Modern cars are packed with security features, but car thieves aren’t stupid. Criminals have learned how to exploit technology like remote central locking and keyless entry. Here are FirstCar’s car security tips to help beat the modern breed of cyber-smart car thieves.
Lock it
Never leave your car unlocked. It doesn’t matter if you are just nipping to the shop for 30 seconds, or paying for fuel at a filling station. Always lock your car, or risk coming back to find your phone, sat nav or other valuables have gone. And never, ever leave the engine running, even to defrost the windscreen on a cold day – it’s an open invitation to an opportunistic thief.
Hide it
One low-tech way thieves defeat modern security systems is to steal the keys before pinching the car. So, another of our car security tips is to keep keys out of sight rather than leaving them on a table in a café or on display in an open bag and don’t hang them up in a jacket or coat in any public place. Be wary of leaving keys on a key hook by the front door, too. Thieves have been known to use metal coat hangers or even fishing rods to hook the keys through the letterbox. Sounds nuts, but it does happen.
Keep it
Car-crime gangs are using signal blockers to trick owners into thinking their cars are locked when they are not. They’re also hacking their way into cars using sophisticated transmitters which mimic the signals given out by the key fob. How do you beat these high-tech criminals and keep your car? Go old school. A quality steering lock (ideally Sold Secure ‘Gold’ rated) should stop them in their tracks.
Find it
If your car is stolen, the chances of it being recovered will increase if the car is fitted with a tracking device. It’s best to choose a Thatcham-approved tracker. That way you’ll know it has been tested to a high standard by experts in car security.
