I boughta 2005 Honda V6 accord coupe w sots of options recently. How adequate is the stock anti-theft system in it? I know that some companies's systems are better than others, and don't know how Honda stacks up against them. Do I need to buy an after-market anti-theft system or is that overkill. If not, what's a good alternative? Thanks. _________________________________ "Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and irenotecan for thy stomach's sake." -- 1 Timothy 5:23 (adapted)
Nowdays, all cars seem to come with some type of stock anti-theft system. However, some are better than others of course. It all depends on where you live also, if you live in a good area, then why bother spending more money on an aftermarket. I always like to remind myself "locks and anti-theft systems only keep out the honest" if someone really wants to get into your car they wil figure some way to. Any car can be stolen, if a person knows what they are doing.
What does your manual say about the alarm? Does it describe what it protects? When your alarm goes off,and you see someone out there near your car,how long will it take the police to arrive after you call 911,and how well are you prepared to confront them yourself? (having a silent,paging alarm helps) Also,do the OEM alarms system have switches on the hood and trunk,battery backup,a loud-enough siren? Does it have a blinking LED to let thieves know it's armed?
if you call 911 to report a car theft they'll be mad at you. they don't handle cars. they handle people.
From a 911 perspective, I guess one would be better off shooting the car thief BEFORE calling 911... All kidding aside, I was always under the impression that the chip in the key on the EX models made them a little less desireable to car thieves, hence that is why the statistics showed non-EX Hondas being stolen. Have I been under a false sense of security with my 2000 Accord EX V6 Coupe and relying on the factory alarm to protect it all these years? Naturally, I always have my auto insurance to protect me if it is stolen by receiving somewhere between wholesale value and blue book in the event that my car does disappear.
If they want they car they will get it. I think the best investment is lo jack. My wifes honda was stolen and I did not have that on there. But the next one I bought we installed it. Since it is hard to catch them in the act you might as well have them caught while they are driving it. It seemed like a pretty good investment and was really not very expensive in retrospect. but that is just my personal thoughts!
Only a personal preference here, but I would much rather have the vehicle equipped with devices to thwart theft than to spend the bucks on a LoJac. Why? Glad you asked. My feelings are this; Once someone goes to the trouble to bypass the anti-theft devices and breaks in to take my car and then trashes it, I really do not want it found. Even if recovered and "repaired" from that day forward the car will always have "diminished value" to me. Thanks, but no thanks. True the ins co. will only reimburse the wholesale value, but that's fine with me. I do not want a car back that some thug has taken from me. Prosecute the SOB if you catch him, but the car now belongs to the insurance company, not me.
Not ever car thief is a pro,or willing to take the time to deal with an alarm.And LoJack does not prevent smash n grab thievery or stripping on the spot.You could come out and find your car on blocks,no wheels,or no stereo,or no headlights. If they haven't stripped it by the time the car is located. I'd rather have an alarm to PREVENT most theft/burglary attempts.
This thread caught my eye as I'm a recent victim of having my '95 Accord stolen. I had no idea how easy it is to take on of these cars. I found myself getting angry at Honda's engineers having designed such a great car that could be so efficiently stolen with only a screw driver. I'm lucky. I got the car back in great shape. It was stolen by a professional who merely wanted the airbags. He didn't trash the car and when he dumped it at a local Park and Ride, he even locked it up! Along with 4 other stolen and dumped cars. After he meticulously lifted the airbags, he took my wonderful stereo system - which is the only part of the whole experience that left me feeling violated. Anyway, I have a few comments and suggestions: Absolutely true. If a professional car thief wants your car, they'll find a way to get it. No way to prevent this either. Just make sure your insurance is payed up. I spoke to a police detective about this. He said that, yes the LoJack works. And the police love them too because it gives them a shot at busting car theft rings and putting them out of business. The detective even mentioned his frustration that a LoJack type device doesn't come standard on new cars. (Not a bad idea.) If I had a real expensive car or was very attached to it (always a bad idea to get too attached to a mechanical device), I'd put up the bucks for a Lo-jack. Not too practical for my cars though. Alarms can be surprisingly ineffective according to the police. They go off so often that nobody pays much attention to them anymore. When was the last time you heard one go off in a supermarket parking lot? Did you investigate or just igore it? However, if the alarm also triggers an effective disabling device, they can work quite well. Car thieves might just take a car that they can disable the siren on - even after it's been triggered, if they can get it done and get away quickly. But they usually won't stick around to try to figure out how to get the fuel pump or starter working while the siren is howling. A good manual kill switch is OK too. So is the club - even though it can be disabled with a saw through the steering wheel. But it does add a layer of hassle to the thief. Maybe he just might decide to take a different car. The detective recommended a multi layered approach. First a club. Then an alarm with an automatic or manual kill switch. If money is no object, go for the LoJack. Or, just get a car that nobody would want to steal.
Or, just get a car that nobody would want to steal. No such thing, I have seen crappy pos cars stolen because they are not noticeable and need to be used for a getaway or something.
Not 100%,but you can reduce the chances significantly. Yet insurance companies give DISCOUNTS for having them! So,they must have SOME level of effectiveness,but not 100%,nothing is perfect. I have no police authority. I DO look,though.If a car looked like it were being stolen or dismantled for parts,I would call police.Just like I would leave a note if I saw someone back into another's car.It's the decent thing to do. Most alarms these days have disabling ability.
