Central Locking for Stag?

[Mike Wattam <101714.1343@domain.elided>]

Hi Tim

Belated reply, sorry!

Fitting central locking to the Stag is very easy.  Most alarm/radio
stockists can supply these, however they will also try to sell you an alarm
system with a central locking kit as an add-on, and this is actually a good
idea.  If the alarm also has a microwave sensor (so the car can be left
'open' and it will react to people putting their arm over the door) and an
immobiliser circuit (so despite having got in they can't easily drive
away), this will give you good protection.

Unfortunately, Stag door locks offer very little resistance to any thief,
so the alarm MUST NOT be triggerable from the door lock, but by independant
roaming frequency remote control only.

I have seen the correspondence suggesting you leave the car unlocked. 
Thieves have been known to slash roofs to get at contents of Stags, even
when the doors were left unlocked - in fact this just happened a week ago
to my neighbours MGB (we try not to talk to them much!).

However, the car thief is only one of two nasty types you will come across,
the other being insurance companies and their paid lackeys who may not to
be trusted as they are often Hitleresque mean-minded morons with no brain,
personality or humanity, yet with a sadistic desire to punish people for
making claims.  If they have the slightest smell you have not locked your
car doors (despite the futility of this) or left the keys in, they will
turn down your claim flat.  This also applies to leaving any valuables on
view in the car.  Hidden within the small print of the insurance documents
you will find some clause which tells you if you don't take the maximium
precautions and act in the insurance company's best interests, hard cheese.
 They are of course correct to an extent because leaving a bundle of bank
notes on the seat would seem to be specifically inviting somebody to commit
a crime.  Enough of insurance company nerds. 

Whatever you do for security, an immobiliser should figure at the top of
your list.  Devices like steering wheel and pedal clamps are useless
because the steering wheel has no noticeable strength.

So, by all means fit central locking as it will bring the specification of
the car into line with modern cars, but if your objective is to use this
primarily as a theft deterrent, forget it..

Mike Wattam
Triumph Stag Register