`Please step away from the vehicle!” commands an intimidating voice.
It isn’t an irate owner showing concern for a snazzy sport car. It’s a voice warning system with a proximity sensor. If someone gets too close for comfort–no touching required–the voice is activated. And though that system is high-end anti-theft technology, it is one of many available to consumers eager to protect their vehicles and prevent loss.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an auto is stolen every 20 seconds in the U.S. The average age of a stolen car is three years or more and its value is less than $6,000.
Jack Krug owner of Soundforce, a distributor of automobile security systems in Villa Park, said the market has something for everyone’s taste, needs and budgets. “Alarms run from $250 to $1,000, depending on the features,” he said. “There are about 150 different alarm companies.
“Alarms with starter-interrupts are the hottest product,” he said. “When we install it, we take the starter wire and put it through a relay that opens and closes. When the alarm is on, the relay opens so that it prevents the car from being started even with the key.” He said the car will start only when the alarm is off. Not all starter-interrupt devices have an alarm. Some just cut off the ignition and lock the hood.
One anti-theft device can be seen but not heard. That’s the Club, which ratchets on to the steering wheel and locks, preventing the wheel from turning. It’s easy on the budget and self-installable. Distributed by Winner International in Sharon, Pa., the Club comes in designer colors.
Priced for less than $40 at Wal-Mart, there’s also a Truck Club for less than $50.
It’s guaranteed for a year if properly installed and registered, and, in the event of failure, the company promises to pay comprehensive theft insurance deductible up to $500.
Krug said this device is vulnerable to well-equipped thieves, who use high-powered saws to cut through the steering wheel within 15 seconds to defeat it.
The latest anti-theft technology uses GPS, or the global positioning system, said Krug. It requires an installed car phone and has a monthly charge, but the protection is worldwide because of the satellite broadcasting.
Most of Krug’s customers buy a Clifford-brand alarm system that includes a 125-decibel siren, flashing lights and a shock sensor. “The siren goes off for 30 seconds and then stops,” Krug said. “If that sensor is violated again within the next 30 to 40 seconds, it goes off again.”
Some anti-theft systems are standard on new cars, especially luxury ones. Fred Heiler, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz, said its E-Class, C-Class and CLK coupes for 1998 will have a technology called SmartKey.
“It looks like a normal key, but there is a chip in the base that sends an infrared data signal to the remote unit,” Heiler said. “It rules out copying a key illegally. If the data doesn’t match, the car won’t start. The steering cannot be unlocked; the password changes each time the car is started.”
Mercedes also is designing a more elaborate LoJack-type system for its next generation of cars.
Chevrolet Corvette owners have been using a PASS-Key for more than a decade. It relies on a pellet embedded in the ignition key. According to a Chevy spokesman, if an improper key is used, the system cuts off the starter and fuel injectors, immobilizing the vehicle. Corvette thefts were reduced by 45 percent in the first year the system was used.
For 1998, Corvettes, Camaros, Luminas and Monte Carlos have an advanced PASS-Key II, which prevents random attempts to start the vehicle with keys containing different resistor pellets. An audible theft-deterrent system also is standard on 1998 Corvettes. “This literally blows the horn on thieves when an attempt is made to break into the vehicle,” said the Chevy spokesman.
Glen Demakes, general manager of Mobile Tel Ltd. in West Chicago, said the newest security systems can be activated remotely. “The most popular is the Viper 550 HF, which not only starts the vehicle from 1,000 feet away, but also has code-hopping technology, which scrambles the code each time.” Demakes said that system will cost about $399.
The more basic systems, which range in price from $199 to $249, said Demakes, have vehicle-entry protection, an impact sensor activated by touching the vehicle and a remote panic feature.
Fans of LoJack, a Massachusetts company, can expect to pay $595 for the vehicle recovery system. It’s accessible in 14 states, the District of Columbia and 15 other countries. Chicago and Detroit are part of the LoJack network.
“The transponder is hidden in one of 30 possible spots in the car,” said Paul McMahon, communications manager for LoJack. “When the car is reported stolen, police activate the small transmitter, which emits a signal. Police use their tracking computer, provided by LoJack, to follow the signal and locate the car.”
McMahon said tracking is done from police patrol cars within a two- to three-mile radius. “Most stolen cars are located within a 10- to 15-mile radius of where they were taken because thieves take them to a cooling-off place for a few days,” McMahon said.
LoJack has a reputation as a mechanical detective, too. It’s been credited with uncovering two chop shops in Philadelphia and one in Texas.
Critics of LoJack say there is no way to test whether the LoJack is working, and it’s ineffective if the municipality doesn’t have a tracking computer. LoJack officials say they plan to expand into six new territories soon.
Krug advises keeping it simple when choosing an alarm system. Some carry lifetime guarantees on parts and labor, so he recommends inquiring about that.
And, he said, installation is best left to the experts. “This is not a job for a shade-tree mechanic,” said Krug. “It requires a master technician because a car can have as many as 100 wires and an alarm has about 25 wires.
The bad guys are up to snuff where it comes to disabling security systems, Krug acknowledges. “An alarm is a deterrent; it’s not an end-all for stealing a car. The purpose is to make it difficult enough so that the thief will move to another car.”
