Topic

Getting back to the original question...

Yes, I use a Discarnect all of the time as my car isn't in daily use. They are less than a tenner on eBay and I think it's brilliant. Over a period of 4 years, I have had no problem at all using it on my 2004 TF 135. Fitting it takes minutes. Your car is even less likely to be stolen if the battery is isolated as it's not the easiest compartment to open.

So, yes, get one!

One down side to these disconnects is contact resistance. This shouldn’t be much of a problem with our cars as the cold cranking amps aren’t as great on as say a diesel if the same capacity. A battery in good condition would overcome the contact resistance, providing you’re not having to continually crank. I have seen one of these devices smoke in a most impressive fashion to the point of the insulation was burning off, however it was a 21/4 diesel Land Rover of some vintage, so don’t let that worry you too much.
The other irritation is the maintenance of volatile information, radio memory etc & of course alarm & locking.
I will leave that for you to ponder.
So if you are happy with the niggles I’m with Bruce.
M

Airportable wrote:

The other irritation is the maintenance of volatile information, radio memory etc & of course alarm & locking.

To be fair, the radio does lose all of the programmed station information, as you point out.

However, I don't know if it's just me, but I can only pick up a couple of stations anyway. I discovered that I get better reception with my finger poked into the radio aerial socket than I get with the aerial itself. In any case, I hardly ever bother with the radio as, unless it's really loud, I can't hear it above the noise from the wind and the TT7

Rock & roll years have left me with tinnitus & somewhat deaf, so the radio is little used, however it looks nice in the dash.
I disturbed the speaker connector whilst rummaging behind the dash, it was only when I missed the inane chirping announcing the ignition being turned on & off did I realise that even if I had wanted to listen to Desert Island Discs I would have been served up with silent.
So on that front, snap.
Mind you even after all these years of Lucas alarm system ownership I’m still relieved when, having had the batteries out, I hear the clunk of the central locking having pressed the lock button in order to reset & the subsequent starting of the engine.
M