LoJack

[longjohn931]

I just took delivery of my new Prius. Love it thus far and can't find enough positive attributes to express my pleasure in owning this vehicle.
However, the dealership sold me the LoJack (theft protection package) exalting upon the added protection of a guarantee of theft recovery within 24 hrs of reporting the loss or your money back. This seemed like a good idea as the Prius is fairly new on the market and replacement of the MnH battery alone would be $1300 making it a likely target.
The sales pitch included "guaranteed the life of the car" and can be passed on with resale. Unfortunately upon installation I was informed that an additional $99 fee would be required to make it a lifetime contract the the dealer contract was for the initial 2 year period.
Adding insult to injury is that LoJack is only available to 22 of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and only certain counties in those states. This means if you are on vacation, and your Prius is stolen while you are visiting, say St. Louis, MO. or say Indianapolis, IN, or Cincinnati, OH (to name a few) you are s.o.l...
This anti theft system may become an asset in time but is it worth the $695.00 price. I am currently trying to get my dealer to pay for the $99 lifetime coverage, they initially sold as included with the additional options package. I will advise my results.

[yoda]

Heya,

I think Lojack is a good deal and I have one in my Prius. I have had them put in the last 3 new cars I've bought.

That said - your dealer was deceptive. CALL him on it.

Post here - I'd like to know what happens.

Yoda

[majordude]

I didn't get Lojack.

I don't want my Pri back after it has been touched by an infidel.

[bobc]

Yeah lohnjohn, The dealer owes it to you to pay the $99. They laid it out to you that it was only going to cost $695. Talk to the manager if need be.

Show dismay. The dealership, for $99, isn't going to let you be an unhappy customer because if you're unhappy with them, you'll go elsewhere for maintenance. They won't want to lose you and your $$$ when it comes to that profit area. Also, because it's a Prius, dealerships know that there's a lot of talk between owners and people on the street. They wouldn't want you bad mouthing them.

FWIW, Lo-jack was offered to me for $450. So, they got their profit already and then some because I'm sure my dealership was out to make some money on it also....

[gschoen]

Considering how LOW my comp Premium is for the Prius, my guess is they're not stolen very often. Since LoJack only benefits you when the entire vehicle is stolen, and the engine immobilizer makes this very difficult without towing the car, I'd say take a pass.

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

Hey longjohn931,

Welcome to PriusChat! As a welcoming gift I shall now double your point score to a grand total of four! Welcome.

It would help if you were to put your location in your Profile.

Then I would go talk to the dealer . . . and be nice about it. If they give you any guff, show them that you are highly armed with some very major ammo . . . a copy of this PriusChat string!

Tell them that your buddies are very interested in how your . . . yet to be named . . . dealer is going to treat you.

* Knowing that you know another PriusChatter was offered the LoJack for $245 less.
* Knowing that you just may take your Prius service and maintenance elsewhere.
* Knowing that you may nuke his dealership’s name on PriusChat and to Toyota Corporate.
* Knowing that they did not deliver the goods as stated . . .

I think you will get what you want.

My guess is the dealer will say, “OOPS, we made a paperwork mistake and you really do have the lifetime LoJack. For your troubles, here is a coupon for a free oil change . . . and oh, by the way . . . don’t forget to put in a good word for us on PriusChat.”

[Spanky1]

I hate to tell you this , but I think LoJack is a waste of money. I have been a police officer for 23 years and we haven't had LoJack in our patrol cars since it came out. I don't know of any local PD's in my area that have the sytems in the patrol cars to track a LoJack hit. It does work, but is worthless unless someone can track your car. OnStar seems more the better way to go now, they call the local PD and tell us where the car is located.

Stan

[djasonw]

I live on Long Island and getting lojack is a BIG RIPOFF! First of all, I do NOT want my car back if it is stolen. Secondly, as much as they tout stats, the cops do NOT priortize chasing after stolen cars with Lojack. Anyone considering it? Save your money!!!

[Godiva]

I think it's a waste of money too.

The immobilizer effectively stops any 'stupid' thieves.

And anyone who could put your car on a flatbed and haul it away would probably have the lojack gone before the car could be tracked.

Personally, if they hit me for an extra $99 I'd say "deal breaker, take it off, I don't want it."

Did they try to sell you an extended warranty for $2200 too? Pass on that as well.

[lgeisz]

In my opinion (as a former Police Officer that has worked with LoJack) don't waste your money. LoJack depends on Law Enforcement to track the vehicles once the system is activated. The best way to track is to have 3 police units track the signal (triangulate it) it is often hard to coordinate these units especially in a busy city. Another shortcoming of the system is that in major car theft areas with Lo Jack the signals are so plentiful that they are often ignored (this used to be a major issue in NYC). All in all I believe the current system in the Prius is sufficient to deter and most probably thwart any thefts.