Car Parts and Accessories

Sad to say, the world is not full of people as nice as you and me. Although we have worked hard to buy and maintain our cars, there are malcontents out there who want the same thing for nothing.

Thieves come in three types: joyriders (usually young people who ‘take the car for a burn’), pilferers (who steal luggage or dash-board stereos, often without moving the car) and professionals. None of them are particularly nice but at least with the first and second type you have a chance of getting most of your car back.

The third category is the thief who strips the car and sells the parts or gives the car a paint job, fixes a new compliance plate, changes the engine number then resells it. Experts estimate that these creatures account for around half the cost of all theft insurance claims.

More than half of car-thefts occur at night. The most dangerous part of the week is between Thursday and Saturday. The street is the most risky place to leave a car unattended, followed by car-parks, especially those at pubs, clubs and shopping centers. A Sadly, even your driveway is not safe.

Every motorist needs to practice vigilant automotive self-defense.

Risky Cars

Some models are more vulnerable than others — generally the more common the car, the easier it is for a thief to find a market for the parts. The older the car (within reason), the higher the demand for spare parts. Cars from eight to fourteen years old fall into this second category and are at great risk from professional thieves.

Exotic and high-powered sports cars are the most likely vehicles to fall prey, especially to joy-riders. In this regard a `turbo’ badge is the kiss of death. Insurance claim figures show some sports models are four times more likely to be stolen than common family sedans.

Unfortunately, the more you put into your car, the more attractive it will be to thieves. Modified versions of common cars are vulnerable to professional and amateurs alike, because the valuable extras will fit someone else’s car.

Big four-wheel drive models, such as Holden Jackaroos, Mitsubishi Pajeros and Toyota LandCruisers, are the least likely to be stolen.

Methods of fighting back

Many motorists have had enough and would love to install some sort of device which caused physical harm to people who tried to steal or damage their cars.

Such devices are not legally available, so long-suffering car- owners have to content themselves with reducing the risk of their car being (1) selected by a thief and (2) successfully stolen.

It is impossible to make a completely `unstealable’ car but you can make it very secure. Here are some ways to do so.

Alarms

All shapes, sizes and types of noise-making devices have been designed to deter thieves from continuing an auto burglary. Unfortunately many alarms are ineffective and widespread ‘false alarms‘ have led to people largely ignoring the wail.

There is a list of ten minimum requirements for a car alarm system and it is well worth checking that any alarm you consider buying complies with all of them:

1. The siren must be linked to all doors, bonnet and boot (or rear hatch).
2. A cut-out device stops the starter, fuel or ignition system from functioning.
3. The siren sounds immediately the bonnet or boot (or rear hatch) is opened.
4. The siren sounds immediately a window is broken.
5. The system uses a separate siren rather than the car horn and contains a standby rechargeable battery.
6. A warning system indicating the condition of the standby battery is optional but highly recommended.
7. A warning lamp and / or window stickers are displayed. The make or type of alarm should not be identified.
8. The alarm preferably sets itself automatically — or can be set manually from inside the vehicle or by a coded electronic key from outside.
9. The siren sounds for up to ninety seconds at a time — with an automatic cut-out and reset function.
10. The system has a service mode to allow work on the vehicle without generating an alarm condition.

The NRMA describes these as the minimum requirement for an effective alarm system. Of course there are all sorts of additions available, such as remote control, flashing lights and so on.

You can’t completely deter a thief with an alarm. What you are hoping for is that the thief will look for an easier target.

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