James S

Hi

I have just purched a HKS Turbo timer. Will this effect my Sigma alarm (M Seires). I understand the Imoboliser auto kicks in after a few secs when the ignition has been turned off.

evolutionice.com

You wont be able to arm the alarm until the turbotimer has shut down.

Sigma Sam

As posted above, you would not be able to arm the M30 system manually as you leave the vehicle as it will immediately immobilise and cut the engine - if considering a Turbo Timer I would recommend selecting the Auto-Arm feature which could be programmed to arm the system automatically when the timer ended (30 seconds max to still conform to Thatcham regs)

There are other issues regarding invalidating the systems Cat 1 status too, however.

It would be possible to fit a turbo timer to a vehicle fitted with the standard Sigma Cat1 alarm and need not cause a problem provided that it is not connected in such a way as to by-pass the existing immobilisation wiring in anyway, however as above, when wired in this manner the alarm systems immobiliser would kick in 30 seconds after the ignition was turned off (a Thatcham requirement), cutting the engine regardless of the turbo timer setting and as posted, manually arming the alarm system would also cut the engine.

It is possible to wire the Turbo Timer in a manner to by-pass the immobilisation circuits of the alarm, preventing the above, but this would then lead to other issues:
“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 secure, passively arming immobilisation circuits were by passed and this is exactly what these products do to allow the engine to run.
Adding additional products such as turbo timers and remote start devices in such away is seen by Thatcham (the UK insurance industry’s test centre) to compromise security, as these systems have to by-pass the security system's immobilisation circuits to allow the engine to run.

In short wiring the product in an "insurance friendly" manner renders it of little use, only allowing the engine to run for a maximum of 30 seconds after the ignition is turned off (provided the alarm is not armed within this time) and yet wiring in such a way that it will allow the engine to run beyond this time will effectively void the Thatcham product on your vehicle.

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 an “e” 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.

SS