Tuesday 5th June 2001

Keys Unlock New Wave of Car Crime

Thieves break into houses to get car keys

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[Markus_Warren]

This is horrifying. I''m an impreza turbo owner and I''ve heard many stories from friends of exactly this happening them, the theives watch them, break in, threaten them, then take the keys and drive off. What can you do? If you stand up to them then you''ll end up dead, and if you harm one of them then you will be the one who ends up in in court on an assult charge. Ok, so one could hide the keys, but if the scum have a shotgun to your head it tends to make you give them the keys. no matter how nice a car, I''d rather protect my family and myself and give them the keys and let them have the car, tis only a bit of metal after all, flesh and blood is not so easily replaced or repaired.

[graham]

I bet the b~*~stard insurance companies try and wriggle out of paying up if this happens too... cos the car was stolen with the keys...

[Graham and Rosie]

If that's the case then the best bet is to set light to it as the thieving b@stards are driving off, then claim on the fire part of the insurance - it has the added bonus of dealing with the tea leaves as well..... ================ Graham and Rosie

[jimbo]

One of the guys on the British Cars Lotus BBS had his Elise nicked in this way a couple of weeks ago. They broke into his house while his girlfriend was asleep upstairs found his keys and took his car. Makes you wonder what they would have done if they hadn't found the keys. I have got my Garage belled up with a radio transmitter to the house alarm system, so if they try to get in the house or the garage all hell breaks loose. Jim

[AndrewD]

My keys are guarded by a Ridgeback and a Doberman. They don't tend to like strangers in the house.

[sparks]

quote:My keys are guarded by a Ridgeback and a Doberman. They don't tend to like strangers in the house.

Are you sure it's a ridgeback and not a small donkey? Sparks

[AndrewD]

I'll tell her you said that!

[john robson]

Likewise I can also vouch for tracker and similar devices, it certainly makes them easier to find, even when they are hidden in garages. Just on the subject of tracker, a few months back I picked up an activation, so as usual asked what I should be looking for. Back came the reply "a central heating boiler" anyway turn out that a particular estate was having problems with them going missing, needless to say I found it along with 6 other stolen boilers. Pretty versatile thing is tracker. P.S just a thought maybe you should all canvass your MP's and suggest that we insert a tracker into all convicted car thieves that way we would know where they are, only joking it would have the do gooders up in arms for infringing their human rights. Edited by john robson on Monday 11th June 01:59

[Jonathan T]

Most trackers have an immobiliser (well, my does) so on my car I now have two immobilisers; must be harder than one.

[Don]

I have just paid a mint to have Tracker installed in my new car. Good to hear that the good guys reckon it works! I hope I never need to use it....

[bosshog]

On the subject of trackers. I remember reading in EVO that a friend of one of the writers had his skyliner nicked and it had a tracker fittered. The problem was though that as it's passive the police actually have to physically go out and 'track' the signal. This happened in London, and it was reported that the police basically where far to busy (in London at least) to go hunting around for individual cases and hence his car was never recovered. How much truth is there to this, it it really a case of a bit of luck afterwards as well? I understand that the GPS sytems therefore are much better. BTW does anyone know of an systems that work for Europe (as I'm in France at the mo.)? It seems that its only the UK which has these systems.

[Don]

bosshog. Yup. I looked at the Tracker options and got the one with GPS (its called 'Horizon'). Obviously you need the one where the Tracker people call the cops and tell them where your stolen car is... This is the most expensive Tracker system but it seemed the most likely to actually work to me. All Trackers broadcast a signal to follow, but the better ones are wired like an alarm as well and the best uses GPS to let Tracker know where it is... Unfortunately it doesn't work in mainland Europe .

[Nightmare]

one thing I would say with regards to hiding keys is that it strikes me as quite likely that if the keys are hard to find the thieves may well leave...rather than then commit some form of violence against a householder in order to get them. I may be wrong, but there is a world of difference to most criminals (IME) between stealing a car and threatening someone with a weapon in order to get it. Tracker is obviously they best thing here, but I dont think everyone should instantly panic too much. A cheaper option (if you have a very secure garage and good immob already) would maybe make your house security a little better? (he says without a clue of how much this would actually cost) my vehicles are protected by 1) good immob / alarm / alrmed and locked garage 2) A 22 foot golden Burmese Python (who is actually very well mannered but bloody huge and scary for the uninformed ) 3) The 'Big Red Machine' - who look out for everything I own. Stealing one of my vehicles could be a rather unfortunate move...... but as was said earlier...in the long run its only metal and plastic...can always be replaced Night

[mags]

I also have a thing called Blackjax on my clifford alarm developed for traffic light thefts, If someone threatens you at gun point, get out the car, let them drive off, and 30 seconds after touching the brake pedal, the car shuts down with the alarm going off. It a bit of a pain enetering a code *every* time you open the door with the engine running, but it could be worth it.

[mrtony]

Night, I am now imagining your garage is guarded by Maxamillion (from the black hole...)

[sparks]

Re securing your house. I have just had a basic alarm fitted, with 5 PIR (including one in the integrated garage)and a door contact for ~£650. If the garage is not attached, a basic stand-alone house alarm is about £400 fitted (1 contact, 2 PIR). I'm sure you can get this cheaper. Sparks