"I thought with a GPS unit being installed in just about every vehicle manufactured in the last 10 or so years.
Almost any car, truck, or SUV could be found by the authorities just by entering the VIN in a special database. The ability is there but they rarely use it for the general public."
GPS is often totally misunderstood. Unless a car has a nav system built into it--and that's still a minority of cars--there is no "GPS" built into it. And when there is a nav system, that's a GPS receiver, it is totally incapable of transmitting anything or being tracked in any way.
Now, if the car has a built-in cellular car phone...oh, wait, those are obsolete. So unless it is a model with OnStar or another telematics system that is ACTIVE (usually means a paid subscription) and connected to a cellular system...there's no "GPS" or way to track the average car that way. Except in the movies.
LoJack is similarly grossly misunderstood. It is basically a passive system, a (normal) LoJack equipped vehicle doesn't do squat except LISTEN for commands. Once a user manually calls into the LoJack system and says "My car isn't where I left it" the system operators send out a command, just like the Sirius/XM activation commands, that says "LoJack Unit number 783683 (whatever) please turn on your beacon." And they keep repeating that signal, for a limited time in a limited area.
IF the vehicle is able to receive that signal, it starts sending out the data pulses that are used to track it. If the thieves were pros, they parked it in a metal shed or a cargo cube (Newark NJ and the Port of Los Angeles are infamous) and it is radio shielded and already heading out of the country. Making LoJack useless.
After some years of this, LoJack added an optional 'active' system, which doubles the purchase price. If the active system is installed, the owner gets a special key fob, and if the car moves, or is started, without the fob being present, it starts to send out alarm messages. That's still a rare system. Last time I checked, LoJack also charged a whopping fee if you wanted to do a test transmission every month, or six months, to check that your system was working. All in all?
Once the cellular tracking/alarm systems came out, LoJack had very little reason to exist, except for the legacy users who didn't know something better was out there. It may be harder to jam LoJack, but that's a whole other ball of wax. I wouldn't expect a lot of activity on it.
