Tragedy to Triumph - Preventing Theft

Hey guys,

I had owned a 2009 Tacoma Prerunner TRD which was great for Los Angeles. Perfect for the surfboards and could take it the mountains in the snow no problem.

1 year after owning it, it was stolen (or sniped) from my driveway - likely towed away. The windows were up, locked, it had Toyota's "immobilizer" chip in the key (which clearly didn't work) but I thankfully received a hefty settlement through insurance.

As a replacement, I purchased a 2011 Tacoma 4x4 Manual which I'm already in love with. I want to keep this baby safe and I have the club, I'm keeping the wheels turned, in gear with parking brake on to avoid towing, but this doesn't seem like enough.

Outside of putting a motion detecting light in my driveway, does anyone have any other tips (that are cost effective) to prevent thievery? I read the thread on lojack and it doesn't seem worth it.

I live in a nice neighborhood and was surprised this ever happened. Pistol and a loud alarm seems like the only viable option at this time.

Open to your suggestions and thanks for your help.

Cheers

 

That's too bad people have to take things you love and work hard for. But good thing you had insurance. LoJack and a good alarm is all you can really do .

 

Viper makes pretty good alarm systems with a ton of options

 

My parents had an escalade with onstar, the whole lojack services, and it got taken 15 mins from checking into a hotel. They disabled every system.

If they really want it, they'll get it

 

If you're not modding it, fuck it, let them take it and get a fresh pressed one.

 

Check this thread out: Vehicle Tracking Systems

You can use a cheap cell phone to track your vehicle.

 

X2 I've had mine on for about a couple of weeks, barely touched the truck enough that the alarm went off.
Maybe buy a security camera and put it out front?

 

Isn't there something about hard wiring a cell phone and hiding it somewhere in the vehicle is better than Lo jack. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in on this mod.

 

Fake cameras and that light your talking about can go a long way for less than 50. Get the motion light up first. I say fake camera bc unless you are watching live most cameras won't tell you more that a make/model of car if looking for clues after the crime. Usually at night can barely tell color and no license plates unless you have a decent camera ~$500 setup with the dvr and 1 cam at least.

I sell commercial security if you have any questions about cameras before you buy.

 

Thanks for the replies. The most doable sounds like the camera out front. I found this ZModo 600TVL surveillance system for $66 bucks online

Not sure I trust myself enough to hardwire the cellphone into the truck...

I'll keep you guys posted and thank you.