From: rll@fatima.mitre.org (Roberto L. Landrau)
Subject: Re: LOJACK
Organization: Research Computer Facility, MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 18:04:49 GMT

>beuf@wpi.WPI.EDU (Richard J Fuller) writes:
>>does anyone out there have A LOJACK system????
>>is it worth the $$$ (how much does it cost anyway????)
>>any info would be great!

jimf@centerline.com (Jim Frost) writes:
>Yes.
>There are three units with increasing functionality:
>
>Model		Features				Cost
>-----		--------				----
>LoJack I:	Recovery				$599
>LoJack II:	Recovery + ignition kill		$699
>LoJack III:	Recovery, ignition kill + audible alarm	$799
>...
>If you're in MA LoJack II or III will save you 35% on your
>comprehensive (I think LoJack I saves 25%).  For me this was a hefty
>amount (my insurance is unusually high due to residence location and
>the fact that I waited eight years longer than normal to get my
>license) so a LoJack II will pay for itself over three years and save
>money over four.  Your mileage will probably vary, and savings in
>other states are probably significantly lower.

That is exactly why I bought LOJACK: it pays for itself in 3-5 years.
If you are planning to be in MA for a few years, I would recommend
buying it.  In my case, it didn't: I moved out of the state after 6
months.  The New Hampshire police doesn't have the system.  Insurance
companies in NH don't offer discounts for the system.

>In operation the LoJack is actually rather intuitive; it turns itself
>on after about 30 seconds of inactivity (engine off, doors closed) or
>immediately if you push the keychain button... You push the
>keychain button (they give you two, additional units are $35) before
>entering the car and the alarm turns off...
>There's a valet switch which can be used to enable or disable the
>alarm and kill switch...
>Since the system has no motion detection false alarms aren't a problem
>unless you forget to disable the alarm...

These features are offered by most alarm systems today.

>... What's annoying about the alarm?
>you have to be careful to leave your key in the "on" position when the
>engine is off...  If the ignition is totally off or in the ACC
>position the alarm will activate itself.

Moving one wire should take care of this problem.  It seems like they
connected the alarm to a wire that is hot when the ignition is ON.
Had they used one that is hot in the ACC position, it wouldn't be a
problem.  The alarm in my wife's car will not set after the ignition
is shut off until a door is opened and then closed.

>Although turning on the
>overhead light or opening my hatchback (with the hatchback light on)
>will activate the alarm, these conditions do not keep the alarm from
>automatically arming.  This means that the alarm will turn itself on
>while you're loading or unloading the hatchback.  This is most
>annoying when you're loading because you're going to have to turn the
>alarm off again before entering the car.

I have the same problem with mine, too.  (I have Lojack II and a
separate alarm, not Lojack III).  The problem (at least in my car) is
that there is a diode between the tailgate sensor and the side door
sensors.  The diode prevents the cargo compartment light from turning
on when the side doors are opened.  Apparently, the forward diode
voltage drop is enough to block the signal to the ``wait, don't arm
yet'' input to the alarm.

>My operational annoyance is that the chirping done when the alarm is
>enabled or disabled is at the same volume as the alarm itself, which
>is damned loud at odd hours of the night or morning and can be painful
>in a parking garage.  I would have been happier if the chirp had been
>at half or one-quarter volume.

I hate that too.  Flashing the lights would have been enough.

>The most obvious failing of the system is that you have to call LoJack
>when you discover your car is missing in order to get the transponder
>triggered.  If you don't notice that your car is missing for several
>hours or more the thief has that much more time to do disable the
>system or otherwise get away.

I don't know what state you are in, but in MA you call the MASS state
police, and AFTER you finish the stolen vehicle report, then they
trigger the Lojack.


--
The opinions stated above are not necessarily my employer's.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Roberto L. Landrau    KC1YP    landrau@mitre.org  rll@linus.mitre.org
The MITRE Corporation  Bedford, MA 01730          rll@linus.UUCP
Newsgroups: rec.autos