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Old 12-12-2008, 08:45 AM   #1
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Anti-theft dual zone motion sensor for Porsche Boxster

Hi !
I am looking for some technical advice before embarking on a project in which i want to add a dual zone motion sensor to my 2003 Porsche Boxster. The first thing a criminal would do is "bump" against your car to see if it's equiped with an alarm. The Boxster does not have any standard motion sensor that triggers the alarm : you have to physically "activate" a door handle or so to trigger the alarm.

Found a good deal on a basic sensor here

notice the blue/green/red/black wires in the picture.

Mounting should be in a central location along the porsche's axis (i am going with the ashtray): The 508D should be placed as close as possible to the center line of the vehicle. The unit's integrated mounting tabs should be to the front and the rear of the vehicle, but the orientation of the wire-socket end is not a factor. Also, the 508D is not sensitive to being placed directly onto metal

Wiring: The 508D comes supplied with a 4-pin harness which connects between the dual zone motion sensor module and your vehicle's alarm module.

Question : anyone has ever tried to install this themselves ? How difficult is this ?
Thanks in advance !

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Old 12-12-2008, 12:11 PM   #2
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Good luck to you.

But, I'd be very leery about adding this to the alarm system. The alarm system, in conjunction with the DME, controls so many of the car's functions that if you're not 100% sure of what you're doing, you could seriously screw things up. I mean to the tune of mega $ to get it right, esp. if you somehow damamge the alarm module. Are there Boxster specific installation instructions included to wire it to the alarm module?

Our cars are not high on the list of 'most stolen cars' - about 20 times less likely to be stolen than a honda s2k for example. Unless I regularly parked overnight on the street in East St. Louis (and if I did, I wouldn't have a Boxster), I think it's overkill.

If you're worried about someone breaking into it, don't leave anything valuable lying visible to the outside.

But, if you decide to do it, let us know how it turns out.

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Old 12-13-2008, 11:54 AM   #3
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on my own...

Thanks lil bastard !
Unfortunately the motion sensor does not come with any wiring instructions, let alone specific instructions for porsche. I can't believe nobody in this forum has any concerns about their car being stolen... Maybe because i had some bad experiences growing up in Europe (Belgium) where car theft is more common, plus the fact that my very first car, a second gen. VW Golf got stolen - i am a bit more "paranoid" about it.
i"ll call my local dealer here in Dayton where i go for oil changes (The Garaj)(http://www.thegaraj.com/), he is specialized in Porsche and mentioned that he has done those alarm additions for other clients... Guess that's my best bet before i screw something up !
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Old 12-14-2008, 02:53 AM   #4
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Alarms don't deter real criminals. It will stop the neighbor "hoods" from checking out the car, but if the pros want the car, they'll take it.... and that includes the repo guys. A fellow worker used to repo car. He said when the car alarm went off, people just yelled to "keep that car quiet".
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Old 12-15-2008, 08:12 AM   #5
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Why would a potential car thief need to bump into the car to see if it has an alarm? I would think the red LEDs on the dash and radio would alert them to that fact that the system is armed.

I have had shock sensors in two of my previous cars. They were more of a hassle than anything else. They would set off the alarm in heavy thunder storms or if a loud Harley pulled up next to the car in a parking lot. One time I came out to my car and noticed that the alarm had been tripped. The only thing I saw was a black soot mark on my front bumper where the car that was parallel parked in front of me must of back fired as it was pulling out.
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Old 12-15-2008, 09:54 AM   #6
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The majority of North American Boxsters are spec'd with alarms that have IR motion sensors that detect movement inside the cabin area. In other words if something moves inside the car, not if the car moves. This should detect someone reaching into the car to grab something, but I don't think it detects the car being towed.

As others have said an alarm doesn't deter the criminal who is equipped with tow equipment, but I guess it will let you know if someone is messing with your car.

Here in Toronto the M.O. of the professional car thief is to break into your home while you sleeping, steal your keys and then simply drive your car away to a waiting container destine for overseas. I don't think the Boxster is one of the sought after models.

And congratulations on your new car.

Last edited by Aron in Toronto; 12-15-2008 at 09:56 AM.
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Old 12-15-2008, 05:52 PM   #7
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Home Alarm

Good point Aaron ! That's why i also bought a home alarm system : not one of those monthly fee ones but a good old fashion motion detector (x2) aimed front and back door + 10 window sensors. I will recieve it tomorrow ! can't wait to install it. It's all wireless and installs in 30 minutes. Not top of the line but enough to wake me up when someone is trying to get in my garage or house. check out www.x10.com
i also installed a motion detector with floodlight aimed at my driveway. That way i have all bases covered.
My aunt in Belgium had this happen to her : they broke into her house, went UPSTAIRS IN HER BEDROOM and stole the keys. She slept through the entire thing. Car was gone in the morning incl credit cards etc...
With the US economy going south people will start using more and more drastic measures to steal stuff. A friend of mine works in store security : he already sees an increase in theft over the last couple of months.
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Old 12-16-2008, 03:16 AM   #8
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I never heard of breaking in and stealing keys. Lucky for me I have dual home alarms... 50 pounds each. But I do have to clean up the back yard after them. And they double as alarm clocks.... because in the morning, they gotta go.
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Old 12-21-2008, 08:34 AM   #9
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Are they selling women or alarms? Hard to tell from the site.



Quote:
Originally Posted by bartman
Good point Aaron ! That's why i also bought a home alarm system : not one of those monthly fee ones but a good old fashion motion detector (x2) aimed front and back door + 10 window sensors. I will recieve it tomorrow ! can't wait to install it. It's all wireless and installs in 30 minutes. Not top of the line but enough to wake me up when someone is trying to get in my garage or house. check out www.x10.com
i also installed a motion detector with floodlight aimed at my driveway. That way i have all bases covered.
My aunt in Belgium had this happen to her : they broke into her house, went UPSTAIRS IN HER BEDROOM and stole the keys. She slept through the entire thing. Car was gone in the morning incl credit cards etc...
With the US economy going south people will start using more and more drastic measures to steal stuff. A friend of mine works in store security : he already sees an increase in theft over the last couple of months.

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