I live in a big city (San Francisco) and now that I have a new car (Black EX CVT) that I like a lot, I am starting to think maybe my new pride and joy isnt safe?

Well that and I had a brief conversation with a guy at a party that just purchased a new Honda Civic, and it was just stolen recently from his driveway....

Does this mean the things I hear about Honda's being the most stolen car still applies to new Honda's? I for some reason assumed that the keyfob and lack of turn key ignition would prevent some of that...

Would it be wise to invest in some sort of anti-theft device?

 

I don't know but I was interested in the same thing recently and found a couple of recent articles that shed some light on the current situation.

The Most-Stolen New And Used Cars In America - 8/18/2014, Forbes
The Most-Stolen New And Used Cars In America - Forbes

According to this article, the two most stolen cars from all model years taken in 2013 are the Accord (53,995) and Civic (45,000). But neither model is in the top ten when only considering thefts of new cars. Further, the number of new cars stolen is much less. For example, the number one most stolen new car was the Nissan Altima and only 810 were taken.

Here’s Why Stealing Cars Went Out of Fashion - 8/11/2014, NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/12/up...f-fashion.html

This article breaks down the numbers a little more. It reports that 84% of those stolen Accords in 2013 were from model years 1997 or earlier and that Accords got immobilizers starting in model year 1998. I think that means there were over 8600 Accords stolen that were equipped with immobilizers, so the immobilizer isn't stopping all car thieves.

Another gem from the NY Times piece:

Lucky us...

 

I bought a "CLUB" that locks-up the steering wheel. I don't know how effective it is against a thief that wants my specific car, but I consider it an effective deterrent to thieves looking for a quick set of wheels .... wouldn't the car next to mine without the club be easier to boost?

Last time I went to NYC (YEARS ago) I was amazed at the skeletal remains of bicycles locked to lamp posts! Every single part that could be removed/dismantled was gone ... sometimes all that was left was the bike lock!

Good luck!

 

"Also, recent-model cars are more difficult for casual car thieves to “hot wire” and drive away, thanks to the proliferation of computer-chip-coded keys and built-in engine immobilizers".

 

Given that our 2105 Fits are still so rare, it would be a pointless steal...the police have an easy find!

 

I have read that the wheels on the Fit EX models are in high demand. I would suggest you get wheel locks for the wheels. It is much better to have a garage to park in. Bill

 

I agree having a garage would be much better, but renting one in my neighborhood costs about $400 a month.

I am going to order wheel locks right now.

 

I live in an upscale neigborhood, and parked my car in an under apartment complex garage, that didn't stop thieves from stealing my car (older model civic) The strange thing is there was no sign of broken entry and no damage of the ignition switch either. Kind of creepy.

 

I'm afraid theft is something you'll just have to insure against in SF. There's been a string of thefts in downtown targeting small tech companies including ours in 2nd and Mission, and car window breakings (but no theft) in the relatively safe Sunset area recently. Our house along others in the same block have also been burglarized in Sunset. My old Nissan had a side mirror taken, probably by hobos.

So get comprehensive coverage for your car, with all the crazies living in the city. But the good thing is, car theft seems to be "out of style" these days with everyone stealing smart phones, laptops, etc. Not to mention taking a car is so much more risky. Wheel theft, on the other hand...but I have the LX with less spunky wheels heh.

 

Someone told me that those keys are all the same for each make of car. If a thief bought a set of wheels, he'd have a key to steel more. Of course, maybe "Someone" didn't know what he was talking about.

I think that anyone in the wheel-stealing business will be able to defeat those locks.

 

ineffective, they just cut the steering wheel, use the club to lock your shifter and parking breaks as an alternative, thats where I used it when I owned a "CLUB" back in the day's

 

That's a great idea and I will try it! After a rash of break-ins at our work-parking-lot I bought the "CLUB" for my truck. Thieves mostly looking for $$ and stuff they could sell for $$, but once in a while they'd steel a car as well. I figured, with the CLUB, I'd have a better chance of being able to drive home even if my windows were bashed in. The thought of being stuck at work at 1am made me want to PUKE. I know CLUB isn't fool proof but it IS a deterrent ... so is having a standard transmission, I'm told. Seems most kids these days don't know how to drive a stick!

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

I thought about getting wheel locks, but, aside from the expense, which ones would I get? In reading reviews and comments, they are all good and all not-so-good. Supposedly, a good wheel thief can remove whatever wheels he wants.

 

I agree, if a thief wants something they know how to get around wheel locks. I woke up this past Sunday morning to my neighbor ringing my door bell at 6:30 am, saying someone stole my wheels of my (less that 1 month old) 2015 Fit. The thieves got around my wheel locks, by smashing a different key on it and forcing it to turn.

Here's a photo
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bfpkk1aeeb...t%202.jpg?dl=0

 

Here is another picture and I should mention that I had honda wheel locks.

Here's another:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/471ovlxbzg...t%201.jpg?dl=0

The thrives also damaged the underside of the car when they put chunks of concrete street curb to prop the car up.

 

I got the wheel locks installed as my only dealer add-on. I live in sketchy neighborhood, carport but no garage. I think the bright yellow color and immobilizer with the keyless entry will protect the car itself. Friend's previous honda had wheels stolen up in north Texas somewhere. Can't remember if it was the CRV or the Pilot. Here in my hood it's mostly drug addicts and they have no special tools. The pros look in more expensive neighborhoods. Plus I have barking dog. 🐕

 

Pro car thieves use tow trucks so immobilizers will only stop the teenyboppers. Most cars are either stolen for export or for parts so here in SoCal it is still a problem. New York, the locale of the article, is too far from our southern border to make export of stolen cars viable.

One could tie one of these to the car with a 20 foot leash, but leaving them inside is now a no-no due to Really Stupid People:


If a thief really wants the car they will get it. Make your car less attractive than someone else's and yours is safe. LX models without the fancy wheels are probably safer, but once demand for body parts and airbags goes up even the LX will be attractive. Alarms can be helpful, but people will blithely walk by a car with alarm blaring as the thief winches it onto his tow truck. There is also this approach:



I don't know which is more effective, the chain or the Scarface tarp!

 

Since you have the Honda wheel locks you may want to consider buying a different brand of wheel locks and have 2 different sets on car. Maybe have light with motion detector on carport? I think your dog is good attention getter here. I have the LX and plan to just leave the hubcap wheels on. Thanks for your comment.

 

MAN! That SUCKS! Soooo sorry!

 

I'm so sorry to hear that! Especially with OEM Honda wheel locks! Ugh. I guess you're right. Thieves will find a way to take the wheels. I wonder if an alarm system would help? Anyone install one of those for the Fit?