Nothing ruins your day faster than finding your car missing from its parking spot. And if you are a Honda owner, you should realize that this is not an idle worry. The 2016 Hot Wheels report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau ranks the top 10 cars most beloved by thieves, and the Honda Accord is number one. In 2015, thieves stole 52,244 Accords, with model years 1994, 1996 and 1997 proving the most popular. The second spot goes to the Honda Civic, with 49,430 thefts that are topped by model years 1997, 1998 and 2000.
Obviously, thieves know which cars are easiest to sell, which is certainly a backhanded compliment to the Honda Motor Company. You can take several steps to prevent your Honda from being stolen, including:
- Lock your vehicle: Keep your car locked at all times, including while you’re driving it.
- Parking: Never leave keys in a parked vehicle. Don’t leave the vehicle with open windows or sunroof. Never leave your car running when its unattended. Hide your vehicle title where a thief won’t find it. Don’t park your car in a high crime area or in a dark spot.
- Valuables: Don’t tempt thieves by leaving valuable items in the car, such as laptops, cameras or cellphones.
- Immobilizer Theft-Deterrent System: An immobilizer theft-deterrent system is standard on the Honda Accord and Civic models. The system uses an ignition key with a built-in transponder. The car key carries a transponder code which must match a code in the vehicle computer. If they don’t match, the engine won’t start.
- Glass: Have your VIN etched onto each of the vehicle’s windows. It discourages thieves, who don’t want to pay to replace all the windows.
- Transceiver: Have a radio frequency transceiver installed on your vehicle that allows police to trace the location of a stolen car.
- Steering wheel lock: While these aren’t foolproof, they discourage thieves who will likely move onto another car without a steering wheel lock.
Our Honda dealership will be happy to demonstrate the Honda Immobilizer System when you come in for a test drive of the Accord, Civic or other fine model. You’ll find all our employees give top priority to your satisfaction.
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