Stolen vehicle recovered with Onstar

Jonas · #1 (**permalink**) 10-13-03, 09:04 PM

I was working Friday night when Onstar called the police station to tell us that they were tracking a stolen Suburban in the city. Onstar knew the exact location of the car so we could get behind it to stop it. The $20 a month doesn't seem so bad to get your car back. The cost of Onstar over 2 years probably equals what you would pay for a good alarm. It's funny how when the insurance companies talk about the high theft rate of the Escalade, they never mention the recovery rate that is probably just as high.

I have seen them both work and I think Onstar works 10 times better than Lojack.

BUILDINGCTSAMG · #2 (**permalink**) 10-13-03, 09:21 PM

Except that if you disconnect the battery onstar doesnt work, this simply isnt true for lojack...

Jonas · #3 (**permalink**) 10-14-03, 07:05 PM

If your car gets stolen it's probably being driven away by the thief, so the battery is still connected.

Lojack is only as good as the Lojack units that are installed in the police cruisers. Some towns don't have any units in there cruisers. Plus you need a few cruisers to try to triangulate where the signal is coming from.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Lojack is a waste of money at all, it's a good product also. I'm probably going to put Lojack in my Escalade, along with Onstar.

Allante North * · #4 (**permalink**) 10-14-03, 08:31 PM

I just purchased a new Silverado with the On-Star. From what I've read, they can pinpoint the location of your vehicle and notify the police to its exact location. One example was a vehicle was stolen and the police could not locate it so the On-Star advisor activated the horn and the police heard it from the street. The vehicle was in the garage, and while they waited for a search warrant, the thief pulled into the driveway with another hot car. On-Star helped to bust up a major auto theft ring. Lojack may be a good alternative to On Star, but I wouldn't spend the bucks unless my vehicle did not have On Star.

the Sandman · #5 (**permalink**) 10-14-03, 08:56 PM

Do you have to pay for one of the OnStar packages for the theft tracking?

El Dobro · #6 (**permalink**) 10-18-03, 01:38 PM

Theft tracking is standard with all the OnStar packages. No extra charge.

CoolassToys · #7 (**permalink**) 10-22-03, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonas

I was working Friday night when Onstar called the police station to tell us that they were tracking a stolen Suburban in the city. Onstar knew the exact location of the car so we could get behind it to stop it. The $20 a month doesn't seem so bad to get your car back. The cost of Onstar over 2 years probably equals what you would pay for a good alarm. It's funny how when the insurance companies talk about the high theft rate of the Escalade, they never mention the recovery rate that is probably just as high.

I have seen them both work and I think Onstar works 10 times better than Lojack.

My car stereo installer said if you simply unscrew the antenna for the onstar the system doesn't work.. nor can the car be located.... I have not tried this, but I assume it's possible.

Sorry for the potentially bad news...

Jonas · #8 (**permalink**) 10-23-03, 08:58 PM

Yes it's true, that is one way to disable the system. I just didn't want to mention it and give any would be thief's surfing the net any ideas. There is alway a way to beat the system, no matter how well GM engineer's design them. That is where Lojack has the advantage, because it uses a radio frequency with multiple hidden transmitters that can't really be disabled.

That is why I say both systems, Onstar and Lojack, have there respective advantages.

It's very difficult to beat the pro-car thief that knows all the tricks, but they are only a small percent of the car thiefs that are out there. That is just my opinion.

2dfx · #9 (**permalink**) 10-23-03, 09:31 PM

If GM were smart, they'd install a backup battery to power Onstar in the event of a power failure and instead of using the antenna (which I think is a stupid move on GM's part) they should hide transmitters in the roof.

Jonas · #10 (**permalink**) 10-27-03, 06:46 PM

If anyone is really worried that their car might be stolen you can check out the National Insurance Crime Bureau's web site. The NICB is a private organization that is like the middle person between the police and the insurance companies. NICB works for the insurance companies, but provides the latest info on how and where cars are being stolen to police.

http://www.nicb.org/

Escalade2003 · #11 (**permalink**) 03-15-04, 02:36 PM

SO ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS UNHOOK THE ANT. AND THE ONSTAR DOESN'T FIND YOUR CAR???? THAT SUCKS!!! ARE YOU GUYS SURE??? SOMEONE EMAIL ME AND LET ME KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE!!

:rolleyes2

Escalade2003 · #12 (**permalink**) 03-15-04, 02:51 PM

did you guys know, If you don't have a membership to onstar but, have onstar in your car.. they still can't track the car at all!! They told me that you have to keep the membership active.. if for some reason you disconnect your membership for a month and your car gets stolen at that time... there is no way to find your car!! That sucksssssssss!! but, about the ant. thing they said they can probably still find the car after many attempts looking for it!

Makes me wonder about ONSTAR , maybe lowjack it better!!

what you guys think???

PhantomCadillac · #13 (**permalink**) 03-15-04, 04:53 PM

I live in Florida and looked up the 25 most stolen vehicles for Florida. My Deville is 25th on the list. Well at least they will be looking at a Ford escort (24th) before they take mine LOL

g00dy · #14 (**permalink**) 05-11-04, 04:30 AM

ONSTAR will still work with the antenna removed. Go ahead and try it out. But it will automatically shut down when the vehicle is shut off for an extended period of time. (a couple of days or a week) don't leave it in an airport parking lot and ask ONSTAR to help you find after you get back from a week long trip.

skills2005 · #15 (**permalink**) 07-24-09, 02:16 PM

I have to comment. I have both Onstar and Lojack and I have to say Lojack is great. My Lojack came with an early warning system so if it is being tampered with I receive a text message via mobile phone. Right then and there I know if someone is trying to steal my baby, I can then run outside and check on her. If she's gone she was "just" taken and I can call the police, they are no more then 3 miles down the road. Onstar is perfect and about the ant. removal I installed a back up ant..... cool huh. What makes Onstar super cool is they can slow your vehicle down until it comes to a complete stop and the crooks have no choice to get out and start running. If my love is ever stolen here is what I will do. First I will receive a text from Lojack telling me she is being stolen. Second call the police and give them my Lojack info. Third call Onstar and have them slow down my vehicle until a complete stop. By this time they would have only gotten a few miles away and I will recover my baby within an hour at the most.