As car technology advances, the technology to steal it also advances. Traditional car alarms are not overly effective anymore; because people are so used to hearing them go off accidentally; that the general public doesn’t even look over at a car with an alarm activating anymore. However, tracking systems, passive immobilizers, and personal alarm pagers; all offer high-tech alternatives or add-ons to the traditional alarm that make your car much harder to steal; and easier to recover.

If you are using a duplicate key that is not longer viable, you will need to have a new replacement car key made. If you have a traditional key this will be very easy to accomplish. However, if you have a transponder key or a keyless entry remote, then you should always remember to have the replacement key programmed.  It all boils down to programming your vehicle to work with your key.

The passive immobilizer system features an ignition key that has a microchip in it. The ignition requires that chip to turn itself on. Without the ignition key, it is therefore very difficult for a car thief to steal your vehicle. The system is becoming more common in recent years; and it has been proven to reduce theft rates. However, the system can add to the overall cost of a car. On the other hand, you can get a break in your car insurance rates thanks to the presence of an anti-theft device.