Cobra 8509 Immobiliser

New Zealand Product Range

The first thing you notice with the Cobra 8509 Immobiliser is it’s size, or should that be lack of size! It is tiny and certainly the smallest Immobiliser that I am aware of. This makes it an installers dream as the hiding locations are almost limitless.

The Cobra Immobiliser is completely separate to the alarm and is connected via a coded bus wire so can be added to most of the new generation of Cobra alarms. This makes the 8509 effective for two reasons:

The first is that it does not contain any alarm electronics such as hazard light relays which can often be a dead give away to the modules location. Listening for the clicking relays is a trick I often use to find an immobiliser, once I have silenced the siren I simply listen to where the sound is coming from which quickly narrows down the location area.

The second advantage is that due to its lack of alarm circuitry it is much smaller, making it much easier to hide.

Cobra V Mongoose – The Alarm World!

Mongoose M60 looks big and clumbersome!

Given that the Mongoose M60 is one of the best known alarms in New Zealand I felt it would be a good benchmark to test the Cobra against.

In the animal world it is well known that a Mongoose one of the few animals capable of fighting the great snake. I have also noted that Mongoose NZ have a video of a Mongoose killing a Cobra on their Facebook page. However in the world of car security the Cobra wins hands down. The Mongoose is light years behind the Cobra, if it was not for good marketing on the part of Mongoose I’m sure it would be an extinct relic!

Anyway I’ll get around to reviewing the Mongoose Immobiliser in the coming weeks,  right now I’m here to review what the Cobra has to offer…

The main thing to get exited about is that the Cobra 8509 has an attack proof security housing. It  is the only Immobiliser for sale on the NZ market that I have not been able to get inside and bypass. It also complies with Thatcham standards which makes the NZSA Star rating system look shamefully outdated. It is worth noting that you will not find AVS, Dynatron, Mongoose, Stealshield, Meridian or Uniden Immobilisers outside of New Zealand or Australia as the standards set here (or should that be lack of standards) are not accepted overseas.

Cobra 8509 Immobiliser

Obsessive Rating: Perfection

The 8509 is simply brilliant.

Small, attack proof and no clicking relays to give away its location.

The only weak point would be the Installer

If I was a Mongoose I would be losing the will to live right now. Bragging rights clearly go to Cobra so I’d be working hard on making a better product rather than spending time on Facebook!