Why are cars so easy to steal...answer...
 

My wifes 93 Honda Civic LX was stolen this past summer and the car had an alarm. The alarm consisted of both an audible and ignition cutoff device.

How did they steal it?

One of the biggest problems with todays alarms is the installation of the alarm cutoff switch which is easy to spot by the thieves! All they have to do is get to the ignitions switch fast enough and then flick this switch to cutoff the alarm
and the car starts and they are gone. I was told it only takes at most a minute or two to get to the keyswitch, turn it and then flip the alarm kill switch to start the engine.

Why isn't this switch concealed? If it was I guarantee the car would not be taken so fast!

Any comments?

Michael

Any Alarm or security feature is only as good as the install. Alot of people get alarms, and installs done for sweet deals, and prices at Circuit City, PC Richards, etc.. But in my experience those jobs are usually horrible jobs done in the least amount of time possible. My moms car had a quickie job like that done back in the day, I looked under the dash, and unplugged the brain myself in a few minutes. A punk on the street, let along a pro would have been quicker since they dont care about breaking, or scratching anything.

I had my own alarm on my TL-S done at a stereo shop that I knew did good work. (Recommendations by people who know the difference between a good and bad job are very important) In my car, all my wires are hidden, the brain is high up under the dash which they had to completely take apart, and all the wires are wrapped up in black electrical tape so you cant see what it what.

I bought a Clifford which is in itself a very good alarm, and the one you can get at Radioshack wont compare. It cost me more for the alarm & install, but in a case like this, the cheap deal at whatever chain store is not really a deal at all. Most people think an install is an install, and you just have to hook everything up, and tap all the necessary wires, but since they dont look under their dash, and see for themselves, they dont realize, a good job involves alot more than that.

Even if the alarm was installed properly it is no guarantee.

On shot from a stun gun and anyone could drive off in your car;)

Nothings a guarantee, a flatbed owns every alarm out there, but no punks on the street are gonan get a car wiith a well installed alarm like a Clifford, etc. And most of the time its not some bigshot pro stealing the cars, but punks on the street.

True but a lot of street punks carry stun guns;)

Seriously it sounds like a lot of time but total time it takes is probably close to 45 seconds and the car is running and ready to go.

*edited by me to remove improper information not meant to promote theft in any way was meant as example only...sorry about that.

just get the pager system becuz then u can see who has started the car or which door is open. just dont go too far away cuz of range

all alarms are pretty much pointless, and just a temporary deterrent... it dosent matter how well it was installed, if you have 15 sirens and 10 pagers telling you what is what... chances are, you're more than a minute away when your pager starts telling you your car is getting jacked... and it takes about that for a thief to get in the car and either get what they want or get the car. Think about it, if a thief wants something, they'll get it, theres no real way around it, except parking the car in a garage (not a public/parking garage) or to have video surveillance to at least try to catch them if something does happen.

Ive seen cars with the alarms installed under the rear seat with a starter cut relay hidden in the engine compartment near the starter, and they still drove the car away... so it really dosent matter where the alarm is or how its installed... if they want it, they'll get it.

I have the autopage LCD alarm and my .22 caliber colt pistol
Once that remote starts chirping or if i see the doors open/closing on the LCD,
I will run into my closet , grab my REAL alarm and go investigate.

I've done this once when I was in the Bronx.
I used to have a 93 si and I caught someone trying to steal my muffler.
I saw his legs sticking out from the rear of the car.

So I pulled him out and stuck the REAL alarm to his face. You should of seen his facial expression. He was surprised to see how Shiny she is.
He's lucky i didnt shoot his ass.

Thats a quick deterent.
But like SumAccord said, " if they want it, they'll get it. " Maybe not then but they'll come back w/ a flat bed.

that sounds like nyc style. queens here also no gun n car but i play baseball . btw my tracking device works better than lowjack

baseball is fun, lol

Try layering your car security as well. Not just alarm but also auto lock, club, kill switches, sequence switches, gun, cobra chillin in the passanger seat, gps (lojack... etc). It may take a thief a minute to get past one obstacle but having numerous obstacles will make it harder for an average theif. If they decide tow your car I hope you had your front wheels turned or have gps recovery system.

Alarm or not. If someone wants to take your car. they will. It's not that hard. Ever seen "Repo men, stealing for a living" It's not that hard to pull up and jack a car and be gone.

You can have all the alarms you want and all the cut offs you want and your car can still be taken.