car security

[TC3modena]

just wondering what some of you guys do far as car security? i know theres a lot of guys here with nice cars so i'd think they'd have some sort of security. i dont live in the best area and haveing a 2000 civic is pretty tough. where ever i go i feel like my car is getting broken in2. so far all i have is an aftermarket alarm, nd tinted windows. i wanna add a fuel cut off switch soon, and my friend is hooking up air horns(idk how he does it but it works) as a second alarm. i also put a club or two on at night. and im going to have my friend weld a cover that'll go around my sub-box so they cant get the sub-box out or the subs themselves. so anyway what car security measures do you guys take, and if you have something super secret or sum shyt just pm it to me, cuz you never know whos a thief.

[chiliaddik]

Was it your 2000 Civic that got broken into? I thought you had a different car.

Just go get a security alarm installed, already! Don't leave anything in view of thieves - cover speakers, etc. ALSO, never come home with your stereo booming, it only awakens people to the fact that you have a system.

[PoukieBear]

It's called rust. And the more rust you have, the less likely your car will be stolen!

[chiliaddik]

who the hell wants a crappy rusty car?

[eatgoodfood]

no one.. and i think thats the point, lol.

I stay with my gf alot, and she lives in a not so nice neighborhood, and im always afraid something is going to happen to my car, so i just always make sure it right in front of her house, and the alarm is armed. I also always hide anything and everything, remove radio face plates. I also sleep very lightly, and her room is in the front of the house... any car alarm goes off, i usually wake up. I was just as paranoid when i was driving my crappy car.

[NwG]

Alarms do nothing.. They can be disabled extreamly quickly..
To be honest, if the thief is good.. there is nothing you can do to protect your car.. As an auto tech, I havent run into anything yet that can't be disabled in under 20 seconds..

For your Honda.. the BEST way to prevent the car from being stolen is to remove the ignition module.. it is very small and only has 2 wires into it.. You can relocate it anywhere you want in the car.. Hell you could glue it to you forehead!! Thake this with you.. The car can not be started without it... fuel cut off... I'll find it.. The best fuel cut-off I have seen was one a few of my auto buddies and I built.. It was a series of 5 toggle switches on a small switch box.. The switches had to be in the correct order for the car to start (ie.. up-up-down-up-down).. Had flase wires and everything comming out of it.. You have to cut the ignition lead way up and change the wire color because that is what we are looking for.. (well "we" I mean techs not thiefs)

As for breakins.. remove your stuff from sight.. Tahs about all you can do.. I have tools that allow me to get inside ANY car in under 30 seconds.. and disable the alarm 20 seconds.. So in under 1 min.. I can be inside and take anything I want..

But in the end.. if they want your stuff.. They are going to get it...
Nate D

[ACKBlues]

I own a minivan. No one is going to break in to my muddy, stinky, soccer ball, boxing gloves (OMG they can smell), bike, running shoe, goldfish, broken crayons, naked headless barbie, WHAT IS THAT?!, minivan.

[Nina51]

where i live, i don't even take my keys out of the ignition. had some fun one day in the middle of winter with my state's attorney. he left his car running outside the post office. i got in, drove it around the block and parked it then walked back to my office. i'm still waiting for the payback.

[chiliaddik]

Honda Civics are one of the MOST desired stolen cars out there right now! I KNOW...I OWN ONE!

[TC3modena]

Originally posted by chiliaddik
Honda Civics are one of the MOST desired stolen cars out there right now! I KNOW...I OWN ONE!

yea tell me about it, mines been broken in2 already

[chiliaddik]

Originally posted by TC3modena
yea tell me about it, mines been broken in2 already

OK...but WHAT is it that they are stealing?

Have you upset anyone lately?

lay low for awhile!

[TC3modena]

Originally posted by chiliaddik
OK...but WHAT is it that they are stealing?

Have you upset anyone lately?

lay low for awhile!

took my intake, nd headers, my deck, amp nd subs in a sub box. and get this, the one night i parked it on the street it got broken in2, the guy i parked it infront of just moved on the block a month ago. that guy works at a honda/acura repair shop, nd he owns ricers. most thieves just would have stole the car, they just took the parts, and it was a clean job, not like ripped out, like the guy knew the car. nd the guy could have had the tools at his house, all he had to do was walk out his front door. im not jumping to conclusions, but every1 is a suspect

[bmcelhinn]

I have a very interesting customer... if he's at my shop and anybody asks him ANYTHING about his car, even "Hey, how did you do that to it?" He writes down their description and license plate #'s. He has 2 glock pistols... one he keeps in his house and one he keeps in his car. Sometimes he sleeps in his car with his gun if he thinks people drove by slow looking at it. He parks it in his grass next to his bedroom window and has his gun in bed with him. His reasoning for having 2 guns is that, if somebody steals his car and the gun is in there he can chase them down with his other gun... if somebody breaks into his house while he's sleeping in his car he can go after them with the gun in the car.

True story, I don't bother to ask why he doesn't just keep the one gun with him so the person stealing the car doesn't get away with it.

[chiliaddik]

that's sad! Funny but true story...there is a stereo installation place in Lansing, MI...funny how shortly after they *install* a great system, the system comes up stolen within a month or so. I heard that story quite a few times from different people. No proof of it, but as the story goes...

[kyman_33]

Get a GPS tracking system in your car. Such as OnStar, but don't make it obvious you have it. Then at least if it does become stolen you could track it.

[slipknottin]

Originally posted by kyman_33
Get a GPS tracking system in your car. Such as OnStar, but don't make it obvious you have it. Then at least if it does become stolen you could track it.

Usually, by the time you realize your car is stolen, get the proper authorities, and get them to start searching for the car by using onstar/gps tracking, the car is already stripped and ditched.

The best piece of advice, dont make your car a target. Park it in illuminated areas, in safe areas, or in a garage (if avaliable). And dont have anything in/on your car that indicates something of value. Stickers of certain products, a nice head unit, a visible amp or sub. Nice rims/lights, etc.

And the civics are stolen the most because their is a very lucrative parts market for them, and there are plenty civics to chose from. No thief steals a honda civic to drive it around town. Really. If they wanted a car to drive around in, they would steal something nice.

[slipknottin]

Originally posted by chiliaddik
that's sad! Funny but true story...there is a stereo installation place in Lansing, MI...funny how shortly after they *install* a great system, the system comes up stolen within a month or so. I heard that story quite a few times from different people. No proof of it, but as the story goes...

Yup, happens alot with places that install alarms as well. But I wouldnt always attribute the theft to the company that does the install. They just usually have certain methods of installing alarms. Running the wires outside in the same places, and that sort of thing.

A smart theif would pick up on this, and only needs to watch what cars drive into that install shop. Easy prey.

[TC3modena]

my civic is stock on the outside, except i have clear turning signals, and tinted windows and its dropped 2 inches but you cant really, and i live on long island, and for anyone who lives here, they know about the recent house robberies, in like the past 2 or so months theres been like 50 home invasions, so i keep a bat and a 9mm next to my bed, for either some1 breaking in or some1 stealing my car.

[chainsaw5vent]

Originally posted by ACKBlues
I own a minivan. No one is going to break in to my muddy, stinky, soccer ball, boxing gloves (OMG they can smell), bike, running shoe, goldfish, broken crayons, naked headless barbie, WHAT IS THAT?!, minivan.

nor do they steal 15 passenger vans (family bus)

if you fear getting your car stolen, just get yourself a "hooptee" (sir mixalot)

[Scuba_Dave]

When I was a kid I used to swap cars every now & then with a friend if I had to pu something. I then used to go to where he worked & would move my car several spots away from where he parked it.
I did this for a while before he caught on

Car alarms go off so much that no-one really pays attention to them anymore. My friend had one - silent alarm. His car was broken into & he went after the guys with a baseball bat.
He found them, but the police arrived & took his bat away
But they stepped outside to "discuss the situation", the kid that stole his stereo "slipped"
Kinda stupid to rip off a huge guy who had no fear of snapping them in two - especially when he lived about 5 houses away
Needless to say he scared the heck out of them - they decided to move

[NwG]

Also another note... For you car insurance.. If they just break into your car and steal your stuff.. Well you most likely won't get much of it back unless you can prove it was in the car.. If you do have a high end system and such it is best to let your insurance company know of it.. You rate may go up a bit, but at least you will get your stuff back..
Better yet.. If the car dosent move, it's not stolen.. You get much more money towards your stuff if the car is actually stolen.. Some high-end securty systems allow the cat to dive for a set distance (say 100 feet) before killing it.. This way you get more $$$ from the insurance company.. And we all like the feeling of have your insurance pay us for a change...
nate D

[The Grim Reefer]

When I lived in Californicate I used to disable the coil, sort of. I would wire a fuse in the 12v line going to the coil and splice in a switched wire to ground between the fuse holder and the coil. You just stash the switch under the dash or some other out of the way place and flip it on when you park. If a crook tries to start the car the fuse will blow the second the 12v hits the coil wire. The car will crank but nothing will hapen. You could do the same thing with an electric fuel pump.

Even if the crook figures out you have rigged something and takes the time to find the switch it wont do him any good. The odd of them popping the hood to find the fuse holder is slim. You just got to remember to carry a few extra fuses for the times you forget to turn the switch back off when you start the car.

[raw88gt]

just try an keep everything out of sight (subs amp) and follow the old rule of not blasting it around your house or work.. if they don't know its thier they won't look for it right?

[swegyptian]

I would keep my stuff out of the car, and insure the crap out of it. You can insure your stereo most of the time, and then just don't worry about it.

[The Grim Reefer]

Actually if you have renter's or homeowners insurance they will cover most anything that isn't mounted to the car itself. I don't even think the car has to be at your residence when it is broken into. I had a car stolen once and the renters insurance paid for all the tools that were gone out of it when it was recovered.