From: "Phil Payne" 

> o Are the damned alarm systems aftermarket in Blighty?  They are here.

On current (new) cars, factory standard fit.  Two decades ago, nothing.
Proportionate adoption, except that anything "sporty" needs an
immobiliser to get insurance.  Thatcham is the keyword.

> o Do Beemers/Bimmers/IGFarben-2Raeder'n, etc. actually come with them from
the
> factory?

New, yes.  No better, though.

> o Do most have disablers, rather than just making noise?  Tilt/bump
sensors?

Sadly, the newer ones are noisy.  Tilt/bump/vibration sensors are so bad
that a bog standard 1980 Audi ur-quattro passing down an upmarket suburban
street at idle will set off about one alarm in twenty simply from its
exhaust note.

> o Do most have those hair-trigger jostle sensors that get jostled all
night by
> parallel-parking bumper-car enthusiasts, thus motivating a legion of
formerly
> shy milquetoasts to don a bathrobe, take their elevators to the street,
and
> slash all four of the offender's tires?

Abso-fucking-lutely.  Country wide. Sunlight sets ours off too, so you get
the same thing happening in broad daylight.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5