Car Theft

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

I'm watching one of those "filler" local news stories about how easy it is to steal a car. They show a guy breaking into a Toyota pickup truck and then starting it and driving away in under 30 seconds.

What do YOU do to prevent your car from being stolen?

legion · 04-30-2007, 07:17 PM

I live in a nice city far away from city thugs.

cstreit · cstreit's Garage

First, I don't publish on the internet what I do to prevent my car from being stolen...

[threadkiller] Sorry [/threadkilller]

legion · 04-30-2007, 08:02 PM

So you would be unhappy if I were to reveal that you keep an ill-tempered midget with a Glock in your trunk?

Dan in Pasadena · Dan in Pasadena's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by legion
I live in a nice city far away from city thugs.

That's hilarious! Just ask how many 911's have been stolen in "nice cities". I'm VERY certain no one in your nice city does anything illegal, so of course you have only Barney Phife and his single bullet for a police force?

To the poster - there is only so much you CAN do. Consider trying for an agreed value insurance policy with a value enough to ACTUALLY cover getting a new car if yours is stolen.

Fuel cut out, alarm, The Club, take yor coil wire with you, park in sight,....like I said, there is only so much you can do so do it all and hope for the best.

cstreit · cstreit's Garage

Jeebus Chris, don't speak of him that way, you know he reads this forum!

Stanley · 04-30-2007, 08:07 PM

Kill switches, lots of them. Although, they weren't useful when some tweakers stole the catalytic converter on my 4Runner over the weekend.

fingpilot · 04-30-2007, 08:07 PM

Clear field of fire.

30.06

The first shot overhead usually accomplishes two things.

Scares off the felons. Notifies the police.

Have never had to do more than chamber the second round.

Steve Carlton · 04-30-2007, 08:10 PM

Nothing on the 914/6?

legion · 04-30-2007, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dan in Pasadena
That's hilarious! Just ask how many 911's have been stolen in "nice cities". I'm VERY certain no one in your nice city does anything illegal, so of course you have only Barney Phife and his single bullet for a police force?

Yes, that was a smartass response. Dailey has quietly encouraged the former residents of Cabrini Green and such to relocate to quiet, central Illinois communities.

dtw · 04-30-2007, 08:32 PM

Trunk Monkey.

rcecale · rcecale's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by dtw
Trunk Monkey.

'zactly!

Randy

rcecale · rcecale's Garage

Sorry for the hijack, but this one was just too funny not to post.

"Uh...I don't do probes..."

Randy

Joeaksa · 04-30-2007, 09:06 PM

Trunk monkey! Just what we all need!

My cars are parked in the garage and when not are disabled. The expensive ones are tracked by satellite...

RoninLB · 04-30-2007, 09:15 PM

One type of crook will plan to rob your car specifically.

Sometimes if they fail at the first attept it will become a challenge.. even if they have to fake you out in traffic to getting out of your car.

WolfeMacleod · 04-30-2007, 11:39 PM

I once had a car of mine broken into. They tried to steal it...apparently coulnd't get it going, as I found it 1/2 block down from where I left it, in the middle of the street, Stereo ripped out.

Got the car back in shape, and decided to get even. Rigged the driver's seat up to a gas canister. When a body sat it the seat, the gas released and knocked the driver out.
I found him passed out in my car one morning.

Message to STANLEY: Check with your local metal recyclers. Cat converter theft is a growing problem. They're being stolen to recyvce the precious metals inside.

RoninLB · 05-01-2007, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by WolfeMacleod

, Stereo ripped out.

way back in the day when they were stealing 8-track tape machines some would go to this shop to have the 8-track just about permanently installed in their dash. This girl had about so many attempts that she stopped locking the doors. One day she came out and the whole dash to her mustang was ripped out.

CJFusco · CJFusco's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by WolfeMacleod
I once had a car of mine broken into. They tried to steal it...apparently coulnd't get it going, as I found it 1/2 block down from where I left it, in the middle of the street, Stereo ripped out.

Got the car back in shape, and decided to get even. Rigged the driver's seat up to a gas canister. When a body sat it the seat, the gas released and knocked the driver out.
I found him passed out in my car one morning.

Are you serious? That is freaking amazing. I am guessing you pressed charges? Or you just beat the crap out of him?

Quote:

Originally posted by WolfeMacleod
My cars are parked in the garage and when not are disabled. The expensive ones are tracked by satellite...

Sometimes being parked in the garage isn't enough. A well-known NJ gentleman from Rennlist, with whom I had the pleasure of meeting randomly at a gas station one day, had (I think) two Ferraris, a Range Rover, and a very, very modded serious horsepower 951. ONe day he goes out to the garage and only the 951 is gone. Turns up a couple weeks later in a Boston chop shop.

Tracking by satelite is a good idea.

notfarnow · 06:43 AM

Of all the vehicles I've driven & owned, I've only had one attempted theft... on my suzuki samurai of all things.

Funny thing is that I lost the keys about 9 months ago, and wired a hidden switch to start it. The ignition switch itself is not connected to anything... the perp just gave up when he couldn't figure it out

Good trick for a kill switch:
Put a switch to send the power from the fuel pump to the horn. Bad enough if the vehile won't start, even worse if the horn goes off

A step further:
Instead of sending the power directly to the horn, run it through a relay, but loop the "switched" + back into the + switch feed.

That way, when the horn gets power, it also sends + back to the relay to keep it ON. Put a hidden rest button to break the "loop".

Very effective for ~$20

Stanley · 05-01-2007, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by WolfeMacleod

Message to STANLEY: Check with your local metal recyclers. Cat converter theft is a growing problem. They're being stolen to recyvce the precious metals inside.

Its a really big problem here in the Sacramento region. They are being stolen all over the place. Tons of scrap yards around here too. It would take me days to go to all of them. People have tried to get the cops involved but there is nothing they can do unless someone actually catches the thieves in the act of a crime.

Lucky for me they caught some guys about 15 miles away in a stolen car with a trunk full of cats around the same time mine was stolen. I'm still waiting to hear back from the officer on that.

It's very discouraging because you can have every type of security system known to man on your truck and they can still take the cat.