Car owners are taking matters into their own hands, trying to find different ways to protect their cars from being stolen in Chicago with some spending hundreds of dollars on security installations.
It’s been a busy couple of months for the owner of S&A Autosound in River Grove.
“We have been doing a lot of security on vehicles normally we be doing just remote starters,” owner Steve Lobello said. “But now it’s ramped up.”
Lobello said more car owners are taking preventive measures after hearing about car thefts and carjackings.
“I’ve been doing this since 1993 and I’ve never seen it this bad,” he said.
Lobello showed NBC 5 two security options, describing the first as a starter disabled system.
“We install new after-market systems and we disable them from communicating with each other," he said. "So the factory remote can’t communicate with the new remote, and the new remote can only communicate to the factory system."
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The popular alarm system can even be paired with an app called Drone. He said the app gives you full control over the alarm system from your cell phone, tablet or desktop.
“It gives you the ability to track the vehicle," Lobello said. "It gives you the ability to see if the engine is on or off, how fast its going."
The second option is to install a pin code security system. Lobello said this security feature is seen mainly in Europe. In addition to a key, he said the individual would need to enter a pin code in order for the vehicle to start.
“If a thief has this key and he got into the vehicle and he went to start it, the car would start. As soon as I go and put it in drive, it stalls the engine out,” he said. “Now If I put it in park, turn it off and try to restart it, now it will not start at all. It needs to see a pin code.”
Lobello said installation could cost around $550 or more.
“It can be expensive, but you can’t put a price on safety of your vehicle of your possession,” he said.
