[coolkurt]

The issue is these street guys are smart. Smart enough to be one up the best technology on offer.

Last month, my Civic's ignition lock went kaput. I was in distress as I had to leave for Chandigarh in 3 hours. I called up the HASS and they said we will have to change the lock. My trusty FNG guy recommended a local key maker. He came, checked the lock, removed the entire panel and said he will have it fixed in an hour. Both my keys were pretty roughed up so he offered to make them too. He was back in 1.5 hours with everything. He took apart everything like a piece of cake. when asked, he said he's been in the trade for more than a decade. He knew how to bypass the immobilizer too. Gear locks are very easy to break apparently. And the thieves search for a GPS based system too nowadays. Having multiple devices is the key. On the funny side, both my cars are relatively safe. One is the Civic. Nobody wants that. And the other is the Punto. Nobody wants that either :P

[gypsyFreak]

Originally Posted by Control2freak

also, have you found/ encountered any issues? have you tried "stress testing", i mean creating a test scenario of a theft to check if the device performs well? The device itself should be hidden nicely, else the purpose is defeated.

No stress testing done. It worked fine in the entire Ladakh trip. Bangalore - Leh - Bangalore. Only glitch is when it is out of mobile network. The operator says we will still get the co-ordinates, but not checked it. It uses airtel 4g sim.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Apart from the theft deterrent devices, please also buy one manual steering lock....

Yep, i do have this in my other car. will be using it in my Scorpio now as the other has a safe parking.

Originally Posted by harsh79

I would recommend a clutch lever lock for high risk parking areas....

Thanks...
I had not seen this before. I was contemplating on buying wheel lock, like this used by traffic police to lock cars in no parking area.

So to summarize, following options to protect your car:

1. Central locking - prevents opening of door
2. Steering lock from manufacturer - prevents turning of steering wheel
3. Gear lock - Gears cannot be engaged
4. Steering wheel to clutch/brake pedal - prevents turning of steering wheel
5. Clutch lock - prevents pressing of clutch
6. Wheel lock - prevents rotation of wheel
7. Immobilizer - prevents unauthorized engine starting

I guess these should atleast deter the thief if not prevent the theft.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Apart from the theft deterrent devices, please also buy one manual steering lock. The kind that was popular in the 1990's and is available through the e-commerce sites. It locks the brake pedal and the steering with hooks at the two ends....

Originally Posted by harsh79

I would recommend a clutch lever lock for high risk parking areas. Even if the thief manages to crack the immobilizer and remove the gear lock, I doubt he's going to have the patience to brother with one of these, leave alone taking it apart.

These are good suggestions, for the simple reason that they would mostly require cutting the metal which no thief would want to waste his time on. Make sure to keep them at home while giving the car away for service etc so that the possibility of duplicate key is lessened.

Originally Posted by gypsyFreak

.........
So to summarize, following options to protect your car:

1. Central locking - prevents opening of door
2. Steering lock from manufacturer - prevents turning of steering wheel
3. Gear lock - Gears cannot be engaged
4. Steering wheel to clutch/brake pedal - prevents turning of steering wheel
5. Clutch lock - prevents pressing of clutch
6. Wheel lock - prevents rotation of wheel
7. Immobilizer - prevents unauthorized engine starting

I guess these should atleast deter the thief if not prevent the theft.

Oh dear lord Just depressing to realize that's what owning a vehicle entails nowadays.