Lojack opinions?

[nboy22]

I'm pretty pissed right now, some F&cktard decided to break into the backyard area of my work where I was storing my ATV and steal it. It was a 2001 Yamaha Blaster that I got off of craigslist and came with a title and everything. This happened sometime in the last 2 weeks in Phoenix. I did the official police report today, gave them all the info on the title and did as much as I could do for now. I'll be checking on craigslist every day, but the bastards are probably just going to part it out so there is not a lot of hope of recovery.

Now I am planning on getting another ATV eventually, but this time I was thinking about installing a lojack on it. I think it would be amazing to store it in the same place and wait for the idiots to come back, jack it again, only to get caught by my lojack. Which will hopefully lead me back to their chop shop or whatever their operation is and reveal a ton more stolen property.

Have you guys heard anything about lojack on personal vehicles? I know the police use it too, so it's probably pretty damn good, but I want other opinions before I go install some piece of equipment that is going to cost $300-500 or however much those cost for a motorcycle/ATV.

 

[jagec]

Straight from their website:

Can LoJack be installed on off-road motorcycles?
The LoJack unit has been designed to be installed in on-highway motorcycles and has been environmentally tested to perform in riding conditions associated with on-highway usage. Due to vehicle battery size and riding conditions, LoJack does not recommend that the unit be installed on ATV, dirt or scooter motorcycles. If the unit is installed in these motorcycles, the warranty will be void due to improper installation.

 

[Howard]

I'm pretty pissed right now, some F&cktard decided to break into the backyard area of my work where I was storing my ATV and steal it.

inside job

 

[nboy22]

Straight from their website:

Can LoJack be installed on off-road motorcycles?
The LoJack unit has been designed to be installed in on-highway motorcycles and has been environmentally tested to perform in riding conditions associated with on-highway usage. Due to vehicle battery size and riding conditions, LoJack does not recommend that the unit be installed on ATV, dirt or scooter motorcycles. If the unit is installed in these motorcycles, the warranty will be void due to improper installation.

lol nice. So the cop suggests to me that I get lojack, but you can't install them on ATVs properly. Just my luck I suppose.

As for the inside job thing I am pretty sure it isn't. I work in a really bad area in south Phoenix where there is a lot of low-life people.

 

[phucheneh]

Lojack is crap. Costs too much, too hard to install, and if you have something worth 'lojacking' and a criminal gets away with it, they're not going to store the car in an unsecure location. Either the car will be gone by the time the cops get a warrant (not sure how that works), or it just plain won't pick up because the car will be in a concrete structure or something.

Is it likely for criminals to be that smart (with regard to hiding vehicles)? No, but it's also not likely for a late model car to be stolen without a programmed key.

Defeat immobilizer and any applicable alarm, energize electrical system, trigger starter, break steering wheel lock (also shift lock, but those are easy as piss to defeat).

Most theives aren't doing that. The easiest route is to get a new key cut...either get the key code and cut it yourself, or 'trick' the dealer into doing it- often not much trickery required...'my car is locked up and I can't afford the tow bill, can you please look up my VIN and just cut one for me?'

But then you still have to program it. Tips on preventing them from doing that: don't own a GM. I know of no other make that can be programmed without specialized hardware/software.



....but this is an ATV. Save your money to buy or build a shed, and invest in...some locks. And don't store the ATV with the key in it. Do something so it can't roll, also, since they might just push it. 99.9% of thieves thwarted.

Oh, and point a quality motion detecting flood light at it.

edit: I get the whole 'retribution' part, but take it from someone with experience- it's a pipedream. I literally left my car unlocked one single night. I'm not sure why/what happened. But it also happened to be a day I had retrieved a Breitling watch from a jeweler...and forgot it was in my glove box...

Yeah, my luck is that bad. It's gone forever. I used to sit outside with my shotgun and a combo can of OC/CS/UV dye in case I didn't thinkl I could get away with killing the motherfucker.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Sucks man. A friend of mine had a lowjack on his s1000 but that thing would drain his battery way too much for some reason so he had to take it out. I think that thing works it's just expensive and apparently some thieves will cut it out when they jack your bike. My roommate just had his zx10r jacked from our complex last night. Apparently it's been the third bike stolen in the past month. Best thing would be to insure it if it's going to be out in the open. Get a big quality chain as a deterrant. My roommate had a 4 foot chain and lock he got from home depot but that thing was cut along with a disc brake. Thieves can go diaf.

 

[Ferzerp]

That's why you have insurance. Why waste money on top of insurance? It's gone, and even if you could find it, you probably wouldn't want it back after who knows what has happened to it.

I also do not understand why people try to "protect" their cars.

You're insured aren't you?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

That's why you have insurance. Why waste money on top of insurance? It's gone, and even if you could find it, you probably wouldn't want it back after who knows what has happened to it.

I also do not understand why people try to "protect" their cars.

You're insured aren't you?

Well in the case of a bike it could be worth a lot more than blue book value. In the case of my roommates bike there was a ton of mods on that thing. Aprovik exhaust, shorty levers, steel brake lines, power commander, tech spec. Some other stuff. Plus you have to go about purchasing a new vehicle. Pay for deductible. File police report and then they call you/mail you a letter every couple of months saying how diligently they're looking for your vehicle.

 

[Ferzerp]

Well in the case of a bike it could be worth a lot more than blue book value. In the case of my roommates bike there was a ton of mods on that thing. Aprovik exhaust, shorty levers, steel brake lines, power commander, tech spec. Some other stuff. Plus you have to go about purchasing a new vehicle. Pay for deductible. File police report and then they call you/mail you a letter every couple of months saying how diligently they're looking for your vehicle.

It is no one's fault but your own if you don't take out insurance on any extra value you add to a vehicle. If you insure it as stock, don't expect anything else to be covered, but there is nothing stopping you from insuring it as it actually is.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

It is no one's fault but your own if you don't take out insurance on any extra value you add to a vehicle. If you insure it as stock, don't expect anything else to be covered, but there is nothing stopping you from insuring it as it actually is.

I think they charge you a lot for that though. More than it would be worth. Plus you're paying the deductible when you put in a claim. I don't think you've ever actually had to go through the process of replacing a vehicle through insurance. It's a hassle and you're still not getting full value. Also what kind of peace of mind do you have? Might as well leave your vehicle unlocked with the keys in place. I personally haven't had a vehicle stolen but you can see the effect on people. Someone has invaded your property. Know what I mean? Just my opinion anyway.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

That's why you have insurance. Why waste money on top of insurance? It's gone, and even if you could find it, you probably wouldn't want it back after who knows what has happened to it.

I also do not understand why people try to "protect" their cars.

You're insured aren't you?

This is the way I feel, at least with respect to cars (motorcycles may be a different story).

When I was stationed in Oklahoma, I had my 1-year-old Acura Integra GS-R sedan stolen and stripped to nothing. My insurer, USAA, promptly gave me a check for $300 less than I paid for the car, brand-new, and I was happily on my car-buying way with minimal hassle.

Another guy in my same apartment complex had his own Integra (I don't believe it was a GS-R) stolen and recovered mid-stripping. The insurer said it would cost just less than the car was worth to repair, so they did. It ended up costing more, and he ended up stuck with a car whose resale would be permanently impaired. Thanks but no thanks.

 

[Ferzerp]

I think they charge you a lot for that though. More than it would be worth. Plus you're paying the deductible when you put in a claim. I don't think you've ever actually had to go through the process of replacing a vehicle through insurance. It's a hassle and you're still not getting full value. Also what kind of peace of mind do you have? Might as well leave your vehicle unlocked with the keys in place. I personally haven't had a vehicle stolen but you can see the effect on people. Someone has invaded your property. Know what I mean? Just my opinion anyway.

I've had a car totaled before (never stolen though). I ended up with a shade more than the value of the vehicle at the time.

I don't have the cheapest insurance, but I do have quality insurance. There is a lot to be said for that.

If you buy your insurance from a company whose selling point is the lowest rate, I don't really have much sympathy for you. With insurance (as with almost everything) price does not equate to value.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

I've had my car totaled also but i think my situation was probably worse than yours. My last car was totaled by a drunk driver driving on the wrong side of a divided highway. I guess I got the fair market value but I still had to deal with the hassle of going to dui court twice. We have court leave but it's still a hassle plus I had to sit there and listen to people try to weasle their way out of jail time. I guess it's not a big deal if you don't value your time very much.

 

[hanoverphist]

i have a friend that installs lojack for a finance company. they lojack every vehicle for repo, just in case. we have done piecework repos for the same company, hehe.

 

[killster1]

i have a friend that installs lojack for a finance company. they lojack every vehicle for repo, just in case. we have done piecework repos for the same company, hehe.

So you are saying he can do it or he has options or just a story about a friend? To the guy that says concrete walls will stop the lojack? really that is how it works? hehe i doubt it.. but it will require a nice size new battery to be running it.

You do know you can use your own gps it doesnt have to be lojack right? you know a "wheres my phone" kinda gps would be fine and cheap and not use alot of battery. Good luck and install some cameras