We're all potential targets in the war against owning a decent car. There's a few victims among us on this web site. Some have had their cars violated, others have experienced a loss in their family. So I've decided to offer a few low tech tips to deter the bottom feeders of society. First is an obvious one- the humble steering or club lock. This things purpose is a visual deterrent to move the would be thief onto an easier target. Pro's- cheap, easy to use. Con's- they're a pain rattling around the passengers foot well, can be difficult to fit on some sports wheels, only work if you can be bothered to fit it. If they want it badly enough, they will persevere to remove it. Not designed to prevent your car being stolen,
only slow down the process. Tip for fitting them- install the steering lock with the key mechanism
facing the instrument panel. This improves their efficiency by 400%. The would be thief can't insert anything into the lock to destroy it and can only bend it as far as the dash. These are the main techniques for removing a steering lock in the process of theft.
Second tip is a really basic ignition disable switch. If you can use a soldering iron and a pair of wire crimpers it's easy to set up. Crimp an eyelet onto the end of some typical gauge wire (black as to make it inconspicuous) and attach it to the negative(-) terminal on your coil. Figure out a suitable place to hide a toggle switch (not somewhere obvious like under the dash around the steering column or front seat) and run the wire to the switch and solder/crimp it to one of the switches' terminals. Attach the other switch terminal to more of the black wire and earth it to the body using another eyelet. Wrap the wire in the engine bay you've connected to the coil to the rest of the wiring loom with black electrical tape to disguise it. When the switch is active it disables the coil, preventing it from firing. The engine will still turn over, but won't start. It doesn't matter how many by-passes the thief runs on the ignition circuit, it won't start. Effective, it will even stop you if you forget to flick the switch back!
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