My Vibe in danger???

[damronjr]

Well, we just got back from eating dinner (11:00pm, we took the wife's truck), and my father-in-law was waiting for us as he didn't have the key to get in the house. As we were walking up he told me that a couple of Asian guys (no offense directed here) were watching my car while we were gone. He had been sitting in his truck while he was waiting for someone to get home and said one was on one side of the street and another was on the other and I guess they were on cell phones and looking at my Vibe. Now, I live in one of the worst neighborhoods in all of San Diego, and I really have no choice but to park my Vibe in the street, hopefully in front of the house, but usually across the street or a few houses down, and even occasionally around the corner of the block if it is really packed. Most of this area is all low-income blacks and hispanics(not trying to be discriminatory, just stating the facts), so just seeing a couple of Asians standing around out here is enough to make you suspicious. We do have a gated driveway in the back, but people have already stolen stuff from the back yard to include my brother-in-laws brand new trail bike with kiddy seat. Also my mother-in-law just so happens to be the only person with the key to that gate. It is also very hard to get into and out of that driveway as it is packed with a 64 Galaxie, a 90's Cadillac, 2 70's Chevrolet trucks, an ancient RV, and a bunch of other misc crap. Basically, I don't know what to do. Sure, common sense says "put the car in the gated driveway. The car is covered with full-coverage insurance, but I haven't gotten around to adding the system, wheels, etc... Any advice? I don't want my Vibe damaged, vandalized, or anything else if I can help it, covered by ins or not.

[Jahntassa]

Quote, originally posted by Baltovibe »The solution ... either kill him, or move away. I chose the later. You are a better man than I, as death would've been the first option. Either that, or watch enough Law & Order and CSI to figure out how to nearly kill him without getting caught.I don't live in a 'bad' neighborhood, but recently, two cars have gotten broken into -right next- to mine. I'm a little less nervous however, because I put a couple of kickass alarms on both my Vibe and my Wife's Grand Am.Now, alarms are generally noisemakers, but, if done right, they'll definitely give you an advatage, and they do give you a little piece of mind. On my car, I have the Viper 790XV, which was top-of-the-line last year. Now I think it's the 791. Basically it's an alarm/keyless entry/remote start unit with a two-way remote. Meaning, if something happens to the car, it transmits that fact to the remote. It's got a pretty good distance on it too, around 1,000 ft in open air, so I can park down the lot from my apartment. If a sensor gets tripped, the remote beeps, and I keep it in my bedroom so I'll hear it if it goes off.Beyond that, I put four sirens on it (yes, four. Two outside, two inside), I have the 'Microwave sensor', which detects someone reaching in a window, the shock sensor that comes with it, the door/hood triggers, and also a backup battery, so if someone DID break in and disconnect the battery, the alarm would STILL go off for about 20 minutes. And because of the placement of the sirens, it'd take them about that long to cut them off. Now, could the car still get broken into? Yes. But the fact that I have two flashing lights in the dash does help me sleep at night. If someone wants your stuff badly enough, they'll get it. But, you can take steps to help deter it.1. If you like your wheels, get wheel lock nuts. These are the kind where you need the special adapter to be able to take them off. I generally leave the adapter with the spare, so it would require them to find it, which, would not be a good idea with the alarm going off. And the *******s are really hard to get off without it.2. Get a GOOD alarm. Don't get the bargain basement special or one from Pep Boys. Get a Viper, or a Hornet, or anything made by Directed Electronics (DEI), including Rattler and Clifford. These are arguably the best on the market, and worth every penny. Getting the accessories I mentioned (backup battery, and an extra siren or two) are worth it too. I have a siren under the trunk, which is fairly tough to get to.3. Don't give them a reason to want stuff. Most crimes are that of opportunity. Obviously, it would be tough for someone to steal lowering springs, and they'll shy away from grabbing your wheels with the locknuts on. But oooh, check out that stereo. Don't leave stuff sitting out in the car. Keep it clean, and hide whatever you don't want to dissapear. I've surprisingly never had a problem with the Nav system, but aftermarket radios are a prize. Especially when they're easy to take out. If you're worried about it, get a detatchable face, and detatch it!You've already spent thousands on your car, what's another couple hundred to help you keep it safe? Granted, moving some of the older vehicles from your driveway (honestly, who's going to steal a 30 year old Chevy truck?) might help too...

[Merzbow]

I would invest in a couple of those little bity tiny security cameras and hide them on a telephone pole or in a tree to try adn catch them if it does happen. Maybe wave it by the police just incase it happens they will have been warned.I don't know what I would do if I were you. I would be so afraid and angry I would be sitting next to it 24/7 with a shot gun.. I love my baby. I freak out if someone drops a gum wrapper on the floor!I don't live in a bad neighborhood and I get ot park in the garage but I work in a bad neighborhood and leave ht car in the lot for 8 hours at a time all night long. I used to allways park in the back of the lots but here I try to park right in the crowd of cars. I'd rather get a door ding than stolen system and broken door handles. I cover all my stuff up though and keep everything low key until I am well on my way home. I don't even show it off the my co-workers.Balto, if that neighbor was my neighbor screwing with my car I would have destroyed him. I don't even care about jail. I would have went into his house while he was sleeping, woke him up just in time to shoot out both his knees. Then I would break his wrists with a sledge hammer and make him drink the gas out of my car's tank and then slide a rope doused in gas down his throat before lighting it on fire and running out of his house (removed)! Sorry for the graphic visual.I could see how that would destroy your love for cars Balto. You put all that money into it so you can personally enjoy it but every other d*ckhead on the road could careless because they buy their car for mere "transportation" and figure that it's gonna get dinged up anyways so why take care of it. Sometimes I get like that sometimes too but if it weren't for cars I would have nothing to do, work for, or look forward to in life since that's pretty much all I care about.

[Ponyota]

Quote, originally posted by Merzbow »I don't know what I would do if I were you. I would be so afraid and angry I would be sitting next to it 24/7 with a shot gun.. I love my baby. I freak out if someone drops a gum wrapper on the floor!Balto, if that neighbor was my neighbor screwing with my car I would have destroyed him. I don't even care about jail. I would have went into his house while he was sleeping, woke him up just in time to shoot out both his knees. Then I would break his wrists with a sledge hammer and make him drink the gas out of my car's tank and then slide a rope doused in gas down his throat before lighting it on fire and running out of his house (removed)! Sorry for the graphic visual.Uhhhh..... if your at the MI super meet, I don't even want to look in the direction of your car. You need some serious help my friend. It's a friggin car for God's sake! You scare me!

[jwalcik]

i had my old truck broken into when it was parked overnight in front of my friend's house. they took the stereo, my radar detector, and a bizarre cross section of my cd's. my friend (the home owner) took the "sit by 24x7 with a shotgun" approach mentioned above and made a large sign that said something to the effect of "PROTECTED BY GLOCK HOME SECURITY", and hung up the target from his shooting test for his concealed carry permit. the next night, someone stole the sign and the target.my solution was to get in the habit of taking the face off of my stereo and to stop keeping anything i cared about in my truck. moving's not always practical, but with a little leg work you can significantly reduce the amount of interest potential thieves will have in your vehicle, as well as be protected in the event that something does happen.

[Ponyota]

Quote, originally posted by jwalcik » the next night, someone stole the sign and the target.haha! Now thats funny!

[Merzbow]

(removed) thats awsome.Ponyota, I'm not insane I'm just obsessed It's only a Vibe too...It would be worse if I had a Datsun or '68 Baracuda lol. I don't even let my mom drive the Vibe and she paid for most of it.

[Ponyota]

Quote, originally posted by Merzbow »(removed) thats awsome.Ponyota, I'm not insane I'm just obsessed It's only a Vibe too...It would be worse if I had a Datsun or '68 Baracuda lol. I don't even let my mom drive the Vibe and she paid for most of it.(removed)! You bad, bad boy! (removed)!

[Merzbow]

(removed)...shhhhhhh Anyways, Damron, what's the verdict. How are you going to go about keeping an eye on your car? I can build you this cool alarm that sends 120,000 volts through the car so if someone touches it they get fried.

[03VibeGT6Spd]

When I lived in the French Quarter in NawlinsMy car used to get broken into twice a week!I had a removable head unit, So they never got my tunes.But windows were getting quite expensive!I ended up drilling holes in my doors above the keyholes and mountingthe blinking LED's lights on the outside of the car. I also had 2 sirens mounted under the hood.between the Blinking lights, keeping the interior spotless, (Not even papers on the floor)and parking near street lights so the interior was well lit. It kind of payed off, after that It was only broke into one more time about a year later.I had a popeye's bag in the back floor board with my left over trash from lunch in it.Now I live in the worst part of Westland, The only crime here is the middle school kids cursing at each other! (removed)

[remusrm]

one word. snipper rifle. also... try to park the car in front of your house, etc. in your view. have a camera on it.. also a car cover is good...

[03VibeGT6Spd]

Quote, originally posted by remusrm »one word. snipper rifle. also... try to park the car in front of your house, etc. in your view. have a camera on it.. also a car cover is good...I have a wonderful Remington 7600 Classic semi auto, 30-06, magna ported and scoped.At 150 yards I can empty the magazine in 1 hole about the size of a nickle.

[jwalcik]

the best part was the spotlight that he'd setup to light the thing up at night. i show up the next night, and the spotlight is shining on the blank side of a tree.

[03VibeGT6Spd]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »2. Get a GOOD alarm. Don't get the bargain basement special or one from Pep Boys. Get a Viper, or a Hornet, or anything made by Directed Electronics (DEI), including Rattler and Clifford. These are arguably the best on the market, and worth every penny. ..DEI doesn't make quality products.They spend there money in advertisment.If you want quality by a Compustar, everyone else play's catch up to them.http://www.compustar.org/secur...t.htmI had my first 2-way remote with lcd screen back in 98 with 1/2 mile range.You should have seen the local DEI Dealers begging me to show it to them and explain the options.The problem was the price.

[Jahntassa]

Quote, originally posted by 03VibeGT6Spd »DEI doesn't make quality products.They spend there money in advertisment.If you want quality by a Compustar, everyone else play's catch up to them.http://www.compustar.org/secur...t.htmI had my first 2-way remote with lcd screen back in 98 with 1/2 mile range.You should have seen the local DEI Dealers begging me to show it to them and explain the options.The problem was the price.As someone who's installed car alarms and remote starts, I can honestly ask you what the heck you're smoking. Compustars have a lot of interesting 'features', like knocking on the windshield to 'page the owner', but they're by no means a higher quality than DEI. DEIs, for the most part, don't have all the little bells and whistles. They just work. They do their jobs. Security. They're easy to install, hold up well over time, and haven't let me down yet. (I had a rattler on my previous car, and two Vipers in my current cars) And i'm curious what advertising you're talking about, too...As for the 1/2 mile range, so what? It's not always going to be 1/2 mile. It's simply a matter of physics. My remote works from far enough away that it'll alert me when i'm in my apartment, or at someone's house.

[damronjr]

Well guys, thanks for all the words of wisdom! I do have a 2-way DEI Viper alarm with Ignition Kill Switch, Valet Button, 4 door shock sensors, and a hood release sensor. It also works well enough that if you kick my tires it goes off, and I can usually park close enough to my house that my pager will go off if someone screws with it, but even then, it just bugs me to think someone could mess with it so easily and that I am in an area where someone would. My wife's Dodge Ram that we traded for the one we have now was broken into, my bro-in-laws wife's Saturn was broken into a couple of times, and other cars are getting broken into all the time in this neighborhood. I also just came into some extra $$$$ so I was planning maybe to do the vertical lambo doors and even possibly a top spoiler and/or NOS kit. I am not going to pretend like I will ever have enough $$$$ to get a S/C, so I might as well get what I can. I don't know, I will probably end up mmoving some stuff and findig a way to start parking in the back all the time. It should be safer than parking in the street, but I will still have a some risk. Oh well, guess it comes with having a noce car and no garage! I can't wait to move outta here!!!!

[03VibeGT6Spd]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »As someone who's installed car alarms and remote starts, I can honestly ask you what the heck you're smoking. Compustars have a lot of interesting 'features', like knocking on the windshield to 'page the owner', but they're by no means a higher quality than DEI. DEIs, for the most part, don't have all the little bells and whistles. They just work. They do their jobs. Security. They're easy to install, hold up well over time, and haven't let me down yet. (I had a rattler on my previous car, and two Vipers in my current cars) And i'm curious what advertising you're talking about, too...As for the 1/2 mile range, so what? It's not always going to be 1/2 mile. It's simply a matter of physics. My remote works from far enough away that it'll alert me when i'm in my apartment, or at someone's house. I have seen many DEI's fail! I have to admit, I can't say if it was the install job or there parts.There failure rate's are so high, that "A" dealer's remove them rather then offering them to there customers.Advertising: TV spots, Hugh Banners, Large displays.As far an install goes, what is hard about installing a system.I have installed a remote starter it was simple.of course the more options you have the longer it will take.Your right 1/2 mile isn't always that, if you inside of a building.I never lost contact with my Riviera at "mall of americas" while shopping.Of course that was there old 400MHZ freq back in 1998, 7 years ago!Guess what the new owners still use it everyday.Show me a DEI with over 130,000 miles on it.There 900MHZ systems have upto 6000 feet rated range considering there are 5280 feet in a mile, that aint so bad!They really do unrate there distance!!!!!!I'm happy you like your Vipers and I hope they last you.But if you want more peace of mind step upto a Compustar!

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Merzbow »Sorry for the graphic visual.Yes, I'm sorry too. Why not also add clamping a pair of jumper cables onto the criminal's uh, yeah, and connect that to a source of massive amounts of current. lol!

[Mr. Poopypants]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Yes, I'm sorry too. Why not also add clamping a pair of jumper cables onto the criminal's uh, yeah, and connect that to a source of massive amounts of current. lol!Yeah, I'd have to agree with this one. There has to be an easy way to "deter" thieves.

[Merzbow]

There are ways of dealing around a theif but you cannot stop one unless you follow my plan of action... I will send you a 200 page detailed defensive action manual for 2 easy payments of 19.95. If you call within the next 15 minutes we will knock off one payment and send you a FREE homicide clean up kit...a $200 value, FREE!!!J/K...

[sloth]

My brother had an S-10 in college that got stolen about 6 times, taken on a joy ride and returned. The thing that worked the best was he bought seat covers and 3 inch thumb tacs. Stuck the thumb tac under the seat cover when he parked it for the night. You just have to remember they're there before you get in, in the morning.

[ramenboy...]

merz, you kill me!damronjr, there's some good advice llisted on the thread. hope it helpsjahntassa, i agree with the sirens...i think the ones inside work the best. i have 2...one inside, one outside, but its just so loud that once it goes off, no one, inless they're deaf can sit in the car without their eardrums bleedinggood luck

[Merzbow]

I like that idea! A friend bought air horns for his car to replace his horn. I bet if you wired those to your alarm it would be loud enough to wake up Jim Morrison.