What do you do to prevent theft of your car?

[Hecker]

I'm working toward getting a 67 bug running & driving as a weekend
type car. The car is not a show piece, but clean & very sentimental.
I've had the car since '78 and it got stolen & stripped once in '81.
I put it back together & drove it until 86. It has been garaged since,
and I really don't want to put money in it, just to have some joker
take it away !! So, before I spend $1000 for repop BRM's or 5 spokes
and whatever else, I'd like to know -- what precautions do people
take these days to "keep" their cars. Thank you in advance for ideas.

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

I'm working toward getting a 67 bug running & driving as a weekend
type car. The car is not a show piece, but clean & very sentimental.
I've had the car since '78 and it got stolen & stripped once in '81.
I put it back together & drove it until 86. It has been garaged since,
and I really don't want to put money in it, just to have some joker
take it away !! So, before I spend $1000 for repop BRM's or 5 spokes
and whatever else, I'd like to know -- what precautions do people
take these days to "keep" their cars. Thank you in advance for ideas.

Well Ron Here in Texas We All Tote Guns and Shoot to Kill LOL

[Dave Rosique]

Hecker,
If your car has traditional point type ignition, you can install a simple kill switch to ground the points... I've installed many over the years with great success.

~DR.

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

I'd like to know -- what precautions do people
take these days to "keep" their cars. Thank you in advance for ideas.

Well In Today's World nothing is perfect Thief's today have ways to override anything, all you can do is Try to out smart them. A kill Switch,Battery Cutoff,Alarm system,Lo Jack,steering wheel to brake pedal lock,shifter lock,pop the rotor out of the dist when parked,the truth is  if a thief marks your car they will do what ever it takes to get it. the only sure fire method is sleep in the back seat with a 357  lol. or get a Big Mean F**king Dog...

[louisb]

In the Manx I am thinking of running a Berg locker. Not a cheap solution though. To bad CSP doesn't have a locker option.

--louis

[58vw]

rotweiler

[TexasTom]

Berg locker, lock the doors and take the keys out when you leave it.
Battery kill switch &/or ignition kill switch.


I have alternate transportation and don't take or leave my car out (very sentimental/family heirloom ... seriously).

[Rennsurfer]

What Dave Rosique posted is quite effective, tested, and true. Saved my orange '66 from "professional car thieves" back in '81. Friggin' rookies. HAHA!! As for my current car... there are many anti-theft devices installed and hidden. I sure ain't posting 'em here, however.

 

[danny gabbard]

Find somebody's X-wife that is hard to deal with and chain them in the car, They might take the car, But they will bring it back!

[Hecker]

Hey Fred == I don't need any super secret stuff .... I just want some opinions
on how to keep the car. I don't want to spend the money for lojack or any
expensive high tech alarm, I'm just curious . In the old days nothing was safe,
they took my baby out of the driveway in front of my house. Whenever I
parked and it wasn't in sight, I removed the coil wire, THE CLUB, etc. but
I know if somebody wants it, they're gonna get it !!! Nothing is 100 %....
I've seen cars being towed with alarms going, thugs driving away with nice
cars -- horns honking, etc.  I'm really trying to find out how big of a problem
this is today -- especially here in SO CAL !!! How about it locals We all
know how important it is to have nice things & keep 'em !!!  thanks Hecker

[Hecker]

Good one Danny --- but my ex-wife is no longer available.

[danny gabbard]

I thought you might like that hector, Somebody use to make a deal that you pumped up the brakes at it kept preasure to all four corners. My thought is if it does not roll its to big a pain to take, and the club locks are just a bottle of freon away from snakeing. and as far as kill switchs, all it takes ia a wire with two roach clips. One end on your license plate light and the other on your coil wire then turn lights on and just bump start the car and off you go. I would put a deck lid lock on the car. Just need to ask somebody from NORWALK CA.

[Rennsurfer]

You're absolutely right, HECKER. I've had mine stolen right from my front yard, as well. The orange car that you see in my signature, down below. Thankfully, they were dumb enough not to figure out where I hid the kill switch for the battery and the coil. Ended up finding the geniuses and got my EMPI five spoke spare back. Later, Dyno Don organized a huge petition to shut their shop down.

If your car must sit outside and you have no indoor storage, I highly recommend using chain or cable with a Discus lock and anchor the car to something solid like the ground or building structure. Like you posted, people that want it bad enough will simply tow it away. All of the other tricks are there to merely slow the rookies down. In a better society, car thieves would be vaporized upon any attempt at stealing another person's car. After a few examples were made, I'll bet that car theft would be a memory from the past.

Wishful thinking, I know... but I love cars. Can't help it.

Carry on.

[Dave Rosique]

Hey Fred == I don't need any super secret stuff .... I just want some opinions
on how to keep the car. I don't want to spend the money for lojack or any
expensive high tech alarm, I'm just curious . In the old days nothing was safe,
they took my baby out of the driveway in front of my house. Whenever I
parked and it wasn't in sight, I removed the coil wire, THE CLUB, etc. but
I know if somebody wants it, they're gonna get it !!! Nothing is 100 %....
I've seen cars being towed with alarms going, thugs driving away with nice
cars -- horns honking, etc.  I'm really trying to find out how big of a problem
this is today -- especially here in SO CAL !!! How about it locals We all
know how important it is to have nice things & keep 'em !!!  thanks Hecker

Look... what I suggested has saved many cars from the So. Cal. knuckleheads and I've sold this package to plenty of customers over the years:

Hide a waterproof toggle or pushbutton switch somewhere (get creative!) conceal a nice simple wire to the points side of the coil, buy a decklid lock and viola! a simple theft deterrant.
What I've found, the crooks will run the battery down cranking the car and give up when it doesn't start. You asked for something that works--this does.
I hate main body electrical feed kill switches for many reasons, much simpler to ground the points. If you do not have points, disregard this method.

There you go.

~DR.

[Bryan67]

Fortunately, here in Fresno there isn`t much of a theft problem regarding old VW`s anymore. But If I am worried about it I just pull the coil wire and lock the decklid.

[glenn]

I truly believe that there's not much you can do to stop someone who's determined to steal it.

A simple wire with alligator clips run from the B+ on the generator/alternator to the coil, a screwdriver to pop the vent window and a quick push and it's gone.

The late models have the advantage of the locking steering column and electric fuel pumps also complicate it.

But that won't stop a pro.

[Rennsurfer]

Look... what I suggested has saved many cars from the So. Cal. knuckleheads and I've sold this package to plenty of customers over the years:

Hide a waterproof toggle or pushbutton switch somewhere (get creative!) conceal a nice simple wire to the points side of the coil, buy a decklid lock and viola! a simple theft deterrant.

What I've found, the crooks will run the battery down cranking the car and give up when it doesn't start. You asked for something that works--this does.
I hate main body electrical feed kill switches for many reasons, much simpler to ground the points. If you do not have points, disregard this method.

There you go.

~DR.

Yes SIR! You nailed it, right there, Dave. (see bold print above, for anyone that's paying attention) That's exactly what saved my car from being taken away from me. A Sheriff woke me up, had my car's registration in his hand, asked me if I owned an orange '66, he gave me a ride around the corner, and he was so cool... helped me push my car back home. They ran down the battery trying to crank/start it.

Conclusion = I WIN. Thieves... not-so-much.

[stealth67vw]

.40 caliber Glock semi auto pistol
.25 caliber Raven semi auto pistol
7.62 x .54mm Mosin Nagant bolt action rifle (1937 NOS)
.22 caliber AMT Lightening semi auto rifle
7.62 x .39 caliber Iver Johnson Mini 30 semi auto paratrooper model rifle
12 gauge Beretta semi auto shot gun
9mm Beretta semi auto pistol
.22 Marlin bolt action rifle.
.38 caliber Derringer pistol
7mm Savage bolt action rifle


Trespassers will be shot.....survivors will be shot again.

[ugly duckling]

usaly when the car looks like mine bird dudey opinal theft isnt a problem. especialy when your best buds are in there home away from home buggy .incogneato is always my key to theft atleast for the stupid thives. UD .

[louisb]

lol, thats a great pic UD.

I used to know a guy who drove a 6 series BMW to the local pool hall. He would drape a 8+ foot boaconstrictor over the dash of the car and leave the windows open. Funny no one ever tried to steal it.

--louis

[mg]

A car parked on the street without a steering wheel presents a formidable challenge to a car thief.
http://www.tekniqauto.com/CDN/snapoff/SOFaq.htm

[Speed-Randy]

Flatten the tires

[javabug]

Mine is up on jackstands most of the time.   

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

Good one Danny --- but my ex-wife is no longer available.

LOL Ron maybe as a Mermaid??

[TexasTom]

I had to break into my own car once after stupidly lockong the keys inside ... real genius.

I simply pryed out the quarter window, reached in and there I was. Took about 1 minute, being careful not to scratch the paint ... and I didn't.
Hard to keep em out if they want in ... they'll just BREAK the window.

The Hella battery switches work nicely, never had a problem.
As Dave Rosique said, I use a ground switch for the mag, no problems ever there.

[Speed-Randy]

I don't see the theft ring for vw's like it used to be. I just finished a job in Santa Ana and a half a block up the street is a 56-59 ghia, runner driver, fair to good shape, parked on the street with the windows down 24/7. Now back in the day that would have been irresistable to a thief, I was on that job for over 6 months and it is still there, untouched.

[Whiterag]

Keep changing my mind on the wheels so also never comes off the axle stands

[Bruce]

When I did my paint job on my late car, I studied the door latch mechanism by the handle.  It was easy to see how theives could unlock the door by jambing a screwdriver under the handle and prying on it. (68+up)  So I fabbed up a piece of 3/8" thick steel to block this point of entry and welded it to the side impact beam in the late doors.
 
About 10 years later, I came out to my car and the door was all buggered up under the right handle, but it was still locked and everything inside was secure.  My ingenuity saved the car from being stolen.  Now you might think they were only gonna steal what was inside.  I don't think so because my buddy's Bug parked on the same street was stolen 3 days later!  My guess is that the theives came back for my car, ready to try something else.  When they didn't find my car, they took the nearest one.

For you guys with early cars, get yourself a 66 only hazzard light switch and install it in the factory location on the dash.  Then wire this switch to your electric fuel pump.  Pull the switch to run the car.  The good thing about this method is that the car will start and run, then die after a couple hundred meters.  For the owner, if you forget to pull the switch, the sputtering will remind you, and you will be able to get the fuel going before the engine dies.  Great for draining your carbs before you pull the engine too. 

[Rennsurfer]

Excellent post, Bruce.

[Fiatdude]

Forget Ex's -- you can have my current wife