Almost all professional thief’s steal a car with a flatbed. So you would need the motion sensors to even know a Mini was stolen. And the alarm protects the wheels as well (if someone hears it and does something) as the alarm will go off if the vehicle slant changes as the car is jacked up. Alarm probably works well if it is in your driveway or garage. Beyond that it is true most people ignore car alarms because they go off all the time.
I've had friends who've had their catalytic converters cut off recently, it's been hard not to make smug comments. That's not the way to be sympathetic.
Big problem with CC everywhere. They just dive under the car with an electric saws all and get it out within minutes.
Three of my cars have been stolen. RX-7 GSL (1990), Legend Coupe (1998), 944S2 (2003) When the RX-7 was stolen I was devastated. My baby. When the Porsche was stolen I, and the people I got of the LIRR train with laughed. It was parked 2 spots away from where the Legend mast was five years earlier. The same week the Porsche was stolen my beat friend was diagnosed with stage 4. Made the new motor and other work recently done to the car seem trivial. If they want the Mini, have at it. That's what insurance is for.
Looks like it is not on the 2022 model year either as it is not on mine. On my Mustang Mach-E I get a notification that the doors have been opened and which one. I like that a lot and would love it on my MINI.
Yeah I think the alarm is only included with the Iconic. We paid like $500 to add it to our Signature Plus.
Correct - the alarm is included in Iconic. I have set mine off twice by accident. It definitely gets your attention.
In a way, paying $ for an alarm accessory (whether as an option or in the price of the vehicle) is primarily for the benefit of the insurance company. The alarm may deter some vehicle thefts or cut short attempts to strip a car, but in the end the insurance should reimburse the owner for the loss (less deductible). Even with a modest discount from some insurance companies for cars equipped with an alarm, you are still paying what amounts to another insurance deductible, upfront, whether the alarm's presence in the car ever makes a difference in the real world or not. As far as the car itself and sentimentalities, I remember a local auto dealer who for years advertised his low selling prices on radio by saying, "I ain't married to none of them." As @Tommm wrote above, "The same week the Porsche was stolen my beat [sic] friend was diagnosed with stage 4. Made the new motor and other work recently done to the car seem trivial. If they want the Mini, have at it. That's what insurance is for."
I agree with your thoughts. I posted earlier saying that the insurance companies apply some discounts to the policies, thinking it might serve as an additional/possible justification to buy this $500 Alarm System option, but then looked at my own policy closer. It's an embarrassingly low amount of ~$15 annually for two cars!!!
I can just imagine the headlines "The thieves may have gotten away with it if they bothered to read about the Mini Cooper's special Green+ mode..."
I believe it's standard since the SE has an LTE connection for updates and navigation, look under Vehicle Settings for Vehicle Tracking. And yes it's easy to turn off if you know where the menu setting is.
I am 100% sure the SE is car jack proof. Once the driver's door is opened the whole thing turns off and if you keep your key with you you just run like hell.....