How easily are our cars stolen?

[forsaken]

Ever since I've gotten my swap I've been rediculously paranoid about my car being stolen. I dont have a security system and honestly dont believe that even if I get one that it'll do much good. So exactly how easy is it to steal an s13? What measures can I take to prevent this other than getting an alarm?

Also under full coverage would my motor be covered since its not very legal?

[toki]

get all your glass coated with that reinforcing film, get all your locks including ignition swapped out with laser pinless locks, and get a lock for your hood. Honestly that is the only way not to get your car stolen...a hood lock is something I have never personally seen but i'm sure they must make...most cars stolen for anything other than joyriding are started under the hood not some ghetto cracked steering column **** because they need to resell, and if they don't have time to pick it or use a slim jim, and elbow to the window, and they can be inside, pop your hood, and rip up your alarm cables in under 10 seconds.

[yeswepromise]

detachable steering wheels is nice.gut the interior also. it will look pretty crappy to a theif. there are many otehr things you can do.

[GrEy240SX]

doors are really easily opened (says my friend). because the locks are in the door handles so they are easier to break into. nothing really you can do about that...except shaving them off...but i wouldn't do that...just get a security system

[GEO]

or, get a tire boot to latch your car.... and if your worried about them stealing your engine.... park it in a light source..... i. e driveway lights.... street lights ..... also get reinforcement on your windows....

[bigE]

I have locked the keys in my 95 multiple times, and if I have access to a coathanger, I can break in in under a minute. Practice makes perfect.

Eric

[jacob360]

You could put put a switch in series with the ignition, and find a good place to hide it. Just flip it every time you park your car. They might try to steal it, but time is a thiefs enemy, and the longer it takes, the more likely they are to move on to an easier target. Or you could just get one of those security systems with the ignition kill feature. It wont start unless you swipe the special keychain. Some newer systems let the thieves steal the car and drive it, then kills it about a minute later, leaving them dead in the middle of the street.

[Holisticbeatz]

If they want your car, they'll take it one way or another.

Because your S13 has a SR20DET and suspension done, I'd be careful about flaunting it around town. Don't draw unnessairy attention to yourself.

[apzak]

Crooks are like terrorists, you just can't stop them. If a crook wants your car hes going to find a way to steal it. But, an alarm, or "club".. something simple will keep away a kid looking for fun. There were these kids in my school that stole a girls car and rolled it down a hill, so if you have a nice car, enemies are also not good to have. I always lock my doors but that doesn't do anything against the professional car theives. I guess lowjack is good too. I heard crooks steal a car, leave it in a parking lot over night and if cops don't track it down and the car is still in the parking lot the next day, they know it doesn't have lowjack and they strip it. If this is true, I'm thinking of getting a lowjack decal on my window. They probably won't bother going trough the hassel. I also always hid the radar detector, cds, and even loose change. Someone once broke my friends window and they only thing they stole was 2 dollars worth of change. (probably a bum that really wanted a beer) Still, broken windows cost alot to repair. Don't tell anyone about the motor swap (I don't tell friends in school I have a $400 radar detector) and nobody will steal it. Afterall, the only way they will know you have a nice motor is if you get a clear hood, or have a big mouth.

I laugh whenever I see people leave their V1s or Escorts in their window. That's just asking for a break in.

And about the title of this thread, I guess the 240sx isn't as wanted by car thieves as say a 1994 honda civic.

[hudy]

you can't keep em from towing your car

[vwluv10338]

I was pondering the same question and was thinking about a paging alarm system untill I realized that all that was good for was watching someone drive away in my car. I decided on a lojac type system. The problem I see with lojac is that you have to go to an authorised dealer and they dont even tell you how much it costs. I have found a few places that sell a gps tracking security system which you track via the internet on maps similar to mapquest.com. They are around $400-500 for the system and between $6-10$ a month. I thought about it after a guy my friend knows had his turbo integra stolen but he got it back because he had lojac. The cops just went to the car and waited untill the people came back to it and arrested them. This is the system I was looking at http://www.bluewatersecuritypr....html Its similar to those used by trucking companys to track truckers. Viper also has one but it has to be installed in OH.

Eric

[krazy skwerel]

Insurance won't cover your swap under normal full coverage, and might even drop you if they find out about it.

[toki]

you can't keep em from towing your car

Just pray they realize it's RWD and don't drag it for 20 miles ROFL

[forsaken]

Thanks for the advice guys. Im definately putting a kill switch in. And I try my best not to tell people about what i got in my car. I hate the fact that my gauges are visible though. I try to hide them every chance i get.

[hokiruu]

Yeah I broke into my car with a coat hanger in under a minute also last time i locked my keys in there. I'm tinting my windows, installing a kill switch, and then investing in lojac or someting. But right now it just looks like riced out crap anyway, so nobody will want it.

[prigo]

Riced out cars are often the first to be stolen

[hokiruu]

Well it's not total rice, but my bodykit is completely demolished. Half the front bumper is missing, and every other piece is damaged too. And I'm on stock wheels still, so it's not that pretty looking.

[charlotte240]

I've also heard that people put a toggle switch on their fuel pump. You can get the car about 15 feet and it will die.

[dr!ft]

What about a battery-disconncect switch? I know that Sparco makes one (it's on their site) and Ignited makes a slightly cheaper one. Basically, it's a switch that can be activated to prevent electrical current to run from the battery. Voila! Can't start the car. Plus, the switch is removable, so you can park your car, deactivate the battery, take the switch, and walk away!

[GIJOE69]

umm 89-98 nissan 240's are easy to steal...you can use any nissan key and master key it with your nissan key just play with the lock...I broke into my friend's 240sx less than 10 seconds when he lost his key, also you can start the car with your nissan key just gotta play wid it but only takes 5 seconds to start...so yah my best advice for you guys is to get a Autoloc and put it on your clutch pedal and buy a racing steering wheel and buy a quick disconnect hub for the steering wheel..

[Pinoyrps13]

or you can be hardcore and just pull your whole ecu everytime you leave... haha...

[Kaioshin1982]

or if you REALLY wanna be hardcore, take out all ur wheels and take them with you.

[GatorS14]

I was thinking about that kill switch.do you think that would work?

[hokiruu]

Oh, it definitely works. I think the battery kill switch is a good idea, but I would never take it with me. Say you dropped it into grate in the street or something. Stranded! Steering wheel is too big and cumbersome to carry around with you. I suppose you could put it in the trunk, but if anyone sees you do that, it will defeat the purpose.

[Nathan]

I'll have two kill switches that both have to be activated as well as a momentary switch hooked to the ignition that you have to be pressing while you turn the key. In addition to that, my hood will be locked down, to the frame. The only way you can steal my car is with a sawzall and a lot of time. I'm working on the hood lock right now and the switches...those are easy. One for the fuel pump, another for the battery, the third wired inline with the ignition.

[GIJOE69]

ummm you guys ever heard of having Autolock on your Clutch Pedal and The Club on your Steering Wheel and having disabling your key hole's but in exchange for door poppers via remote ?

[dr!ft]

Yeah, it would kinda suck if you dropped you kill switch key. But say you mounted it in the glove compartment, ash tray, or even the passagener's foot well, somewhere that wouldn't be seen. I still think the removable steering wheel hub is a good idea, but for like $20 for the Ignited kill switch, it's just a lot cheaper.

[Ceptos]

someone may have mentioned this, i dont know what it takes to actually steel a car, but i know they are easily broken into. i did it with a yard stick once when i locked my keys in the car. since there is no body above the window u can easily stick something behind it and hit the electric lock, i also used a 'slim-jim' down in the door to hit the lock. took like a minute or two.

[Zero-s13]

I have even seen people take out the fuel pump fuse. It's a cheap but effective way to kill the fuel pump. But I say the more trouble you give the thief, like multiple anti-theft measures, the less likely the are to steal your car. And let's just hope none of us have to see if any of these products and ideas work. -jeromy

[Nathan]

Yeah, it would kinda suck if you dropped you kill switch key.

How do you drop a kill switch key? There isn't even a key...it's just a switch hidden somewhere in the interior that has to be ON in order for the car to work...super simple stuff.