Car Parts and Accessories

Wiring the car for warning and deterrent

MOST CARS and some LDV’s are fitted with mechanical steering locks during manufacture and, although many of these locks can be circumvented by the professional thief, if engaged they will pose a deterrent to someone trying to steal the vehicle. However, a survey carried out by the AA shows that very few of these locks were damaged when cars were stolen and this indicates that many cars are stolen with their own key or with a duplicate key. In many instances, vehicles were removed from driveways and open carports where their owners had left them temporarily—perhaps carelessly—with the key still in the ignition.

In other instances, the manner in which the vehicles were removed strongly suggests that the thief had access to a duplicate key and the possibility that these are made whilst the vehicle is left in the servicing or parking garages—where the key is available for extended periods for duplication and where the owner’s address may appear on an invoice or is available from a warranty book left in the cubby-hole—cannot be excluded on available evidence.

It should nevertheless be noted that after withdrawing the ignition key from the lock, the steering wheel should be turned until you can feel the lock engaging. Failure to do this gives leverage which can be used to damage the lock’s mechanism and render it inoperative.

Many different types of anti-theft devices, ranging from mechanical to electronic, have flooded the market and it can become confusing when endeavouring to purchase a unit in order to protect your car. When purchasing protection, it should be remembered that there are few, if any, devices available which are completely foolproof under all circumstances. Consequently, it would be irresponsible to leave a vehicle— even one fitted with a sophisticated anti-theft device— unattended for long periods in a desolate place.

The object of fitting an anti-theft device is to buy as much time as possible before the system can be circumvented. This can be achieved to some extent by hiding the unit, its wiring and switches.

The longer it takes a thief and the more complicated or difficult the system is to circumvent, the less likely it will be that your car will be stolen. The more complicated the system you purchase, the more costly it is likely to be, but cost is not always an indication of the effectiveness of the unit. A point to consider is whether the anti-theft device is self-arming or not. Obviously no anti-theft device is of any benefit if it is not engaged.

A relatively inexpensive device which requires no installation costs and which simply locks the steering to the brake or clutch pedals, or which restricts the movement of the gearshift lever—if made of good steel—can be an effective deterrent and its very presence can be advantageous.

Simple devices such as a supplementary switch in the low-tension coil wiring to break or earth the ignition circuit and thus prevent the engine starting, may prove quite adequate in some situations but would not deter a thief with mechanical knowledge for more than a few seconds. A more involved version makes use of a code which has to be ‘punched’ into the system in order to start the engine.

Devices which lock the brakes have the benefit that the effect will be felt after the thief has moved the vehicle from where it was stolen and thus will draw more attention to the vehicle and himself. However, a knowledgeable thief, armed with a brake bleeding spanner or a sharp pocket. knife, would have no trouble rendering the device inoperative and driving the vehicle away on its handbrake.

A device which is relatively inexpensive and has considerable merit is an electronic fuel-line shut-off valve which can be fitted quite easily. It can be mounted in an inaccessible position under the floorpan of the vehicle and its activating switch can be hidden in a multitude of places. Furthermore, if activated before the vehicle is parked, the fuel supply to the carburettor would run dry and prevent starting or alternatively, if activated after the vehicle has been parked, it would render the vehicle immobile within 200 or 300 metres after being driven off.

For those motorists who are prepared to incur the costs of a more sophisticated device, pocket bleepers, which warn when a vehicle is being tampered with, are available. Audio alarms, that is, alarms which trigger a hooter or siren when the vehicle is entered, have a supplementary advantage in that they provide some degree of protection against theft of the contents of the motor vehicle.

Whilst etching an identification number on vehicle windows or body and engine components does not make the vehicle more difficult to steal, it must ultimately have a deterrent effect as windows are an expensive item to replace. Furthermore it makes the motor vehicle more readily identifiable in the event of theft and subsequent recovery.

An extension of this would be to make distinct marks on body or mechanical components in places where they would not be easily found by a car thief, and this should be reported to the police at the time that you report the theft to them.

If in any doubt about suitability of a particular antitheft device, consult the nearest branch of the AA’s technical department. Personnel there will be only too willing to give you advice.

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