after 232,000 miles, i am finally in the market for a new truck. the wait was so long because i have had 2 kids begin driving - and each have chevy trucks of course... ;-)
my question is - how good is the chevy theft deterrent? they say it has a built-in kill switch..... my '94 had the GM security alarm and i immediately had a steering column collar installed, and i never had a theft attempt though i park it in my driveway in Houston - a high theft area of course.
so - is the system any good, or should i add something extra? do they make collars for the newer trucks, and are ythey even necessary? i assume theives still bust the column to hot wire the vehicle - or do they have other methods??
also - is chevy still the leader in trucks being stolen???
David
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(excuse the cross-post to alt.chevy.trucks - just need an answer soon and wanted best exposure....).
I don't know about how good the anti-theft system is, but here are the latest Nat'l Insurance Crime Bureau Vehicle Theft Statistics (2003):
2003 Top 10 Stolen Vehicles in U.S. 1.. 2000 Honda Civic 2.. 1989 Toyota Camry 3.. 1991 Honda Accord 4.. 1994 Chevrolet Full Size c/k 1500 Pickup 5.. 1994 Dodge Caravan 6.. 1997 Ford F150 Series 7.. 1986 Toyota Pickup 8.. 1995 Acura Integra 9.. 1987 Nissan Sentra 10.. 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Note that there are no later (post-2000) model vehicles on the list. If you search for "vehicle theft statistics" on the net you will find a lot of interesting information.
The steering column collar might be a visual deterrent to thieves. Locking a club to the steering wheel is nearly worthless. The club manufacturers go on and on about how strong the club is and how wonderful the lock system is. What they fail to mention is that the thief can cut the steering wheel in just a few seconds and pull the club off. I don't know about a built-in kill switch being part of the new Chevrolet trucks.
I have been driving my 2004 Silverado for two years now, and I just noticed last week that the steering wheel does not lock when the ignition key is in the off position. It turns out that GM removed the steering column lock from all models beginning in 2002. I have no idea what this has to do with theft control.
When I was in the box signing the papers for my truck, the Finance & Insurance guy tried to sell me paint sealant, fabric protection, floor mats, curb feelers and so on. I did buy a GM extended warranty. When he got to security systems, I passed on getting a noisemaker because there are so many of them going off every day that nobody pays any attention to them anymore. He told me that more and more of his customers are avoiding noisemakers for this reason.
However, he grabbed my attention when he told me about the Identity Personal Recognition System theft deterrent. The Identity system replaces the starter relay in the under-hood electrical box with another one containing a receiver. This receiver is mated to a pocket transmitter that the owner keeps separate from the vehicle keys. Without a signal from the pocket transmitter, the vehicle will not start under any circumstances, even with the key in the ignition. It cannot be hot wired, either.
But be aware that this system can cause problems: If the battery in the transmitter goes dead (or if you lose the transmitter), you can't start your truck. If the receiver malfunctions, you can't start your truck. The workaround to this problem is to carefully hide the original starter relay someplace inside the truck so that it can be used in an emergency. This precaution, combined with a hide-a-key will keep you from becoming stranded.
Here are more details on how the Identity system works:
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The dealer will try to sell you the Identity system for around $495, but you can probably get it for around $200 instead.
The full-size Chevrolet truck is the number one target of thieves in these cities:
Just a side point, I used to live in what I considered the largest cess-pool on the planet, Columbia MO. Being a pilot, I got an idea and put a "Master" switch in the cab that energized/de-energized a "Master" high current relay. You can cut-out whatever you want in this way thereby allowing your dome-light/clock/etc keep power, but killing all the important stuff. Me I just killed everything. It even killed the car if it was running. Adapting this idea, Radio Shack (uh-oh) sells the parts to make it wireless for $20 or so, but you have to be so inclined.
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