VF Garage security

[426Cuda]

Thanks, that's good to know.

Back in the day when car security from factory was a non event, simple deterents like kill switches or taking the coil lead or rotor button out no doubt saved many cars from theft. More than those dodgey club locks.
Years ago a mate had his VK Grp 3 stolen. The car was seen speeding and doing burnouts just out of town. But he never got it back. He replaced it with a Calais Director which had an alarm with immobilser fitted. Thieves came back again. This time with a tilt tray. Bye bye Director.
Cars are more sophisticated these days. Thieves too, and more brazen.
I've never bothered with my Redline as it's my daily and replaceable. But my Motorsport will be secured to the hardened steel shackle fitted to my garage floor. I may even fit a bollard. The keys will never be found if I'm away, out, asleep etc.
I like the key bowl at the front door idea too. Nothing more important than your family's safety. I suppose i just don't see the likelihood of this happening as very high. So to me the risk is low to medium.
Our staffie will let us know if someone is around too.
None of these measures are foolproof. But they can at least cause a delay in the theft, or be a deterent.

 

[Dirty Harry]

has anyone put in or considered putting a GPS device in their car. It seems like you can pick up some decent ones for a few hundred dollars.

 

[tml678]

Yes, I believe so.

Actually it's doesn't unfortunately. All it means is they can't restart it once it's off.

 

[panhead]

I've never bothered with my Redline as it's my daily and replaceable. But my Motorsport will be secured to the hardened steel shackle fitted to my garage floor. I may even fit a bollard. The keys will never be found if I'm away, out, asleep etc.
I like the key bowl at the front door idea too...Nothing more important than your families safety. I suppose i just don't see the likelihood of this happening as very high. So to me the risk to is low to medium.

Having someone come into the house looking for keys while we slept was the catalyst for the bowl.

Getting their hands on the keys is something thieves often have to do to take a late model vehicle from your residence though I’ve been told this isn’t always necessary as the real pros can get around it.

When we go on holidays all the keys along with the dog are sent off to the baby sitter.

Both of the cars I had stolen from home were steel bumpers and as you've pointed out they came with no security and it was as easy as breaking the cowl on the steering column and reaching in for the rod that connects to the key barrel and pulling it to start these old girls.

With the car taken from the garage I had a kill switch under the seat plus a battery cut off disconnect pin fixed to the boot as per drag racing requirements and the battery relocated to the boot.

The battery wasn’t with the car it was on the bench in the shed out back of the house with the rotor button and the disconnect pin was in the house with the keys.

A club lock was fitted to the steering wheel and brake pedal (hopeless I know but it stops the joyriders) and it had two chain points into the concrete floor, one wrapped around the diff housing and the other wrapped around the engine cross member.

The thieves broke a window to access the garage, cut off part of the steering wheel rim to remove the club lock and replaced the wheel with a nice HDT Momo wheel, popped a battery into the carrier in the boot and ran a cable from the battery over the roof and down under the bonnet near the master cylinder to the starter motor and ran a lead from the ignition switch to the solenoid, they pulled the door lock out and broke the cowl to access the ignition, fitted a rotor button and cut the chains.

I came home to find the garage door open and no car.

The car in the carport had an alarm with motion sensors and nothing else, they came into the house while we slept and found the keys.

Both cars were recovered though one was nothing but a burnt out shell.

It was after they came into the house that my wife started to become concerned with me having high risk vehicles around and an old codger like myself told me to keep the keys where they can be seen and they’ll never feel the need to disturb you.

If I had just an ordinary everyday shitter or something common as salt then hiding the keys would probably work, if you have something sitting around that is worth the extra risk for a thief then let them have it as it’s not worth your life.


Here’re some news articles on the subject.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-...s-to-break-into-homes-across-adelaide/6587564

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...s/news-story/366033e524c93643340ae71ac815dfea

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-17/proximity-keys-car-theft-hackers-raa-freezer/6399650

https://www.crimestopperswa.com.au/the-one-mistake-most-car-theft-victims-make/



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[Carcool]

Yes, I believe so.

Nope it does not. Wife dropped me off at work one day and drove off in my VF2 , rang me 15 minutes later asking where the keys were - Whoops in my pocket . Had to take the keys up to her as she could not lock it.

 

[426Cuda]

Nope it does not. Wife dropped me off at work one day and drove off in my VF2 , rang me 15 minutes later asking where the keys were - Whoops in my pocket . Had to take the keys up to her as she could not lock it.

I stand corrected. I asked this question when my car was new, and that's what the salesman told me.

 

[426Cuda]

Having someone come into the house looking for keys while we slept was the catalyst for the bowl.

Getting their hands on the keys is something thieves often have to do to take a late model vehicle from your residence though I’ve been told this isn’t always necessary as the real pros can get around it.

When we go on holidays all the keys along with the dog are sent off to the baby sitter.

Both of the cars I had stolen from home were steel bumpers and as you've pointed out they came with no security and it was as easy as breaking the cowl on the steering column and reaching in for the rod that connects to the key barrel and pulling it to start these old girls.

With the car taken from the garage I had a kill switch under the seat plus a battery cut off disconnect pin fixed to the boot as per drag racing requirements and the battery relocated to the boot.

The battery wasn’t with the car it was on the bench in the shed out back of the house with the rotor button and the disconnect pin was in the house with the keys.

A club lock was fitted to the steering wheel and brake pedal (hopeless I know but it stops the joyriders) and it had two chain points into the concrete floor, one wrapped around the diff housing and the other wrapped around the engine cross member.

The thieves broke a window to access the garage, cut off part of the steering wheel rim to remove the club lock and replaced the wheel with a nice HDT Momo wheel, popped a battery into the carrier in the boot and ran a cable from the battery over the roof and down under the bonnet near the master cylinder to the starter motor and ran a lead from the ignition switch to the solenoid, they pulled the door lock out and broke the cowl to access the ignition, fitted a rotor button and cut the chains.

I came home to find the garage door open and no car.

The car in the carport had an alarm with motion sensors and nothing else, they came into the house while we slept and found the keys.

Both cars were recovered though one was nothing but a burnt out shell.

It was after they came into the house that my wife started to become concerned with me having high risk vehicles around and an old codger like myself told me to keep the keys where they can be seen and they’ll never feel the need to disturb you.

If I had just an ordinary everyday shitter or something common as salt then hiding the keys would probably work, if you have something sitting around that is worth the extra risk for a thief then let them have it as it’s not worth your life.


Here’re some news articles on the subject.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-...s-to-break-into-homes-across-adelaide/6587564

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...s/news-story/366033e524c93643340ae71ac815dfea

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-17/proximity-keys-car-theft-hackers-raa-freezer/6399650

https://www.crimestopperswa.com.au/the-one-mistake-most-car-theft-victims-make/
.

Mongrels!
Yeah I couldn't agree more mate.

 

[zero_tolerance]

Having someone come into the house looking for keys while we slept was the catalyst for the bowl.

Getting their hands on the keys is something thieves often have to do to take a late model vehicle from your residence though I’ve been told this isn’t always necessary as the real pros can get around it.

When we go on holidays all the keys along with the dog are sent off to the baby sitter.

Both of the cars I had stolen from home were steel bumpers and as you've pointed out they came with no security and it was as easy as breaking the cowl on the steering column and reaching in for the rod that connects to the key barrel and pulling it to start these old girls.

With the car taken from the garage I had a kill switch under the seat plus a battery cut off disconnect pin fixed to the boot as per drag racing requirements and the battery relocated to the boot.

The battery wasn’t with the car it was on the bench in the shed out back of the house with the rotor button and the disconnect pin was in the house with the keys.

A club lock was fitted to the steering wheel and brake pedal (hopeless I know but it stops the joyriders) and it had two chain points into the concrete floor, one wrapped around the diff housing and the other wrapped around the engine cross member.

The thieves broke a window to access the garage, cut off part of the steering wheel rim to remove the club lock and replaced the wheel with a nice HDT Momo wheel, popped a battery into the carrier in the boot and ran a cable from the battery over the roof and down under the bonnet near the master cylinder to the starter motor and ran a lead from the ignition switch to the solenoid, they pulled the door lock out and broke the cowl to access the ignition, fitted a rotor button and cut the chains.

I came home to find the garage door open and no car.

The car in the carport had an alarm with motion sensors and nothing else, they came into the house while we slept and found the keys.

Both cars were recovered though one was nothing but a burnt out shell.

It was after they came into the house that my wife started to become concerned with me having high risk vehicles around and an old codger like myself told me to keep the keys where they can be seen and they’ll never feel the need to disturb you.

If I had just an ordinary everyday shitter or something common as salt then hiding the keys would probably work, if you have something sitting around that is worth the extra risk for a thief then let them have it as it’s not worth your life.


Here’re some news articles on the subject.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-...s-to-break-into-homes-across-adelaide/6587564

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...s/news-story/366033e524c93643340ae71ac815dfea

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-17/proximity-keys-car-theft-hackers-raa-freezer/6399650

https://www.crimestopperswa.com.au/the-one-mistake-most-car-theft-victims-make/



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It makes me sick to the core that there are scumbags out there that are willing to go to such extraordinary lengths to steal somebody's pride and joy.
Reading your story though panhead, I'm convinced that this must have been somebody who knew you and your cars well. I mean how would a random thief know exactly how they were parked and secured and what was needed to start them down to the finest detail?

 

[panhead]

It makes me sick to the core that there are scumbags out there that are willing to go to such extraordinary lengths to steal somebody's pride and joy.
Reading your story though panhead, I'm convinced that this must have been somebody who knew you and your cars well. I mean how would a random thief know exactly how they were parked and secured and what was needed to start them down to the finest detail?

I don’t know if this is true or not but years ago there were reports in the media that some of the Motor Registry staff were paid by organised motor thief gangs to pass on info regarding vehicles and their locations in a steal to order scheme.

This was back when rebirthing was a growth industry.

Outside of the normal thief of cars, from what the Police told me in my case is that they roam the street looking for potential vehicles like high end Euros which will be quickly slipped into shipping containers and exported to the Middle East and local or import classics and muscle cars which are stripped and sold for parts.

Once they see a vehicle of interest they follow it home and keep an eye on the residence for a few days to get an understanding of the coming and goings then they enter the premises fully prepared and equipped to take that vehicle and it’s all over within minutes.

Having an intruder in the house while you sleep leaves you with a vulnerable feeling that’s hard to shake and my wife pushed me to move.

I’m now one of those owners who when I drive home I spend as much time looking in the mirror as I do the road to see if someone is following me.

I live in a cul-de-sac which makes it easy as there is no drive through traffic and I know all the neighbour’s vehicles, so if someone is behind me that I don’t recognise I keep driving to the end of the street and turn and drive back, I have cameras in my cars and I have a good look at the driver and I keep going, if they were to follow me I’d head for the local Cop Shop.

It makes me feel like I’m a nutter when I tell people I do something like that.

I also store most of my cars at my mum and dad’s place in the bush which means I have cars that I don’t or rarely drive which is a shame and some people would say I don’t deserve to own them but such is life when you have to take silly precautions to protect your property.

To be honest though I never think twice about my late model Commodores or my HSV’s, I’m more worried about having some uncaring arse wipe open their door onto them in a carpark then I am about them being stolen, it’s just the old stuff that I’m silly about.

Reading your story though panhead, I'm convinced that this must have been somebody who knew you and your cars well.

If it was someone who really knew me well they'd also know there were bigger prizes if they drove 360 miles north west to my mum's house.

I tend to agree with the Police, I was just a random mark.


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[426Cuda]

It makes me sick to the core that there are scumbags out there that are willing to go to such extraordinary lengths to steal somebody's pride and joy.
Reading your story though panhead, I'm convinced that this must have been somebody who knew you and your cars well. I mean how would a random thief know exactly how they were parked and secured and what was needed to start them down to the finest detail?

Yes, I was thinking the same. No doubt the insurance assessor and Police must have asked lots of questions Panhead. The mongrels (crooks) must have studied it for ages. Was this your Torana? Which car was burnt out?
Get a pitbull and train him to let the thieves in and keep them there pissing their pants until the cops arrive. It must take a special kind of low life to steal someones pride and joy then trash it. I know there are far worse crimes but still. Bloody mongrels!