having recently purchased my 69 and i am looking into what security I need to add to the car.

At this stage I am thinking of a steering wheel lock and possibly a kill switch which brings me to my first question.

1. If you have a kill switch what is the best way of installing? Ignition?

2. Do you have an alarm in your car?

I understand if someone really wants your car they will take it but to stop the joy riders etc.

Any help would be much appreciated

Yes,

an alarm.. is a must...

plus a hidden kill switch etc...

a steering wheel lock.... may put off many people...

but if someone really wants YOUR Beetle....

they can take the steering wheel off...
and hook up the motor direct to the battery...??

LEE

Hi

A fuel lock off is good, if they start the car it will run out of petrol soon after starting.

Steering wheel lock will slow them down.

Steve

club locks dont do anything except add weight when not using them
even most dumb car thieves can get them off

alarms are ok but trouble is very few people even take notice of them these days, most just get annoyed when they go off

a good kill switch is the best measure but something thats hard for a thief to find or work out

you can get alarms now that txt or page you when theyre triggered, there getting cheaper all the time

so how do you install a kill switch?

Yes, I can turn My electric fuel pump off....

but if You don't have one of those, then a fuel cutoff solenoid
with a hidden switch is a good item to have...

as You really need to have something that is NOT a common
or standard part on the car...
so thieves won't know where to look....

cheers

LEE

PS: I sent you a PM... LEE

do all vw have a fuel pump or are some vacuum?

What I do for security is lock the doors and wind the windows up. Oh, and don't have a nice shiny car which looks like it's worth stealing I suppose. I may have to revise this theory now that my new car will be a bit shinier than the old one.

Oh, and yes, all VWs have fuel pumps, but the original pumps were all mechanical and hence can't be switched off. If you really wanted to make sure it doesn't get driven away you could take the HT lead from the coil with you whenever you leave the car, but as others have mentioned, nothing can stop a determined and professional car thief. The only goal of car security is to make your car hard enough to steal that the thief will choose another target instead.

best kill switch is disabling the ignition some how
either killing power to the coil or grounding the low tension side

its pointless disabling the starting circuit cos the car can still be hotwired and push started

i guess one thing working in our favour is VWs just stand out way to much which im sure would make them a less likely target atleast for joyriders anyway

If i park in a real dodgy place i take the rotor button and lock the engine lid

I used to think having a scruffy car would mean nobody would want to steal it. Then some clown tried to steal my dodgy daily!!

If you have a tacho it's pretty easy to ground out the ignition with a hidden switch. Hence the car won't start, unless the thief disconnects the tacho wire.

Taking the HT lead is not that great, they are a common part that is found too easily. The rotor button would be harder to source.

A fuel cutoff solenoid sounds like a great idea, anyone got a link?

I found the best security is to move out of sydney

Indeed, an ignition kill switch will be the best choice. I've done quite a few variations of this, and i found that the ideal way is the uncommon way. At one install i've gone as far as rerouting the ignition wires (not going to the dashboard). It's relay controlled and activated by a hidden switch to turn the ignition on, and i just utilize a push start switch. The ignition key's mainly there for show.

If you're considering an alarm system, save up and get a good one, like a 2 way alarm system. This allows your alarm to communicate with the transmitter and will inform you of the security status of your vw in real time. It usually has about a mile radius capability. These usually come with optional trigger sensors, like 2 stage microwave that adds an invinsible barrier around the car, tilt sensor that triggers the alarm incase someone tries to jack your car up, either to steal the wheels, or tow it. Cheap alarm systems are mere noise makers, and will inform you after the fact; car had already been broken into, since it relies only on door pin switches for trigger. There's so many ways to incorporate electronics for security in your ride as long as you're capable, or in the hands of a capable installer. Any alarm can be as effective, or as useless depending on how it's installed.

If you're into sound systems (like i am), keep security in mind when installing components. I use star key (or allen) screws to mount my amps and speakers down, and i take the extra effort to hide them so they're not in plain sight, yet still get good ventilation for the amps. If you have a speaker box behind the back seat, make sure to incorporate a speaker grill, preferably one that covers the whole baffle (like the home speakers) instead of the kind that covers individual woofers so they're not in plain view. The head unit can be installed in the glove box, but i prefer to use my ipod as a source unit, and keep the original ancient vw radio at the stock location. Nothing to see, nothing to steal.

Smoke Alarm Systems are great as well. It's a stand alone security system designed to fill your car's interior with thick odorless harmless smoke within seconds of activation to deter would be thieves away. Any thief will be startled seeing the car he broke into is full of smoke, and leave it alone since it's hard to see inside.

A locking steering wheel will be great; better yet a removable steering wheel will be ideal if you can find one. I also use a locking gear shift from Berg. I've installed darker tint on my windows so it's not easier to see inside in a glance. A fuel cut off switch is a must have on any vehicle. Besides providing a good cut off circuit for an alarm, it's also a safety feature incase of an accident, the fuel will be cut off as soon as the engine dies out.

Lastly, best security is common sense. Be aware of your surroundings where you park. Never leave valuables in plain view, like cell phones, cameras, laptops, etc. Don't give a burglar any excuse to break your windows, or target your ride. Hope this helps.

Yes, I forgot about the gearshifter lock....

You used to be able to get handbrake locks too...??

Haven't heard of the smoke alarm either.... good one...


LEE

PS: I was always going to put an alarm siren inside the car
so that it couldn't be driven away, or even sat in...

also, not so noisy for the neighbours..

its deadly on Your ears though... would need a kill switch in an easy place... lol

then again, My alarm has never gone off while I've been driving.... so, it still looks great.... Lee

if looking for an alarm i highly recommend staying away from brant alarms. as mine died a week out of warranty and for a 500 buck alarm it cost me 600 to fix it. the company didnt even want to know about it apart for the money that they could charge me. there was no quote done before the repair it was just done and charge to me.
apart from that as the above advice there is not much more you can do as if they want it they will take it.

Quote:

Originally posted by vwmad I found the best security is to move out of sydney

or be like Mr Bean....

and take your steering wheel with You.... lol

even better if You have a folding steering wheel... lol



Has anyone seen those devices sold in the UK where the steering wheel is hooked to the clutch pedal....

similar to a steering wheel locking device.. " The Club"

I think the CLUB still has a warranty or insurance on Your car...
if Your car is stolen.... they give You a new... CLUB.... lol

No... it was some sort of insurance????

LEE


PS: I have never really thought about using one....

I wonder how good the gear shifter locks are??



--

I got my windows tinted to 5%, cant see nothign behind the front seats,

I lock my doors but then again im lucky everyone knows my car in the area and its a good little town

If your trying to amp up the security for when its parked at home...
i installed a bollard where i park the bug so it cant be driven out...

in terms of day to day stuff then it does depend on how crafty you want to be.

ie: take a few things out - rotor button, coil lead, coil...

one thing ive seen people use a few times in some of the less desireable areas of victoria is a wheel clamp.. yes takes up room and is heavy but if your parked somewhere they attract attention from passers by in the good sense...
i cant really comment on securing the cabin as with my bug if you want to get in it just undo some press studs and take off the roof
90% of the time i dont actually bother locking it... if they are going to get into it.. which they will id rather they do it without damaging anything.

I have installed a pretty good item to slow them down a bit while I sneak up on them with a baseball bat.

I just adjust the driver's seat all the way forward and then attach a "Lubloy" 3/8" high tensile chain from the seat bar to the gearstick. The other chain is from the same bar to the steering wheel. One key for both and it takes about 30 seconds to attach and about 15 to remove.
Unless the thief carries a set of very good quality bolt cutters he/she is going to find it hard going. By that time they will probably have a pretty severe headache anyway.

cheers

I beleive a trunk monkey system would do the job quite well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIB49Xd_4H0&feature=related 

try a big dog!

take the wheels off every night!

park it in a shipping container!

but on a serious note a simple one is a battery isolater with a key. connect the mains cables and cover them, the back of the switch in epoxy resin so it can not be shorted across terminals. no power to anything.

I just removed the door handles on the inside and out and put door poppers on

thinker beat me to it! a big dog lol, make sure he is well and truely hungry and will launch at anything that comes in a 20 feet radius of the car lol, or in talladega nights i think they used a puma or some other big viscious kitty lol

when wil someone invent a device that dead locks the car shut if you dont press something within 5 seconds of opening the car and hgave a siren that goes off at around 120 to 150 db with lots of flashing lights inside the car?
lol, can just imagine the "thieves" thoughts when he is stuck in a car that is going bezerk!

seriously but is there a way to hook up 2 cameras one on the right hand side of the car facing the left hand side and one on the left facing the right both inside the cabin that gives direct feed to your computer at home? would be good with a motion sensor too lol

i have a a switch on the ignition lead to the coil hidden under the dash... this was mainly so i can listen to music when i'm workin on it and not melt my coil.. found out its very hard to start with the switch open too!!

i take off the battery lead under the seat if leaving the car at train station or something

A nice easy anti theft is a fuel line cut off solenoid under the vehicle wired to a hidden cut out switch.