How you protect your car?

[Big_Daz]

Since end of January we have been living with my parents and have had to street park both our cars... All we could do was rely on the standard alarm's and not keep valuable's in the cars to entice people..

Now that our place is built they will both be garaged every night which is enough... If thief's want them bad enough they will get them so we do everything we can to keep the cars safe/etc and if the worse is to happen they are both insured New for Old anyway.. would rather pay an excess to replace the car then try to get physical with the theif and best case end up being charges worst case being badly hurt or worse...

[blackf6]

The best method is- park car. Take off wheels, drop it on blocks. Smash every window, and graffiti all over. Thieves see it as already done over.

[Ben73]

I lock mine. And get decent insurance.

Funny thing is over the past year I have been getting my house built so I lived in a cheap rental with no off street parking, so I had to park on the street about 50-200m from my front door. I was parking on a narrow but busy street, right near 2 pubs where locals would always drink drive, right near a park and footy field. Few doors down was a bunch of cheap, bogan looking units. I was sure that my car would be damaged or broken into at some stage during that 12 month period but I never lost any sleep over it. I kept nothing of value in the car, made sure it was locked, and had good insurance.

In that 12 months the worst that happen to my car was one day someone threw part of a bread roll in my tray.

[Sabantien]

I make sure I don't leave things sitting around in the cabin of the car. It probably won't stop someone who's super keen on breaking in, but there's no reason to leave bait lying around.

Also have comprehensive insurance.

I park on the street so lights and CCTV are no good for me, that said, my brother put lights and CCTV in his place, and the thieves stole the lights and CCTV.

[BradEL]

Originally Posted by blackf6

The best method is- park car. Take off wheels, drop it on blocks. Smash every window, and graffiti all over. Thieves see it as already done over.

Ok, you can go first

[Spurious]

I protect it with insurance, & by possessing the distinct ability to not give a crap!

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

my brother put lights and CCTV in his place, and the thieves stole the lights and CCTV.

Worth more than his car?

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by BradEL

Did you hear about the Cobra that was stolen from takanini last week, the owners had it in a locked garage at their home, had 2 steel bollards blocking the garage as an extra measure, and also had security cameras. Unfortunately this was not enough to stop then stealing the Cobra, they made off with the car and came back within the hour to ransack the owners house too.

There is always a story about a guy who had a (insert your poison for us it's usually a Cobra or Phase 3 for the Holden guys it's something else) stolen out a bank vault surrounded by a pack of killer trained Doberman with armed guards, while surrounded my a moat with ravenous piranhas and crocodiles, while the owner and his whole family were sleeping in it, yet it still disappeared into thin air while a crowd of armed and trained FBI agents stood guard but no one saw anything

Generally the moral the story teller is trying to convey is that there is no point locking your $500 EF Falcon as it will befall the same fate

On the flip side I don't think I have locked my shed or house for the last three years and not even a screw driver has gone missing.

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by MrEL

I use and recommend the Trunk Monkey.

Yes! I second the Trunk Monkey,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFqr3_frh3Q

[Sabantien]

Originally Posted by Spurious

Worth more than his car?

No car, only two bikes. Hayabusa and MV Augusta. They weren't stolen.

[NTF6]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

I make sure I don't leave things sitting around in the cabin of the car. It probably won't stop someone who's super keen on breaking in, but there's no reason to leave bait lying around.

Also have comprehensive insurance.

I park on the street so lights and CCTV are no good for me, that said, my brother put lights and CCTV in his place, and the thieves stole the lights and CCTV.

My daughters car looks like about a dozen homeless people have been living in it, it really looks like a rubbish tip with nothing of any value ever kept in there but just recently she had a side door window smashed and someone rummage through it, apparently even garbage can look appealing to some people!!!

[Patty]

Originally Posted by Bill M

Yes! I second the Trunk Monkey,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFqr3_frh3Q

Hahaha that's hilarious! Where can I get me one of those!?

[Beastie]

Patty, I feel your pain re having your window smashed etc, as it has happened to me in the past.

Unfortunately, whilst there are some good suggestions, these grubs that smash windows / break in to cars don't give a toss if you have cameras / flood lights etc..

They are gone in under 30 seconds and they usually do it when everyone is nicely tucked up in bed...

It's just pot (or should I say, bad) luck mate.

If you have to park on the street / open driveway, then there is little you can do.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by The Beast

Patty, I feel your pain re having your window smashed etc, as it has happened to me in the past.

Unfortunately, whilst there are some good suggestions, these grubs that smash windows / break in to cars don't give a toss if you have cameras / flood lights etc..

They are gone in under 30 seconds and they usually do it when everyone is nicely tucked up in bed...

It's just pot (or should I say, bad) luck mate.

If you have to park on the street / open driveway, then there is little you can do.

Agreed its happened to me several times, but not in last 15 years as my car have been garaged.

Out on the street not much you can do, and its not just thieves, you may have someone key it or side swipe it or whatever.

[Russ]

All you need is the power of Jesus

[Patty]

Originally Posted by Stefan

Agreed its happened to me several times, but not in last 15 years as my car have been garaged.

Out on the street not much you can do, and its not just thieves, you may have someone key it or side swipe it or whatever.

Don't get me started on the side swiping. My wife's car has been hit twice by our 80 year old neighbour. I feel so bad when she comes knocking on our door to say she hit our car as it costs her a lot each time. Both times need panel replacement so she had to pay $700 a pop for excess.

[superyob]

Originally Posted by Revolver

Carry witches hat in your car, place them in a circle when you park, and patrol around those witches hats with a shotgun.

Can I use a Browning semi auto 12 gauge please???

[superyob]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Seems fairly timely to post that my wife left the keys in our car (again) last night.

Your address please...

[Wretched]

*For those that don't get the reference, see the movie Snatch

[Sabantien]

Originally Posted by NTF6

My daughters car looks like about a dozen homeless people have been living in it, it really looks like a rubbish tip with nothing of any value ever kept in there but just recently she had a side door window smashed and someone rummage through it, apparently even garbage can look appealing to some people!!!

Your daughter's car sounds like my gf's car. Awful seeing an Audi treated that way! Admittedly she's kept it a bit cleaner since I cleaned it for her.

I really don't know if it makes a difference having things visible inside the car, but I figure if you have stuff sitting on the seat, floors, etc then it looks like an easy grab. Maybe people who don't clean their cars are also more likely to leave valuables lying around.

I have been told the main issue where I live is people sniffing the petrol or siphoning the fuel.

[adz137]

This question is particularly for the Melbourne boys and girls how do you protect your car against the Apex Gang which has been pretty much running amok for the last couple of months here in Melbourne.

They drive to the nicer suburbs during the day to scope out good cars than they come back at night break your door down take your keys by force if necessary and drive of with your pride and joy. These turds who are usually around 14 to 18 years old are only after luxury/sport cars usually German however they did steal a Clubsport the other day in Essendon.

I am getting a bit paranoid lately as i know two people who have had their cars stolen by these oxygen thief's one was a SQ5 Audi and the other a A45 AMG hatch. The lady at work who had the SQ5 stolen said that she and her husband were woken up in the middle of the night by 5 guys demanding keys to the Audi.

Kinda Scary if you ask me.

[Patty]

Originally Posted by adz137

This question is particularly for the Melbourne boys and girls how do you protect your car against the Apex Gang which has been pretty much running amok for the last couple of months here in Melbourne.

They drive to the nicer suburbs during the day to scope out good cars than they come back at night break your door down take your keys by force if necessary and drive of with your pride and joy. These turds who are usually around 14 to 18 years old are only after luxury/sport cars usually German however they did steal a Clubsport the other day in Essendon.

I am getting a bit paranoid lately as i know two people who have had their cars stolen by these oxygen thief's one was a SQ5 Audi and the other a A45 AMG hatch. The lady at work who had the SQ5 stolen said that she and her husband were woken up in the middle of the night by 5 guys demanding keys to the Audi.

Kinda Scary if you ask me.

That's bloody scary.... Especially if you have young kids in the house.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

I am guessing you don't really understand the meaning of opportunist.

It would have been opportunist if they walked past while out for their daily run and happened to see an iPad on the front seat and the window was down, and they grabbed it.

Purposefully walking through a neighbourhood and smashing car windows hoping to find something of value is not opportunistic, it's random crime.

Opportunists are people who see a chance to gain some advantage from a situation, often at the expense of ethics or morals.

At a guess I think some opportunists would break a window to gain access to steal what they see.

[stig_3754]

Originally Posted by Wretched

image

*For those that don't get the reference, see the movie Snatch

It's an anti-aircraft missile!

I can offer what I've done on my house. Secure your house aswell as secure your car.

The front door has a vertical deadbolt on it that goes down 3 inches into solid cement so even kicking in the door won't do them good.

All of the windows around the house have security grilles on them with the same pattern that you see typically on screen doors. The few windows which aren't protected by thise security grille have vibration sensors on them so if someone hits the window it'll go off.

The rear door is alarmed and has a piece of wood jammed up against it stopping it from being slid open. This is also protected by a motion alarm on the outside of the door covering the entire back verandah.

I've also got proper locks which take a 5 point barrel style key (not the bathroom types) on every bedroom door so if someone breaks in while we are asleep I wil either be woken up by them trying to get into my bedroom, or by an alarm. At which point I'll wait in my bedroom while the cops show up. And the bedroom doors are the solid doors that you can get from bunnings so it cannot be hacked through with an axe. I'm also considering going the further step of adding deadbolts to the bedroom doors too, ones that go into the cement floor like the front door does.

You can get bedroom-sized interior doors that are solid from Bunnings. If they don't have it in-store they'll have it online.

I've also got Photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom and every hallway.

I've also got a 4 channel CCTV system installed which has the DVR secured in a place that only I know where it is. It is also battery backed by a UPS, so are the cameras which all run off a single power strip which is plugged into the UPS.

If you want to take this even further you can also get an Assa Abloy padlock with a high gauge steel chain from the UK and get yourself a Ground Anchor point that you can put underneath your car. You then wrap this chain through either a chassis point. or over the rear axle. Whenever you take your car out just remember to remove the chain first. Spend at least $200 on the anchor point and another $400 on the chain.

Also make sure that the chain and anchor point are extremely thick and won't give up when attacked by even the largest possible bolt cutters.

Oh and if you have a safe, anchor it to a cement slab. 90% of the time people buy a safe and never anchor it to the ground so the thiefs just come in and take the safe with them and break into it later on when they're back at home.

Its still possible to get around all of this but I've done the best I can to slow them down.

[Ford17]

I'd be more inclined to consider renovating the property (assuming it is yours) to add either tall front fencing with an electronic gate; or better still a lock-up garage. Both would be ideal of course.

[ebv8]

CCTV is great for vigilanty justice but not for the cops getting them.

my brother had 1 pallet of oil stolen from his factory all on CCTV but the cops didn't care, it was too much effort for $2000 worth of oil.

Originally Posted by Sabantien

I park on the street so lights and CCTV are no good for me, that said, my brother put lights and CCTV in his place, and the thieves stole the lights and CCTV.

Easy enough to fix that you can get self tapping screws off ebay with a security bit.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Qty-20-Bu...-/331642824565

Also make sure that the cameras are high up and out of reach without a really long ladder.

Its worthwhile doing this because some cameras can be very expensive.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SAMSUNG-S...-/322269993573

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by moneypit

I can offer what I've done on my house. Secure your house aswell as secure your car.

The front door has a vertical deadbolt on it that goes down 3 inches into solid cement so even kicking in the door won't do them good.

All of the windows around the house have security grilles on them with the same pattern that you see typically on screen doors. The few windows which aren't protected by thise security grille have vibration sensors on them so if someone hits the window it'll go off.

The rear door is alarmed and has a piece of wood jammed up against it stopping it from being slid open. This is also protected by a motion alarm on the outside of the door covering the entire back verandah.

I've also got proper locks which take a 5 point barrel style key (not the bathroom types) on every bedroom door so if someone breaks in while we are asleep I wil either be woken up by them trying to get into my bedroom, or by an alarm. At which point I'll wait in my bedroom while the cops show up. And the bedroom doors are the solid doors that you can get from bunnings so it cannot be hacked through with an axe. I'm also considering going the further step of adding deadbolts to the bedroom doors too, ones that go into the cement floor like the front door does.

You can get bedroom-sized interior doors that are solid from Bunnings. If they don't have it in-store they'll have it online.

I've also got Photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom and every hallway.

I've also got a 4 channel CCTV system installed which has the DVR secured in a place that only I know where it is. It is also battery backed by a UPS, so are the cameras which all run off a single power strip which is plugged into the UPS.

If you want to take this even further you can also get an Assa Abloy padlock with a high gauge steel chain from the UK and get yourself a Ground Anchor point that you can put underneath your car. You then wrap this chain through either a chassis point. or over the rear axle. Whenever you take your car out just remember to remove the chain first. Spend at least $200 on the anchor point and another $400 on the chain.

Also make sure that the chain and anchor point are extremely thick and won't give up when attacked by even the largest possible bolt cutters.

Oh and if you have a safe, anchor it to a cement slab. 90% of the time people buy a safe and never anchor it to the ground so the thiefs just come in and take the safe with them and break into it later on when they're back at home.

Its still possible to get around all of this but I've done the best I can to slow them down.

Or you could live in a nicer neighbourhood

[jstanovic]

Originally Posted by moneypit

I can offer what I've done on my house. Secure your house aswell as secure your car.

The front door has a vertical deadbolt on it that goes down 3 inches into solid cement so even kicking in the door won't do them good.

All of the windows around the house have security grilles on them with the same pattern that you see typically on screen doors. The few windows which aren't protected by thise security grille have vibration sensors on them so if someone hits the window it'll go off.

The rear door is alarmed and has a piece of wood jammed up against it stopping it from being slid open. This is also protected by a motion alarm on the outside of the door covering the entire back verandah.

I've also got proper locks which take a 5 point barrel style key (not the bathroom types) on every bedroom door so if someone breaks in while we are asleep I wil either be woken up by them trying to get into my bedroom, or by an alarm. At which point I'll wait in my bedroom while the cops show up. And the bedroom doors are the solid doors that you can get from bunnings so it cannot be hacked through with an axe. I'm also considering going the further step of adding deadbolts to the bedroom doors too, ones that go into the cement floor like the front door does.

You can get bedroom-sized interior doors that are solid from Bunnings. If they don't have it in-store they'll have it online.

I've also got Photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom and every hallway.

I've also got a 4 channel CCTV system installed which has the DVR secured in a place that only I know where it is. It is also battery backed by a UPS, so are the cameras which all run off a single power strip which is plugged into the UPS.

If you want to take this even further you can also get an Assa Abloy padlock with a high gauge steel chain from the UK and get yourself a Ground Anchor point that you can put underneath your car. You then wrap this chain through either a chassis point. or over the rear axle. Whenever you take your car out just remember to remove the chain first. Spend at least $200 on the anchor point and another $400 on the chain.

Also make sure that the chain and anchor point are extremely thick and won't give up when attacked by even the largest possible bolt cutters.

Oh and if you have a safe, anchor it to a cement slab. 90% of the time people buy a safe and never anchor it to the ground so the thiefs just come in and take the safe with them and break into it later on when they're back at home.

Its still possible to get around all of this but I've done the best I can to slow them down.

Wow, what a way to live!