I'm thinking of adding LoJack... mainly because of high gas prices. Let me explain: With the high cost of gas I'm concerned that the Prius will start to look better and better to thieves. I know, its 'impossible' to start w/o the smart key. But thieves can be very resourceful. What do you think? Thanks. Marvin
I decided not to get it. I did add a car alarm with window breakage though. Also if thieves are so resourceful what makes us think they cannot find the part that transmit where your car is and toss it into a trash can? Maybe I did not read the brochure very closely but anything that transmits a signal can be located with the right gear. Think about the stuff they use to locate a "bug" planted in a james bond movie. Same sort of concept.
The Prius still has one of the lowest theft rates in the country so I would save your money. I turned down the LoJack when I bought my Prius back in January and worried when I left it in a nearby commuter lot for a few days -- I shouldn't have worried. Discussions on Priuschat and Internet research put me at ease. I've seen a number of threads concerning Prii in accidents (e.g. "Oh the Pain!!!) but I haven't seen any threads for stolen Prii even though a couple are mentioned.
The only way you can steal a Prius is to get a flat bed tow truck. But then you still could not drive it. You could only gut it for parts.
I think only police depts have the gear. And its not gear that locates the device. The device puts out a locater signal. Thanks for the reply. Marvin
And if someone really wants to steal only the fuel they'll just break open the fill door and the gas cap to syphon it out.
Most people dont even think the Prius runs on gas, also it would be a waste of time to pull fuel out of it you would get triple the fuel from a SUV....also no one siphons, most stories i read is a nice holed drilled in the bottom of the gas tank.....
A recent article told of emboldened thieves that use a cordless drill to drill a hole in the bottom of the tank and syphon out the gas through the hole. It is stupid, dangerous, and spills gas everywhere when someone tries to fill the tank back up.
there has been an obstruction placed in all filler tubes so that syphoning can not be done, i believe since the mid 90's
There is a ball in the pipe that prevents the gas from blowing back up... It makes it nearly impossible to siphon out a gas tank anymore. As others have noted, it's easier to drill and drain (especially if the owner has a vehicle with a plastic tank [note I did not say rubber as in ours] )
No, you'd just have to replace the controlling ecu. But why do that, when parting cars out is the way to go ... in the lovely world of theft economics. So 'only' gutting it, is where the bad guys make big bucks. Cops say that it's best to I.D. all your parts ... cat converter, traction batteries, HSD, etc. A ton of work, but if your car has stickers saying parts are I.D.'d many car crooks will simply move on for an easier mark. I read on the Lexus SUV hybrid board that someone had their 400h stolen / trailered away in the middle of the night, right from the front of their home. So as hybrids become more popular, expect it to become more common.
I read that too. They're even doing the metal tanks, which is downright dangerous from the sparks. But...they prefer vehicles with a higher clearance to make it more comfortable to work under the cars so I think the Prius is pretty safe. Trucks and SUVs were mentioned. And some poor guy with a truck rental place. And Motorhomes. I am feeling better and better about my choice to buy a Prius in April of 2005.
Not true. I looked up a 2007 Pontiac in Mitchell and they gave instructions on how to drain the fuel tank with a hand pump and hose down the old filler tube. Straight from a GM repair manual.
if anyone decides to get a lowjack, my advice is not to pay more then the 650.00 then lowjack charges for the unit. i guess they updated thier site, they no longer actually list what the price is so it might of gone up or down. maybe its 695.00
Can we get back to the subject of LoJack? . My original questions was: With the high price of gas, do you guys think the Prius is going to start looking more inticing to thieves? Thanks! Marvin
good call. And based on all the I ran out of gas threads most prii are probably down to their blinking bar anyway so a would be thief would probably get 2 gallons or so.
I think the car thieves have so many available cars to steal that they won't bother spending any time trying to steal a Prius. They want efficiency, like any other business. Every minute a car thief spends working on a car, he's at risk of being caught. If they intend to chop the car, LoJack won't help. It will be cut into pieces long before you get the police to try to track it down.
