crw

The recent "car stolen thread" had me wondering.

The most important thing to do is have agreed value insurance for piece of mind.

Over the years I have had varoius type of devices in some of my cars (self installed).

My experince is that an anti-theft device needs to be:

- easy to use
- simple
- capable of really immbilizing the car

There is no defense against a flatbed/tow.

Any thoughts?

- disable 12v power to the fuel pump?
- electric cutoff to relay?


Lights and whistles are usesless - no one really cares

Factory alarms are well know.

Aftermarket alarms are over-rated and interfere with factory stuff.

There are GPS tracker devices one can install linked to you cell phone - but what's the point? The car is gone at that point?

NC TRACKRAT

No cost thing to do would be to just pull the DME relay. Good idea if staying overnight at a motel or hotel. (Kinda like pulling the rotor off the distributor in an old Mustang)

crw

How do you do that?

DJF1

open your fuse box and remove?

race911

Pretty much just not be attached to the cars. And each have enough cosmetic flaws to not really be desirable, when compared to what else is out there.

Mister C

One word. Insurance.

A friend of mine had just finished restoring an old Mustang. He added lots of go fast toys--quite the vehicle. He had a hidden kill switch. I didn't matter. Thieves dragged his car up onto a flatbed and towed it away--dealing with the kill switch at their leisure.

There is a lojack thread on this board. I just posted about my mixed feelings on using a lojack or other locator. Basically, unless the car is retrieved very quickly it is likely to be stripped, crashed, abused, etc. Do you want such a car back or would you rather take the insurance money towards a replacement?

I am not saying don't take precautions but simply that no matter what you do the car will get stolen if the thief wants it bad enough.

goofballdeluxe

If they want it bad enough, and are good enough, nothing will prevent them from stealing it.

I agree that a clearly stated agreed value policy with your insurance company is the cheapest and most effective way to have piece of mind when it comes to your vehicle and theft.

crw

Chances are the amatuer theif/joyridder would be stopped by the factory immobilzer.

A 12V cuttoff to the fuel pump or DME relay should stop a professional who does not have a tow truck/flatbed at hand.

jo-hans

Heard of this before and I always forget about it.

CalvinC4S

The immobilizer on these cars will do everything removing a DME relay will do and more.

The pros all ready have your address and keys to your car long before they take it.

Best advice I can think of is having a spare fob tucked away that is never in anyone's
possession. Check it after any time the car and keys are handed over for service/detail/valet etc.
If that spare fob no longer opens your door, reprogram your key fobs.

I recovered a 993TT a couple blocks from where it was taken. The thieves broke a window to get it out of gear. Then pushed it two blocks with a floor jack under the spare tire area. Seems there flatbed driver never came to pick it up.

There is no way anyone is driving a 993 away with out a set of keys.

EckFe1

I added a shock sensor to the factory alarm. Any signal that comes from the factory or add on module sends a text message to up to 6 different phones. It gives me the location of the car, speed, GPS data etc. I can activate a relais via text message back to the car and disable the ignition or fuel system. The alarm also provides you the GPS data. You can select several parameters like gps fencing or a speed limit. Either way, it'll send you a text message so you can follow where your is going. I like to have the possibility to call the police and tell them the address of where it's going.
Of course it also helps to keep it locked away but I don't want to be the slave of the car.
Ed

solomonschris

Remove wheels and tires and take with you.

Mark in Baltimore

I pull both the battery kill switch and the DME. I sometimes take my steering wheel, too, if I have to leave the car at a public location, but since my car mostly lives in the garage, I rarely do this.

P-daddy

Ding ding ding ding!!!

Edward

I don't know about this, but aren't 993s pretty low on "the list" of stolen cars?

Given all the pricey MB, BMW, Porsches that are daily fodder for theives (not to mention the ubiquitous Accord or Escalade), and the fact ours are older and in relatively low production numbers, I honestly don't know that there is anything beyond the normal that we need to do to ward away theft. Common sense (and the DME) is the best approach. This, or the beater you could be driving instead ...that'll teach em.

Edward