Ok... recently there seems to be a bunch of car theft going on. I don't know about you, but having my car broken into is a sick enough feeling. I'm afraid that if some one took my car, I might hurt them bad if I find him/her. So I am trying to figure out ways of making the car more theft proof. I am not talking about breakin proof, but theft proof.

Yes if they want it bad enough, they will get it, but why make it easy on them? Every little thing counts.

In my CRX, the way the car is right now, I could easily take my ECU out of the car with me where ever I go. No ECU, no start. I've also thought about taking certain fuses out... Other things include a well installed alarm, the Club, removal of valuable stuff, and ??? (ideas?) I am thinking about installing a hood lock somehow. I think having a backup alarm with backup battery is a good idea...

Now let's talk about LoJack. I think I want to get two intalled... one on each car. A friend of mine had his GSR recovered within a day I think after he reported his car stolen. not much damager actually... probably joy riders. I think it's a good investment... Sure if they look hard enough they will find it. I mean if they want it bad enough and are real pros, they will get it... but like I said every bit counts.

So what other ideas do you guys/gals have? I am thinking removable steering wheel too.. hrmm...

-Shing

 

There's that clumsy looking thing that locks the brake pedal down. It looks a notch better than the "Club", which is only a 5 second speedbump to a determined thief.

I think it's called the Autolock?

Sort of related to your post: the life-long goal of reaching a state where you don't have an emotional attachment to your production car, but that's a tough one...

 

Of the large rotwieler in teh back seat ... muwhahahaha.. nah really.. lowjack isn't a bad idea.. but still gives the theieves enough time to pull any parts they want.. yeah you may get it back.. but it may be stripped.. I figure either way the best prevention is still good insurance and full documentation/reciepts for everything on/in the car... theres no replacement for it.. I know they make battery "kill switches" that you just turn on/off when you need... Also... You are more looking for theft prevention rather than car jack prevention... so why not get the "wheel boot".. that will make the car immobile.. yeah its heavy.. yeah its a ***** but hey.. can't steal the car can they??.. Just don't park it somewhere where they can strip it at ease without being seen... I dunno.. like you said.. if they REALLY want it.. they can get it..
Also might look into a car jack sort of device that allows them to drive it a few blocks then kills the car (as if the car is a POS and simply died on them.. the hopes are that they will then just abandon it where it breaks down).. I dunno just my thoughts...

 

Never going to happen. I am very attached to my CRX. The Maxima yes, but not nearly as much. And really know it's not about being attached to the car... you very much feel violated when they break into your car. It's ****ing annoying really.

Although anyone can cut through the club, that's 5 extra seconds they have to be in that location.

Oh I've see that stuff you are talking about... is this the one where it props itself against the floor board and like the gas or brake peddle?

-Shing

 

There is a 'better club' that is put out by the Lawman Security company or something like that. They have an annoying infomercial that I saw recently. The product seems decent though...it attaches to the brake pedal instead of the wheel and prevents the brake pedal from moving by locking between it and the floor. I think it was about $150-180.

Lojack is very expensive and only helps you get the car back, not prevent it from being stolen in the first place. Plus you need to make sure that the police in the area(s) you park your car use the receiver. I would think this money is better spent on an aftermarket alarm.

Theft protection is one reason I prefer the 'sleeper' look for my car. Since my car doesn't really look any different than a stock Max, the probability of it being stolen is the same as stock. Right now, even the stero is plain vanilla.

Jim

 

Yes - the infomercial looked interesting, but I couldn't really tell how sturdy the thing is. I mean they did shoot it with a gun and show "real" car theives throwing up their arms in disgust, but we all know there is a certain BS factor to those kinds of commercials.

The concept is a good one, though.

 

...that's not a REAL singing bass?

 

ok well it depends on how much of the wiring you want to get into...there's a few ideas..maybe far fetch but probably effective:
1. LED..nice and bright ones..sometimes the morons don't know if there's an alarm on it until the window is broken
2. starter kill with a stock switch. i think i mentioned this b4 but you can basically wire up the starter that you have to push this button..(any button on the left side of the dash) and turn the key with your right hand at the same time to start the car.
3. take out the coil wire..(pain in the butt..but if it's that bad (thefts)..maybe a good idea)
4. they sell containers of smoke that clouds up the entire car so you can't see. supposely odorless and safe..just really cloudy.
5. if you have a good stereo system...wire alarm to play through the stock speakers..(IE pioneer/premier DFS system)...very loud screeching noise in the interior will hurt someone's ears.
6. make sure EVERYTHING is loomed in something and very very well hidden and taped up.
7. get some sheet metal and bolt it to the bottom part of the dash...behind the stock panel. so it's a extra step (armor) when they pull the panel and tries to get to the ignition or alarm.
8. tazers...something that'll give the thief a shock when they touch it...not high voltage..but a static shock to it.
9. i think someone said this..but go get a boot that they use when they ticket your car or something..it's a big *** orange boot with a lock on it that covers one of your wheels..imagine having that dragging down the block while you drive...makes towing and flatbedding the car difficult w/o noise.
10. definitely hood lock(s). that'll keep them busy for a while trying to undo the lock.
11. hide the alarm siren or put in a spot that's hard to reach.
12. lights...strobes highbeams and etc flashing while the alarm on attracts a lot of attention.
13. use solonoids to open the doors. instead of using door handles use auto door openers like they have on shaved handle cars.

that's all i can think of...some of the stuff are kinda hardcore but if you want to see the car when you get out...good idea to do some of it.
also if you plan on doing this stuff at a shop make sure they don't know where u live.
good luck
Dan

 

That floor club thing looks like it might work, but how visible is it? I mean if some guys breaks into your car and then sees that thing, he might not be able to steal your car but then he's going to be pissed and he'll take everything in your car and probably just break things to teach you a lesson. The club does suck, but it's visible and may help deter someone to try another car. If someone wants your car their going to get it!
My advice is: Don't leave stuff out in plain view, get a basic alarm (insurance companies give discounts - at least mine does), and keep receipts for everything. You can get any theft deterent gimic, but it doesn't stop someone from breaking into your car and stealing your stereo and anything else in there.
My two cents.

Bryan
1997 SE - Not stock anymore.

 

way to keep my car from getting stolen was a well placed and hidden kill switch for the ignition. I had 3 different times my car was almost stolen, and it saved me. Just have to think of a place that most people wouldn't think of. Only cost me about 5 bucks.

 

No it's not a real fish! I got one for my birthday and its made of rubbah! It does sing 'Take Me To The River' but I like the Talking Heads version better.

Jim

 

1)Hood lock with a cable or a locking device on the cable release handle so they cant pop your hood to kill the alarm siren.

2) Get a pager for your alarm.

3) get a 140db siren, i think JC Whitney dells them.

4) FUN FUN FUN Super glue razor blades near any parts that a thief will need to get to to steel your car or contents, ie. by the hood lock, on the radio body or stereo components, on the relay for the ignition kill switch, on the alarm body, etc... but be carefull and only do this if you are the only person to work on or use the car.

5)As mentioned by Whitemax, ignition kill switch!

 

Clifford Avantgard IV. It is an expensive alarm but it is the best I have tried out and expiernced by far. I wouldn't want to let the crooks get off with my car with LoJack. Don't allow the crooks to get very far with this alarm. You could hand them your keys, start walking after your car when they bail b/c it will shut down extremely fast. This alarm makes good use of wireless technology in that there are no wires that can be cut and the siren has a back up battery hidden within the car.

[Edited by jgadlage on 09-06-2000 at 02:38 PM]

 

more effective. Ask yourself this Q - After the thief breaks in, what the first thing he'll go after to disable or quiet the alarm ? Battery and sirens are under the hood.

Also, if you're going to install a brand new alarm, install it under the seat. It will slow the thief down considering he has to pull up or cut into the carpet to get to the alarm wires.

 

I can understand other states where you can't protect material things with deadly force. But in Texas, you can loose your life for it. I mean, you have to be crazy to risk your life for a $300 radio. In Virginia, thieves have nothing to worry about. The worest you get is petty theft, which equals to 6 days in jail. Not much of a punishment. Worth it for a $300 radio. I don't understand these law makers. A car is probably the second most expensive material possession you have besides a house. Why can't you protect it with deadly force. I guess they figure if you love you car so much, you should park the damn thing in the garage. You shouldn't drive it anywhere where you might park the car for more than 15 mins.

 

You may have heard of this type of product, but I hadn't before I got my car. The dealer that I got my Max from was having cars stolen off his lot, so he installed this thing called "Predator" on his cars and it solved the problem (so he said). I have this little shark fin looking transmitter on my key chain that I have to use to activate the Predator before I can start my car. I don't know all the technical info on how the thing works, but the dealer told me there's no way to start the car without activating the Predator. He said short of putting the car on a flatbed and towing it away, no one is going to steal it. Anyways, I'm not aware of anyone ever trying to steal my car, but hopefully the thing works the way they say it will should the situation arise. Visually, all it is is a red LED under the dash to the right of the steering column. When you activate it, the light starts blinking and you have 30 seconds or something like that to start the car. Now the dealer may have been jerking me around and this thing may be beatable for a car thief. If it is, I don't want to know about it ;-), it kind of makes me feel good that I have it. I'm not sure if Predator is a brand name or what. I guess I can dig through my glove compartment for the docs on it if you want more info.

 

keep in mind the alarm (security device) is as good as the install itself. if the wires are right there then you prob save the theif some time by letting him know what wires to cut and etc.. so make sure the install is neat and clean.
Dan

 

To be honest with you, I would not install Lo-jack on the Maxima. For a car like Maxima, once it's stolen, you get more from insurance then the car is worth, which is a great thing. That's why Eric M's sig used to say he thanks whoever stole his Max
Another example, if I remember right, Robert with the S4, before he got his S4 his Max was totaled, insurance paid ~$22k for his Max('97 not fully loaded), I only get $18k for selling my '98 fully loaded.

So screw the Lo-jack, theft is the only way to get out of the crappy reasle value bs. Plus, you really don't want your car back after being abused.

 

My CRX has built in theft protection! You should trade me cars, then you'll have no worries.

If you don't want your car stolen, what's the point of LoJack? You'll bet it back, but who knows in what shape. I'd rather just put a LoJack sticker on it and save me the money Now, if I really didn't want my car stolen, I'd make it so they can't get near it. Park it on wood, and charge up the whole body. Not lethal voltages, just enough to knock them down for a few minutes. If they can't get near it, they can't steal it.

Or course, you could get a bit more drastic. I had an idea to create a campus community cart service, where we'd have golf carts all over campus and you could drive them to class and then leave them there for someone else. The problem of how to keep them from getting stolen came up. Someone suggested to have them die when they were driven off campus, but I figure then people could just tow them away. So my idea was to have them explode when driven off campus. I figure we might lose 1 cart, but after that people would learn...

 

I have locks for 4gen cars !! The lock covers the ignition switch so it cannot be tampered with . Its visibly so no one will breakin thinking they they can take your car (like a cut off switch)
The locks are $60 + shipping,if interested link me at ryz5sl@aol.com
I am in the nyc area but i will sell to everyone !!

 

Someone else already mentioned this,anyone got one?
I talked to a guy who sells them for 600 canadian dollars (400 us) installed.. pages up to 1/4 mile away, has auto start and a really cool remote. Don't remember the brand.
I saw an article years back on an alpine one hooked up to pager that calls you worldwide, not sure why you'de want that other than to torture yourself............"my cars being broken in and there's nothing I can do about it cause I'm on another continent."
Also with pager thing..probly if u run up to/yell at the guy breakin into your car, he'll run.....but then again....maybe he'll shoot or stab yah...no thanks. As much as I like my car, I value my life more. (Guess you could always have your own gun...hmmmm)
Josh

 

I don't think I would want lojack, even if they do find the car the theives could have taken all they wanted from the car and you'd be left with a stripped car...I wouldn't want to see my Max that way, it was hard enough seeing her with a broken window. I do like the idea that ryz has about the column lock and I am seriously considering it, but how much of a pain is it to put on...if it's a big pain I don't see myself putting it on all the time. I like those paging alarms too, but I don't want to spend $500+ (or at least I can't afford to spend that much). I don't like the club because i've heard of people intentionally stealing cars with those just to prove that a person can steal it. I like the idea of the hood locks, or the tazer...I want one for my house too..the ignition kill switch is one i would like to know more about.

 

Lojack is for theft recovery... maybe not the max, but for my crx, I'd like to get it back. I car about the car's frame... if they trash the motor, I'll swap it.

chad: I think those ideas, the block and charge is not feasible in the real world. I can't drive to Best buy and spend 15 minutes jacking up the car etc.

My initial thought in posting was trying to figure out ways to make it harder for the thefts so they would'nt actually drive the car away. I think I will take my ECU and get a detachable steering wheel... that may help some...

-shing

 

The lock is easy to use . My wife puts it on all the time with no troubles .Where are you located?I would give you a demo!

 

i got that AutoLock thing. works great. but it scratches up your clutch pedal. :P

but if the guy is gonna steal your car, he's gonna steal it. alarms don't do jack. Lo Jack. big deal. they're strip it down and stick that GPS receiver to the carcass.

i like the Diehard battery with the voltage shut off remote.
or you can get those flame throwers from South Africa and install it under the max..

Personally, i just want to protect my car from punk kids.
the pro theives, if they want it that bad, they're gonna take it reguardless.. either through a tow truck or whatever..

they need to make have those systems used by cops in those sting operations, when they have the car shut off automatically and the doors locked from inside... then have an audio recording like "in five seconds you're gonna die" or something, then spew some sleeping gas, pretending it's like poison and scare the living bejezzus out of em.
hahah
that would be cool.

 

once more thing.
i highly recommend that Lawman Autolock clutch lock thingie.
once it's on. you can't depress the clutch to start it, or shift out of gear..

the only thing that scares me is, if you have a can of Frion and use it on the latch. and then use a sledge hammer.. $1 billon buckaroos says it'll crack like a toothpick when hit..

mostly the club and the autolock are deterants.. u know. why spend half an hour trying to steal my car, when they can spend 5 minutes stealing a rustang or honduh. haha.


the auto lock looks funky, but i use it with my club, and when i get my racing seats in, i'll recline that forward and put a bike lock thru the harness holes and strap the seat to the steering wheel..

 

 

I think the Clifford alarm where you call a number and
the next time the car comes to a complete stop the engine shuts off is pretty cool

 

Unplug battery before you leave?

 

Bored?

 

I believe he was trying to indicate that this was a good thread to read.

Stereodude

 

Just remove the fuel pump fuse or put a hidden toggle switch in line with it. Simple to do and there's no way the car will move without it.

 

And I agree, that's why I bumped it to the top.

 

Viper has something called CarComm which allows you yo start and shut off your car by phone. It only works with certain Viper alarms (e.g. 550 LF).

 

like Texas, Lo-jack is a good thing.

In places like NYC, the pro theives will take about 10 seconds to circumvent whatever alarm/starter kill you have, drive the car 20 minutes to a chop shop in the Bronx or Yonkers and have the car chopped in less than 2 hours. By this time you've realized that you car has been taken, you call the cops to activate the Lo-jack and within an hour they'll find you car...or what's left of it...basically just the part of the frame that the transmitter was bolted to.

The autolock will slow a thief down, possibly frustrate an amateur enough to make him/her quit, but if they want it bad enough, they'll take it.

I just wish we had that ability to protect our belongings the way Texans can. This way, I'd get one of those beeper attached alarms and sleep with a USP-40 next to my pillow.

 

How well does NVIS (the chip in the key that enables the starter) work? I have it, but haven't really thought about it that much.

 

Anyone can obtain a complete collection. I know of repo guys who have every chip key known to the automotive industry. Dude, there are catalogs spread around that sell these.

 

But it would deter a non-pro from stealing the car...correct?

 

It's so hard to think of things that would keep people from getting into the car.. that's why I think besides the look factor, shaving my door handles off could help prevent theft.

I have thought about paying a huge chunk of money and getting bulletproof windows installed, they are thicker and stronger than the windshield, and you cant get into the car through the windshield.. it would be nice to have that feeling with all the windows as well..

I'm installing two LED's as soon as the car comes back from the shop in very visible places..


When it comes down to it, unless you take some DRASTIC measures, a theif will get what they want from your car no matter what.