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1. jego_misia
   Member Profile

   

   We are currently considering our options since I have a very popularly stolen car... Any ideas folks? We are looking into a kill switch, but are not sure if this will be effective enough. Any input is appreciated :)

   Posted 10 months ago #         

2. chrisma
   Member Profile

   

   @jego_misia: Having had 2 cars stolen in Seattle, I've come up with a simple effective theft prevention method that doesn't require modifying your vehicle. However, I'm hesitant to explain it in a public forum, because thieves have internet too.

   If you want to email me, I'd be happy to share it with you (just click my username link).

   Posted 10 months ago #         

3. JimmyG
   Member Profile

   

   The Club.

   My Acura Integra ( a high theft car) has been left alone for years when many others of this model have been stolen and stripped.

   Posted 10 months ago #         

4. rockergirl5678
   Member Profile

   http://www.sngi.org/products/club.php

   We also purchased a club after an attempted break in of our honda - broke window and alarm went off and scared them away but still good to have more than one deterrent.

   Seattle Neighborhood Group teams up with the Seattle Police Department to offer The Club® vehicle anti-theft device to Seattle residents at reduced cost.
   The Club®; is easy to use, and provides a great deterrent against auto theft. Seattle vehicle theft has declined dramatically in the last few years, but it is still a high volume crime that affects theft victims in a direct and costly way.
   We offer The Club® in two sizes, one for automobiles and another for trucks and SUVs.
   This offer is limited to Washington addresses.
   The cost per device is $20.00 for the regular size, and $25.00 for the SUV size.

   Posted 10 months ago #         

5. Gina
   Member Profile

   

   Not everyone has one, but if you do have one--The garage.

   Those teeny attached to the house garages work great if the old push up door is replaced with automatic door opener--gives more room, too.

   I live on a block where every house has a garage, some have double and triple garages. And the majority of vehicles are parked on the street! I'm sure it is vital to protect those empty cardboard boxes and old matresses that I see filling the garages.

   Posted 10 months ago #         

6. MargL
   Member Profile

   After having our '89 Honda Civic stolen and stripped years ago the SPD suggested The Club to deter any future thefts. We put it on our '92 Honda Civic and only had the car broken into a couple times, but that could have been when we accidentally left the door unlocked.

   Posted 10 months ago #         

7. kmweiner
   Member Profile

   Ditto for the CLUB (the best they have). I also have a Lo-Jack monitoring system and I am reasonably sure it is not needed--that the Club is all the deterant needed.

   Posted 10 months ago #         

8. cjboffoli
   Member Profile

   

   Haven't any of you Club advocates seen those videos where the auto thief defeats The Club (usually with some kind of hacksaw) in about 35 seconds? Sure, it might deter the local teen gang member. But from everything I've heard, for a professional thief The Club is a joke.

   I can't imagine that there is a better theft deterrent than an engine immobilizer (kill switch). If they can't start the car they can't drive it away.

   Posted 10 months ago #         

9. chrisma
   Member Profile

   

   I saw one of those videos years ago, and it's why I never bothered investing in a Club.

   And just to clarify, the thieves use the hacksaw on the steering wheel, not the Club. If the car is headed for a chop shop anyway, they aren't going to think twice about cutting the steering wheel.

   I was fortunate to get my cars back both times they were stolen, and the first time the perps even got caught and arrested. However, it was an incredibly frustrating experience that I don't want to repeat.

   Immobilizing the car is the ticket and it's nice if you can spring for a professional system to do it. My cars were never worth enough to warrant the expense, so I found other ways.

   Posted 10 months ago #         

10. cjboffoli
    Member Profile

    

    chrisma: Exactly! The Club itself is fortified. But the steering wheel is often what the driver bangs into in a crash so automakers tend to make it out of softer materials.

    Posted 10 months ago #         

11. Bostonman
    Member Profile

    If you can remember each night you can disconnect the positive battery cable on the battery. Most thieves won't bother to look under the hood. That being said you won't stop most professional car thieves no matter what

    Posted 10 months ago #         

12. chrisma
    Member Profile

    

    Bostonman: if your battery cables are anything like mine, it would be a real hassle to disconnect on a regular basis. And if you have a German car, good luck even finding the battery. One BMW I looked at had it under the back seat accessible (barely) from the trunk.

    Aside from the hassle, it's also very easy to detect and defeat. As soon as the thief is in the vehicle is will be obvious there is no power (no dings, no interior light, not even a click from the ignition) - a dead giveaway, and probably less than 30 seconds to defeat, even for an amateur. Also, forget your clock or radio preset settings - those will be gone every time you disconnect.

    On older cars, a more reliable method was pulling a couple of spark plug wires. The car turns over but is quite unlikely to start or run, and if it does it's not going to sound pretty with 2 cylinders not firing. If the car happens to be within earshot, you've got a poor man's alarm. And, unless the thief has some spare wires on hand, the car won't be going anywhere.

    Unfortunately, on newer cars, the spark wires are often integrated in the the distributor assembly and can't be completely removed. Pulling them off the plugs would achieve the same effect, and again, if the car is within earshot, I think it unlikely that a would-be thief is going to take the time to troubleshoot once they've turned the engine over a couple of times and haven't gotten it started. But, not effective solution for a remote location where the thief would have a few minutes to check under the hood.

    Posted 10 months ago #         

13. Bostonman
    Member Profile

    Good point. I guess another option I think is they make a club like objoect that goes under the brake. The club will stop most of your average car thieves.

    Posted 10 months ago #         

14. jego_misia
    Member Profile

    

    I started using chrisma's method, I can sleep soundly at night :) my hubby still suggests a kill switch, I think I will do that too just to humor him.

    Posted 10 months ago #         

15. chrisma
    Member Profile

    

    A kill switch is certainly more convenient.

    Glad you're sleeping better, jego_misia.

    Posted 10 months ago #         

16. KatieK
    Member Profile

    We are going to get really bright sensor lights. If nothing else, at lease next time we'll be able to get a description of the individuals who are terrorizing our block.

    Posted 10 months ago #         

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