Availability -vs- Demand in June 2008

Sure, get a Club if it will help you feel more secure. I got a LoJack in mine when I bought it two years ago. It doesn't prevent theft but helps with recovery (and possible catching of the thieves, so perhaps is a longer-term deterrent). And when we bought my wife's Prius a month ago, we were offered an even fancier system that uses RFID/GPS tracking to locate a car.

The bottom line for me though was this: we declined the fancy GPS tracker, and declined to install a LoJack in the new Prius. And after reading here just how hard is is to steal a car with SKS, I've regretted paying for a LoJack to be installed in mine two years ago.

I think the SKS is probably all the protection you really need. Bear in mind that anyone determined to steal a car can probably do it, and they might even be able to figure out how to get it running without the SKS (though I've never heard of this happening yet; anyone else?). The key thing is time: the longer someone has to spend stealing your car, the likelier they will get caught. And it's even more likely that if it's harder to get your car than another one in the lot, they will go for the other one rather than yours.

It's like the old joke about two guys in the African bush discussing what to do if a tiger starts chasing them. One guy says he'll run as fast as he can. The other says, "that's silly; you can't outrun a tiger!". The first guy says, "I don't have to outrun the tiger. I only have to outrun you!".

 

I'm less concerned about theft than I am about vandalism, frankly. A keying would ruin my day and just requires someone being in the wrong mood at the mall..

 

i also worry more about vandalism then the whole car being stolen... but i
did opt for the vip rs3200 in my touring package number 6 and also got the
window breakage sensor. i had a radio stolen out of a car with all the loose
change some years ago and darn it, i want an alarm to go off while the creeps
are doing it. just my personal preference. it might not stop the stuff from being
stolen but it could very well help. they broke the window btw with a screw driver...
i know because the screw driver was left with the pile of glass. right on a busy
road in worcester, MA. what a crappy state. good riddance.

 

Vandalism is a problem, but I don't know that there is any way to prevent it from happening. Even an alarm won't stop it for determined and "professional" thieves.

Just make sure you have good comprehensive insurance. Yeah, it's a pain to recover from such a loss, but a good insurance company goes a long way to helping make you whole after such an incident.

 

How bad is the train station for car theft or damage ? How bad is your neighourhood and other places you park regularly. Does it look like Mad Max or PleasantVille, USA ?

I had a steering wheel lock on my previous car, but mostly for visual deterrence as it had a factory alarm. (But with weak points like entry through sunroof.)

I will NOT put my current or any steering wheel lock on the new Prius. It has more than enough security for virtually anybody in my opinion, to prevent drive away theft. And mostly only inexperienced thieves would try to steal a Prius, due to immobilizer, alarm, etc. Young joy riders usually target cheaper cars with well known security problems.

Steering wheel lock and flashing lights and decals etc. can be helpful IMO, but only as visual deterrent.

Thieves COULD tow your car away, but there's nothing much practical you can do about that. (Steering wheel lock with wheels cranked left?) A REAL professional will get your car if he/she REALLY wants it. Nothing you could do about that, but they are probably still specializing in much more expensive cars.

Just make sure the car is locked properly. Try to park in a locked garage or out of sight at home. Don't leave the keys near the car. Some thieves walk in a front or back door and just grab keys and go !!

Judge location when parking away from home. Sometimes street level is best, sometimes garage, underground or not. Leave in well lit areas.


If vandalism (or just bums looking for a place to sleep) could be an issue, then consider an aftermarket alarm that triggers on glass breakage or car movement.

In my opinion, you want insurance to be your last resort. Always have comprehensive insurance, it's save my butt so many times it's not funny, for the price I pay. But I have a $1000 deductible (Doesn't apply to loss of whole car in fire, theft etc.). With a $1k deductible I take responsibility for security myself.

 

funny... I rarely even lock my doors.. Most people don't even know how to drive a prius. .whenever I go through a full service car wash I almost always have to walk out and drive it over to the prep area for them..

 

I haven't parked in any areas that I would consider to be high crime or seedy except one place (which has camera's outside the building). I generally gather that unless the person trying to steal the car is an idiot (since it won't start without the SKS) and they won't get anything in my car (all I have is the radar detector for now, no navigation or GPS [i.e. Tom Tom, Garmin or Magellan] as I opted for Package #2 on the vehicle.

Now I could use the flashing fake red light on the center of the dash as an added deterrent as well as the stickers on the windows. It should give most the second thought about trying.

 

You already have a flashing red light on the dash.

 

I prefer this:



Of course, I'm only kidding.

Make a $10 to your local county sheriff's association, and ask that they send you a sticker in return. These almost always come in the appearance of that department's badge. Throw that sticker on the back of your Prius.

Many morons out there think that sticker represents a law enforcement vehicle ... possibly to include the morons who would try to steal your car.

 

Yes, that's the immobilizer. I would like another simple flashing LED sitting on the top of the dash.