MOLINE, Illinois — Custom Whips and Car Audio in Moline is showcasing its car security system in the wake of the recent TikTok trend that shows people how to steal certain Kia and Hyundai models.
Manager Ryan Perales told News 8 that the product has become more popular recently — the company has sold about three dozen of them in the last two months.
"It's going to notify you on your remote [key] or your phone [and] let you know that somebody's tampering with your vehicle," Perales told News 8's Collin Riviello. "This is just something that's new for the Quad Cities that they're getting to know. So we're just trying to offer this to help prevent all [the car thefts]."
According to the Moline Police Department, 179 cars were stolen in the city last year. Although not nearly every car stolen was a Hyundai or Kia, several of the police reports show several instances of keys still being in the ignition at the time of the theft — an issue not even an aftermarket security system can help with.
"That's just asking for someone to steal your vehicle," Perales said.
But he adds that some Compustar kits have features that may deter thieves from going near your vehicle, like a visible blinking LED light.
"The LED blinks. And it just lets you know that there's a system in there that's going to not start the vehicle. So anybody that is going to steal the vehicle, they at least get to see that."
The Compustar kits also feature 7-tone alarms, tilt/bump and window glass-breaking sensors, automatic ignition cut-off switches and more. According to Perales, kits range from $399 to $899, but he said it's a small price to pay compared to a new car.
To learn more about Custom Whips and Car Audio, click/tap here.
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