grandpa dino

Just got my RX8. It was suggested that I look into installing Lo-Jack. Is there any data on theft of this vehicle to suggest it might be warranted? I know it will save me a little (not as much as I thought) on insurance.
Also, any thoughts on the value of getting the 7-year extended warranty package?

mikeb

I would skip the seven year warranty

I have lojack and added early warning, so if my 8 moves without my remote on my keychain from lojack inside my 8 lojack calls me and emails me to notify me the car is moving.

My last car was stolen so I'm not playing around anymore

TheTick

How much does lojack run?

mikeb

700 for lojack
400 to add early warning

grandpa dino

mikeb, why would you skip the 7-year warranty? Thanks for the comments

FirstSpin

Speaking of stolen cars; my wife told me about watching some exposé on TV where guys would show up at a dealer's shop with a VIN number and a story about how they lost their keys and with virtually no questions asked, the shop would crank out a new set of keys (matched to the VIN number). Now, I may be foolish but if this is indeed common place, the easiest way to steal a car would be to write down the VIN number, make up a story about lost keys and find a shady service department at a dealer to crank you out a key.

I'm not going to be stealing any cars but it does make me wonder if perhaps I'd be much better off if I put some sort of cover over the VIN number so that it's not readily read from "the street".

Anyone here have a clue as to whether this can happen and if so, how wide spread it may be? What's your take on the idea of covering the VIN cut-out so that not every Tom Dick and Harry can see the VIN number on your ride?

93rdcurrent

I am sure that if you were pulled over and a police officer saw that VIN covered you would be seeing the business end of his bad attitude. You would probably be showing a lot of evidence to prove that you own the car and you may find that a normal 5-10 min traffic stop turned into 30 min.

XeRo

they make static translucent film that you can actually buy and place over the area on your windshield where you can see the VIN...and it's peel and stick!...i mean it's not for that purpose but i don't see why it wouldn't work...

mikeb

most dealers need to see a copy of title to make a copy of a key for you

I personally would skip the warranty cuz I plan to modify heavliy

Outlaws eXtreme

I got the LoJack system only because it was standard when you buy it at Galpin Mazda for about 600 dollars on top of the negotiated price. For my very first car that I purchased myself, I feel so much more relieved when I park in a crummy neighborhood. There is no monthly/yearly charge so it's great... peace of mind.

One of the stories I saw on Dateline about these devices is that most "good' thieves now will leave your car in a parking lot for a few hours to a day and wait to see if the police can find them. If no one comes, then they take it to their chop shop.

Honestly the selling point for me is that when your car gets stolen, and the interior has been messed, and car was taken for a joy ride... I really don't know if I would feel comfortable driving in that same car again. It's been violated... So the best thing is prevention of this happening, and LoJack is one option that can help.

dag

Got the LoJack for my 8 - just installed yesterday.

595 for base system
159 for early warning

skipped the warranty because in the end that's what I have insurance for. I have a $100 deductable on theft and that didn't cost much more than a $500 deductable.

My stolen car history:

'98 = '93 Accord stolen in front of the house - recovered in Newark
'01 = '01 Integra stolen at hotel during training seminar - recovered in Secaucus
'03 = '93 Accord stolen in front of the house (again) - recovered in Newark (I guess they liked the ride so much they came back to relive their youth)
'03 = '01 Integra attempted theft in front of the house(woke up at 1AM to the smash of my car window - amateurs)
'03 = '01 Integra seats stolen from car at the body shop while getting repaired from previous break in.

If I could put an immovable metal dome around the car I would. Lojack is well worth it for the peace of mind.

dag

TM45

I bought a 7 year, 100,000 extended warrantee for $1045 from Warranty Direct. I know the conventional wisdom is that this is a waste, but I am concerned about the unknown long term reliability of this vehicle. Also, resale may be easier if the perception of this vehicle becomes that of trouble.

Outlaws eXtreme

Perhaps it's better if you move to a safer neighborhood :P And I thought living in Compton/South Central was bad.

dag

I live 15 minutes from Newark - a hot bed for car theft activity. But now that you mention it, it looks like I will be moving in the next couple of month (just found out today). I can't wait - won't have to sleep with one eye open.

dag

Outlaws eXtreme

Get a place with your own garage.. I haven't parked outside overnight since getting the car.

FirstSpin

Regarding the cop hassling me because of a VIN number being covered, I doubt it. I've never had a cop look at a VIN number on a traffic stop. If he wanted to see the up-front VIN, I'm sure I could take the tape off (or remove what other cover I happen to fashion).

Cops aren't that dang **** here. We don't carry auto registration papers here in Texas either. As long as your ID matches the plate-owner, there's not a problem- just a different world I guess.

beachdog

I cut a piece of index card and slid it down over the VIN after the news story. It will take less than 5 seconds to reveal the VIN if it is ever necessary.

I considered getting lojack for the 8. I can even get it at cost, but I don't trust the installers. Had it on my last car. Installed by the dealer. Every time I had an electrical problem in the car, the dealer blamed it on the lojack even though they installed it.

WankelNY

So Dag, do you live in JC or Hoboken? I had a similar string of events when I lived in Hoboken from '97 to '99. Here's my laundry list:

1. Roommate's car had antenna bent in 1/2.
2. Same roommate's car with brick through driver's window.
3. My '86 RX-7 gets radio stolen by amateur smashing in passenger's window.
4. 3' x 1' love note written in my rooftop paint saying "Your car suck." No "-s"... must have run out of room.
5. Best friend's '97 Honda Prelude stolen w/in 1/2 hour of parking it in front of my apt. Recovered in... you guessed it... Newark.
6. Woken up by shouts and oddly increasing volume of car alarm at 3AM in street... watched as 4 punks try to jump start a new Integra (alarm wailing) by bumping from behind with a new Lexus LS 400. Not appearing to be normal behavior, I called the Hoboken police, who seemed to be a bit aggravated that I wasn't reporting a violent crime, or that it wasn't my car.

If that wasn't it... regarding event #5: I don't want to bore you with the details, but recovering the car from the tow yard was like pulling teeth. The police report was bogus or the tow yard stole components from the car. Cold air intake was missing, strut braces missing, and borla exhaust missing, although police report reported "no missing parts, but dents and scratches over all of car". There wasn't a dent or scratch on it. There's no way that the tow yard/adjustor wouldn't have seen the stolen intake... the wax crayon used to mark the windshield was closed inside the engine bay. They had told us that they didn't check there, and that's why it wasn't on the report. It's a combo of inept and/or crooked gov't in the Jersey area, depressed economies in Newark, Secaucus, etc. and the close proximity of the shipping docks to send stolen cars to other countries. I used to know guys that shipped stolen mullet trucks to Santa Domingo.

Sorry about the tyrade. I was holding that in for a long time! So now, I'm in Bloomfield (another 15 minutes West), and have been doing fine w/ my Jeep GC. However, supposedly 3 cars have been stolen from my lot in 2 years, and one car (base model Celica w/ 15" rims... go figure) had the wheels stolen right off of it. So, you can bet your **** that I'll be getting the Lojack with early warning when I get my 8 this spring. I'm just waiting for the ******** zapper feature.

dag

LOL

I am sure there are many people in our general area with similar experiences.

I actually live in Lyndhurst, but I have heard stories about Hoboken. I knew someone who's roommate had the state of the art alarm system in their car. They went to see their GF in Hoboken and when he came out, the only thing left in the spot was the state of the art alarm system.

Don't worry about the tyrade, I get all frazzled up thinking about all that has happened. As for police response, well here's one for size - when my car was broken into in front of my house, I asked the officer what I can do to protect my car until I can drive the car to the body shop. The answer "well you can puncture your tires." It was a classic. How about the fact that when the Integra was stolen in Secaucus, I found the car 1 1/2 weeks later. That's right, I found my stolen car. It was parked on a main street just sitting there (minus the seats and the plates still on it). It had ten miles on the car from when it was stolen (it was a lease so I was always aware of the miles). They took it to Wendy's (wrapper left in car) and then parked it. I ask the police if they were going to take prints (there were visible prints all over the hood). Answer "nope" I felt like I ruined this cops day by finding my own car. Now if I had to choose between safety and property recover I would definitely choose safety, but come one, give a **** just a little. Needless to say, LoJack would have probably gotten my car back in one piece.

Don't even get me started on the tow yards.

dag