Lojack?

[flying junior]

Just got my insurance bill and the company is offering a rebate if I get a Lojack installed. I called one dealer and was told the damn things cost $895 installed on my '04 FJR. Is this the going price? Anyone have any ideas about whether this is worth it?

 

[FJRandy]

Seems a little steep, considering it retails for around $600 for cars and light trucks.

Waste of money IMHO. There are much better units and programs out there these days. One that comes to mind is Cybertrack.

Remember one important thing about Lojack.....most of the LEO's I've talked to rarely keep the unit on because (according to them) ..."it's never totally reliable." With systems like Cybertack, you can track the vehicle on YOUR computer, and it works throughout the whole US. Lojack does not, regardless of their outrageous claims.

 

[ock913]

.....most of the LEO's I've talked to rarely keep the unit on

Randy, I am not going to dispute what they may have told you, but I will throw a flag on "rarely keep them on". I say that because you have no choice, there is NO power on/off switch. LoJack installs them in the police vehicles and they hook them to the ignition. If the key is on, then the locator is on, there is no other option. I have had from generation 2 to the most current version, and all have been that way. Now they may turn the volume down so they dont hear anything, but they would still see the change on the display. LoJack also installs the display somewhat in your field of vision so you would have to purposely ignore it if it went off.

Now I am not saying that it is a perfect system, sure it has holes, but so does everything else. Any system you choose will have it's share of issues. Just because I sit on the receiving side of the LoJack signal, does not mean I endorse the product. I can buy the system at a substantial discount and I dont have one on my bike. I do have a Scorpio SR-i500 on my bike and my reasoning is simple.......if it makes noise and prevents them from taking it, I'm good. If however they get it, I dont want it back. Thats what insurance is for.

I will say that in Central Florida, we have a near perfect success rate in recovering LoJack vehicles. And most within 24 hours. We are fortunate to have a good LoJack rep who makes certain there are of plenty of LoJack equipped police vehicles. When a LoJack steal takes place, a chain of notifications take place and everyone starts hunting. It usually works that easily. As you said, there are gaps in coverage in places and if the area you are in has a minimal amount of locators, then the success rate will be lower, there is no doubt.

Anything using GPS is easier to locate, absolutely no argument there. But park it in a garage, in a UHaul truck/trailer, under a covered porch, etc.. and your GPS signal is severely limited if not eliminated. And..... dont forget, Cybertrack relies on cellular service and GPS in order to work. Cellular carrier service also varies greatly and is less than reliable in almost every city.

I just sat here and tried to rationalize why I went on and on with this topic., The only thing I can come up with is that perhaps I take it personal. I dont endorse or benefit from LoJack, I dont get bonuses if I find one, but to downplay the recovery rate or effectiveness, is somewhat bashing me and those I work with. I know that is not the intention, but it is a perception and it just hits home. My rant is done ......

 

[yamahlr]

I've been a LoJack certified instructor since the late 80's when then Northeast (Newark, Nj) was number 1 in auto theft. I've found stolen vehicles two floors below ground level in a garage as well as one in the hull of a ship when I was out w/ the loJack rep. The previous statements were correct, effectiveness depends a great deal on the end location of your bike having decent loJack coverage in police vehicles. A second potential issue is that the loJack isn't activated until you report the bike stolen. If it's not near you as in a parking lot away from the hotel in daytona... the thieves will have a long get away time. Lastly, if the bike is in a box truck for example on I95 and there is a hit on the l.e. unit, which specific vehicle do you stop if there is heavy commercial traffic. Overall though the loJack is a great system and at least in my area, backed with excellent talent amoung the l.e. reps.

O-K then, my rant is over as well...

 

[mdisher]

Funny this topic should come up today... I was just discussing this today with a buddy just installed a new high-tech alarm with pager and what not on his Hardley.

As someone who has had (2) cars stolen, I can only say this. If my bike gets stolen, I don't want it back. They recovered a Honda of ours that was stolen, it was to be dumped in a river but got hung up on the bank. (the theives were idiots). In any case the towing company basically totalled it, recovering it. Though the theives certainly did thier share of wreckage.

We got a total pay off and that's what I'd want if my bike got stolen. (I'd miss some of my farkles and probably what ever clothing was in the luggage, but I'm sure if my bike gets ripped, I don't ever want to see it again, it's not like the thieves will take care of it)

:/