Stopping the theft of your A3.

[Redgrouse]

I couldn't see a thread devoted to security measures which could prevent your car being stolen so I thought I'd at least start a helpful discussion.

Preventing having stuff stolen from your car is common sense - don't leave it unlocked, close the windows, hide or remove valuables, don't park it in an isolated place etc etc.

What about stopping your car being taken completely?

There is the obvious threat of 'two in one" burglaries which I, as a criminal barrister, have seen a marked increase in over the last 5 or so years. Again prevention is obvious - hide keys and don't leave them on the inside of your door (you'd be amazed how many people do that) or within a fishing rod distance of your letter box (another method).

However the latest worrying trend is electronic devices which fool the car into believing a thief has the key. That RS4 video in another thread shows it at work. Now we can sit and rightly complain Audi ought to address this but that could be a long and fruitless wait. A tracker may be of some use but thieves usually find and disable them quickly (especially if your car has the sticker saying it has a tracker!).

I am interested in views on other devices such as Disklok, wheel clamps or the like. Having a visible preventative device is going to deter a thief at the very least. If the thief has 2 cars one of which is a pain to steal he will go for the easy option. Car thieves want to be quick.

Do you use such a device. I was looking at the potential for a Disklok but in another thread someone said it chewed his BMW leather steering wheel. Have you experience? What about those wheel clamps? Do they damage alloys?

This could be a helpful discussion and I look forward to hearing your views.

 

[Phil-1]

My car is always parked behind my works van, they would have to move that before that got my car. I also have PIR flood lights and a CCTV camera. But I do worry when it's parked up away from home.

 

[Gazwould]

I like the STOPLOCK Pro.

 

[pat15312]

If someone really wants to steal your car, they will. Fortunately that is what insurance is for.

Really you want to hope that if your car is stolen, it is stolen properly and not just taken for a joyride and later recovered.

 

[Dylock]

If someone really wants to steal your car, they will. Fortunately that is what insurance is for.

Really you want to hope that if your car is stolen, it is stolen properly and not just taken for a joyride and later recovered.

Agreed, if stolen I don't want to ever see it again

 

[steeve]

I've used a disclock in the past and have yet to try it on my A3. But I know from experience what a pain they are to remove.
For many years a friend and I ran a motorsport photography business, specialising mainly in rallies. we were parked up in North Yorkshire in the middle of nowhere and were all set to leave, got back to the car in the dark and my pal found he had lost his keys. We searched high and low, trecking several miles in and out of the forest to all our spots but no luck.

The RAC sent out an automobile lock specialist and he had a pig of a job removing the disclocl.

 

[cuke2u]

Surely any determined thief would just drill out the lock, and I expect the majority of users would keep the key attached to their car keys anyway...

 

[steeve]

Surely any determined thief would just drill out the lock, and I expect the majority of users would keep the key attached to their car keys anyway...

I think any determined thief is going to get your car if they really want it. I suppose it's about making life more difficult so they choose an easier target?

I wonder how many carry a drill and several bits with them, they also like to get away quickly, the longer it takes and the more noise they have to make increases their risk of being seen or caught. steering wheel lock of some sort must make them think twice?

 

[too hot]

Park next to an M3........that should do it

 

[leosayer1]

I bought a disklok a few years back to protect my previous X5 as there were so many stories about X5 being stolen by cutting a hole in the passenger window and coding a key somehow via the OBD port.

I don't know if the A3 has the same vulnerability but I still kept the disklok at make sure it is fitted overnight. It's a minor inconvenience but gives me some piece of mind.

A neighbour a few doors down to me had the door handle lock barrell of his 318d drilled out the other day but nothing was taken. He now uses a disklok as well.

 

[cuke2u]

I think any determined thief is going to get your car if they really want it. I suppose it's about making life more difficult so they choose an easier target?

I wonder how many carry a drill and several bits with them, they also like to get away quickly, the longer it takes and the more noise they have to make increases their risk of being seen or caught. steering wheel lock of some sort must make them think twice?

Most people don't react to car/house alarm going off these days, even if its the middle of the night..

 

[h5djr]

Keeping it in a locked garage out of sight helps. The problem is most people use their garage as a store room these days.

Even the planning authorities no longer count a garage when deciding the number of car parking spaces required for planning permission for a new house as they know the garage will rarely be used to park a car.

 

[Palacemads3]

My car is in a locked garage overnight but to be honest if someone wants it that much I will leave my keys out for them. If rather they take it that come upstairs with a baseball bat or something to my head. It's completely the reason why I choose to have GAP insurance. If it gets stolen, as others have said, I don't ever want to see it again. Id rather just start again.

 

[cuke2u]

Keeping it in a locked garage out of sight helps. The problem is most people use their garage as a store room these days.

Even the planning authorities no longer count a garage when deciding the number of car parking spaces required for planning permission for a new house as they know the garage will rarely be used to park a car.

If only our local authority allowed us to have a garage then mine would be snug. However the problem with garages are they can easily broken into allowing the thief to work undercover and in the dry with, usually, mains power on tap..

 

[xrkt77]

For the first 12 months in the event of the vehicle being stolen/written off most insurance policies will indemnify with you with a brand new vehicle.

Hence for the first 12 months i won't have any additional security on my vehicle.

If it gets stolen the likeliehood it ain't coming back.

 

[h5djr]

For the first 12 months in the event of the vehicle being stolen/written off most insurance policies will indemnify with you with a brand new vehicle.

Hence for the first 12 months i won't have any additional security on my vehicle.

If it gets stolen the likeliehood it ain't coming back.

If you take out GAP insurance you're in the same position of having the car replaced for 3 years.

 

[steeve]

Most people don't react to car/house alarm going off these days, even if its the middle of the night..

You are absolutely correct however the old bill do claim that a burglar or thief doesn't tend to hang about.

 

[cuke2u]

Yes they leave the scene very rapidly in your car....

 

[ammo-mcr]

My car is in a locked garage overnight but to be honest if someone wants it that much I will leave my keys out for them. If rather they take it that come upstairs with a baseball bat or something to my head. It's completely the reason why I choose to have GAP insurance. If it gets stolen, as others have said, I don't ever want to see it again. Id rather just start again.

which gap insurance do you recommend and how much should it cost ?

 

[RAF_S7]

I have a bright yellow disklok that l use whenever lm parking in public places. It came with a stretch fabric cover that you slip over the wheel before you fit the actual lock. It's quite a heavy piece of kit (as it needs to be) and can be a little tricky to use, especially unlocking, but it quickly becomes second nature after regular use.

It comes in a range of sizes. I have the small.

My s/wheel is an Audi RS7 custom one - it's a 2016 flat bottom multi function, in carbon and perforated leather and is a little thicker than the standard wheels. I've been using it for 6 months and have no problems with it marking or scuffing the wheel.

 

[GSB]

Dog.

A thief may surprise you in your home, intimidate you into taking the lesser of two bad outcomes and make you hand over the keys, but they can't reason with a dog. A dog has an unwavering determination and purity of intent to protect that scares the **** out of thieves, since they can't be coerced, negotiated with or made to shut up, and come with a very big probability of painful injuries and DNA loss. A dog bite is an instant link to the scene of the crime.

Get a dog.

Then, get some serious doors and windows. Don't mess about, replace your most vulnerable ground floor Front and Rear windows with ultra strong secure by design items, with laminated glass or bomb blast film, or preferably both. Bomb blast film is cheap. £200 will see your patio doors resisting a frenzied 5 minute attack to get through the glass, where previously you could have gained entry in near silence using nothing more substantial than a wet £5 note.

Then, up armour those doors and windows with complex non-standard anti-snap lock cylinders like these. Non standard because everyone in the world now knows how easy it is to 'bump' a Yale type lock, and anti-snap because everyone whose watched the Yale bump YouTube clip also knows that the next most ubiquitous lock in Britain can be undone in less than 10 seconds with a set of mole grips.

Once you've done that, buy Rockdoor or Solidor doors. The rest is up to you, good lighting, cctv, physical barriers are all good, but they all involve you not leaving door keys in the locks inside or dropping them on the windowsill like some drooling halfwit. If you're going to be that dumb then you'll have undone all the good effort and expense you've just gone through, and may as well just send the thief a set of car keys in the post.

The intent is to make damn sure that getting into your house needs a lot of noise, and lot of time. Both increase the chances of having your collar felt exponentially, and there comes a point when even the most determined thief's bottle will go, because to carry on trying is simply asking to get nicked.

 

[xpoweruk]

http://autowatch.co.uk/products/autowatch-immobiliser-systems/68-ghost-product surely the best product on the market for this ???

 

[azibux1]

...

 

[S32B]

http://autowatch.co.uk/products/autowatch-immobiliser-systems/68-ghost-product surely the best product on the market for this ???

I just had a look at them on youtube, very good indeed and at under £400 fitted a bargain! From what I gather the latest version works with your mobile as well, if it's in the car as you get in it disables the system, if your phone is missing you have to enter the combination via the cars buttons.

If I had the keyless entry I'd have one of these fitted in a second....nice find mate

 

[davc]

Just to add to GSB's list, Mila Pro Secure door handles are worth investing in.

I prefer the Ultion locks as the ABS ones tend to seize up after a few years and require regular lubing. The magnetic keys attract dirt and this causes problems.

 

[audi 3 man]

i cannot tolerate anti social thieves,you work hard to buy a car and no one should take it off you im a proud security officer for 45yrs and i have a krooklock on my steering wheel for extra security i dont want my Audi a3 to get stolen.