So I am planning to purchase and add aftermarket parts to my S2K, but I fear parking it in the "underground parking" at my current place. This will be my first new car purchase and by adding aftermarket parts (especially wheels) I am afraid of it being stolen. I live in a fairly decent neighborhood, but there are some shady people on my block. If I do get the S, I will probably have the best sports car, but not the most expensive car, on the block. I'm sure the luxury car owners don't really need to fear for their 7-series beemers but I do believe there's a better "market" for theives to take my Honda.

This is my situation. I want to know how many other S2K owners park their car in an "open" garage or underground lot? I remember reading about a thick locking car cover, maybe that could help.

 

i have been in same kinda situation and my car been broken into like 3 times which resulted of stolen side marker( whole wires and all) and the antenna

i would say get a car cover and put it on whenever u go inside of ur house ,,,, and good alram and checking it every certain hour will be good idea as well

 

Don't let them stop you modding your car. I would get a car cover for when you go inside for a long time and for the night. Look into the Clifford and Viper 2 way LCD paging alarms. They should work from your garage to inside of your home. Mine works on a college campus. I have the Clifford 2.5X. Works like a charm

 

nothing will stop a willing thief
don't add mods to get more attention

 

Don't let the thieves run your life. No matter how exclusive your accomodations are, if someone wants to steal your stuff, they're gonna try. I would keep your mod's "under the hood" if you are worried. I wouldn't bother with the alarm, it's hardly a deterent.

I can tell you in Boston, that every apartment building has had a car stolen or broken into whether you're paying $1,500.00 or $4,000.00 a month for an apartment. Just as bad, people vandalize car's too. My friend's new '05 S430 4matic just got keyed, and he's paying over $300.00 month for a garage space.

 

damn. so.. having this car parked in an open outside lot would be a no-no? well, then again i work overnight, so my car is parked in the lot during the daylight.. on a semi-busy street..

i didn't mean to hijack the thread, but this is something i would have been asking rather soon also.. about keeping it outside. i too believe that if a thief wants something, they'll get it. nothing will stop someone with that much determination. i guess the main thing i'm worried about is the whole slashed top \ stolen seats gig. it seems that every time you turn around, someone is putting up another "my top got slashed!!" thread. i'm going as far as talking to the saftey coordinator and president of the company\building about adding additional parking lot lighting and other saftey stuff for our cars there. one of my friends had his truck stolen from the lot, and a good handful of people have had their cars busted into while they were working. i had planned on just parking in front of the big wall of windows that the breakroom has..

 

My suggestions ( may not apply ) :

1) Keep the car hidden as much as possible so that if theives are scoping out targets your's will be missed. Cover it for longer times away.

2) If possible, 'block in' your car with a beater so thieves would be less likely to TRY to steal the whole car ( as in slashing your roof ).

3) Kodokan's seat locks.

4) McGard Spline Drive wheel locks. Needs a special tool even for the 4 non-lock nuts.

5) Alarm if only for the blinking LED. Maybe tilt sensor / motion detector, but the proximity alarms probably give too many 'false' triggers. If you can hear your alarm from your apartment, all the better for your brain.

6) Don't leave CD's or anything visible on the seat etc.

I'd actually expect the common BMW's etc to be more popular for selling parts.

 

I'd agree with this one whole-heartedly. If an alarm will deter them, they only need to see that is there. That being said, when I parked my S in the carport behind my apt. downtown, all I had was the standard keyless entry and a small blinking LED that mimicked an alarm. Granted, I also had a hardtop. Never had any problems at all.

 

I would never let theft/damage worries ruin my fun with the S

You just have to take a different view on Modding - Modding is a hobby....do not expect to get any of your money back from it, so if it gets damaged or stolen you just chalk it up to the good time you did have.

If damage/theft is an issue, then have some fun with your creative modding side......figure out a way to do mods conservatively or keep them hidden (Wheels do not apply here). For example: stereo equipment - keep upgraded speakers in factory slots and always make sure your radio door is shut. If you have amps/subs in the trunk then build custom enclosures that do not draw eyes while the trunk is open.

If you are worried about internals (under the hood), then keep the stock hood - as some vented ones show things under there.

A hardtop can solve the top-slashing problem, and may save your seats. But when it comes to seats, you'd be amazed what some insurance companies pay out for them - I wouldn't listen to everyone who says their seats were "stolen"

 

Well this kind of sucks because a couple of the things I want to get are aftermarket rims, and a single exhaust. Other than that I don't plan on any other aesthetic changes. Just hidden stuff after that. I am thinking of now waiting until I have a closed garage to keep it in.