Heath Robinson school of vehicle security

[tracer.smart]

Those PH'ers with cars not fitted with the latest anti-theft satellite tracking with SWAT backup devices; do you have any manual fail-safe security measures to disable your motors that prevent the youff of today driving off in your P&J whilst unattended - maybe a removing a key connection or fuse?

[mikeg996]

Park another car in front of the garage, take the battery out of the garage opening device when on hols.

You might want to pop one of these on each window: www.stickergiant.com/page/sg/PROD/brs/rps8531c

[willdew]

I have a removable steering wheel. So when leaving the car overnight I remove the wheel and bring it in the house.

Also, I've been away this weekend, and left the car in the airport car park. I took the wheel off and put the locking pin back in it, which stops someone putting it back on without the key, and then put the wheel in the spare wheel compartment.

The boss that the wheel fits onto has 3 pins placed in non-equally spaced locations around the rim, meaning you'd need the right female boss to fit onto the hub. I don't know how many permutations there may be of places that the pins go, but it could be 1,000's. So a thief would need to be carrying a spare steering wheel and some way of fitting it onto the boss to be able to DRIVE the car away. And if they're that well prepared, I doubt anything would stop them. Or of course they'd brake-in and nick my keys and the steering wheel (which I keep in separate locations and not visible from the door or any windows).

Edited by willdew on Monday 12th March 13:42

[ukwill]

get a clifford blackjax fitted.

even if they get your car keys/alarm keyfob, the car wont go further than 1mile without then punching the 4 digit code in (2 square button keypad & very small, not numerical and out of sight).

the only annoying thing is that you yourself have to remember to punch the code in every time you start a journey. but you get used to that.

[rude-boy]

I would just go for the master cut off switch.

I do like the removable steering wheel idea and would go for that on a Caterham or similar but on a porsche i would say that was a tad overkill unlees it's a GT2 and you have had to move to Moss Side to pay for it...

[DucatiGary]

ukwill said:

get a clifford blackjax fitted.

but if the cars taken from your drive, and then cuts out (blackjax cuts in) at 90+mph on a country lane getting away from the scene, the people who took it know where you live and could pop round for a chat at a later date to discuss how you could of killed them.

[sleep envy]

DucatiGary said:

ukwill said:

get a clifford blackjax fitted.

but if the cars taken from your drive, and then cuts out (blackjax cuts in) at 90+mph on a country lane getting away from the scene, the people who took it know where you live and could pop round for a chat at a later date to discuss how you could of killed them.

sounds like if it does it's job, with a bit of luck, they won't be in any fit state to pop back for tea and tiffin

[willdew]

rude-boy said:

I do like the removable steering wheel idea and would go for that on a Caterham or similar but on a porsche i would say that was a tad overkill unlees it's a GT2 and you have had to move to Moss Side to pay for it...

Agreed. I wouldn't have done it myself - but as it was already there when I got the car it's useful. I do think that if someone can nick the car without a steering wheel then I'm not going to go to the sorts of lengths necessary to thwart them.

[ukwill]

DucatiGary said:

ukwill said:

get a clifford blackjax fitted.

but if the cars taken from your drive, and then cuts out (blackjax cuts in) at 90+mph on a country lane getting away from the scene, the people who took it know where you live and could pop round for a chat at a later date to discuss how you could of killed them.

imo people who are committed to stealing high-profile cars differ to those who steal mondeos etc. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that they use low-loaders to get cars away, rather than bother trying to get around alarms/immob's etc outside the poor sap's house.

if your car is nicked, i think 1 mile away is a pretty good distance between you and the oiks for you to call plod (who'll just give you a crime number and not bother showing anyway). if you slept through the whole thing then either you live in acres of grounds, or you aren't attuned to the sound of your exhaust being fired up.

personally I doubt they'd be back - too much hassle and all that. more easy to move on to the next house they've been casing than to potentially end up with a much more serious rap sheet than simple car theft.

I know I'd much rather get my car back from within a mile radius of where I left it, than hope to christ that the plod could find the car with the assistance of the amazingly efficient people at Tracker. Ymmv.

[sheepy]

My 928 has a very simple immobilser.......it simply refuses to start.

Unfortunately it does this regardless of whether you've gained access to the car legally or illegally

[Davi]

not a porsche I'm afraid, but on the topic I fitted my old Sand Rail with an airport hanger warning siren. If you didn't know how to dissable it, a couple of seconds after starting it would start winding itself up. After 3 or 4 seconds it was up to full chat and frankly, if you could stand to be within 100 yards of the car even WITH ear defenders, you deserved to keep it.

Someone tried to nick it, once. It was left, still running, about 50 yards away.

Edited by Davi on Monday 12th March 16:26

[tracer.smart]

ukwill said:

It wouldn't surprise me to find out that they use low-loaders to get cars away, rather than bother trying to get around alarms/immob's etc outside the poor sap's house.

You would think so - but, have a look at the following; Maserati being taken from right outside the owners house, reposted from the lambo/Fezza/Maser forum:

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=361338&f=63&h=0

Blackjax seems like a good option, but I'm looking for simpler, easier, zero-cost disabling actions that you can take on parking up that are over and above the alarm/immobiliser/Tracker and, had they been taken on the Maser, would have flumoxed the Youff enough to give up.

rude-boys master cut-off is closer to it. Davi's siren is straight out of a Heath Robinson illustration, but don't fancy attaching that to my Porker...

Edited by tracer.smart on Monday 12th March 17:04

[Brett928S2]

Hi

Easiest way...mount a toggle switch facing downwards ABOVE the brake pedal..

Connect the low tension wire that runs to the coil through it...

When you park....lift foot off brake and flick switch...even your passenger wont know...

If your car gets broken into..the car WILL turn over....it WILL even have ignition lights....even if they have the keys.....but it WILL NEVER START !!!

All the best Brett

[a993lad]

I reckon I can leave my Yamaha R1 parked most places with the engine running and be pretty sure no-one will jump on it and ride off.

It has no lever on the left hand bar. And the lever on the right bar is the clutch not the usual front brake. Pretty nasty surprise for anyone used to a normal bike.

[tracer.smart]

Toggle switch sounds good, but how about this battery isolator:

www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ProductDetail.asp?cls=ROAD&pcode=R/B1000.01

Fire hazzard, or nice idea - what do you think?

[peterperkins]

a993lad said:

It has no lever on the left hand bar. And the lever on the right bar is the clutch not the usual front brake. Pretty nasty surprise for anyone used to a normal bike.

Bloody great idea! Very difficult to master in 30 seconds!

[Brett928S2]

tracer.smart said:

Toggle switch sounds good, but how about this battery isolator:

www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ProductDetail.asp?cls=ROAD&pcode=R/B1000.01

Fire hazzard, or nice idea - what do you think?

Hi

Thats just a battery isolator switch...like rally cars have on the OUTSIDE of car in case they turn over in an accident..you would still have to turn it and unless your battery is in the drivers compartment with you will need a LOT of battery thickness cable to get it anywhere near you..great thing about the toggle switch...is NOBODY know what you are doing when you flick it with your foot....

All the best Brett