![]() ![]() The British company Moss Security has alarms priced from $150 to $450, the cheapest needing only five wires connected to fit. The market has good cheap alarm systems, too. A second battery or a trickle charger is also recommended because the really good systems pull a lot of power from today's smaller batteries, particularly when the battery runs a backup siren. Ideally, the siren should be linked to movement of the doors, bonnet, boot, windows and sunroof, a cut-out should isolate the electrical and fuel systems, the unit should be able to sense any attempt to jack up the car, and the alarm should sound forĩ0 seconds and then cut out and reset itself. The motoring associations have a 10-point list of standards they believe are needed in car alarm systems, but the real issue is the amount of protection needed by the motorist and the expense. However, police say that thieves have been known to remove steering wheel and all, so the Hettel would seem to be one of the best bets, if only for the fact it is a great safeguard against release of the handbrake by children left in the car. The Kraco Nightstick, which has just arrived on the market, is a carbonised steel bar that locks onto the wheel to stop it turning, and has motion and shock sensors and a siren. Coupled with the well-known Club or Rola steering-wheel bar locks (both in the $60 price bracket) they provide a good discount for the insurance premium. Until the right code is dialled in, the handbrake will not move. The replacement carries three rows of number codes, like a briefcase security lock. The Hettel 100 handbrake lock is made in Germany, costs around $120, and replaces the existing handbrake grip. Most electronic security systems need workshop fitting, but there are some good protectors that anyone can fit. The big car-alarm suppliers strongly suggest their products will not suit pre-1980 cars because electrical problems cause false alarms or failed alarms. Perhaps surprisingly, most vehicles stolen were made before 1980. ![]() Nearly half of all cars stolen are parked on the street, and about one-third of them are taken from car parks. They include locking the vehicle every time you leave it, even outside a shop when you are diving in for the evening paper, not leaving in view tempting items like a camera, briefcase, bank papers, or handbag, and using a locked garage at home, or at There is no need to labor the commonsense precautions. Police will tell you that the best thieves today can break into a current model, pull out the radio and cassette player and be gone within two minutes. The older the car, the easier it is to steal. They steal to order for gangs that alter paintwork and identification numbers, truck the cars interstate and re-register them. People steal cars for joy-rides, emergency transport home, parts, V8 engines, sound systems and alloy wheels. The insurance company had to pay out a repair bill of almost $60,000. ![]() The first Honda NSX super car to be pinched anywhere in the world, and valued at $160,000, was taken for a joy-ride in Sydney a few months ago, in spite of a most complex alarm system. It is worth saying for a start that almost any car can be broken into if it comes to the point. ![]() The NSW motoring club, the NRMA, also gives very high marks to a hard-steel backing to the ignition switch, called the Squire Backshield. But cheap, visible mechanical devices like the Hettel 100 handbrake lock, the well-known Club steering wheel bar, and the similar but electronic Kraco Nightstick are good value. The best electronic systems can run to over $2000 when all accessories are included, and are certainly the most difficult for the burglar to disable, as well as attracting the cheapest insurance premiums. The claims and counter-claims run thick and fast, but the mostcost-efficient way of preventing a car being stolen costs only a little more than $100. ![]()
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