If it's nicked, I don't want it back.

Only reason i would have a tracker is to catch the scum.

Cliffor Black Jax is a very neat product, but a bit of a PITA evey time you get in the car.

The personal GPS thing sounds good though. Evo also has a valet mode for when it's being serviced - so they can have zero fun

 

getting interested in car security is a passport to paranoia

the bottom line is that there will always be a weak link in your security

that will usually be you

what it means in practice is that they will ignore posts/gates/alarms

and take the car from you by force when it suits them

you can only hope that your car is not so desirable that they will resort to such means

or that there is an easier target

but if they want it, they will get it

and in such circumstances, where people are that determined, you don't want to get in the way

 

The human element is indeed the weak link.
If you have nothing else to do, then why not check out the same cars every night for a year.

At some point you will forget to secure it.
The same as sometimes you will forget to lock the patio door.

 

I appreciate what you're saying but i would find it very handy to have the ability to operate at least a lower-power valet mode on mine, so whenever it's left to have work done, nothing can happen to it.

WRT people gaining access when they wish to, certainly. Having said that, it'd still be good to have good alarms. Can anyone recommend a top end tracking product?

Ironically, you say people will find cars if they have nothing to do - simply by looking, very fair comment.

 

As others have said doesn't really matter what you do in my opinion. A few years ago I had a Leon Cupra R and a CRX. Got back late from work and the CRX had no fuel but Cupra did. Swapped cars round on my drive and went to bed.

Woke up next morning and found the lock off my front door and my Cupra gone. Turns out that UPVC doors have a weak link that allows easy access and one of the tabloids (daily snail I think) had kindly printed a step by step guide to using that loophole. According to the police every criminal was happily and near silently walking into houses unchecked in seconds. They even walked about 5 feet from my bed to get the keys.

Was kicking myself as if the CRX had blocked the Cupra in they would have had another deterent. Police said no - all they do is break a window or find the keys and unlock the car, let off the handbrake and nudge it out of the way with the car they want. That way you end up with 2 lost / trashed cars not one!!!

Either way they are a load of scumbags the lot of them. On happier notes the police were incredibly nice, helpful and because they entered an occupied house, interested. Never found the car tho!

 

Unfortunately

My mate put it to me best:

'Locks keep honest people out'

 

if im not mistaken Maplins make a tracker that needs a mobile phone to work
you install an old mobile with a permenant charger connected (in a hard to find spot) then if your car gets nicked just text it and it texts back its GPS location.

 

I agree with the Blackjax thingty real PITA!

Without going into too much detail blackjax has evolved to work smarter now!

There is a GPS based add on for the Cliffords but at

 

If a determined tea leaf wants your car, he WILL get if, regardless of what security measures you have in place.

The slightly less determined tea leaf will simply trash your car in the process.

My best advice would be that although we are all very attached to our cars, it's only a machine:

Take the security precautions that seem prudent and will satisfy your insurance company

Pay a sensible amount for good insurance cover with all mods declared and an agreed value

Sleep soundly, ignoring the sounds of crime occurring.


If your car is stolen, claim it all back on the insurance. Playing games with the scumbags is no fun, unless you are prepared for war.

I suspect that none of us (with the exception of one board member) is prepared to out-manouevre the crooks, so we might as well make it all as painless as possible.

 

i do want to get in the way though, this stuff makes my blood boil.

although if i actually caught them and got the better of them it would not be pretty at all. payback for the brake in to my old cav when i was a student, wrecking my astra gte for the