Comments on: How to Avoid Car Theft

on 1/16/2007 Don't trust anybody, especially punk ass kids who drive to school. They don't give a **** about anybody except themselves, and have no problem breaking into a friendly mild tempered person's vehicle and jacking the stereo. In fact, this happened to my best friend recently and he is severely pissed, which altercates his mild temper. My whole point is that the world is out to get you, so carry a big stick or crowbar, or for that matter, a .357 mag, if things happen to get nasty.

on 9/10/2006 Case your parking lot and park smart, lock the steering wheel, curb tires hard left or right, adopt this habit. A car alarm and your own personal kill switch and different set locknuts for wheels. Remember, thieves steal what's fresh and popular in under 3 minutes. Bentley or Aston Martin owners are not worried about auto theft - they are protected.

on 2/16/2006 Connect one end of a wire with the negative terminal of the coil and earth the other end of the wire (by connecting with any nut on the car body). In between, install a switch. Place this switch at any convenient location. Flip the switch when leaving the car. It won't start.

on 11/22/2005 I personally make the car as hard to steal as possible when my car is in public (e.g. when I go to downtown LA; one of my friends had his truck stolen right before his eyes). It takes a while, but -
1. I have a customized car.
2. I have the time to unravel everything, but time is everything to a thief, and this'll take him many minutes to undo everything (I read that thieves would give up after 3 minutes).

Before you do this, find out where the locking point(s) of your steering wheel is; it's usually at a 45-90 degree angle to the right side, upside-down, or even every 45 degrees (in my '91 Buick). To find it, pull the steering to the mentioned angle and remove the key, then wiggle the steering around, repeating at a different angle if needed until you feel it "click and lock" into place. NOTE: If it takes effort to turn the keys, rock the steering from side to side (may need some force) until the key can be turned. Do not force the key itself. To start the "maze", turn your steering wheel to face the curb before you turn off the ignition, then set your parking brake (good practice to do even with auto transmission anyway. It's not a kickstand). Put a sunshade on the front window (even in indoor parking), then get out of the car, then tilt adjusting steering column as far down as it'll go. Then, move the seat forward and take the seat belt, pull it to the limit and loop it around the bottom of the steering wheel once, then buckle it up and tilt the seat forward. NOTE: If the seat belts don't reach far enough, ignore this step.

Another tip is to get a flashing LED to make your car look like you have a custom alarm (even if you have a stock alarm or none at all), or even go as far as to go to a dealership and get small decals of big-name alarms and place them near front door handles (e.g. Clifford, Python, CodeAlarm just to name a few). Usually they have a blue LED and are hard to defeat, while stock alarms can usually be disabled in seconds, so that's another thing that'll discourage some thieves.

on 11/22/2005 The Canadian Automobile Association has an interesting CAT Label program. If you don't normally travel between 1 - 5 AM and someone steals your car from your driveway, and a p[lice officer happens to see the CAT label in a non-residential zone, then the vehicle is treated as a suspect vehicle and the owner is advised.

I just found this over the WEB today. Hope it helps.

on 11/22/2005 If you leave your keys in your car and a thief takes the keys and not the car, pull the coil wire and take out the ignition fuse. This happened to me. As soon as I noticed my keys weren't in the ignition, I did this and stopped my car from being stolen.

on 11/22/2005 Use you Palm/Visor's infrared device to avoid car theft:
1.- Buy infra red switch that will have a unique frequency code.
2.- install a freeware program (there are many) on your PDA to activate/deactivate the switch.
3. Test you switch-PDA for functionallity.
4.- install the switch in series to the engine start-up relay.
5.- Use your PDA to enable/desable ypur car's start-up as desired.

on 11/22/2005 Keep duplicate copies of ALL papers on your vehicle (insurance, registration, inspections, and any work you had performed on your car - even oil changes!) Don't be a dummy and keep them in the glove compartment like I did when my car got stolen.

on 11/22/2005 Make your vehicle "stick out!" I've fake bugs on my grill, chain/lock on hood, cling-ons on windows, a stand-out paint job with homemade graphics!!Keep it messy & park with hood up to walls/in bushes & park in well-lit places. Use Club/xtra window locks.

on 11/22/2005 Thieves can bypass factory alarms, so add a second alarm with a kill switch. Also invest in a baby monitor. This way you can hear when someone has entered your car if, by chance, they do bypass the alarm system and/or club.

on 11/22/2005 Sears makes a battery that automatically shuts off when the car does. If you don't have the keys or the switch Sears makes, then you can't start the car.

on 11/22/2005 If you're planning on leaving your car for a while (like an airport parking lot while you take a trip), don't wash it for a week or two beforehand. Even better is to make sure you park underneath bird perches during that time.

on 11/22/2005 If you don't want anyone stealing your car, all you have to do is attempt to tint the windows yourself and stop halfway through. Or, hang a big ugly CD or clock from the mirror - this will say to a car thief, why waste the time!?

on 11/22/2005 Have your VIN number etched into all the windows on your vehicle. Thieves can't sell the vehicle without replacing the glass - too much trouble! Try windshield repair companies - in the Northern Virginia area: Dominion Windshield Repair Inc, 703-768-4026.

on 11/22/2005 Afraid thieves will override your immobiliser? Check your handbook for the fuse to the ignition circuits. Remove it when you leave the car. Also you can fit a dud in its place.
Might delay a thief looking for the fuses.