4 unusual (but effective) ways to protect yourself from car theft

How to make thieves decide not to mess with your car? Here are some unconventional tips that can really help.

Down with modesty

The stronger the car stands out from the surrounding mass, the less desire the attackers have to approach it. Remember how passers-by react to supercars on the city streets? Even if it's a rental Ferrari in Dubai, taken from a local rental shop. Such exotic cars attract increased attention and do not go unnoticed. It's not for nothing that people rent luxury cars when they want to impress someone.

Therefore, catchy 'tuning' in the style of Need For Speed may sometimes save: a Hyundai Solaris in a non-standard body kit and on catchy wheels will definitely not be such an attractive option as a car in stock. The only point is that all changes in the technical part must be made to the Vehicle Passport.

If you don't want to mess with it, there is an alternative in the form of bright coloring: airbrushing or buying a red car instead of a silver one is ideal for this. But using vinyl stickers or wrapping the entire body in a film can only do harm - all this is removed quite quickly, after which your car disappears from the radar: they will look for something bright, not standard black.
By the way, non-critical, but noticeable body damage also works great as special signs. Most importantly, don't do this using exotic car rental services.

Secret service

There are no anti-theft systems that cannot be bypassed - especially when it comes to standard, albeit expensive, alarms. Therefore, we recall the good old "secrets", and the more unexpected the algorithms for their work, the better.

One of the popular "grandfather" methods is the implantation of a special magnetic valve into the fuel line running along the bottom of the car. In the normal state, the valve is closed, and it opens with a special magnetic key kept by the owner: get into the car, insert the key in a place known only to you, and the engine gains access to the fuel tank.

There are many other options for "secrets" - opening the "mass" of the battery, turning off the starter, and so on. But still, shutting off the fuel supply is considered the most effective.
The main thing is to make it as difficult as possible for hijackers to understand how the 'secret' is activated: here it is better not to use hidden buttons, but to bring it to, say, adjusting the brightness of appliances or lighting a makeup mirror. And it's very good if you need not one, but several illogical actions - for example, press the handbrake button three times, and then turn on the left turn signal.

Hard physical labor

Car thieves are unlikely to mess with a car that requires a lot of work from them. Therefore, it makes sense to think about the physical removal of elements necessary for driving - especially if you plan to leave the car for several weeks.
'Amputation' of the battery, unscrewing part of the spark plugs - or even dismantling one of the wheels (this, by the way, will protect against those who like to "take off their shoes" from cars) will do. Another option is to simply take the steering wheel home, especially if the car is not too fancy, and it is removed relatively quickly.

In addition, various mechanical interlocks can be useful - from those that lock the steering shaft or simply put on the "steering wheel" to additional pins in doorways like those used in apartments. Extra work with a hand saw is something that attackers will try their best to avoid. It is most effective to install massive metal brackets that connect the pedals to each other, only the process is rather laborious and more suitable for long-term parking.

Ingenuity is the head of everything

Fantasy and ingenuity help out in many life situations, do not underestimate them. Have you heard, for example, about cases when car owners used a live snake as an anti-theft system? We do not offer to get a real pet, but you can buy an authentic-looking rubber dummy: do you think the attackers will find out if the real ball is curled up on the seat?

Another method can be useful for residents of densely parked areas where cars are parked in several rows at night - if possible, come home early and negotiate with your neighbors so that they do not hesitate to lock your car. After all, if there is nowhere to go on it, there is no point in stealing! And it's much easier to call the tenants than to write statements to the police and look for the loss.