Curious to what other S2k drivers are doing for security. Of course I have insurance, but I'd hate to have my pride and joy taken for a joy-ride or stolen.

Is anyone using the Auto-lock?

 

No matter what you do, all it does is slow the thief down. If they want your car, they will get it. Is the auto-lock the thing for the brake pedal? if it is, it's just as easy to get around as any other lock.

Lance

 

OK I am confused.
How do they(bad guys) start the car without the key?
Do you leave your keys in it?
BTW I have lo-jack but that was just a dealer forced add on. Otherwise I would not have bought it.

 

Thanks for your replies. Yes, the autolock is the thing for the brake pedal. Is it THAT easy to get around? Oh well, I guess the ignition immobilizer works better than anything else out there...

 

I had a lo-jack a couple of cars ago (in a '97 Type R). The installer is suppossed to put it someplace hard to find, but mine was pretty much in the same place as the car alarm. Not too bright.

Someone once came up with an interesting philosophy for not getting a lo-jack. Essentially, it went: "if my car gets stolen for a joyride, I don't ever want to see it again. I just want to get the insurance money and get a new one." I've never had a car stolen, but from the stories people who have had one stolen and gotten it back, one common theme emerges - the car, once put back together, is never quite the same.

 

Yes most alarms etc are easy to get around. I think the purpose is more to just keep honest people honest and generally keep the less talented, i.e. joy riders, at bay. Thus I use the factory alarm and the club.

 

A combination of anti-theft devices is usually a good idea to complicate the stealing process. I don't want to go into details in case amateur theives are looking in but you don't need the key to drive an S2K away. A pro could steal it still by driving it away (it just takes about a minute longer). And true, you'd get it back with quite a bit of repair to do. Remember when Corvettes came out with their PassKey system? Those used to and still do get driven away. A Club or an Autolok type device is a good secondary.

 

I know of a lot of car alarm installers/car thiefs who swear by Clifford alarms. These alarms are hard as hell to disconnect. It will take an experienced installer more than 20 minutes to locate and disarm the alarm. If you are curious about the thief cutting the siren off, well he/she still has to contend to the flashing lights, which are warning any passerby that something is amist. By the way, my Clifford alarm has an ignition kill (it works, I tried starting my car with the key while the alarm was being set off and the start button wouldn't work),dual-zone proximity,dual-shock sensor, and a tilt sensor (if the car is armed and raised up to less than a degree, the alarm will sound). Oh yeah, don't forget that handy stock immobilizer system (where only a chipped master key will turn the ignition on). Nevertheless, if a flatbed tow truck comes along, say bye to your S. Latez!

 

My philosophy is: do what is enough to discourage the punks. If a professional comes along, he WILL steal the car. Good for him, I hope he is successful -- I would happily shave off some mileage and a few scratches by letting my insurance company replace it with a brand-new one.

I would rather have the whole car disappear than have to wake up one morning and find damage of some sort.