YACT: best theft deterrence locking device?

[Maximus96]

the wife's car was stolen in front out our house last night during the evening. she had her alarm on in her 97 Civic but it was still stolen. we heard the honk go off for no more than 2 seconds, thought it was somebody accidently setting off their alarm, and paid no attention to it. later into the night i went outside and found it missing. shes got full coverage from 21th century. a cop came to write the report and recommended a club to lock the wheel. is that the best one to get?

also, does anybody know how 21th century deals with car theft?

thanks

 

[backinsac]

You should have got an alarm system which kills the ignition switch when it goes off. Perhaps that would have helped, or maybe not. If someone wants the car bad enough, they will get it.

 

[K1052]

UA 571-C Remote Sentry Weapon System

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: backinsac
You should have got an alarm system which kills the ignition switch when it goes off. Perhaps that would have helped, or maybe not. If someone wants the car bad enough, they will get it.

her alarm does have starter kill.

 

[Stark]

you don't have a garage?

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: Stark
you don't have a garage?

not enough to fit 3 cars, so hers parked outside.

 

[KEV1N]

Unfortunately Civics are very easy and popular to steal. Your car was obviously stolen by a pro so you couldn't have done much. Maybe look into a less popular car with that insurance money?

 

[djheater]

Trunk monkey.

 

[KEV1N]

Oh also I should add my old roommate's 95 Civic got the stereo taken out of it twice from our driveway. We installed motion detection floodlights above the garage and on the side of the house as a theft deterrent. You should definitely do something similar. Since then we've had our cars scoped out (hand prints in the morning from obvious wiping of dew in the middle of the night) but nothing taken. We'd like to think that the power of the sun triggered by their motion scared them off.

 

[flot]

Agree that if the horn went off for 2 secs, probably not a lot you can do. You can deter punk kids from breaking into your car, but if they REALLY want it, they'll get it.

I think the most amusing suggestion I've seen posted here is to get one of those things you hook up to a garden hose to keep birds away. As I understand it, it is a simple electronic motion sensor, (like in a floodlight) and when it detects motion, it turns a rotating sprinkler head on and effectively soaks the area.

At least you'll piss the guy off as he's stealing your car.

PS: I have a jeep wrangler and someone finally came up with a good solution for those - in a jeep the front seats slide forward until they are only about 5" from the steering wheel - so passengers can get in the back. Well, someone made a club-like locking system - that attaches to the seat mechanism. So you can get out, flip your seat forward, and lock the seat so that it is impossible for someone to drive away. Pretty clever.

 

[Maximus96]

so whats the general consensus on the club? is that a good device to make it harder to steal. i know that it they saw the steering wheel the club would come right off, but that would take longer than what the theft had plan and may encourage him to move on to the next, easeir car to steal.

 

[BDawg]

Originally posted by: zaku

her alarm does have starter kill.

Did...did have a starter kill.

 

[cremator]

44 mag and a keen sense of hearing

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: zaku
so whats the general consensus on the club? is that a good device to make it harder to steal. i know that it they saw the steering wheel the club would come right off, but that would take longer than what the theft had plan and may encourage him to move on to the next, easeir car to steal.

It's a Civic, there IS no easier car to steal from what I'm told. At least, not a desireable car that's easy to steal.

Your best bet is just not to get a Civic if you don't want it to get stolen. Barring that, I'd say one of those devices that locks the pedals together would probably be more effective than the Club. And, install a kill switch...get clever with it, and they'll NEVER be able to figure it out. Don't just run wires from the ignition to the switch, make the ignition look normal and run wires from under the hood. Have the switch do something like cut the fuel injectors, so the car will still crank but never start without the switch.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: zaku
so whats the general consensus on the club? is that a good device to make it harder to steal. i know that it they saw the steering wheel the club would come right off, but that would take longer than what the theft had plan and may encourage him to move on to the next, easeir car to steal.

My aunt's old Accord had the club and it still got stolen.

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: BDawg

Originally posted by: zaku

her alarm does have starter kill.

Did...did have a starter kill.

right. her alarm was pretty sh!tty tho, i don't even recognize the brand. shes had her car before we got married so i don't know too much about it. i didn't think it had starter kill but she said it did. anyways, we were thinking of getting her a Murano when her civic dies, maybe we can use the insurance money as a downpayment.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: zaku

Originally posted by: backinsac
You should have got an alarm system which kills the ignition switch when it goes off. Perhaps that would have helped, or maybe not. If someone wants the car bad enough, they will get it.

her alarm does have starter kill.

I'm betting that you didn't have a battery backup for the alarm. What I'm guessing happened is that they slim-jim'ed into the car, quickly popped the hood, and disconnected the car battery. Wait a few seconds, reconnect it, and the alarm is reset and OFF. If you ever get the car back (and you probably will, but thrashed and stripped, sorry ), I'm pretty sure I know how they started it, and that the steering column will need replacement (this happened to me in a 98 Acura). Thankfully, I had battery backup, and a hidden full pump shut-off and ignition/ECU kill switch, and they didn't get the car, but I did have to replace the steering column.

Starter kill does not protect against manual transmission cars -- they can still be push-started.

Even the best, most expensive alarm system in the world is only as good as the install. If the installer followed the manufacturer's instructions exactly, or did a sloppy install, then the alarm can still be disabled or bypassed. The ideal install is complete stealth. Also, you should never give your alarm (or car stereo) installer your home address (or the address of where the vehicle is parked).

No alarm is perfectly theft-proof -- the car can always be towed (for example).

The best method that I know of to actually keep a car from being stolen is to have a secret, hidden fuel pump cut-off switch installed. Contact a local alarm installer to see if they will do one.


edit: the Club is joke.

 

[DaWhim]

lesson 1: you don't buy a car that every ricer has. they know every single part of the car. alarm is pretty useless to them.

 

[jammur21]

The club is easy to beat. All they do is take a hacksaw to the steering wheel rim, and slide it off. Obviously they can't do it in two seconds like they stole your car, but its not a guarantee against theft of a civic. On the plus side, a club would at least hinder airbag theft.

 

[Maximus96]

how about the autolock? it is suppose to lock onto the brake or clutch pedal. it seems like the autolock makes it impossible to put the car in gear.

 

[TechnoKid]

There is a device out there that can snap a club in half in a matter of seconds, screw sawing. I will try and find a link later, its in a law enforcement equipment catalog I have.

 

[NutBucket]

21st century will give you fair market value for the car; ie the cost to actually replace it based on the market price of the car in your area.

<-- Satisfied 21st Century Customer.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: zaku
how about the autolock? it is suppose to lock onto the brake or clutch pedal. it seems like the autolock makes it impossible to put the car in gear.

I've always wondered about those as well.

 

[BuckNaked]

Lock 'n Load...

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: NutBucket
21st century will give you fair market value for the car; ie the cost to actually replace it based on the market price of the car in your area.

<-- Satisfied 21st Century Customer.

fair market value as in buying from a dealer, or private party?