At the risk of this being seen as another daft question, when I reported our Cavalier stolen, the lady at the police vehicle centre asked what kind of steering wheel lock we had fitted. When I said it was a bar type, she said the best type were the round ones which go all the way over the steering wheel, and she had not had a vehicle reported stolen with one of those fitted.
Taking all the previous caveats as read (don't leave keys where a thief can get them etc), what experience have others had with these? Any injuries/accidents caused by one shooting out from under the seat following sudden braking?
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Sue,
Bet you're wondering if Guy's going to get you again!!
Not a daft question as many folks use these locks as an actual or visual deterrent.
What the Police are on about is that some bar types can be removed by a strong bloke with the knack in seconds. With the stronger ones it is easy to saw through the steering wheel itself and pop the undamaged lock off.
Hence the round type that encloses the wheel completely means that they are forced to attack the lock. Might make them move onto the next car down the line.
David
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It's early, I haven't been to the pub and Sue and I have "made-up" via e-mail even though we can't remember exactly what it was I wrote - me due to alcohol and Sue due to being too late and Martyn being too efficient.
I think I was a little slow with the (now banned) asterisks!
Anyway, Sue, mate(!), these steering locks of various descriptions can cost a fair bit of dough so I would go for a decent, professionally fitted 3-circuit immobiliser. A simple, yet Thatcham approved type would be circa £80-100 fitted and certified and the best I've seen is a Clifford Virtual Key for around £150. I have always had Meta immobilisers fitted to my Golfs and have never had any problems.
ANY steering lock can be removed if the thief has time on his hands or is built like a brick out-house but a professionally fitted and insurance approved immobiliser may cost around the same but be more effective.
Best Regards,
Guy
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We don't leave anything visible in the car, but this didn't stop our Cavalier from being stolen twice in two years, with three other attempts over the same period (broken window, top of door bent with crowbar, lock being destroyed - they'd have got it that time if our neighbours hadn't scared them off). All this with an audible (factory fitted) alarm and a visible steering lock. We work in inner-city Bristol where people expect crime, but these things always happened outside our house, which is supposed to be safer.
Hence my questions: Cavalier now written off, so when we replace it security has to be considered. I won't pretend to understand the technicalities of the answers above - does Guy make more sense drunk? - and if my husband doesn't either we'll just talk to the garage about suitable immobilisers - once we have wheels to immobilise again! We're sure we want something visible to deter the 'chancers': I've gone from a T-bar (cheap, and it broke) to a long bendy one with a little flashing light (stolen!) so the economics of an immobiliser look reasonable!
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I have to agree with Guy here.
I have an Cat I fitted (combined alarm and immobiliser) and dont use a steering lock (unless I'm in Liverpool). The flashing light and small stickers in the window will be more of a deterrant to a "professional" thief than a cheap lock, having said that a steering lock will usually put off the chancers.
If they want to steal your car, there's not much you can really do about it. To avoid the misery of a break in, never leave anything on show in the car, this includes plastic bags, coats, 24 cans of beer etc.
Regards
Jonathan
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Jonathan wrote:
"..... and dont use a steering lock (unless I'm in Liverpool). "
LOL!!!
What were you doing in Liverpool, visiting your hub caps ?
WVM
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I work very near there.
Jonathan
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Sue,
The best thing is to move house away from Saint Pauls and not be on a late night route home from clubs, pubs, crack houses etc.
Bill
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Bill Doodson wrote:
> The best thing is to move house away from Saint Pauls and not
> be on a late night route home from clubs, pubs, crack houses
> etc.
We don't live in St Pauls, we work there, and as I've said have never had any trouble with the car there! There are no clubs where we live, nor crack houses that I'm aware of: the neighbours wouldn't like it. Pub also seems perfectly respectable. Late night route home from same? Not a major one to or from anywhere. Lots of bored juveniles though!
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Little Proton has a Cat 1 alarm AND I use a Halford's round steering wheel lock, everwhere. At least the riff-raff are going to have trouble - OK, so they may just smash in revenge (while the forces of law and order are concentrated against motorists and terrorists, in that precedence!) but what more can one do?
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As a new police officer I happen to have just done the module on TWOC and security devices where brought up. We didnt get told what type of steering lock to use but I had heard that the round ones were better. The question of it sliding out from a seat is realy common sense nothing goes under the drivers seat of whatever size or weight the worst example I have come across so far is a mobie phone on heavy braking sliding forwars and preventing the clutch pedal from being depressed. so be carefull personally my stering lock it in the pasenger footwell as far forward as possible so it cant slide.
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I saw a car recently with a sticker on the back telling the thieves where the keys were hidden. Underneath the huge alsatian on the back seat!
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Thought it was illegal to leave dogs on their own in parked cars?
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My dad had a potato roll underneath his [thankfully] accelerator pedal, if it had either of the other two, it could have been a bit more than a mashed spud. By the way, we have no idea how it got there, anyone else had this phenomenom [o dear late at night, long word to spell]
Kev
P.S i would use a steering wheel lock, as it should hopefully stop people breaking in to steal the car, how many of them can read 'immobiliser fitted'?
Have any of you heard that talking one? 'This car is fitted with an alarm, please step back'? Or rubbish like that? What a stupid idea, i get the feeling more people would attack it due to being highly irritating.
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I'm afraid on the subject of the "clever alarms" that will envelope the car in a radar bubble - I had one! It didn't say anything but barked a bit like a dog whenever anyone looked too closely at the car.
Yes it did annoy the hell out of the neighbours. One said that if it barked again it would be on bricks the next day and a more polite neighbour left a note on the windscreen along the lines of;
"During the night we have heard chirps and barking noises and they seem to be coming from your car. We have a young child and if it is your car making these noises then please stop it."
I tuned the radar bubble to prevent any inadvertant barking and my car, parked in a side street near a railway station each night for 4 years - was never touched. I never used a stoplock or other device.
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I have always thought that a simple anti theft device was to break the live feed to the fuel pump with a switch which is hidden somewhere maybe under the dash.
I once heard that devising some ironwork and a padlock to bolt the gear lever in reverse gear was a good anti theft device but I've never tried it.
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Bob, Sue, et al,
I discovered a cheap, effective immobiliser system from HJ's Sat. Letters column - it's the Interceptor unit which breaks the main feed to the fuel pump and/or ignition system when the ignition is turned off. To disarm it you have to touch a secret earthing point in the car's interior when you switch the ignition back on. More info from Enterprise ( Europe ) Ltd 0126 763268.
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Most very recent cars seem to have some sort of immobiliser fitted as standard - and mentioned on window stickers. So is it really still adviseable to fit a wheel lock? Belt and braces I suppose?
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Kev's reply, a few back:
Kev wrote:
> P.S i would use a steering wheel lock, as it should hopefully
> stop people breaking in to steal the car, how many of them
> can read 'immobiliser fitted'?
I think I'm with him on this one!
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My missus has just got a great big silver disklock (to match the interior of her new car).
It's enough of a hassle to put it on and take it off when you've got the key! I can't see it being easily defeated and should stop the airbag being pinched.
I think a rigged up switch that stops starting but allows cranking is best on old cars - thief will just think it's hard to start!
Piers
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Piers,
I agree with you about a DIY immobiliser. On an early/mid nineties diesel there are only the starter/glowplug/stop solenoid feeds to choose from as an anti-start measure.
Even if you have a £400 high tech immob fitted all it will do is isolate one/more of these. An extra switch in the car somewhere that just cuts the feed to one/more of these will do exactly the same.
If you get an original switch from the scrapyard with a logo that looks like it does something else (foglamps?) and fit it in a spare switch position it will not be spotted in the rush of an attempted theft.
Did this with our old BX and it was so effective even the good lady used to forget which switch it was now and again.
David
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My only comment is the paltry discount you get from the insurance company when you actually fit a decent alarm. Why shell out a few hundred pounds on a Thatcham Cat 1 alarm when it's only going to save you 5% off your premium?
Andy
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Dave, I agree with your fake switch idea, used it on several cars I owned in the past. The only problem was the calls from buyers after a sale complaining the car wouldn't start!
Colin
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I see details of the Interceptor has been given in this tread. Having read about it in HJ books and recieved a discount from the club, I purchase one for my petrol system some years ago, going into the electrical side if the Injection System. Then one when I converted to Dual Fuel last year, into the electrical system of the Gas System. This I hope also gives me a fail safe system.
The Interceptor relys on two hidden touch contacts with a minute current through the body to make contact. One is earthed through the car shell the other insulated direct to the Interceptor. Selecting these hidden points is very inspiring. Just remember to take off both your gloves in the winter. I paid £35 each and am very satisfied. Just ring them up and get the details.
Brian Hosker
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