thatham status and my alarm is then not up to the insurance companies spec.s ???

Cheers

 

I've been told by my alarm installer that they've been taken over but the CLifford product is still coming through - just re-branded.

There has been some delays in getting bits because of this takeover

 

Wurzel I must be honest and say that i have never heard of viper and i think it may not be a released product in the UK, If this is the case then your alarm will not be thatcham approved over here.
The mod you need on imports is because the electrical system is at a higher rate and with clifford being rather temprermental it cause alsorts of problems Including difficulty in arm/diarming and in some cases the unit packs up altogether.

If clifford do stop trading then as long as you have you thatcham certificate it should remain on the list, How ever insurance companies are strange so if they decide not to theres nothing you can do about it.

 

I used to work for Clifford in the technical department.
After speaking to some of my old collegues there,they said that the Clifford alarms will still be going but under the new name.
alot of Clifford head offices have shut down now in european countries.
Yes the remotes used to forget codes,,but the transceiver has been changed.
On the newer models it was the receiver at fault, but this has been rectified.
Make sure you go to a descent installer, I use to travel the Uk training installers in the Clifford product and believe me there are many installers out there that dont know how to even wire s relay.
If you wont to know of dealers I recommend email me.

Dave.
ex Clifford Technical

 

The modification for the concept 600 for WRX and STIs was released in November 1999. These cars are very noisy, electrically speaking. I believe that the mod was basically some smoothing circuitry in the power supply.

Once an alarm has been fitted and has a certificate, your Thatcham category is protected. Even if the certification of the alarm is revoked - which clifford's hasn't been - you will have a valid cat 1 alarm.
You may need periodic "servicing" to check that everything's working as it should be - your insurance company will stipulate if this is necessary.

Barge, it will be due to the signal being blocked. Try touching the transmitter under your chin (no joke here) as it uses your body as an ariel. Also check that your alarm's ariel (normally installed in the front window) is still there and hasn't fallen off.

I'd wholeheartedly agree with MCCLTD about the installer. Clifford kit is excellent and wonderful, but needs to be installed by someone with a good knowledge of electronics and auto electricals due to its relative complexity. This is why some dealers bad-mouth the excellent kit - they can't install it properly so have, in some cases, lost their Clifford dealership.

I've had 6 clifford alarms, 5 installed by the same guy, and never had any troubles.

I understand that they will still be available in the UK. If you can find the right installer, go for it. (my installer = Maximum Impact in Leeds)

 

Totally agree with Chiark. Max at Maximum Impact is a personal hero of mine - I drove over 500 miles (round trip) to get him to fix some bits (OK, was running in at the time). Top bloke. Top install.

 

I had asked my local clifford dealer and says the clifford name will be kept in the u.k.