Effective Gearlocks - My Home-grown Solution

[Dadz Toy BFI]

Here in the City we're plagued with plenty people who would love to "TWOC" your Lux (Taking Without Owners Consent).

Some of them are opportunists BUT most are highly organised Syndicates.

I'm on our local Police Community Forum and so get to see the alarming Stats and hear about M.O. the guys prefer.

In our little Community of +/- 2000 households we're averaging 1.5 vehicles per day stolen so far in 2008.

The prefered vehicles are:

City Golf's - Easiest vehicle to Steal
Golf 5's - sold over the border
Toyota Bakkies - stripped for Taxi parts, 4x4's end up in the Former Homelands or over a Border.

What's alarming is the M.O. used to steal Toyota Bakkies, 99% they are towed away by the perps; picked up at the front.

Convention Gearlocks are NOT EFFECTIVE on 4x4's with manual transfer levers as the perps know that they can simply pop the transfer lever into N (between L4 and H4) thus negating the effect of the gearlever being locked in Reverse by a Gearlock :!:

So, here's my little mod - a bit Heath Robinson but it has saved my bacon so far (the long reach padlock holds the transfer lever in H4 and the gearlever in Reverse). The end of the slightly tensioned chain is attached to my motorised driver's seat carriage which has a hidden Isolator switch).

Cost me about R200 for the Abus long reach, hardened steel chain and shackle.

Bottom line is SFA's are getting scarce - how safe is yours

Anybody else come up with home grown anti-theft devices

Cheers

Rich

[CasKru]

Thanks for the idea Richard. Just a quick question though. Will they not be able to lift the padlock over the transfer case gear lever if they just unscrew the knob?

To stop them stealing a vehicle by towing is a bit more tricky than stopping them driving off. My uncle have an old Cressida and I know what he did was to put a lockable none return valve in the hydraulic lines to the brakes. So, you park the car, lock the switch and depress the brake as hard as possible. This will now engage the brakes and when you lift your foot of the peddle, the non-return valve will keep the pressure there effectively locking the wheels.

m2cw

[Dadz Toy BFI]

The padlock is being pulled downwards by the chain and there's sufficient tension on the chain to hold the padlock tight.

My added advantage is that I use my motorised seat to tension the chain after I close the padlock and thus have to move my seat forward to able to remove the padlock again.

Since my Lux is parked on the street, I figure the rig's visual impact is the first line of defence.

Maybe the Bible could be also a contributing visual aid The F.O.G. Factor :!: :roll:

Rich

[Bushwacker]

Plak 'n Pirates sticker op elke spieeltjie en tint die ruite swart.

[CasKru]

The only problem with the Bible in the bakkie is that you will feel much more guilty when flipping of someone in traffic. :)

Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately mine do not have the motorized seats so it would be a bit more difficult to get the tension in the chain.

[BenHur]

To stop them stealing a vehicle by towing is a bit more tricky than stopping them driving off. My uncle have an old Cressida and I know what he did was to put a lockable none return valve in the hydraulic lines to the brakes. So, you park the car, lock the switch and depress the brake as hard as possible. This will now engage the brakes and when you lift your foot of the peddle, the non-return valve will keep the pressure there effectively locking the wheels.

m2cw

Cassie

In the early 90s we had them in our Company vehicles but later they stopped installing them. Upon enquiry, we were told that they become illegal as there was some or other safety issue with them.

What we suspected was that the only safety issue was that the vehicle could not be towed away by speed cops if you parked illegally, but thinking about it today I guess the issue was the safety of the car thieves.

Imagine them having to risk their precious lives by having to drive off in a stolen car with its brake lines cut off and only having a handbrake to stop. Now if it is you precious Lux , without a working handbrake in the 1st place, it would be a death trap for them and Oom Thabo will have to start paying them danger pay. Think about it, if the car thieves then go on strike guess how bad it would be for the local economy and the big goons behind the car theft syndicates would become bankrupt.

[Dadz Toy BFI]

I had the rig before I fitted the BMW seats, the chain was shackled to the stationary front driver's seat mounting rail, it worked well once you got the knack of it. :)

As I say, the Visual Impact is probably the Best 1st Line Of Defence

Rich

[BenHur]

The only problem with the Bible in the bakkie is that you will feel much more guilty when flipping of someone in traffic. :)

Mmm lekker skeinheilig

( tasty showholy- )

Cassie you must get one of those WWJD arm bands and wear it every day so that you can stop this finger pointing problem of yours.

Rich

A couple of year back I was high jacked by 2 suspected foreign nationals at gun point. My BMW was found 30 minutes later with the Laptop, my wallet with R 2K cash in, my cheque book and everything else still in the car.

I was later told that these guys' modus operandi is to park the car somewhere and watch it from a safe distance to see if it has a tracking system in, but I am not so sure about that. My car was parked in haste across 2 parking spots with even the money and all valuables which they could easily have carried with still in it, the only thing that I lost during the incident was my cellphone and car keys. I believe the fact that my Bible laid on the back seat had something to do with the incident, and the fact that within 10 minutes of the incident friends and our pastor from church started praying at a prayer meeting they had for the safe return of my car.

I guess at one stage this oke must have looked in the rear view mirror or something and realised they were not alone in the car.

[Dadz Toy BFI]

Yeah Bennie, I reckon the F.O.G. Factor kicked in there BIG time :!:

The 'Cooling Off MO' is quite true.

Observatory is a favourite place for Cooling Off vehicles stolen in the Northern Subs.

Last month our Boys In Blue cracked a syndicate after videoing five different occassions. Each time the vehicles (all Golf 5's) were parked up in residential streets for 3 days to allow the cars to 'cool off'.

The perps were 4 x very well dressed African males who left and locked up the cars as though they were residents. After 3 days one or more guy would return to retrieve the vehicle armed only with replacement number plates.

I think (not sure) they were Nigerian Nationals (none RSA Citizens anyhow).

Unfortunately they skipped bail and are probably back 'at work' in another City.

Rich

[Dadz Toy BFI]

A Tip that came out of the last Police Forum for people with 'Target Vehicles' was

Add a Distinguishing and Unique mark to your vehicle, ie.

1. have your number plate lettered onto the top of your cab
2. Buy some of Pieter's Stickers

You never know the next time your watching Scenes from another Middle African Conflict Zone on CNN and an SFA Hilux enters the frame (fitted with 40mm Cannon) with SMG touting goons on the back it might be sporting a http://www.hilux4x4.co.za decal

(then again it could just be our Hilux4x4 Boss and his Heavies on Safari)

Rich

[pampoen]

At least there not stolen by israelees http://images.google.co.za/imgres?imgur ... e%26sa%3DX check this page out

[pampoen]

A few more interesting articles just proving how flippin awsome hiluxes and cruisers are http://www.bongonews.com/layout1.php?event=38 if its good enough for a taliban than its good enough for me.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 83,00.html

[Dadz Toy BFI]

Thanks for the Awesome Pics Luke:!: :!:

Rich

[CasKru]

Everything keeps going right! :)

[BenHur]

Eish :?

[SYRON CONVERSIONS]

Somebody wrote.

Bottom line is SFA's are getting scarce - how safe is yours

There are hundreds of these Hilux's around, in fact so many for sale this is the reason why nobody wants to but that Red one that I have for sale.

The best thing tio do to prevent your Hilux been stolen is to have a sign in a few languages, stating, if you steal my Hilux, I will blow you up by radio signal, there is a bomb hidden in the vehicle.

[pampoen]

So thats were Bin Ladens been hiding :roll: After all this time!!!!!!

[<ossewa>]

hmmm so pirates or chief sticker? i think with some of those on your lux it should be pretty safe, unless its the PSL finals with both those teams playing, mite endup with a few bricks trough the windscreen :?

[Jaws]

1.5 vehicles per day
Rich

Who steals only half a vehicle :wth:

[dalkill]

my buddies dad had a old beat up chevy standing on the street. the seats and engine was out, but he kept finding the thing rolled down the street :wth:

I think that constitutes stealing half a car

[Dadz Toy BFI]

1.5 vehicles per day
Rich

Who steals only half a vehicle :wth:

By the way, the stats have dropped to 1.25 cars per day nou, do you think there's four of them doing shifts nou :? :? :problem: