Has Anyone Had Ther Rx Stolen Before?

[RX400h]

The Prius people are not worried about theft, based upon their responses to a similar question, but how about RX people. I know a guy who parked his brand new Chevy Silverado truck in an upscale mall parking lot only to come out and find it gone. My question is - how safe are we?

[kh046]

From what I know, unless you left the key in the car, I don't think everyday crooks can drive off in your RX due to the chip with your key. However, anyone can break in and steal the contents inside of your car anytime. (Just my ten cents.) B)

[cruznroadking]

The key & ignition switch ultilizes a transponder & unless you have a key that is programed to your car the engine will not start. Even when the dealer sells you a key it won't start your car until it's programmed.

[RX400h]

However, if you leave your car at, let's say, an airport, can't it be towed away without your knowledge? I'm trying to figure out whether extra precautions are necessary.

[cruznroadking]

You can have a Lo Jack GPS tracking system installed. They can track where the car is & disable the ignition so that it will not restart after they turn off the engine.

This system is really popular in Northern California.

[scoobie]

Check this out for the top 10 most stolen cars.

http://www.lojack.com/top-10-most-stolen-car.html

Thieves seem to target cars for which they can easily sell parts for. I think the RX is safe for now.

[pushatam]

i got lo-jack. it was already installed in my used-rx300 i bought from the dealer. they made me pay about 10 bucks more a month for it. i am not sure what wouldve happened if i didnt agree to it....anyone?

out of curiosity, my key doesnt have that trunk release button, do you guys' ? i have an '01

[scoobie]

i got lo-jack. it was already installed in my used-rx300 i bought from the dealer. they made me pay about 10 bucks more a month for it. i am not sure what wouldve happened if i didnt agree to it....anyone?

out of curiosity, my key doesnt have that trunk release button, do you guys' ? i have an '01

←

What ? They "made" you buy the lo-jack service ? Or you wanted the service but they charged you more for it because it was already installed ? I don't know much about lo-jack, but don't you pay lo-jack directly ? What does the dealer have to do with the monthly service fee ?

[cruznroadking]

The key do not come with a seperate trunk button. When you click the unlock twice it unlocks the tailgate as well.

[RX400h]

i got lo-jack. it was already installed in my used-rx300 i bought from the dealer. they made me pay about 10 bucks more a month for it. i am not sure what wouldve happened if i didnt agree to it....anyone?

out of curiosity, my key doesnt have that trunk release button, do you guys' ? i have an '01

←

What ? They "made" you buy the lo-jack service ? Or you wanted the service but they charged you more for it because it was already installed ? I don't know much about lo-jack, but don't you pay lo-jack directly ? What does the dealer have to do with the monthly service fee ?

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I'll bet they amortorized the total cost over the life of his payments. No, you don't pay LoJack directly. You pay the dealer and they install/register the service.

[pushatam]

i got lo-jack. it was already installed in my used-rx300 i bought from the dealer. they made me pay about 10 bucks more a month for it. i am not sure what wouldve happened if i didnt agree to it....anyone?

out of curiosity, my key doesnt have that trunk release button, do you guys' ? i have an '01

←

What ? They "made" you buy the lo-jack service ? Or you wanted the service but they charged you more for it because it was already installed ? I don't know much about lo-jack, but don't you pay lo-jack directly ? What does the dealer have to do with the monthly service fee ?

←

I'll bet they amortorized the total cost over the life of his payments. No, you don't pay LoJack directly. You pay the dealer and they install/register the service.

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it was weird, i negotiated the price of the vehicle and then met up with the financing guy at the toyota dealership. the lo jack was already install in the car and the guy was telling me that i could decide whether or not i wanted to pay about 10-15 more dollars a month for 60 months that was combined into my cars monthly payments. either rx400h is right and that they had to register the service or they just straight up pumped more sucker profits out of me ... :(

[jgr7]

I would guess that if you didn't want the lojack they would have disabled it. I bought my daughter a car a few years back that had an ignition disabler, the dealer installed these on all the cars it sells and if you don't want it it gets disabled and the visable part removed.

Jeff

[RAID10]

You can have a Lo Jack GPS tracking system installed.  They can track where the car is & disable the ignition so that it will not restart after they turn off the engine.

This system is really popular in Northern California.

←

On the RX400h you have to be VERY careful when letting anyone, and that includes Lexus mechanics, go in the guts of the car. There is 650V AC of electricity surging around even when the car engine is not running.

[patt]

On the RX400h you have to be VERY careful when letting anyone, and that includes Lexus mechanics, go in the guts of the car.  There is 650V AC of electricity surging around even when the car engine is not running.

←

I believe that is inaccurate. There is no 650 V produced when the car is off. The reason there is a 12 Volt battery is that there is a relay that disconnects the main batteries from the rest of the car when it is off. When you start the car, the 12 Volt battery energizes the computer and closes the relay so that the main battery power can go to the voltage converter that produces the 650 V.

[scoobie]

I would guess that if you didn't want the lojack they would have disabled it. I bought my daughter a car a few years back that had an ignition disabler, the dealer installed these on all the cars it sells and if you don't want it it gets disabled and the visable part removed.

Jeff

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That seems to be common practice about 10 years ago, when I bought my Plymouth Laser they had a similar gadget already installed, the ignition would not operate unless/until you insert a chip into a receptacle and you'd remove it when you get out of the car. Lo-tech but effective for most thieves.

Anyway, the saleman didn't try to push too hard, he said he was required by the dealership to at least explain the benefits of the gadget and if the buyer didn't want it they would remove it. He then immediately said even if I don't buy it the dealership reserves the right to leave it in (I'm guessing that it costs them more to uninstall it than what its worth).

The upshot of the story is that I got the ignition immobilizer for free and though I don't use it, it has saved me on insurance for a number of years.

Wait, I'm not done yet, thinking of that salesman, I remember he told me a little bit about himself; he used to work as a stunt man in 60's era surf movies and claims credit to one of the most spectacular wipeouts ever recorded (up to that time). You meet all sorts of people at car dealerships.