The Club - Worth it?

[nin137]

I just bought a new car (2009 Honda Fit) and live in a high car theft area. I have a Karr Alarm system which has the feature of shutting down the engine in case someone tries to jack it. My reasoning behind getting the Club is this:

Nothing will stop a determined and professional car thief (except apparently this engine cut-off feature I have on the alarm system which is apparently the best deterrent). That being said, amateurs or joy riders may not know about the fuel cutoff feature.

I just feel as though, even if it may not be an "effective" deterrent against professionals, it would still provide a visible deterrent to amateurs.

I was just wondering if anyone here had any experience with the Club. It's ease of use; it's effectiveness (although I would imagine that would be somewhat hard to gauge...how would you know if it was The Club that was the deterrent?).

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[EzyStvy]

I think you already know all there is to know;)

The club might maybe give you an extra ounce of sleeping good at night knowing you did as much as you can.

[mbossman2]

the club is tough to cut, but a hacksaw makes quick work of a steering wheel (one night I rode with the repo man who worked with my bank and he showed me how fast he could get around it - took him 10 seconds).

one thing he had difficult with was the locks that attached to the brake pedal.

my advice?

park your car under lights
keep it locked at all times
have nothing of value in view

When I bought my truck it had this removable circuit card/key. without it the ignition will, 100%, not work and to prevent someone from cutting the wires and wiring a bypass the cable was a ribbon type cable.

[Force Flow]

I've heard this two ways

1) The club proves to be enough of a hinderance (up to half a minute, maybe) that would-be theves pass it up in favor of other available cars without The Club
2) The club makes your car stand out from a line-up of other available cars would-be thevies would choose from; the line of thinking here is that extra security means there's something with extra value inside.

This could probably be applied to any security measure that's out in the open. That's not to say you should forgo security measures entirely, but if everyone on your street has normal lock n' key locks on their front doors, and your place has a fancy centurion5000 digital system with swipe card access and voice recognition...things that stand out tend to attract attention.

[nin137]

Force Flow - you raise a really interesting point with # 2. However, I would say that there is a difference between a car and a house. When someone steals a car they already know what they are getting, it seems like the means of security just ups the difficulty. Whereas, when someone robs a house, they are targeting the inside rather than the protected item itself. In that case a flashy security system would alert someone to "target" that house.

One thing I think would be a problem based on your second response is that some punk would just think to himself, "he thinks he's so secure with The Club, I'll just target that vehicle" irrespective of their likelihood of eventually suceeding.

I'm still up in the air about it, but I think I'll probably just leave it as is for now.

[Dave21]

I've heard of GM's new technology of when a thief breaks into your car and startis it without your original keys, their OnStar system notifies authories and they use GPS to help the cops track down the car. Once the police has visual contact, OnStar reduces the engine power by 50% allowing the police to catch up.

I'm just wondering why other car manufacturers don't think of more anti-theft devices.

I think the best bet is to park your car in the light. But I don't think the Fit is stolen often? Not as high as the Civic. Plus, I think thieves know that the newer models have better antitheft systems so they avoid those.

[shadowpr]

I really never worried about someone stealing my car. I'm more concerned about them breaking in and stealing the radio or popping the trunk.

I've seen those happen a bunch of times, along with headlights stolen. Getting the whole car stolen...not really.

[jdeb]

put it in a garage if possible. it will help but nothing beats keeping it out of sight.

[Hi Ho]

I don't know about the Fit but many cars today have a passive theft deterrent system that will not allow the car to start without the proper key. You may want to check and see if your car has that.

My Mazda 3 has an RFID chip in the key and the engine WILL NOT start without it. Anyone could make a copy of my key and it would open the door but it would not start the engine since the fuel supply is cut off if the correct RFID chip is not found by the car.

The drawback to this system is that a replacement key for my car would cost me over $100 and is only availble from the dealer and I must give them a special tag thingy (metal plate with engraved stuff) before they would/could make a new one.

From what I hear, systems like this are exremely difficult to get around, if even possible.

[nin137]

Hi Ho - yes, I believe the Fit has the same technology. It seems like the best deterrent out there. Also, the OnStar System Dave21 was mentioning above seems really effective, although I believe you have to pay extra for that (OnStar service). However, the car not starting without the proper key is a feature I believe I have. For the time being I think I am okay without "The Club."

[Blaster3]

i like the ole adage 'hidden in plain site'... i leave mine unlocked windows slightly open (for venting) also nothing stored inside of value ( at least of no value to me)... that way if some idiot decides they need to 'check it out' i don't have to worry about replacing glass or door locks & bodywork... if they steel the whole thing, yippie i get a new ride thanks to my overpriced insurance (does not have to be locked to collect on theft)...

BTW: i drive a 2005 dodge ram quad cab 2500 cummins HO

[glc]

Who would want to steal one of those anyway with the price of diesel fuel today?

[David M]

George,
I have two Cummins diesels in my vehicle. It gets around one mile per gallon at 20 MPH and you're right, nobody has stolen it yet. :)

The best vehicle protection I can think of would be putting a little white guard dog in there. :D