After many many cars with Lojack, I decided to try something new when I picked up my 07 XK Convertible recently and the Entourage CIS from Escort caught my eye. The reason why I believe this might be a better choice than Lojack is because it utilizes GPS and the cellular network to locate your car, whereas Lojack uses more of a RF type solution, and a properly equipped police vehicle has to be within range to pick up the signal. Additionally, while Lojack typically costs around $900, I bought this thing for about $350 from Amazon.com. While there is a $180 per year service charge, making a 3-year break-even point, when I change cars, I can uninstall the Entourage unit and just move it over to the next vehicle.


The Entourage unit is a simple two-wire installation - all it needs is constant 12V power and ground.



In the XK, I took off the trim pieces covering the rear passenger fuse box and rear center armrest. The Entourage unit was velcro'd underneath what would be the front of the armrest, so it is almost directly in the middle of the vehicle. I tapped power from an always-on fuse, and there are plenty of grounding points right there. The slack wire I tied up and tucked behind the rear seatback.



Overall pic of completed installation.



Now, I can log into the website and graphically view where my car is, and there is a mobile app for iPhone and Blackberry that will allow me to do the same. If my car is moved while the unit is armed I will get a text and an email.

Overall this install should be very easy, even for someone who may not have a lot of experience wiring around a car. This install took me about 15 minutes and required only a test light, a wire stripper and a socket set.

 

Answering a few PMs, this is what the web interface looks like.

 

does the advanced tab give you lat/lon by chance?

 

Yes, lat/long and altitude as well.

 

You are around the block from me. We should catch up sometimes to check cars out.

 

Sounds good, I'm in Universal City (as you can tell)... usually in the office there around 3 days a week.

 

Maybe I'm naive living in North Carolina, but how is anyone going to steal your car? They can't hot-wire it because they wouldn't have the chip from the key. All they could do is tow it away and sell it for parts. Not many car thieves invest in tow trucks, so unless they break into your house and steal your keys, the chance of it getting stolen is pretty small. And then, as long as it's insured, why worry about it? It seems like you're spending $350 + $180 per year to protect your insurance company.

 

It's been my experience that any car is easier to steal than us as owners would like to believe. For almost any Toyota/Lexus or Nissan/Infiniti, practically all you need is a flat head screwdriver.

As for insurance, yes, it's true that it is covered... Do you lock the doors in your home and close the garage door when you leave? Do you park your car with all the windows open and doors unlocked? There's just something about having something taken from you that doesn't sit right with me.

I've had a car stolen in the past when I was living in New Jersey, and it is a major hassle, I would never want to go thru that again.