How to protect your car from theft

If a professional car thief has his eyes on your car, most likely, his idea will come true. But there are methods and technical devices that will help, if not to detain the attacker before the arrival of law enforcement agencies, then at least significantly complicate the implementation of his insidious plan.

If the thief is a novice, then a reliable alarm or mechanical anti-theft will be able to scare him away and save your car from theft. There are many different methods to protect your car from theft, but Narscars recommends installing a security system on it in the first place. But what type of system is suitable according to the principle of operation and cost, each car owner must decide independently.

The main types and principles of operation of security systems for cars

The simplest and most well-known anti-theft protection is an alarm. It is activated by physical influence on the transport and controls its central lock. The system beeps and draws attention to the machine in such cases:

• a blow was made to the body;
• there was an attempt to open the door;
• someone tried to lift the hood;
• the attacker tried to open the trunk.

The alarm can give feedback. In this case, in addition to the sound alert, a signal is sent to the key fob located at the car owner. The key fob vibrates and rings. If the key fob has a display, then it displays information about what is happening with the car.

Hijackers quickly hack old alarm models using a code grabber, so you need to install only the newest models of security systems that are encrypted using the conversational coding method. The installation of the alarm must be carried out by a certified company.

A more advanced anti-theft system is controlled from a smartphone. It is equipped with a GPS tracker and is connected to international systems. This allows you to track the location of the car and even listen to everything that happens in the car. A GPS beacon or tracker won't prevent theft, but it can help you find your car faster.

The tracker gives a signal constantly, so you can control the movement of the vehicle online. It must be connected to a battery or provide a constant charge. The beacon transmits a signal with a certain frequency, it is powered autonomously and has low power consumption. It is difficult to detect with a scanner. Such a device with an autonomous battery can work up to 7 years in economy mode and at the same time withstand even very large temperature fluctuations.

In addition to the alarm, it can be installed in a car immobilizer. Most vehicles manufactured after 2008 are already equipped with this electronic anti-theft device. Its main task is to block certain modules of the car, due to which the engine subsequently does not start. If the motor is started by the owner of the car using an electronic code key, then a special chip built into it sends a signal to unlock the modules. The standard immobilizer has one main drawback - hijackers often know its location, so they quickly find and neutralize it. To provide additional protection against theft, you can mount an additional immobilizer anywhere.

Car thieves take special pleasure in stealing cars that have an alarm with auto start. When the car owner remotely starts the engine using the key fob, the hijacker just needs to get into the car at that moment and turn off the alarm.

To steal a car with a keyless entry, the hijacker intercepts the signal coming from the smart key at the moment when the owner of the car is near it. For this, special equipment is used - a receiver and a repeater.

To protect your car from such methods of theft, you need to equip it with a security system with an additional label or the option to turn off the key signal.

Folk methods of protecting cars from theft

As practice shows, car thieves are more likely to steal cars with automatic transmission, so the easiest way to protect yourself from theft is to buy a car with a manual transmission. To discourage the hijacker from stealing your car, you can make it too noticeable. To do this, it is enough to apply some bright and recognizable airbrushing to it. Such a car is more noticeable on the road, and in order to sell it, you will need to spend extra money on painting the body.

To make it more difficult for an intruder to enter the cabin, some motorists recommend removing the larva from the door handle and the door handle itself. Not finding a way to get inside the car, the thief may completely abandon his idea.

If you do not have the opportunity to install a car alarm, you can install its imitation. A conventional LED is installed under the windshield, simulating the flashing of an alarm. Experienced hijackers determine a forgery by the color of the snag and the intensity of its flashing, but such an imitation can easily scare away novice attackers.

In the cabin, you can set a trap for the villain. This is a fairly radical method of dealing with thieves, and before resorting to it, you need to weigh the pros and cons. Such a trap can also affect the owner of the car or his relatives. In addition, falling into a trap, an attacker may suffer, and this already threatens problems with the law and for the owner of the car.

To scare off a thief, you can simply put a headdress or an element of a policeman's uniform in the cabin. Some hijackers, seeing a cap or tunic, may change their minds to contact law enforcement. The effectiveness of this technique has not been proven, but not refuted.

In addition to the listed folk methods of preventing theft, you can use simple mechanical means that block the ability to start the car physically. Let's consider the most effective of them.

Hidden power switches

This is a special engine lock button that is installed in a secret place. It can take a very long time for a hijacker to detect it. If he does not find it, then he will not be able to start the car at all. Now such power switches are rarely installed, since many motorists rely on modern alarms. They mistakenly think that it alone is enough for reliable protection against theft.

Steering wheel lock

This is a fairly old method of protection against theft. Now it is rarely used, because it has an insufficient degree of reliability. Professional hijackers quickly crack the mechanism of this device.

On the other hand, the use of a lock on the steering wheel will allow you to detain the attacker for a while. If the hijacker has little time at his disposal, having seen a lock on the steering wheel, he may completely abandon his plan. Thus, the lock mounted on the steering wheel plays the role of a deterrent. The chance of theft of a car with a steering lock is reduced by 35%.

Pedal lock

A special lock can be installed not only on the pedals, but also on the brake disc or gearbox. If a thief gets into the cabin, such a lock is unlikely to stop him from stealing, but it can delay him for some time, which will be required to open it. But for the owner of the car, such a device will cause certain inconveniences, because each time it will need to be removed and installed again. And this takes quite a lot of time. At the same time, devices have low reliability and can sometimes jam, causing even more inconvenience.

Door pins

With the help of special pins, it is possible to complicate the process of intruder penetration into the car. They are installed in the door ribs and pillars of the car, in which special holes are drilled. All this is done in a specialized center. Holes are treated with anti-corrosion agents. To control the pins, a separate block with a label is used. Even if the thief manages to open the regular lock, he will not be able to open the doors without a special block, so he will have to break the glass to enter the salon.

The most popular cars among car thieves in Ukraine

According to official statistics, almost 4.5 thousand cars are stolen every year in Ukraine. More than half of these cars can be found and returned to their owners. Most cars are stolen in the Kharkov region and in Kyiv. Most of all, car thieves love to steal Toyota Lexus cars. Far from cheap foreign cars are often stolen, but premium class cars. More expensive cars are stolen for resale, cheap cars are dismantled and sold for parts.

Here is a list of the most stolen car brands in Ukraine:

1. Toyota.
2. Lexus.
3. Hyundai.
4. Kia.
5. Mazda.

If we talk about specific models, then the most stolen among Toyota cars are Land Cruiser and RAV4. Therefore, if you want to rent a car and not become a victim of car thieves, it is better to choose Toyota Camry 70 .

On the other hand, you can buy or rent any car without fear of car thieves if you take care of comprehensive protection in a timely manner, providing it with both electronic and mechanical anti-theft devices. In addition, to reduce the likelihood of car theft, it should be left only in secure areas and in well-lit areas.

Narscars recommends renting cars that aren't popular with car thieves, but still offer great performance and a high level of comfort. At the disposal of car rental customers Skoda Fabia, Honda Accord X, Volkswagen Passat B8 and many other models. To book a car, just call the company or leave a request on the website.