Protecting your charger... What do you do?

[MoparMotel]

Long story short I've had my 68 charger since I was 9 years old. It is very sentimental to me and if it ever got stolen I'd be pretty upset. I read on Lojacks web site how they make a classic car system for $579 to recover it if it's ever stolen... Do you guys think this system would be a good investment and also do they work as claimed?

I've never really been worried about it because the car is in my parents garage in the country which is secure and my bedroom is next to the garage so I could probably hear of anyone tried to take it ( they would have to answer to my Beretta 92FS 9mm).

The reason why I am starting to look into LoJack or some kind of kill switch is because my girl friend and I are planning on buying a house in the city and moving out soon. I'd like to take the car with me but am worried about it being secure in the garage while I am at work all day.

Any other ideas besides LoJack and a hidden kill switch?

Thanks!

[69bronzeT5]

I've had my '69 since I was 6.....and it got stolen from me July 2007. Got it back the next day though. Anyways, I have it in my locked garage at my house (there is usually always somebody home). If something does happen to it though (which I never hope happens again), it's fully insured. So is my Duster....and it's sitting in my driveway. The Charger doesn't run though so it would be harder to steal however the Duster runs and drives. Whenever I park it for a long period of time, I always remove the wire from the coil to distributor cap. The Coronet is locked up safe also where no body knows about it and all my other cars have good alarm systems.

[68X426]

Locked garage and yanked coil wire are as good as it gets.

Anything more is overkill (and yes I'm freaking paranoid too but these 2 simple steps are sufficient). 

[Fred]

Kill switch 
Locked garage
Rottweiler
And if all that fails.............my trusty 12 gauge pump!

[tan top]

Kill switch 
Locked garage
Rottweiler
And if all that fails.............my trusty 12 gauge pump!

    good security set up 

[Cooter]

I've found that the best way to try and keep a car thief from stealing your ride is not to buy one. But, aside from that, I like hidden kill switches.

These can make it much harder for thieves to simply drive off. Most times, especially in a city, if they have to push it, they will leave it.

[stripedelete]

Locked garage and yanked coil wire are as good as it gets.

Anything more is overkill (and yes I'm freaking paranoid too but these 2 simple steps are sufficient). 

+1     I like to swap it with a plug wire. 

But what about hotel/motel parking lots where they can grab it with a rollback?  Is there some kind of mercury switch alarm set-up that you can use while traveling? 

[skip68]

I have mine inside locked garage, battery disconnect, hidden kill switch to MSD and outside security cameras.   Short of sleeping in the car that as good as it gets. 

[Marck]

Locked garage, hidden startbutton, and disconnected battery.. Soon it will also be up on jackstands, and the jack will be in the house..

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Locked garage, hidden startbutton, and disconnected battery.. 

Most effective, especially compared the the bravado of saying one has a gun... Like one would even have time to use it against a professional car thief 

[elacruze]

I pull the fuel pump relay which is in the trunk with the battery. No pump, no gas, no go and even if they find the missing relay, they have to know to jump the wires, and which ones, and after 2.5 seconds the ECU turns the pump off so you can't have constant power to spark-check. I also have a 'Snitch' to track it with if it does get away.

http://www.blacklinegps.com/products/snitch/

Cost is $300-$400 and service is ~$50/year. I like it better than Lojack, because I don't want the cops to find the car, I want to find it myself...

[skip68]

A gun is only useful if you wake up.  My buddy always says that stuff and yet I have gone in his house God knows how many times to wake him up.    

I believe a gun is good for self protection and if you're lucky enough to catch a thief.    Mostly just for protection.   I would try and stop a thief to a point but the last thing I would want would be a gun fight over a car.  

[twodko]

Skip has a salient point. While we all love our mopars, in the final analysis it's just a material thing and certainly not worth a life. 

[Dino]

Stick one of these behind the garage door, it'll be the last time the crook ever breaks in again!

http://www.monstergalaxy.com/images/Lifesize-Alien-Figure-MonsterGalaxy.jpg

[six-tee-nine]

Damn dude, I would like to see the crook's face when he opens the door to find an alien behind it. I'm pretty sure he'll shit his pants.....
I would.....

[Dino]

Damn dude, I would like to see the crook's face when he opens the door to find an alien behind it. I'm pretty sure he'll shit his pants.....
I would.....

Yep, makes it a bit easier for the cops to find him as well.   

[Brass]

I use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Unknown-The-UNBREAKABLE-AutoLock-PRO/dp/B0007ZFTHW

It's easy to use (locks the brake or clutch pedal) and is much more difficult to defeat than the club; especially if they're not expecting it.  With a club, thieves just saw through the steering wheel.  

[71charger]

Kill switch 
Locked garage
Rottweiler
And if all that fails.............my trusty 12 gauge pump!

I got the same set up exept I have 2 150lb german shepherds watching my car. and a ak-47 locked and loaded to go!! hehhe

[1969chargerrtse]

Locked garage and yanked coil wire are as good as it gets.

Anything more is overkill (and yes I'm freaking paranoid too but these 2 simple steps are sufficient). 

Yep, split off the coil wire and ground it and hide a toggle switch somewhere.  Some people go real fancy with things like if the cig lighter is in it shorts or disconnects a power wire etc. 

[Back N Black]

My Charger is parked in the garage with the keys in the ignition and garage unlocked most of the time. 

[Darkman]

I had a kill switch hidden in plain view. I used a factory dash switch (for spotlights) that wasn't used and connected a capacitor to the positive side of the coil. It disrupted the power to the coil and hence no spark. The car turned over. This way the car sounds like it is going to start but doesn't. The thief will either flatten the battery trying to start it or give up. Either way the noise of the starter alone would alert you that someone is having a go

There are only a number of places you can "hide" a switch that are still within reach of the driver, and most thieves know them. .

[TK73]

Ratty primer
Cracked windshield
Don't wash the thing for a while...

[MoparMotel]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to try the kill switch/coil wire idea first before I shell out the $579 for LoJack. I have the car insured through American collectors but it's not about the money the car is just very sentimental. I plan on keeping it forever and passing it down to my kids.

[472 R/T SE]

When we go to Seattle for a show we usually go up the night before.  I park whatever car I'm driving with the steering turned all the way to the left or right.  

I don't know how many of you have ever seen a seasoned rollback or hook driver work, but they can snatch a car in less than a minute if there's minimum resistance.  If you head your car into a parking spot & the driver tries snatching it he'll notice the wheels cranked & most likely move on.  Remember, thieves pick the most opportune time/vehicle & don't like the hassle.  The want to strike & get the hell out of Dodge ASAP.

My Charger has the MSD 6al so I have the hidden kill switch.  My new alarm system is a set of baby monitors.

But more than anything else, both cars are insured with Hagerty & if they want either one bad enough I'll just have to buy another.  


We paid for the LoJack when we bought the SRT 10.  I still haven't taken it in yet to get done.

[Patronus]

Ratty primer
Cracked windshield
Don't wash the thing for a while...

[bill440rt]

After reading this thread, I'm kinda curious about the LoJack.
If you store your car with the battery disconnected, as most classic car owners do, won't that have an effect on LoJack??    I mean, it has to give off a signal somehow, so if the car is disabled by disconnecting the battery (or in some cases removing it entirely), will it still do any good??     Where does it get it's power from?

[472 R/T SE]

From LoJack's website.  They also recommended a trickle charger.  I can't remember if that was for the motorcycle batty though?


"Does my car need to be running for LoJack to work?
No. The LoJack Unit constantly draws a very small amount of power from your vehicle's battery. Should your battery be disconnected, LoJack's backup battery will provide power."


"How much power does LoJack drain from my battery?
One milliamp on average."

[1969chargerrtse]

My Charger is parked in the garage with the keys in the ignition and garage unlocked most of the time. 

Can I get your address? 

[bill440rt]

From LoJack's website.  They also recommended a trickle charger.  I can't remember if that was for the motorcycle batty though?


"Does my car need to be running for LoJack to work?
No. The LoJack Unit constantly draws a very small amount of power from your vehicle's battery. Should your battery be disconnected, LoJack's backup battery will provide power."


"How much power does LoJack drain from my battery?
One milliamp on average."

Interesting!
I wonder how long their backup battery lasts? Such as in long-term storage, like over the winter. 

[mpdlawdog]

I have mine inside locked garage, battery disconnect, hidden kill switch to MSD and outside security cameras.   Short of sleeping in the car that as good as it gets.  

no skip this is as good as it gets....my cruiser parks in front of the garage...Khan sleeps next to the car and Buck keeps and eye on her too  ....my wife and I work different shifts and she is meaner that both of them so i dont worry about it too much!

Lojack is great but most agencies dont have the technology to follow the car or find it......it is mostly the larger cities ....if I am not mistaken Lojack has to provide the equipment to the agency to use

[skip68]

Nice!   But check out my guard dog.      

[skip68]

Honestly, if just having a k-9 unit in your driveway isn't enough you've got trouble.   That would be in a world's dumbest criminals episode.   So, some jerky for the dog, tuna for the cat and I'm in.   

[Aero426]

Another car in front of the garage door doesn't hurt either.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Lojack is great but most agencies dont have the technology to follow the car or find it......it is mostly the larger cities ....

Absolutely! We have at least one patrol car per district in my county w/ the lojack equipment. You can tell those cars, as they have extra antennas on their roof... Anyways, out in BFE, *maybe* the state troopers *might* have the system...

[moparstuart]

My Charger is parked in the garage with the keys in the ignition and garage unlocked most of the time. 

what is your address   

[ChgrSteve67]

I have Lojack installed in my Charger with the early warning recovery system.

The battery will last for about 4 years.
I have the system tested every two years.

It won't stop them from steeling it but definately increases my chances of getting the car back.


There are also other systems on the market that are GPS based to help you track and locate your car but they have issues if your car is placed into a garage or shipping container.

The Lojack will transmit through container walls.
If you not sure about the coverage in your area or if the local police can find a car installed with Lojack call them. Also some insurance companies will give you a lower rate with a Lojack installed. I have Hagerty Insurance and they do not offer a discount.

-Steve

[Bob T]

I had a 4" x 4" x 1/4 steel box section piece dynabolted to the floor and chained over the axle when I had my old race boat, got a 1/2'' stainless U bolt chemset into the concrete under the roller door edge with padlock through it, just adds too much time and noise to a thiefs day if they have to cut it off.
Also hidden disconnects but likely will be putting an alarm in soon as well .Its insured but thats not the point

There is also a version of lo-jack or similar available here , monitoring is $40/month or something , quite expensive

[MoparMotel]

This is the unit I was interested in.

http://www.lojack.com/car/Pages/LoJackforClassicCars.aspx

Self powered unit.

[UH60L]

A good friend of mine works for a local company doing electrical/audio visual installations in cars.  One of the first things I did after getting my '69 charger was have him install an alarm system with keyless entry, to include a hood pin.

Even in this day and age, there are people who will walk up to someone else's car and pop the hood to "see what's under there".  As soon as someone does that to my car, the alarm goes off and scares the pediddly out of them (and me too, the first time I forgot about it and popped the hood!  :-)    ).

Second thing I did was clean out my garage and start parking it inside.  My wife's car (the family sedan) started parking outside on a permanent basis.

Third thing was to get good full coverage insurance.  Some places are better than others about old cars.  When I got my car it was not in great shape, definitely not even closed to "restored".  I walked into my State Farm agent's office and told him I wanted to insure it for at least $10,000.00, and he said "no problem" without even looking at the car.

I've heard the lojack thing works well, but have not tried it.  Some car alarm systems incorporate a kill switch like so you can stop the car as soon as it goes a certain distance, unless you have flipped a switch or entered a code before starting to drive.

I've tried to park waaaayyy out in the south 40 of any parking lot, and started just parking across two spots so people would not "door ding" me.  We recenty got a brand new car as our daily driver.  Two days later it got door dinged in the parking lot of Home Depot!!!!  ($75.00 worth of paintless dent repair...)  No matter where you park, people still flock to your car and park all around it.  You could be the only car in a 100 yard radious and when you come out you'll be surrounded by looky-loos that just had to park next to you.

The only way to avoid that is to not drive the car, and that defeats the purpose of owning one in my opinion. 

[Dino]

A good friend of mine works for a local company doing electrical/audio visual installations in cars.  One of the first things I did after getting my '69 charger was have him install an alarm system with keyless entry, to include a hood pin.

Even in this day and age, there are people who will walk up to someone else's car and pop the hood to "see what's under there".  As soon as someone does that to my car, the alarm goes off and scares the pediddly out of them (and me too, the first time I forgot about it and popped the hood!  :-)    ).

Second thing I did was clean out my garage and start parking it inside.  My wife's car (the family sedan) started parking outside on a permanent basis.

Third thing was to get good full coverage insurance.  Some places are better than others about old cars.  When I got my car it was not in great shape, definitely not even closed to "restored".  I walked into my State Farm agent's office and told him I wanted to insure it for at least $10,000.00, and he said "no problem" without even looking at the car.

I've heard the lojack thing works well, but have not tried it.  Some car alarm systems incorporate a kill switch like so you can stop the car as soon as it goes a certain distance, unless you have flipped a switch or entered a code before starting to drive.

I've tried to park waaaayyy out in the south 40 of any parking lot, and started just parking across two spots so people would not "door ding" me.  We recenty got a brand new car as our daily driver.  Two days later it got door dinged in the parking lot of Home Depot!!!!  ($75.00 worth of paintless dent repair...)  No matter where you park, people still flock to your car and park all around it.  You could be the only car in a 100 yard radious and when you come out you'll be surrounded by looky-loos that just had to park next to you.

The only way to avoid that is to not drive the car, and that defeats the purpose of owning one in my opinion. 

Even when you park it at home where it supposed to be safe it can still be destroyed and reduced to rubble.  I'll take my chances out there.

I don't look for the most narrow spot onthe lot but I will park in the first available space as if I were driving anything else.  If I can park on a corner spot then I'll park as far away as possible from the car next to me.

I also do a quick check to see if it's a 4 door or 2 door (long doors).  If I see a soccer ball decal on the back I tend to look for another spot, out of the 7 kids climbing in there one of them is bound to hit my car.

If I park way out there it's the same as with everyone else, you come back to find a car right next to it, sometimes scary close.

[hemi o]

Locked workshop,alarmed,two pigdogs,one lab,one boxer,gun cabinet ful of guns,no exit country road.

[mpdlawdog]

Lojack is great but most agencies dont have the technology to follow the car or find it......it is mostly the larger cities ....

Absolutely! We have at least one patrol car per district in my county w/ the lojack equipment. You can tell those cars, as they have extra antennas on their roof... Anyways, out in BFE, *maybe* the state troopers *might* have the system...

I am assuming you live out west where autotheft is "more" of a problem. I talked to a bunch of other agencies around me. Only two out of about 20 agencies in central Ohio have it and I'm guessing it's only a few cars. I called lojack to find out how an agency can get the devices to find a stolen car.  I have not heard back from them yet.

[472 R/T SE]

We, or should I say "I" wanted a Golden forever.  My wife was worried that they were too timid/friendly for protecting the house so I went to the State Kennel Pen & waited for the next ex-con dog to be released.

The neighborhood kids go across the street when they walk by our house.  

For some reason I can't get him to quit waggin' his tail when someone's at the door.

[68X426]

In the spirit of that bad flick "Snakes on a Plane" .....



why not plant a snake in your Mopar. Sort of like this .....

[Fred]

Someone might break in just to steal the snake!

[68blue]

Car is still missing a lot of pieces, probably need to think about security in the near future. Have padlocks in the garage door rails now.

[PA Dodger]

My coworker had his '70 Challenger stolen. They never found it. If someone wants your car they're going to know when you leave for work and if anyone else is home. Thats what happened to him. It doesn't matter what gun you have if you're not there to catch them. Also, as 472 RTSE said, a good thief with a flatbed needs very little time. At that point he has all the time in the world to figure out your kill switch/coil wire tricks back at his place. I think anything that makes the car immobile is better than stuff that makes not able to start. Park another car in front of the garage door, padlock the garage door track etc...   

I know insurance covers the vehicle if it's stolen. But what it doesn't cover is all the blood, sweat, and tears you put into a car to make it "yours".    

[TK73]

Chain the diff to the concrete pad 

[aussiemuscle]

I've found that the best way to try and keep a car thief from stealing your ride is not to buy one. But, aside from that, I like hidden kill switches.

These can make it much harder for thieves to simply drive off. Most times, especially in a city, if they have to push it, they will leave it.

That's what the flatbed is for. i'd imagine a lot of chargers would be stolen to order nowadays.

on another forum i read a story of how they got into the house, stole the keys, got the car out of the garage and wheeled it out, all while the owners were sleeping.  

fwiw, mine has a cheap gps tracker hidden inside. i can get it's position sms to my mobile phone.

[GordonGriggs]

 Put padlocks on each track for the Main garage door. This way they will have to cut the padlocks before the garage door will open. Most door tracks already have extra holes that are perfect for a padlock. Here is a video showing locks in tracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z01o0SVt8OM

[GreenMachine]

I've found that the best way to try and keep a car thief from stealing your ride is not to buy one. But, aside from that, I like hidden kill switches.

These can make it much harder for thieves to simply drive off. Most times, especially in a city, if they have to push it, they will leave it.

That's what the flatbed is for. i'd imagine a lot of chargers would be stolen to order nowadays.

on another forum i read a story of how they got into the house, stole the keys, got the car out of the garage and wheeled it out, all while the owners were sleeping.  

fwiw, mine has a cheap gps tracker hidden inside. i can get it's position sms to my mobile phone.

Will you post what GPS tracker you're using, I didn't know there were cheap ones available.

[MoparMotel]

I've found that the best way to try and keep a car thief from stealing your ride is not to buy one. But, aside from that, I like hidden kill switches.

These can make it much harder for thieves to simply drive off. Most times, especially in a city, if they have to push it, they will leave it.

That's what the flatbed is for. i'd imagine a lot of chargers would be stolen to order nowadays.

on another forum i read a story of how they got into the house, stole the keys, got the car out of the garage and wheeled it out, all while the owners were sleeping.  

fwiw, mine has a cheap gps tracker hidden inside. i can get it's position sms to my mobile phone.

Will you post what GPS tracker you're using, I didn't know there were cheap ones available.

I'm curios as well. I'd rather try one of those instead of spending $600 for Lojack

[kab69440]

Skip has a salient point. While we all love our mopars, in the final analysis it's just a material thing and certainly not worth a life. 

Just because you're entitled to an opinion does not obligate me to agree with you. Anyone caught fooling around with my car WILL disappear.