Theft

AutoSleepy_Don wrote:I usually hear that modern immobilisers are so good that thieves will need to come into the house to get the keys.
Seems that is an urban myth.

Not according to the security company who I was talking with, told me if a couple of his customers experiences of being threatened whilst in bed, they left with car keys, credit cards and rings of the wife’s fingers.

FreelanderUK wrote:I only use a disk lock on the  steering wheel and set the cobra alarm that’s fitted, nothing else, if the thieves really want it no matter what’s fitted they will take it,  it wasn’t long ago I was reading about a van that was stolen, the thieves kept tripping the alarm on the van in the night but not attempting a breakin , they did it so many times until the owner turned it off because of upsetting the neighbours, the next morning the van had gone and he never herd them cutting the wheel clamp off or the post in front of the van

 
If my alarm was to go off several times in the night it would ring alarm bells in my head because my alarm has never given false alarms in all the time I've had it fitted. I would go into my van get the bedding out and sleep in it for a few nights with the alarm still on and flyout the van if it went off again.

Actually i am on the same page as a hidden switch! my thoughts are a manual isolator somewhere not remote as we know they can be hacked. If you can prevent the van from being started then there is no where else to go!!

Winched directly and unopened onto a flat bed truck. Hiviz brigade telling anyone passing by....no tax or finance not paid. No one not involved would say a word.
Wear a hiviz and you can stop traffic, or steal anything.

If they want it the toerags will get it.
Hidden switch wouldn't have stopped my Nephew's van vanishing, they just lifted it up on to a truck and
A second hidden tracker might have given half a chance to find it though, the first having been ripped out.

Fontie wrote:
 
Fit them all to your van with a decent alarm  I know a thief will get through the locks but with the alarm blaring they wont want to hang about hacking 4 locks (you forgot an OBD lock)

It’s very easy to stop a alarm even starting to sound but not something I want to say how it’s done as is not good for the forum
So yes as I said all the items are a waste of time as the people that are taking cars campers have the gear required 
When I have removed locks when people have lost the keys I say all sorted and they look very shocked at how quick I remove the items 
A 2nd tracker is a good bit of kit so when the people taking campers cars find a tracker think the vehicle cant be tracked YES IT CAN
My own camper if I am not in the camper with a item and my camper is moved driven by someone  sends a alarm to my phone

Years ago it was so simple to put the rotor arm from the distributor in your pocket .

GUY WALTON wrote:Years ago it was so simple to put the rotor arm from the distributor in your pocket .

That was what I did when parking up and off for the day in my kayak but now I have been a diesel driver now they have the power with turbo .I also unplugged the engine electrics

18 months ago we had almost the same theft scenario for our 2014 Symbol. Recovered via our Global Telemetrics lifetime tracker which they did not find despite stripping out numerous plastic dash panels. Door and steering lock barrels were punched out and vehicle immobiliser had been bypassed. Vehicle was found parked up incase it had a tracker and found by our phone tracker app and subsequently located by the police. 
Seriously contemplated fitting a Ghost2 immobiliser but eventually went for a drive security bollard, milenco m15 clamp and steering stoplock to support the tracker security. Keys have been well hidden for these items. Fingers crossed they will pick an easier target elsewhere!

Sadly it's too common I would leave our GSD asleep in the van just to make people think again and realise it's a very bad idea

Your GSD is worth more than the van

Just spent 30 minutes fitting a tracker to my van . Simple enough and cheap enough bought off amazon at £100 inc 1 years running cost . Plus im the only one who knows where it is . This topic made me do it though so thanks for the push OP .

glyne lock wrote:so this is a good post
is a steering lock any good NO
is a pedal lock any good NO
is a wheel clamp any good NO
I have been out to help when people have lost keys and I have remove these items in a very short time
the tracker is a must as this was what they tried to find. so best not left as to the position A/S fitted it and I have a second tracker so even if they find one I have a good back up

We don't know if the alarm was on which, I would think may have frightened them off.

My, sadly no longer with us, Eribacar on early medieval Renault chassis had a steering wheel I could remove in no time, then store, even with a neighbour if leaving it at home

No airbags no radio controls, no phone controls, just, well, a steering wheel!!

iandsm wrote:
We don't know if the alarm was on which, I would think may have frightened them off.

I had already said even if it has a alarm that can be made so it does not give off any sound (but not some thing I can say what is done on the forum)
I had a house near mine and there alarm was going but they where on holiday .I stopped the alarm sounding in front of the police then was able to go home and sleep to get up early for work

I posted a while back but I fitted a home Ring motion sensor in ours linked to the house alarm so soon as any movement in the van the house alarm goes off. Alarm is battery and 4g backup so even if they cut internet line it would still trigger. 

Our neighbour recently added a ghost immobiliser. Basically you have to press a combination of steering wheel, console buttons -
Been thinking about getting one installed on the van. 

Glad you got it back.

Well here's my pennyworth on security. As some on here know I had our 2013 Dorset taken on Boxing Day eve last year. It only had the Peugeot security and was parked front to road. It took the scrotes 30 seconds to get it started and away, never to be seen again. Apart from the memories tied up in it, the insurers took for ever to sort out any payment. So anything I can do to deter/slow down thieves has a value. 
My replacement van has: a tracker, a steering wheel disklok, a BC lock (brake/clutch) a Milenco Wraif wheel clamp, rear door hasp and pin, a PIR alarm between van and house and an OBD lock. Also there is now more CCTV, with PIR lights, around the house including a Ring doorbell. The spare keys and tracker cards are in a safe and the 'working' keys are stashed as far from the doors/windows as possible.None of them are 'wireless' anyway. All of this has cost me about £1500, including a doubled insurance premium but it gives me a little peace of mind. 
I'm afraid that if you told an insurance company that "I didn't bother with any security 'cos the scumbags can defeat anything I fit" you will get short shrift.
To me the theft of our van was extremely traumatic and I really don't want to go through it again. 
Of course I realise that criminals can get away with most vehicles but I can't see any reason to make it easy for them.

Sympathy for you as it's obviously very raw. I would add for anyone, don't forget the basics. Park the wagon facing towards the house or garage and if possible park another vehicle to block it in. Stolen to order- yes, very little will deter, but chancers will usually move on to an easier target.

IanH wrote:My, sadly no longer with us, Eribacar on early medieval Renault chassis had a steering wheel I could remove in no time, then store, even with a neighbour if leaving it at home

No airbags no radio controls, no phone controls, just, well, a steering wheel!!

I too have a removable steering wheel (Tazio) on our early Symbol which came with the van when we bought it.  Just been down to the van  and removed it after reading this thread! I also have CCTV 24/7 but thieves seem to wear hoodies so probably not a lot of use when it comes to identifying them.

move seat up to steering wheel and chain seat to steering wheel etc with as many chains padlocks you like.leave in gear and wheels on full lock.

Ended up getting a Scorpion X CAN Bus immobiliser fitted few weeks ago, similar to Ghost system. Superb bit of kit, really pleased with it.