Of my two vehicles, one is a beater that I really couldn't justify buying a decent alarm for, so I elected to go with a mechanical immobilizer via a battery disconnect switch. I remove the key with me every night so the car is permanently disabled.The upside to this is that the car absolutely isn't going anywhere without that little key, so even if I have to replace a broken window, busted steering column cover and popped ignition, I still have my car... The downside is, most of the "cheap" alarms I looked at didn't have an aux power supply so with the battery disconnected, they wouldn't work. Seeing as I'd really rather not have to replace a window, steering column cover and ignition, I picked up this little bluff light to hopefully act as a deterrent.
It does what it's supposed to do. W. Chan's review is right; the stickypad/velcro system sucks, so I took that off with a razor blade and used ordinary rubber cement to hold it put while still being 'removable'. The battery seems to last foreverI leave mine on all the time, so I just ground off the little switch. The only thing I don't like about it is that they now sell these at pretty much every auto parts store, and their dome design is rather 'distinctive'. It's entirely possible that a meaningful percentage of car thieves can spot them for what they are, but hopefully, the next guy who peeks in my car window at 3:00 AM isn't one of them.
Decently sized for a car alarm would be nice if it was a tad bit smaller though. I took off the velcro on the bottom to make it flush with my dash and looks decent if you just glanced at it. The On/Off lettering is a giveaway so I had to rub it out. If I had to complain I would've wished that it was a twist on/off instead of a little switch which you can see poking out, other than that the price is right.
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Turned the first one on and seemed to work fine.tried to turn the second one on and it wouldnt turn on.took it apart as per instructions.it turned on while apart then after i closed it up it wouldnt turn on.As for the first one,it wont turn off.i took it apart and was able to shut it off.when i put it back together i turned it on and again,it wont turn off.returned both.Read Best Reviews of Bell Automotive 22-1-38801-8 Fake Car Alarm - Pack of 2 Here
Ok ~ so these are quite big ~ approx 1 inch x 1 inch (an important small detail that seems to have been left out). For something like this the size seems to be a litte on the large side.Batteries are included which is a bonus. Being curious I tried to get the cover off of one to see how the battery is replaced and it was tough. The opaque dome twists so far and then stops you need to twist it just that but more for it to come apart. The pieces are quite difficult to separate. I had to pry the dome off with my finger nail to separate it.
I also found it nearly impossible to re-align the pieces back to their original position. The little plastic tabs that hold the dome on broke almost immediately as they seem paper thin but it all seemed to hold together once pressed in again.
Update:
The second unit was much easier to open.
It seems there is a little empty space behind the battery. This unit fell off in my car (velcro strip Adhesive didn't hold). The led wouldn't switch on. I pulled it apart and had to press the battery in and it worked again. I might place something in that empty space behind the battery to prevent the battery from losing its connection.
It looks quite convincing in the car especially at night. I'm going to try some 3M double sided tap to hold it in place. Positioning is important. Look at it during the day and night. I found lower down where it gets less light was better.
I have also found that these place in the right position at home can look light a camera or sensor.
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Great little item. Makes it look like your car is alarmed. And the little on/off switch is a terrific little idea.Save 37% Off
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