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Need suggestions to prevent car theft

sun starved Gayle

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My daughter lives in a "dicey" area (what she can afford) with on-street parking only. Last night she had her window smashed in. Luckily she has "the club" which she has been very good about attaching to the steering wheel every night. We think that prevented her car from being stolen. Her car is a 2007 Ford Focus Wagon.

She had one of those plastic emergency keys that comes with the car in the glove compartment that was taken along with of all things, her plastic Trader Joes shopping bags.

We are thinking she needs her locks redone so they cannot use the plastic key in it.

Any other suggestions to prevent car theft?
 

Phydeaux

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My daughter lives in a "dicey" area (what she can afford) with on-street parking only. Last night she had her window smashed in. Luckily she has "the club" which she has been very good about attaching to the steering wheel every night. We think that prevented her car from being stolen. Her car is a 2007 Ford Focus Wagon.

She had one of those plastic emergency keys that comes with the car in the glove compartment that was taken along with of all things, her plastic Trader Joes shopping bags.

We are thinking she needs her locks redone so they cannot use the plastic key in it.

Any other suggestions to prevent car theft?

Suggest she moves to a different area, within her means of course.
 

Passepartout

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We are thinking she needs her locks redone so they cannot use the plastic key in it.

Any other suggestions to prevent car theft?

The lock change might be a bit spendy, but worth looking into. Keeping the Club on the steering wheel will keep thieves from stealing the car, but not from ransacking it. They showed they have no qualms of breaking windows anyway so what's the point?

I've always liked the little stickers on the windows that show a big handgun and say "Nothing in this vehicle is worth your life".

In the end, locks only keep honest people honest. A determined thief will get what he wants.
 

dougp26364

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Start with don't leave ANYTHING in the car. If theifs think they see something worth breaking a window to get, then they'll continue to break out windows.

I've know people who always leave their cars unlocked just to avoid having their windows broken out. Of course they don't leave anything in their cars so they're not much of a target.
 

timeos2

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At one time my shop was in a downtown area - literally behind & next to City Hall. The police presence was outstanding and seemingly efficient.

Yet in my 5+ years there I had two different cars broken into on 3 occasions. One was middle of the afternoon, sunny day, as they saw the radar detector I forgot to take off the windshield. Once in they also took all my cd's (under the seat) and some loose tools on the floor. Happened in seconds as I heard the crash of glass from my office (I was THAT close) yet by the time I hit the street & turned the corner the window was gone & not a soul in sight.

Another evening I looked out my window at the car and the drivers window didn't "look" right. I went out & found the door ajar, the window smashed & apparently an attempt to steal the car (seems they couldn't drive or even figure how to start a manual transmission!). Last time before I moved to the suburbs was my wife's car sitting next to mine as she attended a baseball game (the stadium was two blocks over). She returns to find the passengers door window smashed & over $400 in cash gone - the money for our trip the next day she took from the bank earlier. Left it under the seat for some unknown reason (don't get me started!). Our only other break ins were at a high class party house not 2 miles from our home. After a great party I start to drive out & feel a breeze & hear noise I shouldn't. A closer look & the passenger window is gone along with my work pager, cd case (again!), my super valuable cd case of software (THE biggest loss I had - thousands of dollars in licensed disks) all because I felt safe near home and stupidly lef all those things right on the seat. But it was pitch black out & the truck had tinted windows so how did they know? Turns out the "courtesy lights" go on when the door handle is moved (nice feature - NOT!) so they got a display like a showroom when they tried the door(s) I assume. Once in a remote garage at a rental apartment when they cut the convertible top on my 1973 Corvette - only the theft alarm stopped that one (Thank heavens). The last was in the late 60's when I had to leave my 1963 Chevy on the street one night because I got home too late. Drivers window gone along with my (then) state of the art cassette player (everyone else had 8 tracks). Never was bothered in the driveway but gone in a few hours on the street 30 feet away.

Best advice is leave NOTHING of value in sight. It is simply too easy to break in and cause far more hardship to you then the perpetrators can possibly get from the stuff taken. I shudder when we have to leave a car packed with luggage or whatever parked anywhere even for a few hours. It just takes seconds and they have ruined your day.

Side note - At the office they seemingly couldn't stop the theft's but they had the broken glass cleaned up within an hour! Can't have the area around City Hall look bad!
 

ronparise

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I lived in one of those areas too. I drove an old car and left nothing of value in it.

and I made friends with the prostitutes and drug dealers that worked the corner close to my home. They looked out for me and my car.
 

Elan

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I'd consider some type of immobilizer switch to prevent car theft.
 

vacationhopeful

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.... I made friends with the prostitutes and drug dealers that worked the corner close to my home. They looked out for me and my car.

Made friends HOW? :ignore:

Today, it is crack addicts on the streets.

The prostitutes work Craigslist (so I hear) and drug dealers have runners delivering via text messages off referrals (so I hear).

Woman who ask for favors usually have to "deliver the goods".

Moving to a better neighborhood - little old ladies - is a better idea.

PS A neighborhood does not have to be rich - just working people who know to watch out - you & daughter should ride around at night, where the porch lights (motion detectors are good also) work and are lit. If the place has pit bulls barking, you are still in a bad area.
Watch if the parents walk their kids to school - good neighborhoods do & those neighbors KNOW who is who. Watch the school crossing guards - do they talk to the kids and are the kids respectful? Kids going to & from school should be acting like kids - talking & walking with a book bag, but making progress with a sense of purpose.

Yes, I am in and out of lower income areas near me - it is part of my day job. I know exactly which town I would put my relation in and which ones I would NOT.

PS That town also has a curfew horn at 10PM off the police cars with a TAPED broadcast message. Heard that last week and 10 minutes later, saw 5-6 preteens RUNNING their way home. It is seriously taken - this is NOT a jogging type of town.

Look for seasonal decorations in/on the houses and lawns. Great time of the year with Holloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. How do the churchs look and are they well attended on Sunday? Even the church schools and YMCAs offer assistance (like free) to very low income families. Is there a local Boys & Girls Club?
 
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csxjohn

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If they really want her car they will take it. Does the plastic key operate the ignition or just open the door? You can see they don't need a key to get in. The club will slow them down but as I said, if they want it they will get it.
 
L

laurac260

Many years ago I was at a hotel, visiting a friend who was visiting from out of town. Went out to my car late that evening, and the back window was smashed in. I called friend, and he called security.

My car was a mid 80's buick Regal. Apparently security was patrolling the parking lot on bicycles and thwarted the burglary attempt. The steering column cover was cracked.. break the steering wheel lock with force, and once you do that, all you need is a screwdriver. There was a metal thingy on the side of the steering column, and you just pop a screwdriver in there, push it, and the car starts. done.

How do I know this to be true? Well, when I took the car in to get fixed, the maintenance guy showed it to me. Then he showed me another buick regal that they had in their garage that week too. It had been fished out of the same river that runs about 1/4 mile from aforementioned hotel. :eek:

I had nothing valuable in my car. Heck, at the time, I had nothing valuable at all. Some cars are just targets.
 

Passepartout

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he showed me another buick regal that they had in their garage that week too. It had been fished out of the same river that runs about 1/4 mile from aforementioned hotel. :eek:

Some cars are just targets.

This is true. Unscrupulous body shops (chop shops) actually 'order' certain popular models so they can be taken apart and sold piecemeal as 'used' parts to other body shops. Relatively easy work and the serial numbers disappear. The underlying cause is insurance companies that don't specify that new parts be used to reconstruct cars that have been in accidents.

Ford Tauruses, and F-150's, Honda Civics, Toyota Camry's, and yes, Ford Focuses are prime targets.

Here's a bit about what happens to stolen cars: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/chop-shop.htm
 

chellej

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Not sure if your main concern is breaking into or if you are worried about having the car stolen.

Saw this today and am buying for DH for xmas for his f250

http://findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=109&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=trace

I is satellite based. so for $99 plus an annual $99 subscription you can track the car if it is stolen...This lets you see it every 5 minutes and an alarm alerts you if it is moved. For $199 annual you can track it every 2.5 minutes.
 

Htoo0

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I've heard it might be a good idea to leave the glove box and other storage areas open so thieves know there's nothing in there worth stealing. Might have to disable the light if it has one though. Also, there are simple magnetic switches which can be installed behind the dash or trim that keeps the starter from turning or the electric fuel pump from operating unless a magnet is placed in the correct location on the dash panel or trim to activate the switch. Only then does the car work as normal. Doesn't stop it from being towed to a chop shop however. And anyone determined to steal that car could take the time to trace the wires, find the switch and bypass it. Most don't want to take the time however. Good luck!
 
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rhonda

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If the goal is to prevent the car being stolen by means of driving it off ... look into Revelco, a product that "scrambles" the wiring harness. You can't start the car w/out the fob that is unique to your car. The fob is removable and can be hung on her car keychain when she leaves the vehicle.
 

bogey21

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Suggest she moves to a different area, within her means of course.

Depends on her personality, etc. I was the President of a large Bank. Between marriages I purposely lived in "dicey" neighborhoods (including an "interesting" trailer park). I did it to see how others lived and thought. Met a lot of decent folks and learned a lot.

George
 

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Timeshare Von

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Start with don't leave ANYTHING in the car. If theifs think they see something worth breaking a window to get, then they'll continue to break out windows.

I've know people who always leave their cars unlocked just to avoid having their windows broken out. Of course they don't leave anything in their cars so they're not much of a target.

I have a convertible and follow this advice as well. Replacing the top is probably as much as the car's worth at this point.
 

djs

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My sister used to live in a "dicey" area of Boston and would not lock her car, she would also leave a note on the window that said 'the car is not locked, please don't break the windows'. Not that dirbags have scruples, but the hope was that they'd just try the door first before breaking windows. She also would not leave anything of value in the car.
 

Passepartout

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csxjohn

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How timely. Here is a link to the 5 cars least likely to be stolen: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/5-vehicles-you-love-and-car-thieves-hate-004700286.html Some of them are luxury models more likely to be kept in suburban garages, but some are fairly available and inexpensive new models with used examples on the market.

Jim

This list and the similar one on the AARP site showing the most claims is completely useless when tying to determine which vehicles are the least and most stolen.

The reason it's worthless is because they don't filter out just stolen but include
The list covers claims filed last year for stolen cars, parts taken off of vehicles (typically expensive items such as airbag systems) or personal property taken from inside a cabin.

It seems to me they could break this data down.

The other article I referenced had the Ford F-150 on the top of the list but someone pointed out that this is by far the most popular truck for contractors and they are frequently broken into for the equipment inside.

Can't they just separate it out and list which cars are stolen the most and least?
 

Fern Modena

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At one time I use to ride BART to work one day a week. Its parking lots were known to have car break ins due to the fact that most cars would be there for eight or nine hours, giving even amatuer theives plenty of time.

I never had anything of value in my car, and I made a conscious decision to keep the doors unlocked. I also didn't wash it often, so it looked dirty :) It never was broken into.

Fern
 

sfwilshire

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Start with don't leave ANYTHING in the car. If theifs think they see something worth breaking a window to get, then they'll continue to break out windows.

My husband got a broken window in a city parking garage once when he left a single dollar bill on the middle console. I scold everyone I see doing that now, even if it is a pile of change. Windows are expensive.

Sheila
 
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