# Theft prevention **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2016, 2:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298 "2016-05-15T02:57:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/81 "2016-05-18T04:21:56Z")
It isn’t illegal in any state that I know of to have lock picks. Only to use them for illegal purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 4:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/82 "2016-05-18T04:36:04Z")
Some cars are valuable, had one friend, left a signed title on the seat, doors open, key in the ignition and still could get no takers. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 8:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/83 "2016-05-18T08:40:00Z")
@Barkydog Was it a Chevette or a Yugo? If so, I can’t blame anybody for NOT stealing the car :naughty: ---
**Author:** ![Honda-Blackbird](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/honda-blackbird/32/3159_2.png) [@Honda-Blackbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Honda-Blackbird)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/84 "2016-05-18T16:41:36Z")
…Or a Renault Alliance ? LOL ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/85 "2016-05-18T18:12:30Z")
Renault Alliance? brings back memories. Friend bought one, didn’t last long. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/86 "2016-05-19T04:45:45Z")
Renault Le Car? The only car I’ve ever seen with 3 lug nuts per wheel. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 5:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/87 "2016-05-19T05:06:39Z")
It was a rusted out chevrolet I believe, ---
**Author:** ![Honda-Blackbird](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/honda-blackbird/32/3159_2.png) [@Honda-Blackbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Honda-Blackbird)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/88 "2016-05-19T17:04:51Z")
Any Renault “anything” we ever got in the US could bring back bad memories… lol They aren’t so bad anymore in EU however. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/89 "2016-05-19T17:12:53Z")
When, after several months (even after dropping the price to a few hundred $$) we couldn’t find anyone interested in buying my brother’s awful 5 year old Datsun SPL-311, we seriously considered pushing it off one of the cliffs in Fort Lee, NJ. The only thing that stopped us was the fear of being prosecuted. Eventually, the father of our next-door neighbor bought it, and we never saw the car again. Since it was essentially impossible to start the car if the temperature was below 40 degrees, and because it couldn’t pass the state safety inspection, I have no idea what that guy did with the car, but we really didn’t care. We disclosed all of the car’s many problems, and he was still willing to pay a few hundred bucks for it, so…our problem became his problem. ---
**Author:** ![satisficer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@satisficer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/satisficer)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 5:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/90 "2016-05-30T05:48:51Z")
We used a fuel shut-off switch spliced into the electric system on our older cars. If you want it bad enough you’ll find it, but it will slow them down. These days it would probably void the warranty, cost a small fortune, or break the car, though. There are advantages to driving cars that no one wants to steal! ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/91 "2016-05-30T16:16:52Z")
Maybe he shipped that Datsun SPL-311 to Cuba. It’s never under 40 there. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 7:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/92 "2016-05-31T07:41:32Z")
That’s all a kill switch is. Just a $5 switch wired into the supply wire to the fuel pump. Nothing complicated that could cause any problem. No different than a blown fuse that interrupts the power to the pump. By the time they discover that the car won’t start due to a kill switch, the battery will be dead. ---
**Author:** ![Marnet](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/marnet/32/41_2.png) [@Marnet](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Marnet)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 10:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/93 "2016-05-31T10:40:35Z")
Oh, so I can legally get lock picks to open the footlocker I lost the key to 35 years ago??? I’d love to rediscover what I packed in it when I made that move. LOL. To keep it car related, the footlocker filled the car trunk of the 1973 Corolla I had at the time. The trunk opening was proportioned such that careful maneuvering could get the footlocker into and out of the trunk. The Corolla may have been a hamster powered econobox but it was a surprisingly useful design and reliability … if you ignored how rapidly the body rusted. ---
**Author:** ![irlandes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5e925/32.png) [@irlandes](https://community.cartalk.com/u/irlandes)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/94 "2016-06-01T01:01:05Z")
It was a few years ago, but in the Midwest state lived in, possession of burglary tools was a chargeable offense. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/95 "2016-06-01T01:48:18Z")
Here you go. Lock pick kits AND training materials! > **[Amazon.com: lock picking training kit](https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=lock+picking+training+kit&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=7010505838&hvqmt=b&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_50d93bzbuo_b)** ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/96 "2016-06-01T03:21:27Z")
Sometimes they won’t sell to non locksmiths but suspect Amazon has no such policy. We used to have a guy at work that was with the OSS in WWII. Every once in a while someone would lock their file cabinet and not have the key so I’d ask him to try and pick the lock. He had a pretty good track record but was kinda rusty so couldn’t always do it. I never thought to buy him a cup of coffee and thank him for his service. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/97 "2016-06-02T21:04:01Z")
If the thieves can build a universal remote . .then it’s time for a legal company to do the same to be licensed and registered to us shops and locksmiths who could sure use that ease over slim-jiming or the reach tool methods. ---
**Author:** ![satisficer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@satisficer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/satisficer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 9:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/98 "2016-06-13T09:55:28Z")
For an imaginative theft prevention method, put a couple of realistic rubber rattlesnakes in the car. This will work better if you can get fake snakes that move. ---
**Author:** ![donnaeastman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@donnaeastman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/donnaeastman)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 10:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/99 "2019-01-18T10:56:26Z")
There are lots of ways to prevent theft. I could name a lot but I’m just gonna give you a few: Car thieves are becoming increasingly organized and, in a few seconds, can have your vehicle taken far away. Bear in mind that criminals will choose an easy target. By following the steps below you can make it difficult for a criminal to steal your car. - Close all windows and lock all doors and the boot (trunk), even if you only leave your car for a moment. - Never leave your vehicle running unattended. - Where possible, park in a well-lit highly visible area, preferably off the road. At night, choose secure or well-lit car parks, with pedestrian traffic. Avoid leaving your vehicle in a car park for a long time. - Try to park the vehicle with the front facing an obstacle. Turn the wheels towards the kerb and lock the steering. - Always try to use all protection you have on the vehicle. Put all labels for protection devices in a visible place (do not display your GPS label). - Disable the vehicle using a starter interrupt switch (“kill switch”). Installation is not expensive. And if ever the vechile is stolen this is where trackers come in mind, you could attach a tracker to your car and you could track it from your mobile device or however the tracker works. I could suggest trackimo it’s very convenient tracker which lets you track your tracker from your mobile device. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298/100 "2019-01-18T14:20:52Z")
Donna , why are you jumping around and reviving old threads ? This one has almost 100 posts , who reads all of those anyway . [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298.md?page=4) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/theft-prevention/93298.md?page=6)