98-WS6

I'm 19, and I own a '98 WS6. It's my baby. I worked hard for it, finally saved up the couple thousand to buy it, and was happy as hell when I got it. Then I invested over 5K into it with mods (roller cams, headers, CAI, high flow exhaust, etc.) My father is a mechanic and owns the shop, so I use his tools (along with a little of his help ) and have put HOURS into this car.

Two weeks ago, I come outside in the morning to drive to school, and I see no car. Keep in mind, I live in an apartment, so I have no gargage or form of storage. I called 911, they came, filed a report, and left. Needless to say, I was shocked. I drove my fathers '95 '750il in the meantime (a killer on gas) until I got another car. Just today, in the morning, to my suprise, the cops called. They found it across the city, in a parking lot. The ******* stripped the motor, radiator, cat converter, the ram air hoodand some other stuff. It was a bitter sweet moment. While I was happy that they found my car, I was pissed as hell that they stripped so much out.

What should I do now? I'm not going through that again. I don't live in the "best" area, so there's a chance that some other prying eyes might get a bit touchy with my car. I'm going to start using the club (I had it in my car when it got stolen...it was in the trunk...I'm an idiot, I know). Also, I was looking into purchasing some aftermarket alarm systems. Maybe using a killswitch, or maybe trying lojack. My neighbor suggested chaining one of the axels to a poll....lol. I'm going to try anything that would deter potential criminals.

Any suggestions?

I've already had to dig deep into my savings to repair what was stolen...thank God my father's a mechanic and got good deals on parts..

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

My buddy has a $100,000 boat (34' Formula, just like a Cigerette boat). I think if I remember what he told me just a few weeks ago, for $100 or so, he has a GPS antenna thats smaller than a cigerette pack that he hides in the boat somewhere at night. If that GPS receiver moves more than 200 feet away from his house he gets a text message and I think a phone call too. He then walks over to his computer, pulls up a site with a map and watches where the boat is going. He then calls the cops and tells them where it is.

SIMPLE.

For our cars, that GPS receiver can be put under a t-top or velcro'd to the back glass where nobody can see it, or it will even work if stuffed in between the seats in the back. Or velcro'd to the back of the rear seats where it can pick up signal right through the back glass. You can also mount it in the dash and then make a cutout so its exposed. Many ways to mount it.

With a normal alarm, kill switch and that GPS tracker.....you will NEVER EVER lose your car.

I also have a hood lock on mine, so they cannot cut power quickly to stop the alarm from going off.

.

OK_95TransAmLT1

Unfortunately there is no completely fail-safe way to keep your car from being stolen. You can however deter them, slow them down, and ruin their day. If a car thief REALLY wants your car, nothing will stop them; they will just pull your car away on a tow truck. A fuel cutoff switch will keep them from being able to "hot-wire" the car. A car alarm may be noisy but it can deter theft as well. Lojack won't stop them from taking your car but the odds of the police finding it are pretty high. Also keep your valubles (radar detector, GPS, aftermarket radio(if you have any)) out of sight and out of mind. If you don't mind resetting your clock on your radio every time you get in, disconnect your battery when you stop driving.

Not sure what state you live in, but when you turn 21 (as long as you are not a convicted felon) get a firearm and a concealed weapons license and if you catch them in the act, depending on the laws of the state you are in you can shoot them or just hold them as a citizens arrest till the cops get there. In Oklahoma, unless they are breaking into your garage or your house(in that case they are dead men), you can only hold them at gunpoint till the cops get there. This is what we can do LEGALLY, check your local laws of course. Since you are over 18, you can get a rifle or a shotgun or both and protect you home or property that way.

As far as your car, thats too bad to hear that your parts were stolen, check ebay and craigslist, and if you suspect something, contact your detective or law enforcement authorities.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

There is a system that can be installed on any car that 100% stops anyone from being able to tow your car....with any kind of tow truck equipment.

Hydraulic lifts. Very easy to install and I've seen it on a Corvette and on a cops Impala at car shows.

It used either compressed air or hydraulics. I was going to do it a few years ago but never got around to it. It costs about $1,000.

Car can not be dragged onto a flatbed or towed from one end. The only way someone can steal it is if they actually have a crane to pick the entire car up at the same time and place it on a flatbed. (((I guess it would depend on where and how its parked...for how long it would take to use a crane)))

So I guess if someone wants to go through that hassle WITHOUT getting caught....they can. But with an alarm going off and a pager device to let you know the car is being messed with......I don't see how a car can get stolen with this system on it. It'll take 20 minutes to hook it up to a crane and get it on a flatbed.

No car is worth that hassle and getting caught for grand theft auto.

BOTTOM LINE: you need multiple systems. Tracking is a must, GPS only. Lo-Jack is crap. Kill switch, hood lock and siren. Hydraulics is expensive, but its the most amazing deterent as well as functional.

.

98-WS6

The hydraulics seem like a good idea. Albeit expensive, I cannot think of a better way to deter criminals. I honestly cannot imagine an individual using a crane to pick my car up. My room is facing the parking lot, and I usually park very close to the apartment buildings. No more than twenty feet away. So, if my alarm is blasting and I hear a crane...I'd wake up. The problem with the initial theft was that he disabled the alarm. I'm looking to order a Viper alarm system as well as the fuel cutoff switch. And as for Lojack, why do you guys think it's crap? I have no experience with it.


Hey, don't get me wrong, I love my Trans Am, but I don't know how comfortable I'd feel carrying a firearm. I'd rather go for non-lethal measures, like a taser or something. If they broke into my house, that's a different story.


I'm tired of people stealing from others. My insurance rate went up, and they didn't even cover the total cost of repairs. I ended up having to throw in stock cams, exhaust manifold, ec. We didn't even find a decent mileage LS1 to throw in, because we were shopping on a short budget. And why did all of this happen? Because a bunch of punks are too lazy to work for their money, so they steal from others. Drives me insane...

Oh, and I live in South Florida, too, LS6427.

NeedaV8foundation

iTrader: (4)

you put a set of cams in your ls1?

regardless id look into a lojack, clubs arnt going to do anything and chaining your axle to a pole is not only a pain in the *** but something again someone that wants to steal your car will be able to cut off. my buddy has 3 kill switches hidden in his turbo fox.

on another note dont you have insurance?

twelver12

iTrader: (3)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDrzMGdYWZc

Mr. Trick

iTrader: (19)

http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...tem/index.html
I read this a few years back, I dont know what good it works though.

98-WS6

Yeah, I did switch them out for aftermarket cams. Do you have a problem with that?

babbage1109

iTrader: (11)

Lsx engines only have one camshaft. Not cams. That's what he was pointing out. Lol. but. Sorry for your loss. Idk what I'd do to lose mine

98-WS6

Ah, I see. But I never said that I put in a "set of cams", like he said I did. Sorry for the miscommunication. I said cams, simply because there's more than one cam lobe on the shaft...lol...wasn't trying to say that my trans am had dohc. Simply a typo on my part. The other dude didn't have to act so irritated, though, lol.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

The hydraulics can actually be done for $500. It lifts the car off the ground about 6 inches and all thats touching the ground are the 4 or 3 steel spikes. If you park in grass or dirt, those spikes go into the ground so it still cannot be dragged onto a trailor or pulled anywhere.

But a big part of NOT having your car stolen is "choices" of where you park it and for how long its there.

You MUST get a hood lock. It takes 5 seconds to disable a siren without one. They break the glass, pop the hood and hit the siren with a hammer. Or cut your battery cable.
Hood lock is a MUST. Mine uses a Medico key. The conduit that is used under the steering wheel takes 45 minutes to cut through with an electric saw using a cutting wheel.

A pager and text message that your alarm is going off with a GPS tracker is alos a must.

Your car will NEVER be taken again. Unless of course your parked in the middle of nowhere and someone has a crane and some time. Also install very powerful strobe lights and maybe even a red/blue flashing light.

$1,000 for piece of mind and absolute assurance is well worth it. Your insurance company will probably give you a further discount too.

.

Black1995Z28

Where abouts in South Florida ( you said you lived down here in another post) do you live that isn't the " best area " even though your father drives a 750, and your 19 with a Ws6.........

98-WS6

Hey, thanks for all of this information. I really appreciate it. I'm going to look into all of this stuff, seriously, because I don't want this to happen again. Ever. The hood lock is a must, I know. That's the first thing I'll order. I'm going to research the hydraulics. Did you have them done, or did you do it yourself? What's the scale of difficulty? I'll probably order the kit and install them with my father.


As for parking, yeah, as I mentioned, I always park close to my apartment, and there's a street light a few feet away from my usual parking space. So, these guys who stole it must've had some *****, knowing that they were stealing it in plain sight.


I live in Margate....and if you've ever been there, then you'd know that there's some shady neighborhoods...

And, yeah, that 750il is from '95. Not worth more than 8K today. And it's my father's car. As for the WS6, I've been working since I was 16. I worked my *** off, and saved instead of spending it on stupid stuff. I didn't get my license until I was 17, and I didn't get my first car until I was 18. Also, my father has a dealer's license, so we went to one of those "dealer's only auctions", where they sell cars for black book prices. I got my WS6 there, and it had fender and bumper dents and paint damage. So, I got it cheap. But, dude, don't try and insinuate that I come from wealth...I'm from anything but it...lol.

Black1995Z28

Margate isn't that bad haha.

But dude, I see you're new to the "car scene" it seems like. With cars like that or ANY tuner/modified/nice car. Keep that **** locked up, with alarm, with EVERY preventable measure possible.

A lot of thieves in south florida PREY on apartment complexes, because as you and I know security is **** there. I dont care if it's gated. I lived in a gated community a year ago, and they would let anybody and their mother in. My lifted bronco on 38's got it's tires slashed in an apartment complex.

Now I refuse to ever live in an apartment again. South Florida apartment living = ******* HORRIBLE

APG12

iTrader: (25)

Lojack doesn't use gps to locate your vehicle. It uses sensors that approximate distance and direction. If there is a lojack receiver in the general area (like in a police car), it will alarm. Then it's up to that person operating the receiver to attempt to locate the vehicle.

Unless they have updated their technology that I dont know of, it is outdated and pretty useless.

98-WS6

Haha, I guess that you could say Im "new to the scene", since I've only been driving for a year and a half. But yeah, I'm going to take the preventative measures this time around. Fool me once, but not twice.

Margate can be tricky...lol, depends on the neighborhood. And the thing about South Florida is that theives can steal cars and ship them to other countries like South America. I read an article a few months ago about cops busting a mafia that compiled upwards of 450 stolen vehicles in the south florida area. They were prepping to ship the cars to South America.

And yeah, apartments suck. But, I have no choice. Maybe I should sell the WS6 and get a teggy....yeah right, lol.

The Bronx Bull

Move.

bad_408_vert

iTrader: (6)

Get a cheap smartphone like a windows mobile . Get a minimum data plan on there for $15 a month.

Hardwire this phone so that its always charged and set up Google location share between this phone and all of your computers/smart phone. This would also lower your raised insurance rates.

Its much efficient than a gps because as soon as gps goes under a roof or in a garage, its pointless but a cellphone signal will reach most of time.

This system doesn't send you a text or any notification , its up to you to check on the car if you are parked in a bad area.

After you figure out where your car is , its up to you if you wanna be chuck norris or just call the cops.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Lojack is very expensive - but living in a city, it might make sense. You should check with your local police and see what they think. The drawback to Lojack is that you have to notice the car is gone in order to get they system going. Lojack activates the beacon and then your local police can go find it. (They have special antenna arrays on their cars to do this - so you'll want to see how they are set up and if they have ever had any successful recoveries.)

Looks like OnStar is now available in the aftermarket. Maybe this will be a good option, soon? http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20027278-283.html