[countchocula]

Does anyone have the NHTSA figures on Insight thefts? I tried to find them on their website, but didn't have any luck finding any year except 2000.

I will soon be going to school in an area with a high car theft rate, and am considering ways to speed the recovery of my car in the event it is stolen. I looked at lo jack, but at $500+, I would say it is out of my price range. Is anyone aware of a transponder that is more reasonably priced?

 

[boogetyboogety]

Steal an Insight... hmmmmmm...

Parts thieves won't steal it, not too much of a market so no profit... plus easy to spot...

Joyriders won't touch it, too easy to spot, hard to blend in traffic...

Hold-up bandits usually bring their own transportation...

I just don't think you have a lot to worry about.

Vandals, though, might want to do something to your ride just because it is different. I'd worry about that if the area is such an outlaw hangout. But stealing it outright? I just don't see the upside for the baddies (not that there's a lot of MIT graduates in the bunch, but, still...) :lol:

 

[Rick]

Wasn't there a story about a year ago about two jail escapee's stealing an Insight and trying to run towards Mexico?

 

[Foxpaw]

I do recall that, but that's kind of a different scenario: if they were escaping prisoners they would probrably want an innocent looking car.

However, a lot of people who don't know anything about the Insight seem to assume it's fast - I've had many people want to race my Insight. So maybe joyriders would try to take it.

 

[Aaron Cake]

I would think that it would be rather difficult to steal an Insight because of the RF keys. It's not like you can hotwire it like you could a "regular" car.

 

[Delta Flyer]

When are they going to make an anti-theft system that allows the car upon break-in to drive them to the police station?

 

[Sparky5501]

Well, If you steal an Insight it'd have to be with a towtruck or flatbed. You can't start the car without the coded key even if thief jamed a screwdriver in the ignition and force it. It would make an awful mess if the thief tried.

 

[Foxpaw]

I think that you can start the car once or twice without the correct transponder though, after which it will stop working. I think the manual says something to that effect.

 

[Rick]

All they'd need is an insider in a dealerships parts department and they could have a working key. All they'd have to do is walk up and start it. Or if they had some repo tools they could have it gone in a few minutes without a trapsonder key. Unfortunately there is no "unstealable car", but I'd call the Insight an unlikely target. You'd be much more likely to have a window broken out to quickly grab whatever might have been sitting in the open which appears of value. Factory radios are even of some value, I recall someone posting here a little while back needing a new dash because his car had been broken in to for a few valueables and the radio.

An interesting story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4265482

 

[Aaron Cake]

All they'd need is an insider in a dealerships parts department and they could have a working key. All they'd have to do is walk up and start it.

True...But as far as random thefts go, that's pretty unlikely.

Or if they had some repo tools they could have it gone in a few minutes without a trapsonder key.

By towing it, not starting it.

An interesting story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4265482

That's just an odd story! Oddly entertaining...Also they're only getting 47 MPG.

 

[Dgate]

Insight theft

How about hotwiring the driver seat to the 144v pack so its activated when a hidden kill switch not triggered. :twisted:
with my memory I would probably be the first fatality! :wink:
Kidding aside could you not introduce an isolater in the 12 volt battery circuit? this would prevent the car from starting as this is needed to crank up the systems allowing the 144v pack to start the car. I realize anything can be overcome by a determined thief but most times its opportunism and not a lot of planning or effort goes into the act.
How about a wheel clamp(or two) as is common here in the UK.

DGate

 

[Rick]

Aaron Cake, not necessarily true. A friend of ours runs a repo lot. I got to see some of his goodies he uses. They don't always tow cars away. For example a certain year range of Ford vehicles there was only something like 15 transponder possibilities so all they had to do was get a key cut then put this device near the key while it was in the ignition then start trying until they found the one that worked. Others are more complicated not as well, but with the proper tools anything is possible.

Now would the easiest way be to tow it away? Yes. You can never assume a car is unstealable.

Dgate, actually you've got a good point there if you wanted to put a kill switch on. You wouldn't want to kill 12 volts entirely as your car would constantly be recalibrating, however... I'd have to look at the wiring diagrams to confirm this, but there should be two 12 volt inputs going to the ECU, one thats always on so it can keep things stored in memory, then another that goes hot when the ignition is turned on. Simply put a kill switch to the ECU's turn on line and there's no way the car would start. I can't say for sure this may or may not cause problems with things, but might be worth investigating if you wanted a kill switch.

BTW, a car cover also makes a great theft deterent because as far as random hits taking the time to remove the cover first is probably not worth the effort to them.

 

[brpeterson]

Could it be possible that a hybrid would be auto-stopped without a key in it? Then the theif gets in and just drives it away. I imagine that an Insight or Civic hybrid does not go through all of the code reading business when starting after an auto-stop. I really have no idea how it all works, but that could be some type of loop hole in the code system.

 

[Aaron Cake]

You'll have a hard time putting the car into auto stop then removing the key. To remove the key, you need to turn it to the "off" position.

 

[SilverBullet]

I use the Lawman Club, It goes right above the Brake pedal on the column leading to the brake! It wont allow you to shift into gear, or use the brakes.

But I have been thinking if you rip it into gear it could possibly go after awhile, and the theif could use the emergency brake to stop the car! So I have been putting it around the gas pedal on occasion!! The thief can't use the gas where is he going to go! I mostly use it on my Jeep, but when I travel I use it on the Insight!!

heres a quick description of it
The Unbrakeable AutoLock Pro puts the brakes on car theft by locking one of the strongest parts of the car - the solid steel brake pedal. The combined strength of the steel brake pedal and the solid steel, unbreakable auto lock makes the device impossible for a criminal to remove.


Once the AutoLock Pro is in place, the brake pedal cannot be depressed, and the car cannot be stolen. Because the size, strength, and dimensions of the brake pedal are standardized in most vehicles, the one-size AutoLock fits most cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles and vans.