palacekeeper Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I'm considering getting Lo-Jack installed in my new car, with the early warning keychain device. Any opinions on this (pros, cons, etc)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madlock Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I'm considering getting Lo-Jack installed in my new car, with the early warning keychain device. Any opinions on this (pros, cons, etc)? It's freaking expensive no? I'd actually look for one of the many very good tracking devices that's easily concealable and portable. I've always felt the thieves I really needed to worry about would have LoJack found and disabled before it became useful anyway. On the flip-side, LoJack may indemnify against theft for a certain amount, but I'd hate to need to try to collect.... My $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy49 Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Make sure your local Police are equipped to detect Lo Jack signals. Current Coverage Area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palacekeeper Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Yeah, I've been wrestling with whether it's worth it or not. I have it in my 2008 with the early warning, and it does work when I test it (leave the fob at the house, go for a drive, and the cell phone rings within minutes). I'm just figuring though, with as hard as it was to get this car, I'd like to have a good shot at recovering it, so that I can at least make a decision whether to keep it or not if it's ever stolen. Lo-Jack seems to be unique in that it has a 90% recovery rate and is used by the police directly. It is expensive, yes, but I'm thinking at least I'd have a better chance of recovering it, you know? If it was a car that was more easy to obtain, I might not bother. This article seemed pretty good: http://www.edmunds.com/car-technology/evaluating-stolen-vehicle-recovery-systems.html?articleid=128786 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palacekeeper Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Make sure your local Police are equipped to detect Lo Jack signals. Current Coverage Area Looks like I'm covered in my area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy49 Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 How about surrounding areas? I am covered in my county but not in the two adjacent counties, so all a thief has to do is drive 25 miles from me and there is no coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnf Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 My son had his motorcycle stolen out of our garage a few years ago. It was equipped with Lo-Jack. Bike was back within 12 hours. Its expensive, but it works. Oh yea, police found 3 other stolen bikes at the guys house as well !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palacekeeper Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 How about surrounding areas? I am covered in my county but not in the two adjacent counties, so all a thief has to do is drive 25 miles from me and there is no coverage. Yeah, all the surrounding counties are covered too. I'm in MD, and DC and VA seem to be well covered also, so it might be worthwhile in my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave 316 Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) Yeah, all the surrounding counties are covered too. I'm in MD, and DC and VA seem to be well covered also, so it might be worthwhile in my area. Food for thought. I'm a police officer and at the time I worked the road I had an assigned take home radio car. For 3 years it had a LO jack receiver in it. I was never sent to school to learn how to operate it, nor were the 3 other guys who had them. My town has 120000 residents and 218 officers, and 32 square miles. Would I buy lo jack? NO! But I can only tell my story. May be worth it for you though. PS, 20 min south of NYC, 10 min south of Newark (stolen car capital of the world) Edited October 18, 2012 by dave 316 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don JDWHSKY Theall 25695 Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 Have LoJack in my SGT and in the wife's F150 - we sleep very worry free at night or when we are away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel 007 Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) I use a system called Guidepoint. It does not require police to have a receiver in their car. It has battery back-up in case thieves disconnect the battery. It automatically starts notifying the company if the car is moved more than 1/4 mile without the key being used to start the car. They notify local police and call you. When they first installed it in my T-Bird it had a short in it and I left work and drove to the gas station where I was promptly surrounded by four police cars becasuse the car was screaming it was stolen to Guidepoint who called the police with the exact location of the vehicle. Another time with my Saleen it was put on a flat bed truck and transported with me following in another car. I got a call on my cell telling me my car was screaming for help. I gave them the password and they did not call the police then. Plus you can look on the internet and see exactly where your car is. It is a system that was designed by the guy who invented Onstar after he sold that to GM. It is very good. It uses cell towers for communication so it works anywhere your cell phone works. Their better packages also include road service but I tell them not to include that as they charge too much as compared to my insurance company so you can get a really good deal without the road service. Plus if I lock my keys in the car I can unlock it with a cell phone. www.guidepointsystems.com/ Edited October 19, 2012 by Squirrel 007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palacekeeper Posted October 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 Food for thought. I'm a police officer and at the time I worked the road I had an assigned take home radio car. For 3 years it had a LO jack receiver in it. I was never sent to school to learn how to operate it, nor were the 3 other guys who had them. My town has 120000 residents and 218 officers, and 32 square miles. Would I buy lo jack? NO! But I can only tell my story. May be worth it for you though. PS, 20 min south of NYC, 10 min south of Newark (stolen car capital of the world) Thanks Dave. Your experience is not exactly encouraging! I've heard good and bad stories, so it's hard to say whether it's worth it or not. I just keep thinking if it ever gets stolen, I'd at least have a better chance of getting it back. BTW - I'll highjack my own thread and ask - as a police officer, what do you think about not installing the front license plate in a state that requires it? Invitation to pull me over to see if I've had too many drinks at the restaurant? Or, you wouldn't care enough to pull me over? I'm debating on whether to mount the front plate or not. thx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Alibi 2 Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 Considered LoJack when I bought the Shelby, what stopped me was it's a recovery system......................the car is already stolen ! . www.ravelco.com . This costs about as much as a LoJack, renders the car unstartable. Can my car be stolen, yes.......................with a flatbed ......................& it still can't be started by the thief. The instalation, ( done @ my home ) is undetectable, the engine compartment looks bone stock, no one but the installer & me even know where to look. I think it was a good investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave 316 Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 As far as the plate goes, some officers wouldn't bother and I know others that would look for anything. If I stopped somebody without a plate and they told me that they bought the car out of state and didnt have the bracket put in yet, I would give them a break. I think it's the luck of the draw. We have guys that think there is no wiggle room in the law, which gives us all a bad name. I always gave a break when I could, but each officers views on things are diff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madlock Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 As far as the plate goes, some officers wouldn't bother and I know others that would look for anything. If I stopped somebody without a plate and they told me that they bought the car out of state and didnt have the bracket put in yet, I would give them a break. I think it's the luck of the draw. We have guys that think there is no wiggle room in the law, which gives us all a bad name. I always gave a break when I could, but each officers views on things are diff. An official law enforcement question then. What IS the proper denomination to keep tucked behind my DL "just in case"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svt13 Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 Considered LoJack when I bought the Shelby, what stopped me was it's a recovery system......................the car is already stolen ! . www.ravelco.com . This costs about as much as a LoJack, renders the car unstartable. Can my car be stolen, yes.......................with a flatbed ......................& it still can't be started by the thief. The instalation, ( done @ my home ) is undetectable, the engine compartment looks bone stock, no one but the installer & me even know where to look. I think it was a good investment. This is a really good system it looks like. For the OP my dealership installed a guidepoint system in my car. Its covered under warranty and they apparently have a 99% success rate. Again you can't see anything in the car. It looks stock. You can also use it to call guidepoint for free road side services. If you pay more you can get other stuff too like remote start and other things. The good thing with guidepoint is its not a subscription service at least at my level. I pay 150 bucks and I'm protected for life. And I can move my system from car to car. But that ravelco looks better given how as already said, you need a flatbed to steal the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel 007 Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 This is a really good system it looks like. For the OP my dealership installed a guidepoint system in my car. Its covered under warranty and they apparently have a 99% success rate. Again you can't see anything in the car. It looks stock. You can also use it to call guidepoint for free road side services. If you pay more you can get other stuff too like remote start and other things. The good thing with guidepoint is its not a subscription service at least at my level. I pay 150 bucks and I'm protected for life. And I can move my system from car to car. But that ravelco looks better given how as already said, you need a flatbed to steal the car. See my post about Guidepoint above. I HAVE USED IT FOR 10 YEARS. It is really good IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 I also have Guidepoint and after checking into lojack and Guildepoint I went with Guidepoint, I also got a better insurance rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 An official law enforcement question then. What IS the proper denomination to keep tucked behind my DL "just in case"? I would think enough to bail you out for attempting to bribe an officer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svt13 Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 I also have Guidepoint and after checking into lojack and Guildepoint I went with Guidepoint, I also got a better insurance rate. My insurance dropped 100 dollars per 6 months becuause of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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