Mike/all
I've sent you a longish-novella on the subject..... any listers wanting to
share my adjuster/appraiser musings (as a pre-theft or pre-crash primer) can
simply ask for a copy. By the way, those wheel locking devices are pretty
much USELESS. I now know exactly how to remove them (regardless of brand
or guarantee) from nearly any car within 15 seconds. With or without
damaging the steering wheel....defeating the steering lock takes another 15
seconds, maybe less. If I watch the training video three more times, I think
I can break the standing record....
If you want to keep YOUR car from being stolen by a determined
thief, sell it to someone else... I think the factory security (not the
alarm but the fuel and ign shutoff) systems are a pretty good deterrent, as
are some of the encoded aftermarket systems.
I've been told by several clients that the only thing taken from their
unrifled car was broken video camera or an out of service cell phone,
discretely hidden from public view. This tells me that the perp was probably
looking to steal the car, saw an opportunity to make a few bucks, and find
another car to steal. Remember, breaking into a car, even with an alarm is a
5 second task. Overcoming all but the most advanced alarms is a piece of
cake, and nobody even looks twice when a car alarm goes off nowadays....
A Denver Boot is an attractive if not expensive option.... and I do
know of at least one Maranello owner who uses one.... but the boot can be
defeated in about 15 seconds as well. Only thing is that the method of
removing the boot is probably terminal to the tire it's wrapped around.
If you own a Camry or a Honda or any number of high end luxo-barges,
your car is a target, and the chop shops are in a buying frenzy.....all you
can do about that is get a good policy with an agreed value payoff and lease
protection.
Mark C
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