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It's like having a dog in the house who barks at strange noises. What thief wants to draw attention to him- or herself by breaking into a home with a barking dog, when three houses down it might be quiet and no one would notice they were there? Agreed it won't stop the bash-and-grab people, but that can be avoided by not leaving valuables in your car in plain sight.
You might as well ask why cars have locks when anybody can just bust the window. If you could buy a car with or without locks, would you buy one without?
When I went to buy a new car several years ago, I was pushed to buy the alarm system already in it.
I declined and then asked when my car would be ready. The answer: "Just a minute, they just need to take out the alarm system".
I think you're right. I have a 98 F-150. One day I got back to it in a mall parking lot and the tailgate was stolen.
Oh yes, that's a big thing in inner-cities. Stealing tailgates off of trucks. It's fast and easy, just lower it and disconnect the two support wires and there's a quick $200 for them at the scrap yard for 10 seconds of stealing. That's why you always keep your tailgate locked, even if there's nothing in the back.
A window sticker that says "Manual transmission" would be a good deterrent for some car thieves.
I agree 100%. My old truck is a 5 sp and I doubt many would want to navigate that around with little knowledge of how it all works. That and I have a club on the steering wheel. I think the combination is enough to deter most.
Car alarms can save lives. Try this: Keep your keys to your car with you when you go to sleep. If you think someone may be breaking into your home hit the panic button and let it keep going off. A few things will happen. One: If there was a bad guy they will probably go away. Two: Your neighbors are going to get upset and come over. Three: The police will more than likely be called because your alarm is disturbing the peace.
I hear them all the time in parking structures or in parking lots and they don't seem effective but for most thieves they probably walk away.
A friend once told me that she was flying back into the US from overseas, and her uncle left a car for her at the San Francisco airport parking lot. She went and picked up the car and didn't know how to turn off the alarm, and drove it all they wan to Sacramento with the alarm screaming and squealing and honking. The police ignored it.
Oh yes, that's a big thing in inner-cities. Stealing tailgates off of trucks. It's fast and easy, just lower it and disconnect the two support wires and there's a quick $200 for them at the scrap yard for 10 seconds of stealing. That's why you always keep your tailgate locked, even if there's nothing in the back.
Yabbut, if someone is riding in the back and you drive into the lake, they won't be able to get the tailgate open and they'll drown. Safety first people!
Seriously, if you lose the keys to a modern car it's off to the shop to get reprogrammed/ecu replaced/etc. How the hell can anybody steal cars these days? I guess thieves in old crappy cars are stealing other old crappy cars to sell the parts to each other.
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