Lower Your California Car Insurance Rate With Anti Theft Devices
Criminals are typically a few nails short of a full toolbox, but people too often underestimate their prowess when it comes to stealing cars. As Houdini was to getting out of water while chained up, so are many experienced car thieves to getting into your car when layered with all the technology in a presidential cavalcade. However, although your car may still be stolen or vandalized while it is heavily protected by anti theft devices, you will at least discourage most hardy car thieves and possibly all of them, and in the meantime you will be able to get a discounted car insurance rate, which is one of the best parts.
Here I am going to give a description of the many common anti theft devices. When you look at the descriptions and the prices, think of how much that device will cost you know versus how much it will save you on your California car insurance rate.
- Lock for steering wheel.
This is one of the cheapest kinds of devices. It might get you slight decrease in your comprehensive car insurance rate, depending on the company you are with. It makes it to where the thief can’t turn the wheel, and while it is more easily disabled than many devices, it works well with other devices and if a thief has to choose a car with a lock over a car without, in most cases he will choose the car without.
$25+
- Alarm.
This is the most common kind of anti theft device, and usually comes equipped on the vehicle. The better kind, though, will add horn honking and light flashing into the mix to attract more attention to the car.
$150+
- Kill switch.
This will impede the flow of electricity to the engine, making it impossible to start the car. This type of anti theft device is extremely cheap and will get you a big decrease in your California car insurance rate if you have comprehensive coverage.
$10+
- Tracker.
This is different from all of the others in that, while it doesn’t prevent car theft, it does what no other anti theft device does–it sends out a signal allowing police officers to find it. This is unusual because almost all cars that are stolen are never recovered. It is somewhat expensive, though, even for the cheapest one.
$400+
- Code entry.
There are a few cars that have a set of numbers on the front driver door to them which, if the code is entered correctly, allow the vehicle to be started with the help of the key. This is somewhat effective, but remember that thieves are known for breaking codes. It would be best if used with another feature.
Can’t be bought. Has to be installed while the car is being made.
- Steering column collar.
One of the more common ways of hot wiring a vehicle is by going through the steering column. While this anti theft device does not prevent the thief from entering the car, it does prevent the thief from starting it without an actual key. If you want to get a good California car insurance rate, then you need to get one that is always active, not one that has to be installed every time you leave the car.
$100+
- Locks for tires.
These are frustrating, making the vehicle immobile until the tire locks are removed. However, removing them is difficult, for you and the thief.
$80+
- Decals.
There are a lot of decals that can be found in most stores stating, like the kind of decal you’ll find on a house, that the car has some kind of alarm system or theft prevention device. It may be true, it may not. I had one of these years ago, although I didn’t have so much as an alarm on my car, and my car never got stolen. Of course, this may be because no one wanted my car, but I choose to blame the decal. This is a good way to go when you have no cash to spend on anti theft devices, because it does act as a deterrent even if it provides no real protection. It also won’t get you a better California car insurance rate.
Cheap Pasadena California Auto Insurance Rates
So what do you do when your car gets stolen? Most people panic, but you should figure out what you are going to do before hand. Like the boy scouts say, be prepared, and listening to them you should try to set yourself up for the eventualities that life may present you with, such as fires, hurricanes, and car theft. Okay, one is not like the other, obviously, but it still requires plenty of forethought so that you aren’t caught out and confused when (if) it happens to you at some point. After all, everybody loves to play Grand Theft Auto but we all think that it is something that could never happen to us. Not true.
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Call the cops.
Yeah, this is an obvious one, but when taking it into account remember that haste makes waste. When you call the police after your car has been stolen, you need to do it from the scene of the crime. You need to be prepared to identify your vehicle to the police when they arrive, because speed is necessary in getting back a stolen car. If they don’t have the information they need, then your car could be at the chop shop. Most stolen cars aren’t recovered.
You need to have the license plate number and the VIN number either in your head or on a car in your wallet or purse, somewhere that you will always have on you. You should also keep one copy of your Pasadena CA auto insurance on you and one in your car, and do the same with your registration. The police report can be used by your Pasadena CA auto insurance company.
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Am I insured?
You might not be, as hard as it is to come to terms with. If you have comprehensive coverage, then you will be covered for the actual cash value of your vehicle if it gets stolen. However, if you are still paying off the car, and you don’t have gap insurance, then you could be in some trouble. If you really want to be prepared, make sure that you have rental car coverage and read your policy to see if there are any delays between making the claim and getting to rent the car.
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