Grenadier keys and security

[stickshifter]

In my 1978 rag-top CJ-7 I had a fully mechanical kill switch that had a key and lock very similar to the old kryptonite bike-locks. No electronics, and it was mounted under the dash. Worked great. 

 

[@nd]

I've been using one of these   and one of these in the Landy  not exactly stare of the art, it just is another thing to make a thief look els ware.

 

[emax]

Agree with hidden kill-switches. But it lies in the nature of such switches, that they have to be individual solutions - otherwise they aren't any more hidden. Thus, only a DIY solutions makes sense.

 

[emax]

[QUOTE username=Paachi userid=8372535 postid=1332752035]Another dumb ass thing to cripple the vehicle if a sensor or antenna goes kaput.[/QUOTE]

Many German words are today part of the Egnlish language (as well as vice versa), be it Rucksack or Kindergarden. I didn't however know that 'kaput' is one of them.

But if you want to put strong emphasis on something being broken, you better write 'kaputt'.  ?

 

[emax]

[QUOTE username=ADVAW8S userid=8452459 postid=1332752043]I don't steal cars for a living [/QUOTE]

Well,  apparently. Because with a hacksaw you would starve.

The steel of a good steering wheel lock simply cannot be cracked with a hacksaw. Similar to wrenches, it is made of hardened chrome-molybdenum steel where the 'deep cooling' method simply doesn't work. Try sawing a wrench. No chance.

However, you should keep your hands off cheap solutions. You can hardly get a good one for less than 150€ .

Only a battery driven angle grinder could do the job, but even then you'd maybe need more than one grinding wheel as this type of steel is really tough and resistant. But as everything, even that is of course not insurmountable.

The goal is to make a theft difficult, time consuming, noisy and noticeable. Such like an man angle-grinding something in a car ...

 

[rovie]

@@nd

I met a Defender driver from England. He had exactly these steel boxes mounted around the pedals. In addition, an easily removable steering wheel by means of a bayonet lock. I found that super and it is worth considering.

 

[Paachi]

[QUOTE username=emax userid=8900646 postid=1332752827]

Many German words are today part of the Egnlish language (as well as vice versa), be it Rucksack or Kindergarden. I didn't however know that 'kaput' is one of them.

But if you want to put strong emphasis on something being broken, you better write 'kaputt'. 

[/QUOTE]

Haha I spent some time working in the blighty and eu. So words creep into the vocab. 

 

[crimson]

How effective are GPS vehicle trackers?

Obviously preventing theft in the first place is number 1 priority, but wouldn't timely recovery of a stolen vehicle be second?

 

[emax]

They work quite well and react instantly - if GSM is available.

The problem is how to set up the device: An SMS upon any move? Upon motor-start? Within a geographic range?

Whatever you configure, you'll get either too little or too much SMS. And depending on your tariff that might cost some dollars. 

Some trackers offer a gateway so you can just follow the car on a map. But this usually costs a monthly or annual fee. As a theft-protection it were a good choice to set the maximum message triggers possible and to arm the tracker if you leave the car and disarm it if you start it. This needs a hidden power switch for the device, or, if it has a bluetooth interface or the like, a functioning mobile device.

With a bluetooth or wlan interface, it is easy to detect for thieves, however.

A good GPS signal reception is key, but within a metal frame might be difficult to achieve. So you need to select carefully where to place it.

 

[@nd]

 Hi rovie a removable wheel is a brilliant deterrent. The Defender has no electrics in the steering wheel so is easy to remove, the Grenadier has wheel mounted controls/air bag etc so probably not possible. 
I will put a tracker into my Greny if and when it arrives.

 

[renli3d]

[QUOTE username=emax userid=8900646 postid=1332751133]Just put a solid steering wheel lock on your Grenadier. This is a real showstopper for thieves.[/QUOTE]

i had one on my truck and the thieves cut through the steering wheel...

 

[Arkaig]

[QUOTE username=renli3d userid=8965523 postid=1332755611]

i had one on my truck and the thieves cut through the steering wheel...[/QUOTE]

?????

 

[emax]

Through the steering wheel?

 

[DaveB]

Criminals are stupid and lazy. 
The idea is to make somebody else's car look easier to steal. 
Below are comments from a major car insurance company
   

 

[Shaky]

[QUOTE username=emax userid=8900646 postid=1332755765]Through the steering wheel?[/QUOTE]

Yep straight through the wheel with a battery cutter. They then slide the bar type locks straight of the wheel by pulling the two cut ends apart. That has been about for years that technique. In relation to trackers the commercial ones are very good but if you don’t pay the annual fee they will turn it off. They can turn them back on instantly but they won’t do it in the vast majority of cases if your car has already been nicked or the will make you pay more money beforehand. I have used a tracker called STREETWIZE which is very good and very small. Works with a cheap SIM card and has a battery that lasts about 6 days or can be wired in directly to the car for permanent use.  You decide where you want to put it and you can text the device and it will message you back with a Google map location. As long as it has a signal. You can also set it up so you can just look on a live map and watch it move live time. The beauty of these things is you decide where it goes not a company who will put them in set locations and all the criminals know where they are. Generally high value cars are dropped off after stealing them and left in a street or flats car park for a few days to see if there is a tracker on them. If it’s still there after a few days they come back and take the car to their chop shop or bat cave. what they don’t want is the cops knocking on the door of their hide out half hour after they knicked it because there is a live tracker attached. Be aware that car criminals also use these and will stick them to your vehicle in a car park and then track you home. They recover the device when they attend your home address in the early hours of the morning and also relieve you of your car at the same time. ? 

 

[Shaky]

[QUOTE username=DaveB userid=8923052 postid=1332755790]Criminals are stupid and lazy. 
The idea is to make somebody else's car look easier to steal. 
Below are comments from a major car insurance company
  [/QUOTE]

There are a couple missing from there, the fishing type offence where the owner keeps their keys in the hallway by the front door and they push a rod with a powerful magnet attached and pull the keys through the letter box.

In addition if you have a high value or very desirable car they will just kick your front door through and be standing next to you whilst your in bed with a weapon threatening you until you give them your keys (uk). Can’t say that happens in the USA as they are more likely to run into a homeowner with more guns than the local sheriffs department ? 

That report quite rightly points out that most car thefts now happen at home, unless they just lift the whole car onto a low loader. You would be surprised how often that happens in plain sight and no one takes any notice, the initial thought of a passer by is……oh look that expensive car has broken down ahahahaha.cc c

 

[@nd]

In reality if a thief wants your car they will find a a way to take it! All you as the legal owner can do is protect it as much as possible and make it as hard  for a  thief in the first place.
Car jacking is a(not so common) problem with high value cars, that is when a tracker is most useful either to find the vehicle or immobilise it.
Our old neighbour had two cars lifted off her drive, three blokes and a low loader in less than a minute it was gone, our CCTV filmed it all, the lorry had no number plates and the men all wore hoodies so was useless.

 

[Pat-Ard]

https://youtu.be/LBY34iV0xaM

Maybe this ?
Just kiddin...

 

[Tazzieman]

Fortunately I don't have to worry about crime like that.But suggest you put a fake tarantula on the dash. So many people are terrified of spiders. Even thieves have their neuroses.

 

[rovie]

Why not dismantle the tires and carry them with you at all times, guys? ?