From: fitchitt@wam.umd.edu ()
Subject: Re: alarm system recommendati
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 19:24:31 GMT

In article <1992Aug21.130654.26229@mcnc.org> brooks@mcnc.org (Ted Brooks) writes:
>In article <1992Aug21.051635.2470@mr.med.ge.com> hinz@picard.med.ge.com (David Hinz Mfg 4-6987) writes:
>>Jeff Masterman (jeff.masterman@cutting.hou.tx.us) wrote:
>>
>>: Buy a "Club" I don't want to have to listen to yet another false
>>: Auto-alarm. (G)...but seriously the HPD says the Club is better anyway.
>>: It goes across the steering wheel and prevents it from being turned.
>>
>>It only stops the wheel from turning if the crook doesn't hacksaw thru the 
>>steering wheel.  I agree that it would probably stop joyriders, but if someone
>>is taking your car to a chop-shop, they won't hesitate to hack the steering
>>wheel.
>
>Maybe I just don't apppreciate the situation, but it seems to me that if you
>live in a high theft area, the answer to the problem is to drive something
>not worth stealing, or move. I worry enough in a reasonably safe area that I
>don't leave my 55 Chevy unattended. Usually, it's locked in the garage. And
>I don't drive an expensive commuting car. Besides the fact I can't afford
>one :-) , I don't think I could stand to drive or park it where some idiot
>could hit or vandalize it.
> 
>Ted Brooks
> ______________________________________________________________________
>| Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are my own, and do not reflect    |
>| those of my employer. Advice is free, but you get what you pay for.  |
>|                               ________                               |
>|                         _____|  1955  |_______                       |
>|                        /      Chevrolet      /                       |
>|                       /______  BelAir  _____/                        |
>|                              |________|                              |
>|______________________________________________________________________|
>


Hahaha... I what defines "not worth stealing"? I thought my beat up looking,
1980 Datsun 200SX feel under that catagory.  I didn't have an alarm or club,
it got stolen...

It had something the thief wanted, the complete exhaust system (including tail-
pipe)

If you live in a "bad" area, it pays to make your car "less" of a target than
your neighbors, its an unfortunate fact of live, but in high-crime areas, its
"hope he steals the OTHER guys".

TO do this, use a combination of stuff, because Clubs, Alarms, Kill Switches
only offer a modicrim of anti-theft protection, they only serve to slow, not
stop the thief...

Club - Easy as hell to defeat (I still have one thought, and on my street,
about 20 out of 30 cars have 'em... its effect dwindles with every new one
bought)

  You can freon it (ooo, and theives are anti-environmental too!)
  Hammer it
  Cut the wheel

Just to name a few...

I was in a autoparts store today looking at all the stuff available, I was
thinking ,gee, I could put ALL this stuff on, it would take me 20 mins to get
it all off, and my car would only be a LITTLE safer than the one down the
street... some stuff I saw:
  Thingy to attach the wheel to hold the gas pedal up (this seems easy enough
                                                        to defeat)
  Nother Thingy to go between the emergency brake and the stick shift so you
can't take off the parking brake or change gears... This seems more effective
for Automatics to put them in park, this would only hamper a standard, if
the thief didn't just smash it off.

Collar like thing that went over key to stop "masters" and punching the
lock out of the steering column (this actually looked semiuseful, as this
is how they got my car started, jubroke the lock in half and usesd a
screwdriver to start it...)

Kill-switches are probably better protection, but by then, they have already
either destroyed your lock, or broken your window, {or if you are lucky,
they just slim-jim in...)

These other things keep 'em walking when they scope out your car in search
of easier prey...

Of course wheel locks are a must, not having 'em is just BEGGING someone to
take your tires and wheels... even if they are crap.

I'm coming up on my 1 year anniversery of my car getting stolen, and I'm
getting a little anxious about my current "old car" getting stolen (a '81
280ZX that really as a bad looking body, I'm planning on painting it soon)

I thought it would probably be fun just to see HOW MUCH CRAP you could put
on.. you would have about 1/2 ton of these bar things dragging around in
your car... if you ever hit anything it would look like an archery contest
having all of 'em flying out your windshield...

I even considered seeing if you could get BOOTS (that parking authority use)
That would probably be pretty effective, as the thieve would eitehr need an
arc torch or a towtruck to take it away (unless they had the key, which is
possible too....)

So my rant is done... and I'm just waiting till I can get the best protection
I can for my car... moving. ;)