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I was just renewing my insurance and they asked me if the alarm on my car was a Cat 1. The car is a late 99 (facelift) S4. Is the alarm Cat 1?

Many Thanks for your help on this one,

Yes, as far as I know

Sorry to disagree, I think it's only a cat 2, at least it was in the pre facelift model.

Hmm, yes, but this is a facelife model. What's the difference between Cat 1 and Cat 2 anyway?

This should help:-

http://www.thatcham.org/resources/pdfs/compliance.pdf

It would appear that post March '01 models have a CAT2 system.

For your information, a CAT1 system is an insurance approved alarm/immobiliser, whereas a CAT2 system is purely an immobiliser (insurance approved)

Andy

I allso got asked this from insurance companies and spoke to audi dealer and he said the later ones have a button on the divers side to turn of the inside sensors and are cat 1 and the ones before are cat 2

My 1999 model has inside switch to disable interior sensors and is only Cat2. Plus it's rubbish wouldn't wake an insomniac!

S4 OXON wrote:I allso got asked this from insurance companies and spoke to audi dealer and he said the later ones have a button on the divers side to turn of the inside sensors and are cat 1 and the ones before are cat 2

Yet another example of main dealers "expert" knowledge!!!

All A4's with interior ultrasonic sensors have the button to disable them as does my parents A6!
Mine is one of the earliest S4's and has the button.

Andy

Hmmm, could be Cat 2 then. Anybody had their alarm upgraded from Cat 2 to Cat 1? Who did it, price?

Post facelift (oct/nov 99) have a Cat1.....at least my insurance company thinks so.

The URL I provided is "the" definitive list which insurance companies go by.
Also note that it states the listings are specifically for "UK dealer specification vehicles only"

If that list does not state that your car's alarm is a Thatcham CAT1/CAT2 then it won't be.

Not wishing to scare or upset anyone, but, unfortunately, an insurance company may try and find a reason to back out of paying for a claim if they feel you've "deceived" them (even unknowingly) despite being quick enough to take your readies in the first place.

Jon may be better informed to give more advise on this subject.

Andy

Yes, quite. As far as I can see my car is Cat 2. I just phoned a local alarm dealer and asked the price to upgrade from Cat 2 to Cat 1. The price is £250 (inclunding Labour & VAT) for a Sigma upgrade. Add another 90 squid if you want the central locking to work remotely with it. I think I might go with this, thus denying the insurance company to welch.

Now got it down to £250 with the central locking working as it did before. You get a certificate saying it's Cat 1. It's a Cobra alarm. The guys have been in business for quite a while and say these are the most reliable and best value for money. I'm booked in on Monday to have it done. Let me know if anybody has negative experiences of these Alarms or indeed, Cobra Security Systems, Chingford.

I may be wrong, but I thought that in simple terms cat 2 is an alarm, and cat 1 is alarm plus immobiliser. I am certain that early models did not have an immobiliser, whereas mine (one of the last made) does. Exactly when the upgrade was made I don't know.

Interestingly my insurance company doesn't care if it has a cat 1, cat 2 or none at all!

The shop I'm taking to said that:
Cat 2 is an immobiliser
Cat 1 is an immobiliser and alarm
Cat 1 is, therefore, a beefed up version of Cat 2, and more designed to annoy the neighbours and please the insurance company.
Unfortunately, this is a modification which doesn't make your car go faster - booooooohhhhhh