If your car is old and low in value, it’s not worth spending a fortune on an electronic immobilizer or alarm system. But don’t assume that thieves won’t give it a second glance — unprotected old cars are favourite targets. Fit a mechanical immobilizer to make it as hard and time-consuming as possible for the thief to drive your car away.
Most of these devices are made of hacksaw-resistant metal with a heavy lock to prevent use of one or more of the car’s controls. You can fit them yourself and transfer them from car to car, because they are universal in design. They should be highly visual, because the first line of defence is to force the potential crook to look elsewhere for easier pickings. None of these devices can protect your car from a determined thief — the most they will do is slow him down. And they can’t protect the car from vandals or smash-and-grab raids on the contents. So if you’ve got an expensive car or if you have to leave valuable items in the car, only use a mechanical immobilizer in conjunction with a more sophisticated alarm or immobilizer.
Steering wheel clamps to prevent the wheel being rotated more than a few degrees
Steering wheel to pedal locks, to prevent the clutch and/or brake pedal from operating
Gear lever and gear-to-handbrake locks, to prevent movement of the gear lever. (If your car has a gear lever which can be unscrewed, a thief can easily bypass this.)
It’s all to easy when you’re in a hurry to forget to lock all the doors, especially when you’re carrying passengers and need to ensure that their doors are locked as well. With central locking, the only door you need to remember to lock is the driver’s door, because then all the other doors will be locked automatically. Many new cars come with central locking as standard, but if yours is not equipped there are kits available for most makes and models. These kits can operate two or four doors — and on some cars the boot or hatch, too.
When buying a kit or a car fitted with central locking, check with the dealer that in the event of a serious collision the locks will pop open so that rescuers can get you out of the car. In some countries this is a legal requirement.
Deadlocks
Deadlocks (or ‘double locks’) are the most effective form of lock. Whereas ordinary locks can be opened by smashing a window and using the interior control, or by using a coathanger or special tool to tamper with the lock mechanism, deadlocks cannot be opened from inside or outside without the key. This means that the prospective car thief would have to climb in through a broken window, making him very conspicuous.
Most deadlocks have a normal position and a high-security position. When leaving the car unattended you should always use the high-security position (which means giving the key an extra turn) to ensure that your car is protected. If you have to leave children locked in the car while you run a quick errand, use the normal locking position so that rescuers can free them in case of an emergency.
Locking wheel nuts
Alloy wheels are expensive and an easy target for thieves, so fit lockable wheel nuts or bolts to prevent them from being stolen. These usually come in sets of four — one per wheel — and you can fit them yourself. Always carry the key in case you have a puncture.
Locking fuel cap
Fit a locking fuel cap to prevent thieves from siphoning your petrol/diesel, or from filling up when the tank runs dry. The cap should take a different key to the doors and ignition, because otherwise thieves can steal the cap and use it to make a copy of your car keys.
Use a stout chain padlocked from the steering wheel to the clutch pedal, preventing the clutch from being depressed.
Leave the minimum amount of fuel in the car, so if it gets stolen it can’t be driven far. A valve on the fuel line which can be closed to prevent fuel entering the carburettor is probably more effective. This can be discreetly hidden under the bonnet.
Remove the HT lead. This is a push fit lead which clips in between the coil and the distributor.
On older cars the rotor arm can be removed. Unclip the distributor and lift out the rotor arm.
On some models it is possible to remove the gear lever by unscrewing it.
Some people have even removed the steering wheel when parking their car.
If you do remove any component, to save carrying it around, lock it in the boot. You are less likely to lose it or misplace it if you do this. Hide it away so even the most determined of car thieves will not detect it. In the boot lid there are channels that can be used for this purpose.
If the manufacturer hasn’t already done so, have the registration number or VIN (see panel below) etched on to all glass surfaces — windscreen, sunroof, wing mirrors, lights and windows. This will deter thieves who ‘ring’ stolen cars, because instead of simply changing the number plates to give it a new identity they will have to replace all the marked glass — an expensive process.
Some insurance companies will security-etch your windows for free. Alternatively, you can buy a do-it-yourself kit from an accessory shop or consult your local Crime Prevention Officer for a list of garages and specialists who provide the service.
Of course, security etching won’t deter joy riders or thieves who smash a side window to steal your radio. You can make life more difficult for these opportunists by having the side windows covered with a transparent laminated polyester film. This sticks to the inside of the window and prevents the glass from breaking when struck with a brick or other blunt instrument. It will also mean that in the event of an accident the glass will craze rather than showering you with sharp fragments. You will still be able to escape through the window, if necessary, by pushing the whole window out.
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Every car has its own VIN displayed in the engine compartment. A new innovation, at the moment restricted to luxury cars, is to have the VIN printed on lots of tiny microdots the size of a pin head and scattered throughout the car during manufacture. By examining the car with a special detector it is possible to check that the VIN microdots tally with the number displayed in the engine compartment. Since luxury cars have the greatest risk of being ‘ringed’, these microdot VINs are a feature worth having.
This is a scheme operated by some police forces (so far, mostly in urban areas). It works like this: few people make a habit of driving in the middle of the night (except shiftworkers, who may seldom use their cars in the middle of the day), so the local police will fit stickers to the front and rear windows of the car advertising the hours when it is unlikely to be in use. When a police officer sees a car with a nighttime sticker being driven between 12.30–5.30 a.m. (or 10 a.m.–4.30