Has anyone ever used a "LoJack" anti-theft device? Are you satisfied with it? Has it ever recovered a car for you? Also, is there a monthly charge for this service? Is it a fair price for the monthly? I am considering one of these but not sure yet. Thanks for your help. Mark PS. Hope this posting is ok in this part of the forum.
I had Lojack in one of my cars. Thankfully I never had to "use" it. The time I had it (1994-2002), I only paid a one time install fee - no monthly bill. However, I'm not sure if that's changed since. Hope this helps.
When I bought my suv , the dealer tried to sell my the unit for a one time install fee of 700.00 but I declined because I felt I did'nt need it. Knock on wood, I still don't need it.
I had Lo Jack in my last couple of cars. One time fee of $300 with purchase. No monthly. I never had to use it. Some insurance companies will give a discount if you have one.
It's a good peace of mind type deal and will nab an amateur but anyone who knows anything about them can disarm it in a heart beat. If you know where the transmitter is mounted (they aren't hard to find) it takes seconds to make the thing a paperweight. Granted your average car theif probably won't go looking for it but who knows. Ultimately if your car is stolen, do you want it, or whats left of it back anyway? Personally if mine is stolen I hope they burn it to the ground.
I have never had to use LoJack either, but I do have a friend that Had a new "Show" custom Tahoe at Fashion Island in Newport Beach get stolen while he was in a movie. He waited to call Lojack (stupid), and after calling a couple hours later they found it in the Los Angeles River stripped...
In NJ, a vehicle recovery system will give you 25% off your comp. insurance premiums. Lojack has a $5000 replacement option where if its stolen, and they dont find the car within 30 days, they refund the amount you paid for the base system plus another $5000.00. That is a 5 year program. No monthly monitoring fees. They also have a newer update which is early warning, which will call up to 3 phone numbers you provide to alert you that your car has been moved within something like 2-3 mins of its moving if the system is triggered. All in all, im not a fan and I dont buy LoJack. Lot of the police depts around here laugh at it cause they have other things to do then drive around tracking stolen cars. 2 of the top cities in the nation in car theft are in this area: Jersey City, NJ and Newark, NJ. If they want it, they're gonna get it, bottom line. Its whatever you are comfortable with.
The Lo Jack came preinstalled on a M3 I bought last year. I thought it would be a good investment and figured it would pay for itself with the "hefty" insurance discount the dealer told me I'd get from my carrier. (It was an impulse buy so I didn't check with my ins. co. first). Come to find out, AAA only gave me a $ 25.00 discount, and after really thinking about, I realized that if some thief stole the car and had his way with "her", I wouldn't want it back.
I just want a LoJack sticker for my windows. I was thinking the other day that would be a good racket - LoJack stickers from China.
Years ago the big complaint was most police departments did not have the receiver part of the equation. Your stolen car puts out a transmission, that transmission is useless unless the police in the town the car winds up has the receiver and they happen to use it. If it has not happened already, the obvious next step in theft recovery systems is GPS. Instead of LoJack providing every police department with a receiver and hoping they use it, have the automobile tell LoJack via satelite "hey I'm sitting here at 231 E. Main Street Portland Oregon".
I have Lo-Jack w/early warning on all my cars...Never had to use them thankfully but for the peace of mind its worth the money IMO.