Someone tried to steal my car

[Rakhsh]

Hi everyone,

Honestly, I never expected anyone to try to steal my car. Just look at the thread I have about everything on this car, it is still beaten up and old, the coilovers I installed on it cost more than the car is worth. Why would anyone try to steal it is beyond me, but my neighbour told me today he saw some people messing with it about 2 weeks ago.

What can I install on it to make it significantly harder to steal? Anyone know of any good steering wheel locks, trackers, immobilisers, alarms or anything else I can reasonably use to make it less likely to be stolen. I am going to park it somewhere else from now on too.

I will also be making a kill switch but I can't do that right now since I use the car to get to work every day and I worry I'll do something wrong and get the car sitting broken for a week. Will have to wait until I have some other transport.

Anyone have experience with their old shitbox being stolen? Why does this even happen there are much more expensive cars on this street.

 

[Rob66]

Hi get yourself a Disklock. I have been using them since about 1996, and I still have the original plus a couple more. I always use one in my Leon. They are not cheap but a great visual deterrent, it would take a lot of effort and noise to get one off.

Disklok UK

disklokuk.co.uk

 

[Rakhsh]

I ended up doing some research and I think I'll go with a stoplock. Diskloks are expensive and only take about an extra minute to cut through, and I don't want to carry that huge thing around and install it every day.

Also gonna hide a samsung smarttag somewhere on it. I've also found something about a ghost immobiliser and while it seems good I think its too expensive for what is effectively a kill switch. Surely thieves also find those easier to steal than just a random switch hidden somewhere. Also a kill switch can just be left on and won't need to worry about it when I give the car to the tyre shop.

Also moved the car somewhere fewer people will see it and hopefully more people's windows looking at it. Honestly feels like a lot of effort for a 2009 leon with terrible paint and curbed wheels that also has some timing chain rattle, I miss the days I planned on getting rid of this car. At least when everything is done I won't feel as bad for leaving the car outside in London whenever I go there. Also the odds of it being stolen will probably go up when I wrap it and put new wheels on it.

Next house needs a garage.

 

[tracktoy]

On modern cars stuff like Ghost is great with one exception, the guys stealing these cars are they are stolen to order (eg they want what you have got).
They may break into your house and threaten your family if you don't unlock it and in my personal opinion there is no visible deterrent.

Whoever like me you have an older motor so the Disklock / Stoplock is a much better deterrent because its very visible. I am presuming the thieves (yes we can call them all sorts of scum) are looking to break the motor for parts / joy ride so having something visible must be good.

If you are not parking it outside your home then the kill switch will certainly help but you also have to bear in mind the thieves may get very frustrated and do lots of harm to your motor (if it ain't worth a lot and the insurance valuation is good then maybe thats ok), I personally had a kill switch via a map I had fitted to the car that basically allowed it to start and then turn of the fuel pump, if you are going to map it might be worth asking the mapper.

Bottom line I am afraid there are to many nasty people out there so you have to decide if the cost is worth the benefit.

 

[Rakhsh]

I ordered a couple electrical parts to make a fuel pump kill switch. I honestly don't care if they damage the car, I can always fix it but if the car is fully gone I will be immensely sad. This car is honestly not worth a lot, even the parts are quite cheap. The engine is old and tired and needs a timing chain job soon too. It is honestly super silly to try to steal it because it is worth far more to me than anyone else.

I'll get the stoplock, samsung tag and the fuel pump relay switch. That should be enough to protect it from anyone who sees it as a quick 2000 pile of parts. Thanks for the advice on the ghost, I definitely won't be getting it because its just too expensive to do the same thing as a kill switch with less QOL. Now to figure out where to hide the switch.