MAXIMA's have big problem...easy to steal????
 

ok, it's obvious that Toyota's are like the number one most stolen cars in the US and i guess acura's and honda's are very close to the count as well, but I never hear of anyone saying "my maxima got stolen" or anything of that sort. Atleast not as much as toyota's, honda's and acura's. Well, my friend told me that Maxima's are like one of the easiest cars to steal becuase of a problem they have with their back passanger door. Something about it, the factory alarm doesn't protect or something. He's like a mechanic, kind of person that knows what he's doing and luckily i have an extra alarm but it's kind of crappy and just thought that if you guys didn't know about this or didn't have an idea, from what I heard, maxima's are built to be borrowed. Am I the only one that heard about this????

This is the first I've heard of it.

Can you get you "mechanic-like" friend to be a little more specific about what the weakness is? I've never seen the Maxima listed as one of the top stolen cars by anyone. If it was so easy, you'd think it would happen just as often as the rest of the topp stolen cars.

What I'm saying is I think your friend made that up.

this is the latest FBI list I could find...

1-Toyota Camry
2-Honda Accord
3-Oldsmobile Cutlass
4-Honda Civic
5-Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
6-Chevrolet Full Size C/K pick-up
7-Toyota Corolla
8-Chevrolet Caprice
9-Ford Taurus
10-Ford F150 pick-up

Is it any coincidence that the most stolen cars are also the most common? Think about that one

DPW:arrow:

The Buffalo News print a story in mid February about the 10 most stolen cars in Western New York...

#1 - 1997 Nissan Maxima SE
#2 - 1997 Nissan Maxima GLE
#4 - 1998 Nissan Maxima GLE

They are common cars around here, and they get stolen a lot!

Well in Washington DC they are the number 10th car out of a list of 10.

he didn't say that they get stolen the most, he said that they are the easiest to steal...i'll get more info on how so though, but obviously, Nissan Maxima is not the most stolen...and for some reason, their are more owners now than ever....i remember when i first got my Maxima like 2 years ago, i wanted one because it was kind of big, kind of luxurious, and kind of sporty and NOT COMMON. Everyone had a honda and toyota. Nissan, especially maxima was so hot but i guess few could afford...now in my school, like 30% of all cars are nissan maxima's! Small number but there are over 100 different types of cars in my lot and every time i go up a loop, there's another, mostly 97-99's though

Re: MAXIMA's have big problem...easy to steal????
 

Lets pretend what your friend said is true. Big deal. IMHO a car thief is least concerned with a maxima OEM alarm.

Your friend is right, the stock alarm only works on the front doors and trunk, you need an aftermarket alarm for the other doors.
As for stolen? 7 of the top ten most stolen cars in NYC are Maximas.

yup, the thieves know there's a market out for those parts being very common cars...so think about that before you decide to go out and buy a camry or accord...but who would do that when they have a maxima?:D

i'm just going to be extremely anal and not park anywhere if i cant keep an eye on it :D
yeah but it kinda sucks :(

guys remember what i said about this same topic a while back, "could you please remove it so an unsuspected theif can be lurking around and spread this new information (maybe to them) about the security system"

;)

BTW, it is true about the system it doesnt not protect the rear behind the drivers doors. Stupid Nissan.

THAT IS VERY TRUE!

get that club thing for your brake pedals....i saw on the infomercial it is unstoppable

they can just cut your steering wheel you know...Do a little knight rider till they strip the car.

That cant help your insurance.

SuDZ

After having my Max stolen out of my apartment parking lot in January I've done some research into car theft. The '97 to '99 Max's are high on the list for being stolen on the East coast. They are easy to steal if all you have is a factory alarm. Thieves laugh at it. Without a motion sensor stealing it is easy and dosen't take a genius to figure out how.

An alarm is ONLY as good as the install. This has been covered in other posts. If the alarm is put where it is easy to get at they will kill the siren quickly. On our cars that would be under the dash, to the left of the steering column. Don't put it there. Bury it behind the stereo, above the glove box or maybe under the console. If they want to get at it there they can have the car.

A kill switch is very good idea. If you search you can find other peoples ideas and then come up with your own.

The Club (steering wheel) is only a weak obstacle for the thief. After I got my Max back I starting using the Autolock
here
and a couple weeks later a neighbor in my building had his Infinity stolen. Did the Autolock help? I don't know for sure but another neighbor with a '97 Camry is using the Autolock and his car hasn't been stolen either. I think it helps. But if they want it they will take it, the best thing you can do is make it hard for them to steal it. They do not like to waste time and do not like sirens going off.

Re: MAXIMA's have big problem...easy to steal????
 

I have a very good(expensive) aftermarket alarm, cutoff switch, multilock, the cap(goes over steering wheel so it can't be cut) with the club. I shaved off all my doorhandles and all my keyholes. IF THEY TAKE MY CAR THEY DESERVE IT. Insurance will just have to reimburse me.:shock:

it's not stupid nissan

it's cheap as* nissan :)

you know, the manufacturer alarm does come with a kill switch. But it works in the dumbest way. If you close yourself in your car, then press the top button on the manufacturer alarm, you can't start the car without either opening the door (which i think sets off the stock alarm) or unlocking car remotely...my aftermarket alarm also has a kill switch...

SOMEONE TRIED TO STEAL MY CAR back in May!!! They broke my back driver window in my f*cking job! Can you believe it, at the wiz parking lot...i'm wondering what the hell, don't customers see this? ever since, I park either in safe a$$ places or where i can see my car. Luckily, i had two kill switches and they didn't get away wit my car, just lost my cell (which was insured) and had a piece of my alarm dangling underneath my pedals...I was so mad but atleast I still have my baby :)

I'm going to get alarm this summer but this time, an alarm wit like a beeper function so i KNOW when my car is being broken into...what's the use of having a siren when you can't hear that sh*t, cause I couldn't hear mine when i was working......

why is this still here?

http://www.maximaforum.com/iB_html/n...icons/rotz.gif

good aftermarket
 

I have a question for you guys--after all this--does any one have a good recommedation for an aftermarket alarm with a cutoff?
I have a 97GLE which happens to be on the high list. :)
I only have the stock alarm and lately I have had it on the street and it frightens me to leave the baby out there.
Let me know what aftermarkets you guys are running and their cost?
thanks.

Re: MAXIMA's have big problem...easy to steal????
 

I can back this up. I have a friend that worked for chop shops in the past here in Chicago. the Max is very easy to steal. when i drove up to his house a few days after i bought it, he was lie "Great car, but watch this..." I had the car locked, he jimmied the back right door open, got into the driver's seat, carefully (for a change) took off the steering column cover and showed me the wires you need to cross to start it up.

Stealing a Max is a piece of cake and I'm sure I could do it if I wanted. Time to get one of those south-african flamethrower alarms.

Re: Re: MAXIMA's have big problem...easy to steal????
 

:eek:
Why can't car manufacturers introduce an inner metal flange to prevent unwanted unlocking of a door through the window channel???

But yeah, gtr_rider has a very good point. This thread should be deleted. If the person who started it deletes the message, do all following messages go too?

Re: Re: Re: MAXIMA's have big problem...easy to steal????
 

then cops and locksmiths and the FD can't do it.

there's another way
 

Well, then they'll just have to break a window. Everyone should have their own anti-lockout backup system. I keep an extra key on a separate key folder, aside from my car keys. And I have a key hidden/buried outside my house in a place that only I know of.

I'm going to see about having a metal flange installed on each door. I'll leave one small gap on one door in an unlikely position that only I'll know about, so if somehow my anti-lockout system fails I can avoid a broken window.

This thread should be deleted now...

Re: Re: Re: MAXIMA's have big problem...easy to steal????
 

If they introduced a metal flange then for some reason or another maybe if something happens to your car and you really need to get into it but you locked the keys inside you call a Highway patrolmen and they come and jimmy your lock open and your on your way. With a metal flange there there gonna have to smash your key hole(the cars) to get inside.

If the person that started this thread deletes it, yes of course the trailing posts will be trashed also into the world of nothingness. :D

Don't be so paraniod. Any alarm system can be defeated. Factory ones are easy because they are all the same. Afermarket ones can be really difficult if you are creative. Nothing said in this thread would help a would be thief they are light years ahead. Settle down and relax.

I agree. The %^&*$%#$ who stole my max were kids. They basically took it for a joy ride. What's been written here is much more of a benefit to max owners than to thieves.

Which models and years is this true on? I just tested all 4 doors being opened with the stock alarm armed in my 95 and it set the alarm off all 4 times. I don't see why they would arm just the 2 front ones and not the rears.

i think he means if you break the windows.

If you just break the front windows the stock system doesn't go off either I would be impressed if it has a glass break feature. . . It will only be set if the car is unlocked from inside by something other than the key or remote entry or if the trunk is forced open. While I am sure that people can steal everything without opening doors it makes it more difficult.

break glass
 

are there any usual cars out there (aside from the bmws or mercedes) that have a stock break glass feature? I think pretty much all the cars out there have something similar to what the maximas have.
you guys satisfied with your stock alarm? or did you upgraded?

I have a 95 GXE and it didnt go off when I did the back doors:confused:

The factory alarm goes off on the rear doors in my '97.

I've never tested mine, but I would definitely advise everyone to get an aftermarket alarm...no alarm is impossible to break but it will sure slow them down...my max would have been gone eyon's ago if i didn't have my aftermarket...they TRIED to steal my car, alarm and all hanging at bottom of my steering wheel, but luckily, it was too tricky or took too much time and they either were about to get caught or called it quits.....

So us poor saps with the 95's have probs? :bawling:

How did you get the windows down to try yours on your 95? Did you roll it down with the buttons on the remote? If so you diabled the alarm and it won't go off, same with if you set it and didn't wait 30 seconds. Did you make sure this was all done correctly because my 95 set it off fine.

setting it off
 

here is a question for you guys regaring what will set the alarm off.
You guys mentioned the back door windows--do you mean rolling it down or somehow getting a jimmy in there to set it off? from what has been said in this thread, it is pretty clear (correct me if I am wrong) that the breaking of the rear windows won't set it off?

Here is what happen when my alarm went off one time. I had the car on a lift as they were rotating the tire but I guess he jerked the lift a bit or stopped it very quickly and that set off my alarm...is that normal or it seems that there is no clear definition on what will set the alarm off in our cars.

As for another question, while the alarm is off--can our car still be started with a key or hotwired? (I am thinking yes, since we don't have the chip embedded in the key, right?)