Car Alarm, Car Safety, car stolen

“I bought the most expensive alarm you can think of,” says David, who declined to reveal his last name for fear of alerting thieves. The electronic security system had proximity sensors, air horns, keyless entry to arm and disarm the alarm system while locking or opening the vehicle, and a “kill switch” to disable the ignition. In addition, David purchased two steering wheel locks as added insurance.

“I live in a gated condominium complex, and my window is right over the parking space, but I didn’t hear a thing,” recalls David. The next morning, the only sign of his car were tire tracks in the newly fallen snow. Police found it three weeks later, stripped clean.

David’s experience is not unusual, says James Cooper, CEO of Ultimate Security Systems Corporation of Irvine, Calif. Despite manufacturers’ claims to the contrary, most security systems are easy to overpower and hardly even slow down a professional thief.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (www.nicb.org) reports 1.1 million vehicles stolen nationwide each year. That’s one vehicle every 25 seconds in what has become a $7.5 billion-a-year-industry, according to the Insurance Information Institute (www.iii.org), a trade organization. It’s an industry, moreover, dominated by organized auto-theft rings that steal cars to fill contract orders. And no wonder: A $20,000 stolen vehicle can be stripped and sold into $30,000 worth of parts, insurers say.

Your car doesn’t have to be a high-performance vehicle like David J’s to be an attractive target for a thief with a list of parts, or with orders for a particular make and model of a car. Different models of the popular Toyota Camry and Honda Accord swept eight of the top 10 list of cars reported stolen in 2000, according to an annual study conducted by CCC Information Services Inc., a Chicago-based supplier of software and communications systems to auto insurers. Chevrolet and Ford pickups captured the other two slots.

Brett Ploumen didn’t have a security system on his 1992 Chevrolet Astrovan. But he thought he was taking appropriate precautions by parking in well-lighted, high-traffic areas and locking his vehicle’s doors and windows.

Ploumen found out differently in June when he went to dinner with friends at a busy neighborhood strip mall in Santa Ana, Calif. “When we returned, the Astrovan wasn’t there. There was broken glass on the ground and another vehicle in the parking place,” he recalls.

“Three days later they found it, wrapped in a tarp on a side street. The entire front end of the car was gone -- it had essentially been turned into a trailer, and a beat-up trailer at that. When I saw it I was sick to my stomach instantly,” says Ploumen.

Some popular devices

Cooper describes some of the most popular auto security devices, and the drawbacks that allow thieves to get around them:

* Bar or wheel locks: Steering wheel bars lock up the steering wheel; wheel locks prevent the theft of wheels and tires. How to get around them: All it takes is a pair of bolt cutters or a hacksaw. “They saw through the steering wheel, slide off the bar lock and hot-wire the car. It takes anywhere from 15-30 seconds,” Cooper says.

* Audible alarms: Known in the industry as “nuisance alarms,” these alerts are intended to scare thieves away. How to get around them: Audible alarms are almost universally ignored. Additionally, a professional thief can cut a wire and silence the alarm in seconds.

* Pedal locks: This device locks the brakes. How to get around them: They can be bridged or cut in 15-60 seconds.

* Electronic immobilizing devices: A variety of devices are designed to disconnect all power from the starter, preventing thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring the vehicle. They can be installed at the factory or purchased as an aftermarket item. How to get around them: Seasoned thieves dismantle these systems or wire around them in seconds, usually by cutting two wires. Additionally, thieves easily find override or valet switches used by owners to disarm the systems.

* Tracking systems: These devices transmit a radio signal to locate the car. How to get around them: Tracking devices can be removed at a chop shop before a theft is reported. Or the car can be stripped and dumped before the owner finds out it’s been stolen.

* Solenoid immobilizer systems: Although categorized as an immobilizer, this kind of system is based on a different principle than most electronic security systems. PowerLock is one example. It attaches permanently to the vehicle’s starter motor, where it effectively prevents hot-wiring. Once installed, such a system is impossible to remove, bypass or disable. How to get around this system: “It can’t be hot-wired,” says Cooper. “A system like this is virtually impossible to circumvent. The only way to steal a car protected by such a system is to tow it away.”

Personal Security

Cooper also warns consumers to be aware of what their security system can and can’t do. “A lot of so-called security systems consist of remote entry and flashing lights. A lot of people think of that as automobile security, and it really isn’t: It’s a convenience feature. Some manufacturers are beginning to recognize that, and label it as ‘personal security.’”

After his nightmare experience, Ploumen is an evangelist for adding a security system to your car. “Look into some kind of aftermarket security system,” he advises consumers. “Find something you feel comfortable with -- and that’s proven.”

Ploumen has researched the security field thoroughly since his van was stolen. He briefly considered a brake lock, but decided it wasn’t practical. He chose Ultimate Security Systems’ Powerlock after a friend told him about it.

David J. also purchased a Powerlock system after replacing his Acura Integra Type R. “I came across it on the Internet. It was not expensive, so I said, ‘why not give it a try?’” He added three additional layers of security with brake and pedal locks, plus a tracking system.