Desired by thieves???

[12slots4ever]

I'm wondering how desirable Au XR8s are to car thieves and how easy is it to steal them? I use a club lock on my car. George

[mcfly94]

They need the keys or tow truck

[BOTTLEDUP]

As above, and for the 2nd part of your question, no AUs aren't a desirable car for crooks... Too hard to start for joy riders & no value to 'professional' thieves.

[12slots4ever]

Thanks for that. I know if I didn't have my keys with me, I would be in trouble! George

[Spurious]

If you read up on the "stolen car" thread, you'll find most of the newer v8"s that are stolen resulted from the thieves ransacking a home & finding the keys.

Usually the perpetrators are know to the victim, or they had a good idea of where to find keys.


My old XF s-pack was at serious risk as thieves love to steal those. Most can be started with a screwdriver or nail file etc....or even another X model ignition key will do.
I wound up getting a Cyclops Paralyser alarm system. They feature a chipped remote & a dual immobilizer system.
All the wiring was black to make isolating which wire is which impossible, especially to someone who has limited time in which to make of with the vehicle.
I fitted the 2 separate immobilizer circuits to both the ignition/starter relay & to the coil pack.
The package also came with 2 separate flashing LED's, so just one glance at the car was enough to tell thieves that my car wasn't worth their time!
Plus it had a glass shatter censor, boot & bonnet pressure buttons.
You could also purchase a Mongoose system which, with a SIM card fitted, would alert the owner via SMS if the alarm was activated & gave the owner the ability to track the vehicle if it wound up on a truck!!!

Battery back up alarm too, so if the battery is disconnected, the alarm sounds & automatically activates the immobilizer.

The point was proven the first week I got my XF. I had a mate with an XD & his ignition key could unlock my doors & start the motor.

Suffice to say my XF was never stolen or broken into in 10 years of ownership.

As for my AU2, it's garaged & locked, & I even sleep with the keys next to me, & where I go, they keys come with.

[superroo]

Very easy to get into a AU/BA/BF, starting and getting away is another matter.

Apparently according to the older members, getting around smartshield is easy. I've pondered this for years and have a theory, but it doesn't get around the steering lock issue.

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Not necessarily ... I found my accident how you can bypass smartshield ... I was shocked and disappointed. It's a lot easier to get around than you think.
:

And no ... i am not telling anyone what it is.

I hope you can find the ute ... such a shame as it is such a clean example too.

[XW-BAXR6T]

Steering club or effective smartsheild wont stop someone using a tray or tow truck from stealing it as some have mentioned above. Its the desired method these days from what ive been seeing on a facebook stolen rides page. Making it harder for a tow or tray to be used would be very effective!

[needaXYGT]

Someone tried breaking into my old AU once. They got through the first step which wouldn't have been too much of a struggle, then perhaps chickened out. The second step was even easier.

[Sportsman]

I used to tow vehicles in a past job. If you want to make it hard to tow your car away, turn the front wheels full lock before taking the keys out.
Makes it a huge hassle to drag the car up onto a tray and also makes a front lift difficult.

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by XW-BAXR6T

Steering club or effective smartshield wont stop someone using a tray or tow truck from stealing it

Half inch thick chain around the diff will !!!

I also hear Dobermans are quite effective. (chained to car, or in the back seat!!!)

I once heard the tale of a guy in Queensland who wanted to insure his mint GTS HQ, or something similar...
The insurer apparently asked him to concrete an eye bolt into the garage floor & secure chains from it to the chassis.

How badly do you want to keep your car?
That's the real question!

[Mr Hardware]

I'd go out on a limb and say that there wouldn't be a car thief in the world that would think the AU is a good target.

Lame 20th century performance, worth pocketchange, not collectable, relatively hard to steal.

Seriously they'd steal an LS1 VT 1000000 times before they'd even consider thinking about attempting to stealing an AU.

[kyro_02]

im a towie, easiest way to steal a car with the steering fully locked would be..

put tray down, release the truck hand brake, and winch the truck towards the car, and wallah, done :P

also helps to wet the tray

[Bourbon Ute]

I tried to get a quote from Shannons once for my AU2 XR8 manual ute, according to them they're desirable! Although the kid on the phone probably didnt know what they look like.