According to You: How to protect your classic from being stolen
Your answers to our question about ways to prevent the theft of classic vehicles went above and beyond; they not only taught others interesting tricks but kept us all grounded. That’s because car thieves are likely to never tire, and if at first they don’t succeed, they shall try again. However, the harder you make it, the less likely they are to remain motivated. Or, as Hagerty Community member @David said:
You know, despite our best efforts, if some nefarious person(s) want what you have, they’re probably going to figure out how to get it. Kill switches and other such devices are fine, but the determined thief will just roll up with a tow truck and drive off if they have zeroed in on your car.
I mainly want to deter the opportunistic thieves out there. So, I keep my cars locked when not in use and in public and I make sure my insurance is active and the value up-to-date.
How do we lower the chances of a vehicular tragedy? Let’s learn more from your answers.
Losing that spark
@Jeepcj5: On one of my vehicles I have a hidden switch that kills the spark. This kill switch allows the starter to still turn, it just won’t fire up. Hopefully [thieves] get discouraged quick enough when it just sits there and spins over, or they draw enough attention to walk away before they troubleshoot the wiring.
@brian: I put a two-prong turn-signal flasher in line with [the] ignition-circuit motor. It starts, it will rev up, but when put in drive [it] won’t pull itself!
@vette guy: How about running a wire from the hot side of the coil to a switch, then to a loud horn? There are many ways to alert you; just use your imagination!
@Walter: A friend of mine had a 1968 Dodge Super Bee. He wired the high beam switch (which was on the floor) as the ignition cutoff switch and mounted a switch under the dash to activate the high beams.
I myself had a 1969 Roadrunner that someone tried to steal three times. First time they pushed in the small vent window, then cranked down the window and opened the door. They removed the bezel around the ignition switch but tried to remove the switch by pulling it forward, when all they had to do was push it and it would have fallen out the back. I then installed an alarm, so the second time the alarm went off and they were gone. The third time they knew there was an alarm, so they pushed in the vent window again, rolled down the window, and climbed through. What they didn’t know is that there were two ignition-cutoff switches under the dash. Unsuccessful again.
@Malcolm: Battery disconnects work well.
Own a “difficult” vehicle
@Jeff: I use the standard features my 1954 Austin-Healey came with as standard features: no exterior door handles, a battery disconnect switch, a starter button, and a manual transmission.
@Michael: 1938 Chevrolet—first level is a manual transmission and a floor-mounted starter—would probably slow down some of the bad guys. A battery disconnect (with the battery under the floorboard) may slow down the next level [of thief].
@Headturner: My van has the best deterrent straight from the factory: a three-on-the-tree will keep them occupied. My ’57 Chevy is a four-speed but I leave the key in it while it is in the garage. If they steal it, I’d rather not have them cut up a 65-year-old harness to hot-wire it.
A bypass switch is like “fuels” gold?
@Mike: I have a kill switch hidden in plain sight: An unused blower switch on the dashboard, rewired to the electric fuel-pump hot line.
@Mike, but not the same one as above: I’ve pulled the fuel pump fuse before. I’ve even cable-locked around a coil spring before. Anything to make a thief have to spend more time.
Steering-wheel locks
@Jeff: Nothing is more satisfying than a cross-country trip in a classic car. Yes, I use a steering wheel club and always turn the wheels all the way to one side so it can’t be towed. I guess the best suggestion is to stay in a nice hotel in a nice suburb and park under a street lamp as close to the front door of the hotel as possible. If there is a security camera on the building I park under that as well. But I still worry about the car. I’m looking forward to reading other’s replies.
@Jim: I think thieves will usually get a car if they want it bad enough, but the idea is to make it inconvenient for them. That’s the reason I use steering wheel clubs, especially when an overnight parking place looks iffy. They’re cheap and only take seconds to put on the wheel.
@Bernd: I use a club since the airbag in the steering wheel of my daily driver was stolen twice. (Now it’s a quite an old model, thieves get them at the scrap yard.)
@Blu: A club can be defeated with big bolt cutters: [You] cut the steering wheel beside the club and take it off. A hidden battery disconnect works well.
Tracking devices
@greg: I have a Viper alarm on one, and Carlock on my other two. All have instant phone app notifications (including my ’31 Model A). I sleep well at night, even if staying in a hotel on the road; and no, I have no stake in either company.
@Arrow: Just put mine away for Christmas, but I’m going to put an Apple AirTag in my classic when it’s out of the garage.
Balloons
@DUB6: We once went on a road trip with friends. Two classics in a motel parking lot in unknown (for crime) areas was a bit scary. We bought two balloons that had blinking mini-lights inside them (it was nearing Halloween). Deflated the balloons and placed the tiny, blinking lights down in the speedometer wells. In the dark, it looked like both cars had activated security systems. A thorough thief shoulda/coulda/woulda figured it out, but at least we all slept easier!
Bunka’s Bunker?
@Bunka: I keep my Porsche 356 in the garage. It is a one-car garage. The car outside in the driveway abutting the street is my daily driver. A thief first has to get it out of the way. It is always locked. Then there is my wife’s car which also needs to be removed; it is also locked. Then there is the garage door: No handle on the outside so you need to know the code in order to open it. Then the trash cans and soon-to-be snowblower have to be removed from in front of the 356, which is in the back.
All of the work and time involved to steal the car is bound to draw someone’s attention. I feel very confident that the car is secure. On the flip side, I have to plan an extra 30 minutes in advance when I want to go to a car show or rally. As far as security is concerned when the car is out, I have the factory-installed shift lock and the factory-installed interior gas shut off. The various positions of the gas shut off are all written in German so that makes it a time-consuming, trial-and-error thing.
Do it all?
@DrivingHy: Everything said here is true. There’s no defense for a determined thief. Given enough time any car can be stolen. That said, I do agree many devices and clubs are better than none and will slow [thieves] down or divert them elsewhere, but it’s best to be proactive. I’ll do the club just for something obvious but also remove something essential that prevents a thief from getting away quickly.
I’ve known people who’ve removed all the lug nuts from one wheel. It’s rarely noticed and can stop a thief fairly quick when a wheel comes off. I suppose it’s better to have a damaged and abandoned car than one that’s stolen.
In my case, I’ll pull the distributor cap and wires. Park in an “ender” preferably next to a fixed barrier like a wall and turn the wheels in a direction that makes backing out straight impossible. Naturally I always set the handbrake so if they try to tow the car it’s way harder to go unnoticed and pull it out straight and onto a flatbed.
Naturally an AirTag (or similar) couldn’t hurt. And take lots of car pics after parking it—just in case the police need to ID it …
If I go [a] long distance and am not comfortable with the area, I’ll sleep in my car before leaving it out of sight!
Keep it a secret
@DUB6: Well frankly, I’m not inclined to publicize any details, but suffice [it] to say that through various electronic and mechanical means, I feel pretty—well, fairly—confident. I will say that one should not rely on one tactic only, but combine two or more so you have backup. And then, tell/show no one—NO ONE—what your secrets are. If you are not a “wrencher” or DIYer, you may indeed have to pay someone to install some sort of system(s), so please be sure you know your installer well.
@TooFast4Me: You make a very good point which a lot of people miss. Know your installer! About 30 years ago there was a place that installed car stereos, alarms, and auto-start systems. They would install and collected everyone’s info, wait awhile, then start stealing back—car stereos, at first. Then entire cars, since they knew the alarm-system codes by having a spare remote made. The business did not do the thefts themselves but sold the info to others. It was only when some very high-value vehicles went missing that they caught the culprits and they admitted they bought the info from the business. That business in particular had not only a great reputation but [had] in business for over 35 years. Needless to say, the business is gone.
If you can’t install it yourself then ask other owners of high-value vehicles to recommend someone. GPS/cell trackers work well but [they are] ongoing expenses. But again, [as] a lot of good points stated in these replies: keep your insurance up to date, know your environment, and a gut feeling is usually right!
@don: Yup, the club is great, but then add a hidden kill switch (that stops most people) and I keep the vehicle in a locked garage with my daily driver in front of it. My “collector” cars are not extremely high value so I think I don’t need much else, so just keep your secrets, secret.
@Sajeev Mehta: I keep a few secrets for this reason too, because some of my vehicles have hidden theft deterrents and automotive journalists are easily googleable by anyone. I love my silly Fords too much to have it any other way. (Even if they are mostly value-less to most any thief.)
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must admit I have been tempted to wire 120V to the door handles. I think that would be a deterrent, at least the screams would wake you in the middle of the night.
NEED TO TALK ABOUT HOW EASY THEFT OF NEW CAR WITH FOB AN PUSH BUTTON START THEY REALLY EASY
Ever try to start an ancient Mercedes diesel? After turning on the key (which unlocks the steering wheel), there’s an unmarked knob on the dash that looks like a choke. You have to pull it out against the first level of tension and HOLD IT THERE for a minute to warm the glow plugs. Then, if it’s cold, you floor the gas pedal and pull the knob out hard, which engages the starter. After cranking for a full minute (yes minute), it might start. If not repeat. By that time, you are out of bed with your German Shepherd…
Crooks don’t try to steal what they don’t know exists. Reducing visibility (car covers), especially anything that connects your car with your residence – assuming you keep it close to home. The ultimate, I suppose, is to have an enclosed plain white trailer which resides w/i your shop that you convey your car to events with. Yes, your car becomes an infamous “trailer queen.” They only see it when you are driving it.
Unfortunately, I can’t afford that solution so will rely on the car cover as the first but not the only line of defense.
On my EH Holden I would unclip the distributor cap and remove the rotor button before clipping the cap back on. That car wasn’t going to go anywhere and it took all of 2 minutes to remove it or put it back. No cost solution!
The game now (at least in Australia) seems to be break into the house, steal the keys and drive away. Even if you are asleep in another room. Often young kids. They mostly joyride and then torch it. So lock your car, but also put the keys out of sight.
When it comes to auto theft, in general, one of the more important things to be mindful of, is that nowadays many of the car thieves are far more sophisticated than ever before ! As a few people mentioned it here, as well, is that if a thief is determine to steel your car, once they put their hands on your car, they have far more tricks in their sleeves that you can imagine !
First of all, I would like to be clear here, I’m not trying to start an unnecessary negative and unconstructive comment(s) that can create baseless fear for people for nothing .
Some of the following reasons and advises are based on past experiences during my 4 decades of being involved with automotive industry .
So, here we go . One of many precautions that doesn’t include any physical devices to prevent a car thief from where your car is stored or any other special information that might jeopardize the security of your precious car (classic or not) is, to be mindful of certain common sense privacy about yourself, your car and your family when you meet an stranger, let’s sat, at cars and coffee and car shows, casual conversations in public, etc. .
The world doesn’t need to know every little thing about your car and YES, everything that we talk about and discuss about out cars, whether be at a friendly cars and coffee or even online, could be collected by a person and/or groups who might have plans to steel (or even sabotage) your car written down their list .
I hope people find the above opinions useful’
A. F.
When it comes to auto theft, in general, one of the more important things to be mindful of, is that nowadays many of the car thieves are far more sophisticated than ever before !
As a few people mentioned it here, as well, is that when a thief is determine to steel your car, once they put their hands on your car, they have far more tricks in their sleeves that you can imagine !
First of all, I would like to be clear here, I’m not trying to start an unnecessary negative and unconstructive comment(s) that can create baseless fear for people for nothing .
Some of the following reasons and advises are based on mine and other people from the past experiences during my 4 decades of being involved with automotive industry .
So, here we go, one of many precautions that doesn’t include any physical devices to prevent a car thief from knowing where your car is stored or any other special information that might jeopardize the security of your precious car (classic or not) is, to be mindful of certain common sense privacy information about yourself, your car and your family when you meet an stranger, let’s say, at a cars and coffee, car shows, casual conversations in public, etc. .
The world doesn’t need to know every little thing about your car and YES, everything that we talk about and discuss about out cars in public, whether be at a friendly cars and coffee or even online, could be collected by a person and/or groups who are living and their day time( night time) job might have plans to steel (or even sabotage) your car written down their list .
I hope people find the above opinions useful’
A. F.
A starter bypass switch works for one of my cars. I keep it hidden under the dash on the passenger side.
For my other exotic, it’s up on a hoist and resting on the mechanical stops. The only way to get the car off the stops is to raise it and then disengage the stops. I shut the power to the hoist off on the main circuit breaker panel in the basement.
I have read all most all these posts and all you guys with the “hidden super secret kill switch” make me laugh. ANY tow truck with a winch can steal your car, you really think anyone today is gonna walk up to and old car and try to rip it off? Your car has been spotted and or marked, people are not gonna try steal something like that sticks out like a sore thumb going down the road. Since when would anyone be dumb enough to leave your beloved car sight unseen or in a dark alley ready for someone to steal anyway – NOT ME, car does not leave my eyesight or it is in a highly visible well lit area!!!!! I don’t even lock my doors –
My Jeep cj has the parking brake lever down by the clutch pedal, like a lot of vehicles have. I drilled a hole in the brake mechanism so you apply the brake then install a pad lock. You can’t release the brake without removing the pad lock. Yes pad locks can be cut but I use a round heavy duty one that are very difficult to cut. Again this is just another way to slow them down.
Come on guys…do it simple
A bike lock on the wheel holes (simple for wire wheels) and a gas valve or cut out.
The fact is that they will get it if they really want to so the best is a declared value/contractually guaranteed insurance policy and you do whatever is reasonable on top of that.
A friend has a sticker on his Vincent Black Shadow (worth about $150,000); “Warning! This motorcycle is protected by extreme violence!” He used to be a gym and fight trainer for the Dutch army.
I did repos in Boston for a short while. No matter how much noise I made with a truck on high idle and throwing chains around, no one ever got out of bed and made it to the street in the three to five minutes it took me to hook up and drive away. Being threatened from a second story window was the closest anyone ever got to me. My advantage: a guy from the finance company usually would already have been there and gotten the car open.
Gotta take a moment to compliment the typos: of course your car is safe if you don’t let it out of your “site”. And I only want the “armatures” that belong to it hanging around.