Autowatch Ghost

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churchie386
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Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 12:16 am
Location: Essex/Suffolk

Autowatch Ghost

Post by churchie386 » Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:29 am

Has anyone bothered fitting an Autowatch Ghost immobiliser to their Alipina?
Any thoughts on such secondary security?
Present & Past: Alpina D3BT (F31); Alpina D3 S (G21); Subaru Forester XT (SG 2.0); Porsche 718 Cayman; Golf R (Mk7); 911 (997.2); 911 (996); Subaru WRX STI (Hatch); Alpina D3BT (E90); BMW 330i (E91); Elise (S1); Skoda Fabia VRS (Mk1); Peugeot 106 GTi; Skoda Octovia VRS (Mk2 estate); Subaru Impreza WRX (Wagon); Subaru Impreza Turbo (Wagon); Lancia Delta Integrale Evo; Golf VR6; Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9; BMW M3 (E30); Peugeot 106 GTi; Renault Clio 16v; Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9; Escort Mk3; Escort Mk1

Jonnywishbone
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Re: Autowatch Ghost

Post by Jonnywishbone » Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:59 am

I did a lot of a research on this, though no personal experience.

The thing seems to work exactly as it’s supposed to and I’ve not read even one report of it being defeated by thieves.

I opted against it because of the (admittedly tiny) risk that it might encourage scum bags into the house. My logic being that really determined thieves will get the car whatever security you have and break into the house for the keys if necessary whereas things like cameras, good lighting, steering lock, garage etc will put off 99.9% of the other, opportunistic thieves who will simply move on to an easier target. Having the Ghost fitted means the bad guys need to extract the code sequence from you to steal it.

As I said, I think the risk of that happening is minuscule but ultimately I sleep well knowing that the car has GAP and if a gang of undesirables (sadly fairly common round here) want the car they don’t need to come upstairs to get it.
Sal

2021 G21 B3 #115

churchie386
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Re: Autowatch Ghost

Post by churchie386 » Thu Apr 08, 2021 10:30 am

Your concern about the "code extraction" scenario is one I too had pondered - though my wife says I'm prone to catastrophic thinking.

Where did you buy GAP insurance from and how much did you pay? I've not bought GAP for any car before and I assume the premium depends upon the duration and the sum (GAP) insured.

I guess with Ghost it could invalidate the warranty too, though I've not heard of any cases.
Present & Past: Alpina D3BT (F31); Alpina D3 S (G21); Subaru Forester XT (SG 2.0); Porsche 718 Cayman; Golf R (Mk7); 911 (997.2); 911 (996); Subaru WRX STI (Hatch); Alpina D3BT (E90); BMW 330i (E91); Elise (S1); Skoda Fabia VRS (Mk1); Peugeot 106 GTi; Skoda Octovia VRS (Mk2 estate); Subaru Impreza WRX (Wagon); Subaru Impreza Turbo (Wagon); Lancia Delta Integrale Evo; Golf VR6; Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9; BMW M3 (E30); Peugeot 106 GTi; Renault Clio 16v; Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9; Escort Mk3; Escort Mk1

SIN6H
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Re: Autowatch Ghost

Post by SIN6H » Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:08 am

I own an a car alarm business and have tested all of the products thoroughly before stocking/offering the products we do,

The only issue we found with the ghost system is that it can be quickly identified by a can sniffer, removed, wires re connected and the car will start, it has no other cuts (fuel cuts etc)

System does still work well as described pending device isnt found

Jonnywishbone
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Re: Autowatch Ghost

Post by Jonnywishbone » Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:11 am

The reality is that the odds of getting physically held up for the code are probably so small it makes no rational sense to worry about it unless you also worry about climbing down the stairs and crossing the road. Irrationally though, I know I just wouldn’t sleep as well with it on the car. Your mileage and anybody else’s may obviously vary on that.

Your assumptions re: GAP are correct. My policy is with ALA; Defaqto 5* with good reviews both in terms of dealing with them and on the claims side (thankfully never had experience of the latter). £450-odd total four 4 years for return to invoice cover, up to a maximum of £50k, which includes a discount for being a repeat customer (though I think there’s also a 15% discount code on Pistonheads). Again YMMV as technically the insurance company “wins” or else they wouldn’t offer the product but it’s a no-brainer for me on a car that probably lost £20k as soon as I signed on the dotted line. Robbie didn’t even bother trying to flog me the BMW branded cover after our very first conversation about it last year so I didn’t even get a quote from them but from experience it’d be a four-figure premium for a non-superior product.
Sal

2021 G21 B3 #115

churchie386
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Posts: 308
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 12:16 am
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Re: Autowatch Ghost

Post by churchie386 » Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:48 am

Yes, ALA GAP via PistonHeads (with 15% discount applied) = £450 for 4 years, back to invoice (or whatever was the phrase).
Present & Past: Alpina D3BT (F31); Alpina D3 S (G21); Subaru Forester XT (SG 2.0); Porsche 718 Cayman; Golf R (Mk7); 911 (997.2); 911 (996); Subaru WRX STI (Hatch); Alpina D3BT (E90); BMW 330i (E91); Elise (S1); Skoda Fabia VRS (Mk1); Peugeot 106 GTi; Skoda Octovia VRS (Mk2 estate); Subaru Impreza WRX (Wagon); Subaru Impreza Turbo (Wagon); Lancia Delta Integrale Evo; Golf VR6; Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9; BMW M3 (E30); Peugeot 106 GTi; Renault Clio 16v; Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9; Escort Mk3; Escort Mk1

Trilly-Uk
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Re: Autowatch Ghost

Post by Trilly-Uk » Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:21 pm

churchie386 wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:29 am
Has anyone bothered fitting an Autowatch Ghost immobiliser to their Alipina?
Any thoughts on such secondary security?
Would recommend Ghost, even if you leave keys in the car unless code known can’t be driven.

The attraction for me for is stops the car being stolen rather than advanced tracker systems which help the car being recovered after its stolen. Would rather it wasn’t stolen in the first place and good value when compared to top end tracker system.
Kevin
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