scooby6969

Hi all,
The longer i own it the more i am falling out of love with it. (like the missus)
Like an idiot i started it this morning & then de-iced the windows went to get in c/locking had locked me out.I know i will remove battery terminals to make solenoids de-activate.Couldnt find release cable under front of car. oh well then noticed under vents in bonnet- battery terminals - (thieves would love this no alarm sounding whilst getting towed away) removed but car merrily sat there running away with my fuel so replaced them.
Phoned locksmiths only one would come out & that was going 2 b £85 per hr plus vat but no option.Be there in 45 mins (right!).Have a quick look on scoobynet someone posts that due to door being frameless you can get coathanger between rubber & glass & pull lock catch open.Right heard this b4 never tried always thought it was an old wives tale.
So takes me blouse (sorry shirt) off a hanger straightens it out with a hook on one end & blow me i had done it within 3 minutes. I was prouder than Harry Houdini himself!!! Cancelled locksmith & saved me best part of 100 squid but am really dissapointed about security (or lack of it)

Sigma Sam

I appreciate the point you are raising about the frameless windows, but most locks themselves can be overcome in less than three minutes, so really thats not an unacceptable attack time - a thief in a hurry would be in much quicker using a brick, no matter how secure your locks etc.
That point aside, I have to comment on the other points you have raised to reassure other owners.
During your endeavours, the alarm system was not armed, however most theft attempts would be made whilst the alarm system was in an armed condition and the alarm system would then behave very differently.

Lifting the bonnet, whether by internal handle, cutting the release cable, forcing the catch etc, would result in an alarm trigger.Even if the battery terminals were accessible and disconnected this would make little difference to the alarm system which would continue to sound via its back-up battery.
Even if the vehicle's battery terminals could be disconnected without raising the bonnet, the alarm would detect the battery being disconnected and this would also cause the battery back-up siren to sound.
On later models from 01MY where the system is considered a "Factory System" the siren is located behind trim in order to exceed the 60 second attack test required by "Thatcham" on factory fitted systems.
If the system could be silenced externally as you suggest it would not gain Thatcham accreditation.

With regard to unlocking the vehicle with the coat hanger, pulling the glass away and pushing the coat hanger into the vehicle would cause a change of air pressure within the cabin and trigger an armed alarm system. Even if this did not, opening the door would trigger the system.

In the unlikely event of neither the ultrasonic sensors or the door switch triggering the alarm system, any attempt to turn the ignition on would also trigger the system and then there's the two circuit immobilisation to get around (three circuit on 02MY onward).

This applies to any Thatcham Category 1 alarm system, not just 99 on standard fit Sigma systems, although ultimately the effectiveness of any system relies heavily on the quality of the installation and the location of the components.
We work closely with the factory to locate the components on the standard fit UK alarm to maximise the effectiveness of the system. I can assure you that a great deal of time goes into thinking through numerous theft/attack scenarios and this is applied to make the system and the vehicle as secure as possible.

Due to the way the Safety Lock feature works, I am puzzled that you managed to lock the keys inside the vehicle.
Again, the operation of this feature was thought through carefully to avoid this situation occuring.
The Safety Lock feature locks the vehicle immediately when the ignition is turned on, therfore, if you are in the car with the door closed when the ignition is turned on you will be locked in. You would then have to unlock the door (if the ignition remains on) inorder to open it and the system would not attempt to lock the door again if the door was subsequently shut, unless the ignition were turned off and then back on (ie you were back inside the car).
Additionally, if the ignition is turned on whilst the door is still open, the Safety Lock feature will not operate on this occasion (confirmed by an indicator flash when the ignition is turned on), so if the door is then closed it will not already have been locked.
The only possible explanation is that you may have a poor ignition connection or faulty door switch/connection - is your interior lamp switched off/operating as normal?

SS

scooby6969

I see what you are saying, i think there must be a problem with mine then.
Its a Clifford concept 50x fitted in 2000 at a cost then of over £500 (glad i didnt own it then by the way its a '96 wrx turbo).
As i said i removed +ve & -ve terminals & nothing happened no alarm car just carried on running.
What happened was i opened it with fob, got in with drivers door open, key in to start position, press fob doors lock ignition light on, started got out, door shut, locked out

Sigma Sam

I don't know too much about the operation of the Clifford system (perhaps someone else can help you out here), but the Safety lock feature on the Sigma system would not lock an open door - to avoid locking you out. If it was a Sigma system then, as I mentioned above, I would suspect a poor ignition or door switch connection, but it may be that the Clifford Auto Lock feature just works in a different way.
With regard the engine still running without the alarm sounding when the battery terminals were removed, this doesn't imply a fault - the siren would only sound when the supply to the alarm is disconnected when it is in an armed state (this applies to both the Sigma and Clifford system).
The engine continues to run as the alternator continues to supply a 12v output to run the injection system, fuel pump etc.
Depending on the operation of the Clifford Safety Lock, you may not have a fault at all.