Im in the automotive security business, and I own my own company...
I need to tell everyone, please, please, please, please, please for the love of god PLEASE lock your shit up!
An excerpt from one of my ads..
" The fact is, One out of every 8,300 people will get their vehicle stolen, each and every day, in the city of Phoenix.
Please note, for comparison, that 1 out of every 9,256 people will get in a car accident, every day, in the city of Phoenix."
Let that sink in, Mr. "Ill be back out in a few minutes, I don't need to lock my car".
That is CAR THEFTS, not CAR BREAK INS!
There are people out there that want to steal your shit, just pretend someone is after you, and they are watching you, because they want what you have. BECAUSE THEY ARE.
I'd have to say that 80% of my customers are people that recently had their car stolen, or broken into...
Actually, now that I really think about it, I think I only have a few customers that werent victims of theft...
So maybe more like 95%.
This is no BS.
Please, do not leave your car or truck running when you go in the house, or the gas station, or anywhere. Lock your doors each and every time, even if the car is in your garage!
I did a job this morning, the poor guys car was in his garage, locked, and his garage door was open. Middle of the afternoon in a neighborhood, he was right inside the door around the corner, taking a nap on the couch.
Someone came in, opened up his car, stripped all the audio shit out of it, the radio, and a few other things...
Park in your garage, its made for a car, not boxes and junk. Close the garage door, lock it, lock your car, and dont hang the kays on the wall in the garage (You'd be surprised how many people do this, or leave the keys inside the car)
Do not keep a spare key anywhere but locked away hidden inside your home.
No excuses. Just don't do it.
Have wheels?
DONT LEAVE THE WHEEL LOCK KEY IN THE GLOVE BOX!
They will break in your car, and look in the trunk, glove box, center console, or behind the rear seat if its a truck, and 90% of the time FIND THE KEY.
Just because a dealership that was making a $30,000+ sale to you told you "This car is super safe!" Doesn't mean it is.
Do you buy 1 e-book and discard all other information because the sales copy says it is the best, and is all you need to make cuntrillions of dollars?
No, you don't. Think of car dealers and salesman as ebook gurus.
Don't install stereos where they are visible... Well, "systems", I mean.
If you are going to fork out the cash for subs, an amp, a head unit, wiring, a box, and installation, spend the little extra to have the sub box installed in a way that it isn't visible from outside the vehicle (mainly for hatchbacks and the like). Also, once the box is where you want it, go buy a few 3"x3" plates of 1/4" steel, drill holes in them, get some bolts and washers, and bolt the box down.
Put the bolts on the inside of the box with a washer. Lay a small piece of Dynomat on the inside of the box where the hole for the bolt is before you bolt it down, once the bolt is tightened, the dynomat will help seal it.
Use silicona caulk as well if you want to be sure you have no air leaks.
Then on the underside of the trunk, mount the run the bolts down through the sheetmetal of the car, and put the plates up on them, then the washers, then the nut.
Figure out a way to strap your head unit (stereo) into the car, so it cant just be ripped out. Most of them have a bolt hole or screw hole on the back for this purpose, go to home depot, look @ your car and radio, and figure out how to make something. It isnt that hard, and its super cheap.
Try to find less-often-used wheel locks for your wheels, especially if they are on a popular car, or they are aftermarket. You can also have custom wheel locks made @ a machine shop, and while it might run you a pretty penny ($200 or so), it will be worth it. Always make the "key" go on the inside of it, as if it isnt round on the outside, vice grips can, and will, be used.
Never think that just because your car has an alarm, that it is safe. This is something I see every day, and it is so far from the truth.
Alarms are super easy to bypass, so are those factory chipped keys, and numerous other things...
Also, for the love of god, dont leave valuables in your vehicle.
I have seen people get thousands of dollars stolen, at once, you wouldnt believe how many people leave cash in their cars. Credit cards, gas cards, wallets, guns, ipods, phones, all kinds of shit. I have seen it all.
I remember reading one time that a survey showed that something like 4 out of 10 gun owners leave a firearm in their vehicle at all times. While I support the excessive use and carry of guns, don't leave them in your car!!
All you need is to come out of somewhere, to find that some kid just smashed your window out to grab your ipod, your laptop, and some change, just to find a gun in your car... And guess what when you, unarmed (unless you are one of the lucky ones in a state like here in AZ that can actually carry open in public), the thief that you just startled, is now armed with your gun, and you are the only one at this point that makes the difference between his "fix" (not always drugs, some people just need to eat), and jail.
Don't risk it.
Also, one more thing...
Turn your damn steering wheel all the way in one direction when you park, and make sure it "locks" in place once the key is out.
This will cut your chances of being towed in half. Especially if your "drive" wheels are where they cant be lifted (ie a rear wheel car backed in a driveway, in gear, with the wheels turned). makes it MUCH harder to tow.
Towing a vehicle away accounts for only about 2% of auto thefts, but it still happens, and theft or no theft, getting towed sucks.
I need to tell everyone, please, please, please, please, please for the love of god PLEASE lock your shit up!
An excerpt from one of my ads..
" The fact is, One out of every 8,300 people will get their vehicle stolen, each and every day, in the city of Phoenix.
Please note, for comparison, that 1 out of every 9,256 people will get in a car accident, every day, in the city of Phoenix."
Let that sink in, Mr. "Ill be back out in a few minutes, I don't need to lock my car".
That is CAR THEFTS, not CAR BREAK INS!
There are people out there that want to steal your shit, just pretend someone is after you, and they are watching you, because they want what you have. BECAUSE THEY ARE.
I'd have to say that 80% of my customers are people that recently had their car stolen, or broken into...
Actually, now that I really think about it, I think I only have a few customers that werent victims of theft...
So maybe more like 95%.
This is no BS.
Please, do not leave your car or truck running when you go in the house, or the gas station, or anywhere. Lock your doors each and every time, even if the car is in your garage!
I did a job this morning, the poor guys car was in his garage, locked, and his garage door was open. Middle of the afternoon in a neighborhood, he was right inside the door around the corner, taking a nap on the couch.
Someone came in, opened up his car, stripped all the audio shit out of it, the radio, and a few other things...
Park in your garage, its made for a car, not boxes and junk. Close the garage door, lock it, lock your car, and dont hang the kays on the wall in the garage (You'd be surprised how many people do this, or leave the keys inside the car)
Do not keep a spare key anywhere but locked away hidden inside your home.
No excuses. Just don't do it.
Have wheels?
DONT LEAVE THE WHEEL LOCK KEY IN THE GLOVE BOX!
They will break in your car, and look in the trunk, glove box, center console, or behind the rear seat if its a truck, and 90% of the time FIND THE KEY.
Just because a dealership that was making a $30,000+ sale to you told you "This car is super safe!" Doesn't mean it is.
Do you buy 1 e-book and discard all other information because the sales copy says it is the best, and is all you need to make cuntrillions of dollars?
No, you don't. Think of car dealers and salesman as ebook gurus.
Don't install stereos where they are visible... Well, "systems", I mean.
If you are going to fork out the cash for subs, an amp, a head unit, wiring, a box, and installation, spend the little extra to have the sub box installed in a way that it isn't visible from outside the vehicle (mainly for hatchbacks and the like). Also, once the box is where you want it, go buy a few 3"x3" plates of 1/4" steel, drill holes in them, get some bolts and washers, and bolt the box down.
Put the bolts on the inside of the box with a washer. Lay a small piece of Dynomat on the inside of the box where the hole for the bolt is before you bolt it down, once the bolt is tightened, the dynomat will help seal it.
Use silicona caulk as well if you want to be sure you have no air leaks.
Then on the underside of the trunk, mount the run the bolts down through the sheetmetal of the car, and put the plates up on them, then the washers, then the nut.
Figure out a way to strap your head unit (stereo) into the car, so it cant just be ripped out. Most of them have a bolt hole or screw hole on the back for this purpose, go to home depot, look @ your car and radio, and figure out how to make something. It isnt that hard, and its super cheap.
Try to find less-often-used wheel locks for your wheels, especially if they are on a popular car, or they are aftermarket. You can also have custom wheel locks made @ a machine shop, and while it might run you a pretty penny ($200 or so), it will be worth it. Always make the "key" go on the inside of it, as if it isnt round on the outside, vice grips can, and will, be used.
Never think that just because your car has an alarm, that it is safe. This is something I see every day, and it is so far from the truth.
Alarms are super easy to bypass, so are those factory chipped keys, and numerous other things...
Also, for the love of god, dont leave valuables in your vehicle.
I have seen people get thousands of dollars stolen, at once, you wouldnt believe how many people leave cash in their cars. Credit cards, gas cards, wallets, guns, ipods, phones, all kinds of shit. I have seen it all.
I remember reading one time that a survey showed that something like 4 out of 10 gun owners leave a firearm in their vehicle at all times. While I support the excessive use and carry of guns, don't leave them in your car!!
All you need is to come out of somewhere, to find that some kid just smashed your window out to grab your ipod, your laptop, and some change, just to find a gun in your car... And guess what when you, unarmed (unless you are one of the lucky ones in a state like here in AZ that can actually carry open in public), the thief that you just startled, is now armed with your gun, and you are the only one at this point that makes the difference between his "fix" (not always drugs, some people just need to eat), and jail.
Don't risk it.
Also, one more thing...
Turn your damn steering wheel all the way in one direction when you park, and make sure it "locks" in place once the key is out.
This will cut your chances of being towed in half. Especially if your "drive" wheels are where they cant be lifted (ie a rear wheel car backed in a driveway, in gear, with the wheels turned). makes it MUCH harder to tow.
Towing a vehicle away accounts for only about 2% of auto thefts, but it still happens, and theft or no theft, getting towed sucks.
