How to protect your auto from break-in and theft
$1.255 billion - that is the value of stolen goods and accessories during a single year, with an average of 1.85 million thefts taking place. The number of break-in attempts and successful penetrations is times more than that. Don't want your car to contribute to these statistics? Take some preventive measures and you will raise your chances of avoiding loss and stress due to break-ins or theft.
Keep your doors locked
While this may sound evident for all car owners, fact is that one of four car thefts is successful thanks to the cars being unlocked at the moment of break-in. Even if you stop to get a drink at the store, this gives the thieves enough time to steal your car. So make sure to keep it locked whenever you get out.
Keep your contents out of sight
No matter how cheap an item may be, it may look like a valuable thing from the outside and provoke unhealthy interest from potential thieves. If your car gives good view over the items inside it is better to hide them or cover them. Keep your interior tidy to avoid unnecessary attention from the outside.
Hide any clues
Even the tiniest clues on having valuable electronics can provoke thieves from paying attention to your cur. Suction cups from navigators, multimedia plugs, iPod cables - such small things may lead burglars to your vehicle. So make it look like nothing special is in there when you leave your car on the parking lot.
Stash prior to parking
Putting your shopping bags right when you get to the vehicle should become your habit. Leaving your things to park to another lot leaves space for burglars to take action. Don't let them see what you have and be cautious on the parking space.
Keep your car sealed
No only open windows will allow the thieves to easily break-in into your car, but they will also affect the pressure sensors of the car alarm, making it less sensitive to break-in attempts. So you increase your car's vulnerability twice when leaving gaps in your windows.
Install an alarm
The noise produced by the alarm can be a great turn-down for theft attempt. More advanced alarm systems will even lock the engine, making it impossible to start the car if the break-in was successful. It is always better to have an alarm installed at the factory, but getting a stand-alone system and calibrating it may be as effective. But be careful to not confuse alarm systems to remote locks, typically seen in cheaper car models.
Keep the factory audio system
Don't fall to the temptation of installing a modern costly stereo system, because it is the major attraction for car thieves. No burglar will fall for a factory installed auto system because there's just no black market for such things. However, the sound in these systems gets better and better every year.
Park in a visible area
Leave your car in an agglomerated area, while making sure your car is not blocked from view by larger autos, fences, or other objects. Raising the chance of a theft being spotted in progress will lower the actual risk of theft.
Be simple
Simple anti-theft devices like steering wheel locks, collars, brake locks and others speak for themselves and will turn down any potential thief from the attempt of breaking in.
