I just bought a 1992 SC400 over the weekend, and my place of work is not in the best neighborhood.

How difficult is it to steal the car?

For instance in my 1996 Corvette the computer encoded key makes it difficult to steal. Of course you can hook up a tow truck and away the car goes, but I am more curious about someone breaking in and starting it.

Thanks.

 

wtf.

 

Not that hard really, the ignition cylinder can be pried and broken off and the ignition switch on the back removed and turned with a screwdriver just like any other import car.

The only hard part would be getting into the car and disabling the factory alarm at the same time.

Todd Matsubara
TM Engineering
http://www.tmengineering.net

 

How can I be sure my factory alarm is working.

If I use the remote in the key head I assume that sets the alarm, but how can I test it?

 

when you lock the car, keep open the driver side window. once the alarm is set, unlock the door from inside. I thnk that's how to test..

 

Yes, test it like you test your Vette. leave the window down and try to open the door. The alarm won't go off when they tow the car, no vibration function.

I'll say get an after market alarm for it. What about your Vette.? the Vette alarm is not that great either.

VQT88

 

 

and when you get an alarm get one with a pager function; because sometimes you can't hear your car even if you park right in front of your house/apartment...

also get a remote battery option if its available so its REALLY difficult to cut the power to the alarm

 

If you have these concerns about security it would be wise to talk with a local shop or through an online website. Having a message posted about how to steal a car is not cool. Im sure crooks have web access as well.
Take it to a shop.....They can give you great info on keeping your new ride safe.
And then lets have informative conversations about securing the cars..........not stealing them.

Bean: Great advice!!!

 

the factory alarm is ****, buy a gun and a pager alarm :P

 

Why don't you buy one of those tracking devices like, LoJack, Teletrac,etc. or an alarm that has GPS tracking technology?

 

the_ez_rhino hit the nail on the head!

Get a consealed weapon permit; get a nice gun. Thats about the only thing that will prevent your car from getting stolen. If a theif wants your car - He's going to get it, rerguardless of any alarm. Thats something every nice car owner must deal with and accept.

The sad thing is, in Florida, you can't protect your property with lethal force unless its your house! That sucks! I think thats why Florida has such a high car jacking problem.

Very few people pay attention to car alarms anyway. They are more of a nuisance, especially in thunderstorms (again, at least in florida). Invest in a good ignition / fuel pump kill set up. Don't waste your money on an alarm. Several companies specialize in silent, car kill devices that prevent it from being started or moved (with a line lock). These are sooooo much more effective than cheeseball car alarms. The problem with alarms is that they are low quality and quite frankly, simple to disable (even the high end alarms). I won't get into that for reasons described in previous posts. I used to install mobil electronics for several years, so I can safely say alarms are not a challange for someone who knows what they are doing and has the right equipment. Don't get me wrong, an alarm will thwart off your local high school punk who wants your radar detector and head unit to sell for a bag of weed, but a real theif that will steal your car and have it disassembled in less than an hour and on an 18 wheeler bound for Atlanta - Thats what you need to focus on.

I personally like to have 3-way kill on my cars. I kill the ignition switch, fuel pump, and coils. This will prevent the car from ever being started, and a good theif won't have the time to find all three. Just an ignition kill is easy to bypass, so I have the others as backups. On my Lexus, it is all tied into the factory alarm, so when it arms, every thing else arms. On my RX-7's, I also tie into my line locks, which in conjunction with the e-brake, make it more of a challenge to simply tow away.

The choice is yours, but simple common sense is your best security. Always lock your doors, and keep the windows rolled up. Never leave the keys in it ... yadda yadda yadda. I know we've all heard it before. But pick your parking spot carefully. In high visability, brightly lit places. Always use your emergency brake (even automatics), crank the wheels to one side, and always carry a gun!


Keith

 

Thanks for the advice.

I think a kill switch is a good idea. I have had them on previous vehicles, and it is a low key way to help prevent theft.

VQT: The Vette alarm isn't great, but with the vats system in the key it is difficult to break into the ignition system. Also, the Vette is a limited edition 1996 Grand Sport Convertible, so it is not often out and it is mainly in the garage, or it is always attended to at car shows.

 

********
Several companies specialize in silent, car kill devices that prevent it from being started or moved (with a line lock). These are sooooo much more effective than cheeseball car alarms.
********

Thank you Keith13b!
Do you have info. like website of those companies or name of the company?

 

How did I know someone was going to ask that!!!

Its been a few years.......but I'll try to look into it for you.

My advice, is to ask a local reputable car stereo shop to make a kill switch for you and have it added to your factory alarm. Its simple, and fairly cheap. I made my own by using heavy duty ignition kill relays. One for each device, then another standard 5-pin Bosch relay to integrate it into my factory alarm.

As long as you know what your doing, its amazingly simple to do; really. The hardest part was tracking down the factory wires to figure out what each one does for each component. A relay simply opens a circuit when energized. Basic electronics 101.

Keith