Ghost Immobiliser II - Dumb question? - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hoping someone here can offer some insight. If you fit this to a "new" Cayman, does it invalidate your Porsche warranty? I'm giving it some serious thought. Cheers, T1b

Not Porsche I grant you, but BMW dealers are fitting them to new and used cars, and the Ghost installer I spoke to says there is no element of "butchering" to the cars wiring harness.

Slippydiff said: Not Porsche I grant you, but BMW dealers are fitting them to new and used cars, and the Ghost installer I spoke to says there is no element of "butchering" to the cars wiring harness. As I understand it, it's a module that sits on the CAN bus rather than something piggy backing the wiring loom. You can also set it up to be in a "valet mode" when in for servicing etc. Just spoke to someone on site, theives tried to get his car 3 times and failed dismally.

Just seen a few videos on installs on Porsches, with a bit of sleuthing ( video post date minus age of the car ) these were in warranty. A quick Google hasn't thrown up a shed load of "Ghost immobiliser II bricked my car! Porsche said Jog on! Help!!" Stories. Yup, I'm going to do a bit more research but it's looking like a no brainer at <£600. PPF is several times that cost.

Under warranty with a stealth installation, or under warranty with the knowledge and blessing of Porsche? Different things. I suspect the former, which is fine, until things go a bit wrong, and a tech finds it, at which point, all bets are off, given their stance on other silly things, like radiator shields.

randlemarcus said: Under warranty with a stealth installation, or under warranty with the knowledge and blessing of Porsche? Different things. I suspect the former, which is fine, until things go a bit wrong, and a tech finds it, at which point, all bets are off, given their stance on other silly things, like radiator shields. I've read that it can be removed if it really needs doing in the event of diagnosing an issue

randlemarcus said: Under warranty with a stealth installation, or under warranty with the knowledge and blessing of Porsche? Different things. I suspect the former, which is fine, until things go a bit wrong, and a tech finds it, at which point, all bets are off, given their stance on other silly things, like radiator shields. Which is fine IF you still have a car to take to your OPC in the first place, but if you haven’t, because unbeknownst to you some thieving scrote walked into your kitchen through an open patio door late on a Sunday evening (whilst you were in the lounge next door on the phone) and took the car and house keys, and stole the car off the arrive, your perspective may be slightly different ? It’s true that many manufacturer’s anti-theft systems are increasingly sophisticated, but if criminals resort to stealing the keys to steal vehicles, those wonderful systems are rendered useless, so it now increasingly falls to the owner to take further steps to retain their property in the event the keys are stolen.

Slippydiff said: Which is fine IF you still have a car to take to your OPC in the first place, but if you haven’t, because unbeknownst to you some thieving scrote walked into your kitchen through an open patio door late on a Sunday evening (whilst you were in the lounge next door on the phone) and took the car and house keys, and stole the car off the arrive, your perspective may be slightly different ? It’s true that many manufacturer’s anti-theft systems are increasingly sophisticated, but if criminals resort to stealing the keys to steal vehicles, those wonderful systems are rendered useless, so it now increasingly falls to the owner to take further steps to retain their property in the event the keys are stolen. Absolutely get that, just a caution that while one manufacturer is happy with the intrusion, it doesn't mean that another manufacturer will let it slide. You need to do your own risk assessment, taking into account all aspects, which is a bit rubbish, but Porsche have Vodafone in their corner, and that system doesn't provide all the protection that others do.

Slippydiff said: Which is fine IF you still have a car to take to your OPC in the first place, but if you haven’t, because unbeknownst to you some thieving scrote walked into your kitchen through an open patio door late on a Sunday evening (whilst you were in the lounge next door on the phone) and took the car and house keys, and stole the car off the arrive, your perspective may be slightly different ? It’s true that many manufacturer’s anti-theft systems are increasingly sophisticated, but if criminals resort to stealing the keys to steal vehicles, those wonderful systems are rendered useless, so it now increasingly falls to the owner to take further steps to retain their property in the event the keys are stolen. ^this^ As someone who was broken into and had 2 cars stolen in 2021 I'd be more inclined to take a "I'd rather keep the car (as in its not stolen) and address any issues with the Manufacturer rather than lose another car" approach. A humble KIA EV6 even behind a post and a well alarmed house was cased by this tool, four times in two days...

T1berious said: A humble KIA EV6 even behind a post and a well alarmed house was cased by this tool, four times in two days... Google "Kia Boys", and watch how new Hyundai & Kia's are being stolen with nothing more than a USB cable(!) Even if they can/can't do it to UK cars, my advice is to buy a Disklok and make sure your post is always up.

T1berious said: ^this^ As someone who was broken into and had 2 cars stolen in 2021 I'd be more inclined to take a "I'd rather keep the car (as in its not stolen) and address any issues with the Manufacturer rather than lose another car" approach. A humble KIA EV6 even behind a post and a well alarmed house was cased by this tool, four times in two days... Whats the risk of being further threatened by intruders for codes etc? I'd move somewhere else, we can leave keys in the ignition overnight here

My costs were time, money and just the inconvenience. a few weeks car hire was £700. I was massively lucky and my mates came through. Borrowed a mates Mini for a few months and another mate insisted I take his 220d while he was away for 6 weeks in Romania. We ordered a Kia EV6 which thankfully was only 3 months from order to delivery. The replacement for the M2C has been 10 months since order, delivery hopefully mid to late October. Truth is, manufacturers need to do more to tackle car crime.

In addition to my Boxster I also own a BMW M240i, I did have a Ghost immobiliser installed to the BMW (since removed) but when it came to taking out the extended BMW warranty I spoke to the warranty company and they said they would not warranty the car if I had the immobiliser fitted, I chose to do it anyway and run without a warranty and (touch wood) the car has been perfect. I think the extended BMW warranty is backed by Allianz Insurance. I had the immobiliser removed because I was going to trade in the car and the garage wouldn't take it with the Ghost installed, I since changed my mind on the new car though and the BMW is still with me.

Slippydiff said: I had two pairs of prescription glasses in the car, one a pair of Raybans I’d purchased in NZ 20 years ago, they were irreplaceable, something similar would have been £350, the other pair were a decent quality frame with expensive clear lenses, probably worth £400. Also on the back seat were a Berghaus jacket £100, various other fleeces and a gillet, probably worth £150. Edited by Slippydiff on Friday 26th August 12:01 Not wise to leave items in view for opportunists. Not that that is all they took, and admittedly questionable if that was the catalyst with your incident, but still very unwise to do that.

julian987R said: Slippydiff said: I had two pairs of prescription glasses in the car, one a pair of Raybans I’d purchased in NZ 20 years ago, they were irreplaceable, something similar would have been £350, the other pair were a decent quality frame with expensive clear lenses, probably worth £400. Also on the back seat were a Berghaus jacket £100, various other fleeces and a gillet, probably worth £150. Edited by Slippydiff on Friday 26th August 12:01 Not wise to leave items in view for opportunists. Not that that is all they took, and admittedly questionable if that was the catalyst with your incident, but still very unwise to do that. Neither pair of glasses were viewable from outside the car. The various items of clothing were on the back seat, and the car had BMW OE privacy glass. Rest assured, the car was not stolen because of or for the items inside it, it was either stolen to order for parts, or one of hundreds of cars stolen worldwide to be shipped to Africa where they are imported and sold with “ no questions asked” due to the corruption endemic there. A bit like the OP, the thieving scrotes who took the car, were seen casing the joint on the Friday afternoon, two days before it was stolen.

Slippydiff said: Neither pair of glasses were viewable from outside the car. The various items of clothing were on the back seat, and the car had BMW OE privacy glass. Rest assured, the car was not stolen because of or for the items inside it, it was either stolen to order for parts, or one of hundreds of cars stolen worldwide to be shipped to Africa where they are imported and sold with “ no questions asked” due to the corruption endemic there. A bit like the OP, the thieving scrotes who took the car, were seen casing the joint on the Friday afternoon, two days before it was stolen. Ah I see. Fascinating about Africa, I didn't know that...same steering side so I can see how that would be. Terrible though isn't it. What is the general consensus then on Ghost Immobiliser, having read the thread it does seem overwhelming on it. I was thinking of getting one but am now holding out for a new tracker that AutoFarm are trialing currently.

wondered if i might reopen this thread: Scenario: I have a 911 992.2 with a Ghost fitted to it. Prior to collection of my car Porsche should have paired the tracker fobs so that i could activate the security system. However they forgot to do this. After the Ghost was fitted, i subsequently booked the car into my local Porsche Centre to have the fobs paired. Arriving at Porsche, i put the Ghost into service mode, essentially disabling it for the time it was going to be with them. I received a call from Porsche that day saying they needed to keep it overnight as they were struggling to pair the fobs. Then the next day saying that the car kept wanting to go into sleep mode every time they tried to pair them (i'm paraphrasing here as i have little to no detail about exactly what the car is doing). 4 weeks later - car still with Porsche and they have tried 2 x new "Control Units" but still the problem persists. They have another control unit arriving this week and assure me they will get it fixed. QUESTION: Could it be the Ghost that is causing the problem? My understanding is that a Ghost is nothing to do with control units and therefore would not cause the car to go into sleep mode for any reason, especially as it is in 'service mode' currently.

I'd give the company that installed your Ghost a call and ask the Q. If needs be, take the car back to them (make some excuse up) and have the Ghost removed then take it back to your OPC and see if it works.

Have you called Autowatch Support ? The guys have always been super helpful whenever I’ve spoken to them and know their products very well.

I have spoken to them. The general consensus is that it "could be" but... "it's probably not" the Ghost from their point of view. Which is encouraging and frustrating in equal measure. My biggest concern is that it could invalidate the warranty. However i've seen on the Ghost website the following: "This seems to be a question that gets asked a lot about installing an Autowatch Ghost Immobiliser but in a word, no. Installing a Ghost will not void your vehicles warranty. This is the same for any of the products we install, including Parking Sensors (drilling the bodywork), cruise control, speed limiters, tracking systems, alarms and more. In 18 years of installing these devices we have never voided a vehicles warranty"... That gives me some comfort, but anyone out there with similar-ish problems would help ease the anx!

Thewy003911 said: I have spoken to them. The general consensus is that it "could be" but... "it's probably not" the Ghost from their point of view. Which is encouraging and frustrating in equal measure. My biggest concern is that it could invalidate the warranty. However i've seen on the Ghost website the following: "This seems to be a question that gets asked a lot about installing an Autowatch Ghost Immobiliser but in a word, no. Installing a Ghost will not void your vehicles warranty. This is the same for any of the products we install, including Parking Sensors (drilling the bodywork), cruise control, speed limiters, tracking systems, alarms and more. In 18 years of installing these devices we have never voided a vehicles warranty"... That gives me some comfort, but anyone out there with similar-ish problems would help ease the anx! I feel your pain. I picked up my car from the OPC and as part of the handover they put me on to Vodafone to enable the tracker system (I'm guessing any pairing needed was done as part of their pre handover inspection). I'm looking at getting the Ghost Imobilliser fitted in the next few months. Sounds like the safest option for you is getting the car back (I need it to get to a very important meeting in *insert far off location here*, you can have it back when I return), get the Ghost II removed and after a few days, let Porsche have another crack at it. I've been using a disclock in the interim but like it as its a visible deterrent. Think I'll still use it even with Ghost fitted.

T1berious said: I feel your pain. I picked up my car from the OPC and as part of the handover they put me on to Vodafone to enable the tracker system (I'm guessing any pairing needed was done as part of their pre handover inspection). I'm looking at getting the Ghost Imobilliser fitted in the next few months. Sounds like the safest option for you is getting the car back (I need it to get to a very important meeting in *insert far off location here*, you can have it back when I return), get the Ghost II removed and after a few days, let Porsche have another crack at it. I've been using a disclock in the interim but like it as its a visible deterrent. Think I'll still use it even with Ghost fitted. The Disclock is probably the ultimate deterrent, but what an ungainly, bulky PITA to fit/remove and store. I use one of these along with my Ghost immobiliser : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07B8JKJTW?psc=1&... They get excellent reviews and are incredibly easy to fit (and without damaging the steering wheel ...) and easy to stow away. https://www.milenco.com/products/automotive-securi... https://www.milenco.com/downloads/Auto-Express-Rev...

Slippydiff said: The Disclock is probably the ultimate deterrent, but what an ungainly, bulky PITA to fit/remove and store. I use one of these along with my Ghost immobiliser : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07B8JKJTW?psc=1&... They get excellent reviews and are incredibly easy to fit (and without damaging the steering wheel ...) and easy to stow away. https://www.milenco.com/products/automotive-securi... https://www.milenco.com/downloads/Auto-Express-Rev... Would this fit a C GTS with puddles ?

Slippydiff said: The Disclock is probably the ultimate deterrent, but what an ungainly, bulky PITA to fit/remove and store. I use one of these along with my Ghost immobiliser : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07B8JKJTW?psc=1&... They get excellent reviews and are incredibly easy to fit (and without damaging the steering wheel ...) and easy to stow away. https://www.milenco.com/products/automotive-securi... https://www.milenco.com/downloads/Auto-Express-Rev... Would this fit a C GTS with paddles ?

rbh said: Would this fit a C GTS with paddles ? Well it fits my daily driver BMW that has paddles, so I’d certainly hope so.

Stoplock fits well and on CGTS steering wheel as well

Slippydiff said: The Disclock is probably the ultimate deterrent, but what an ungainly, bulky PITA to fit/remove and store. I use one of these along with my Ghost immobiliser : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07B8JKJTW?psc=1&... They get excellent reviews and are incredibly easy to fit (and without damaging the steering wheel ...) and easy to stow away. https://www.milenco.com/products/automotive-securi... https://www.milenco.com/downloads/Auto-Express-Rev... I think these visual deterrents bring too much attention to the car - it screams 'I am worth taking', in my opinion

Any recommendations for Ghost installation companies in London, West London ideally. Thanks in advance.

I used Bromley Car Audio (5 yrs ago). Obviously that’s South London, but I was happy with the install and they worked on high end cars.

julian987R said: I think these visual deterrents bring too much attention to the car - it screams 'I am worth taking', in my opinion Yes, and no ... Yes, it may highlight the car is worth stealing. But no, because given the choice between stealing a car with a steering lock/other anti -theft device/s, and one without, nine times out of ten, they’ll go for the easier option.

Slippydiff said: julian987R said: I think these visual deterrents bring too much attention to the car - it screams 'I am worth taking', in my opinion Yes, and no ... Yes, it may highlight the car is worth stealing. But no, because given the choice between stealing a car with a steering lock/other anti -theft device/s, and one without, nine times out of ten, they’ll go for the easier option. ^This^ I'm no expert on car theft but there's two sides to it. Thieves see a desirable vehicle on a drive, look for any active alarms, if none, they'll come back in the early hours, get round the back and get the keys (in the UK we're pretty accommodating and leave keys on the stairs or by the door to stop the need to be held at knife point for said keys), leave with car. However, if they see a desirable car at an alarmed house, they 99% of time move on to the next desirable car hopefully at an alarm free house. The 2nd side is opportunists, you're out somewhere and you've parked up. You're away for a good few hours and it's getting late, dodgy scrote, reckons his OBD flasher kit and key can get the car but bugger, there's a Disklok, he doesn't exactly cart about an angle grinder so he'll move on. That's all you're trying to do, get them to go someplace else. Oh, earlier someone asked if the Disklok fits past the PDK paddles, yes, no issues.

T1berious said: ^This^ I'm no expert on car theft but there's two sides to it. Thieves see a desirable vehicle on a drive, look for any active alarms, if none, they'll come back in the early hours, get round the back and get the keys (in the UK we're pretty accommodating and leave keys on the stairs or by the door to stop the need to be held at knife point for said keys), leave with car. However, if they see a desirable car at an alarmed house, they 99% of time move on to the next desirable car hopefully at an alarm free house. The 2nd side is opportunists, you're out somewhere and you've parked up. You're away for a good few hours and it's getting late, dodgy scrote, reckons his OBD flasher kit and key can get the car but bugger, there's a Disklok, he doesn't exactly cart about an angle grinder so he'll move on. That's all you're trying to do, get them to go someplace else. Oh, earlier someone asked if the Disklok fits past the PDK paddles, yes, no issues. but it takes an axle gringer to get past it? I thought thieves had no problem getting past these locks without the need for am axle grinder.

Paft Dunk said: I used Bromley Car Audio (5 yrs ago). Obviously that’s South London, but I was happy with the install and they worked on high end cars. Thank you for the recommendation. I have since found out Ghost Immobiliser II doesn't work with the Cayman R, but maybe Ghost Immobiliser I does? I'll check into it. Thanks again