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SalB

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Can I ask, would anyone be willing to recommend a steering wheel lock please. I'd like to put something on the van as a deterrent (at least) before we put it on the storage site. There's so many options out there it's hard to know where to start. It's for a Kontiki sport 524 if that makes a difference.

Or, possibly a wheel lock?

Thanking all you kind people in advance.

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Seems nobody wants to recommend, they might get the blame if your pride and joy gets nicked :-D

So any suggestion I make should not be taken as any sort of recommendation or endorsement. Its your risk etc,

The " XLock" ( ebay) is not bad. The thieves can get most of them off anyway, it does, however, slow them down.

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Earlier this year when looking to renew our insurance I was told by a number of companies that a condition of insurance was that a steering wheel lock be fitted whenever the vehicle was not in use. The companies specified one or 2 makes but I have forgotten them now. I did buy a much cheaper steering wheel lock, only£50, but whilst not of the same quality as those specified by the insurance companies has, so far done the job. I view these locks as a deterrent to the opportunist thief rather than the steal to order variety. Suggest you look to the internet to renew your insurance and see what makes are stipulated by insurers.

Be lucky

Bob

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Sally,

 

Our MH is parked on our front drive but I use a Bulldog Centaur CA2000C wheel clamp which is clearly visible from the road.

 

https://www.bulldogsecure.com/view/bulldog-ca2000c-centaur-wheel-clamp/109

 

It is certainly not the cheapest but is very strong and robust.

 

Keith.

 

PS I don't bother with a steering wheel lock as I leave internal screens in place and hence would not be visible.

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As I visit the various forums the two that seem to get the thumbs up by users most frequently are the disclock and the stoplock pro.

 

Just how effective they are is difficult to quantify as most people tend to recommend the one they have. I have a stoplock pro, but only because I inherited it from my father.

 

Sold secure seems to be something of a hallmark for security systems and tests are often run by motoring magazines although I tend to be sceptical of the link between magazines, their advertisers and impartially.

 

Davy

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I use a Stoplock Pro, which fits the X250 onward Ducato steering wheel neatly,

 

When I was looking to make a choice, only the Stoplock Pro and the Disklock were Thatcham Approved (the cheaper non-Pro Stoplock wasn't). I chose the Stoplock Pro as it was easier to find a home for & I reasoned that if it was readily to hand I would be more likely to use it.

 

My van lives on the drive next to the house, Stoplock on and visible, seats swivelled t90 degrees to meet in the middle. Hopefully any casual passing ner-do-well will see that it will require a bit more physical (noisy ?) effort to take and keep passing.

 

Nigel B.

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I started to see our ‘van as vulnerable when parked on our drive, so a few weeks ago I went through the same exercise as yourself. I originally looked at through the wheel locks but settled on a medium size discloc. I bought mine from Carnoisseur at £122 delivered. Good service and about £20 cheaper than Halfords.

Disadvantages: Needs a home when not in use. ( It certainly is a chunk of metal. It fits, just, between the footwell

face and the door pocket when not in use.)

More expensive than bar locks.

More fiddly to use than bar locks. But I’m getting used to it.

Advantages: Police and Thatcham approved.

Looks the part.

There may be other pros and cons that I haven’t found yet. So far I’m happy with it.

 

I’ve also made a metal guard to cover the OBD access slot.

Cattwg :-D

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I had some additional door locks fitted on Friday. I asked the technician installing the locks what other security he would chose. His recommendation was Disc-lock. When I asked why he suggested that steering wheel locks are more vulnerable because the thief can "simply" hacksaw the steering wheel itself and drop the steering lock out. Since I already had a Disc-lock I did not enquire further.

Whether his assertion is correct or not I do not know since I have never had a steering lock.

Perhaps someone else can throw some light on whether they can be dropped out that easily?

I can believe that a steering wheel can be easily sawn through with a hacksaw however.

Presumably what's left of the steering wheel ( ~80% +) is still stable enough to steer the vehicle, and since any theft of a motorhome is likely to be premeditated the perpetrators would ensure they had a spare steering wheel to install as soon as possible after the theft.

 

As for storage, my disc-lock sits in its bag which is stored vertically standing against the "garage" wall in the back of my PVC and kept in place by a strong wide velcro strip.

 

 

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A better idea is to turn the drivers seat 180 degrees and fit a good padlock through the seat base to prevent it being turned back. I used one of these https://www.screwfix.com/p/abus-titalium-98-titalium-block-padlock-90mm/8945t

 

All you need to store is a padlock. :D

 

I have also added a small but noisy alarm device to the padlock (which is out of sight) in case the thieves defeat my motorhome alarm, get inside and try removing the padlock. I am not giving details of that one though. ;-)

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Not a hacksaw. Any self-respecting thief would carry a battery operated disc cutter or grinder. Takes seconds.

 

I would agree that the disklok is probably the best steering wheel lock. I have one myself. But they aren't infallible. There are plenty of photos on various forums of them having been levered apart and taken off of steering wheels. But they do delay a thief by up to 5 minutes or so.

 

My opinion, as I've said here before, is that they should be considered as part of a secure layering system, not as a single device that will prevent the vehicle being stolen. They are more use on a vehicle parked outside your house or in a busy public area, in conjunction with a good alarm and immobiliser system, as the thief would have to spend time removing the disklok (or similar) whilst the alarm is sounding, which is not what they want. The same consideration might not be such a deterrent on a storage site or the driveway of a remote and secluded house, for instance, where they might feel less concerned about noise and think they have all the time in the world.

 

But the single item that will prevent most modern vehicle thieves from driving away your pride and joy (unless it has keyless start, and even then in many circumstances, but it still leaves a big gap for key relay attacks) is a robust and well designed OBD port lock, such as the devices made by Trade Vehicle Locks/ProtectaVan. Again, I would recommend an alarm and additional immobiliser system is fitted and used in conjunction with it. But I would opt for the OBD lock over any physical security devices, as they can all be relatively easily overcome. The highest sold secure standard requires a device to resist attack for something like 4-5 minutes if I remember correctly, but the testing they use often also avoids damaging the item it is protecting, which the thieves are often less concerned about, as they probably already have replacement parts from crash damaged and salvaged wrecks back at the chop-shop.

 

Never forget though, that if they really want it and can get a flatbed recovery truck in front of it, there's not much to stop them simply dragging it on! Probably less of a concern with a motorhome than a car I admit, but we had a spate of car thefts several years ago where they were simply being dragged onto trucks in broad daylight from the street or driveways/car parks.

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Cattwg - 2020-12-15 6:11 PM

Must admit that’s something I was not aware of. However, Thatcham’s decision does not negate the protection that the discloc affords. It is still probably the best physical steering lock on the market.

Cattwg :-D

I would agree, but that still only means a few minutes protection to thieves who've made it their business to be familiar with the device.

 

 

I have seen the result of similar successful attempts with a crowbar.

 

Charles - 2020-12-16 1:28 AM

 

Look up the ATE PEDAL LOCK they are talking about it on fun, also there's a thread on the Oxford patriot disc lick for the seat base. Both look very good.

As long as you realise that the pedal lock, however strong it may be, is attached to plastic pedal arms on a Sevel van, and does not prevent access to the pedals. The pedal box is a better device IMO, although still not infallible.

 

Most vehicle owners fall down because they fail to appreciate that what seems insurmountable to them is not necessarily so to thieves with no inhibitions against the amount of damage they are willing to cause to achieve their aims.

 

Back to the layering principle. The more good, well designed devices that you can use together, the better your chances of a thief deciding their are easier pickings elsewhere. But of course, you also make life more inconvenient for yourself too. Maybe the price you have to live with. Only you can decide.

 

It takes me about 15 minutes to remove the security that I have on my van when it's parked up at home. Do I use the same amount of security when I stop at a motorway services, or in a car park, for instance? Of course not, but I have a very good alarm system, additional electronic immobiliser and OBD port protection, and I carry the pedal box in the passenger footwell - it makes a convenient footrest for my wife whilst travelling - and make use of it if I leave the van for any length of time. But any team of vehicle thieves won't have had chance to scope my van for days or weeks in a public place where it's not normally kept, unlike a vehicle parked at your home address or in a storage yard, where they have time to prepare and come back with the necessary tools.

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Technology Eh?

 

I have mentioned it a few times in previous posts but I reckon my security is hard to beat

 

........... a removable steering wheel. (Kept locked away in the house when at home).

 

It has been pointed out by others that airbags make this problematic on newer vans, but I expect someone could come up with a solution to get round this. However if they became commonplace then thieves could simply carry a spare, but mine is bespoke.

 

The other advantage I have is that the van is 15 years old, so not high on the scumbag thieves lists of wants.

 

Jeremy

 

 

 

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Removable steering wheels and a driver air-bag are incompatible.

 

An air-bag in a steering wheel is not there for entertainment value and, while replacing a non-air-bag steering wheel with a removable one MAY not reduce the potential for injury to the driver in the event of a heavy road accident, the same would not be true if the original steering-wheel has an air-bag.

 

Academic for the original poster, as a Kon-Tiki Sport 524 has an air-bag wheel...

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Derek Uzzell - 2020-12-16 10:47 AM

 

Removable steering wheels and a driver air-bag are incompatible.

 

An air-bag in a steering wheel is not there for entertainment value and, while replacing a non-air-bag steering wheel with a removable one MAY not reduce the potential for injury to the driver in the event of a heavy road accident, the same would not be true if the original steering-wheel has an air-bag.

 

Academic for the original poster, as a Kon-Tiki Sport 524 has an air-bag wheel...

What a fatuous comment! Oddly enough Derek I didn't think it was there for entertainment. However the original steering wheel did not have an air-bag so there was no disadvantage to the first owner fitting a removable steering wheel.

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Charles - 2020-12-16 1:28 AM

Most vehicle owners fall down because they fail to appreciate that what seems insurmountable to them is not necessarily so to thieves with no inhibitions against the amount of damage they are willing to cause to achieve their aims.

Agreed, I’ve said as much to my wife. I am also in favour of the layer philosophy. But as we all seem agreed, if "they" want it then "they" will take it. Unfortunate but true.

I suppose it could be argued that the last layer of security is good insurance.

Cattwg :-D

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We met a German couple with a hired van on a site somewhere in Italy. They were looking at the van with very long faces, so I asked them if they had a problem. They opened the van door and showed me the interior, which had basically been trashed. I asked how that had happened, and was told that they had parked the van in a street in a nearby town, and when they got back it had been broken into. The hire firm installed safes in the bases of the wardrobes of their vans as a convenience for hirers. It seemed the thieves knew this, and the damage was the result of the thieves literally crow-baring out the safe - he assumed to take it away to get into it. They were contemplating whether they could complete their trip, or whether to return back home. The lesson I took from that was not to install safes in vans!

 

Minimise the valuables you take, take valuables with you when you park, and take a moment after parking to look around to see who else is around before you get out. Look for broken toughened glass on the ground. If it looks dodgy, go elsewhere.

 

Cards, cash etc go with us, and usually the cameras. The laptops are now old and quite basic, so although their loss would be a nuisance, they would not be a huge cost to replace. Then close blinds etc, so that looking in is difficult. Alarms make noise, which most people ignore. People frequently trigger their own alarms by accident, so anyone who doesn't run off when the alarm sounds will likely be assumed to have made that error. Besides, who, generally, is likely to intervene?

 

Easiest way in is to break a cab window. They are thin toughened glass, which breaks quickly and silently. Door locks are then easily released (unless deadlocks are fitted). It costs the thief nothing to try. If the result is not as anticipated, he walks on, leaving you with a broken window to get fixed!

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Brian Kirby - 2020-12-16 6:15 PM

Minimise the valuables you take, take valuables with you when you park, and take a moment after parking to look around to see who else is around before you get out. Look for broken toughened glass on the ground. If it looks dodgy, go elsewhere.

Cards, cash etc go with us, and usually the cameras. The laptops are now old and quite basic, so although their loss would be a nuisance, they would not be a huge cost to replace. Then close blinds etc, so that looking in is difficult.

I agree. We never, when parked, leave cards or passports in our vehicle and whilst we hide anything ‘desirable’ which as our ‘phones are our cameras these days really only means an aging laptop. We don’t lock glove boxes or cupboards, these are too easy to force with the resultant damage.

I also employ “woman’s intuition”. If my wife is uneasy, we don’t park or stay.

 

Cattwg :-D

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I agree. We never, when parked, leave cards or passports in our vehicle and whilst we hide anything ‘desirable’ which as our ‘phones are our cameras these days really only means an aging laptop. We don’t lock glove boxes or cupboards, these are too easy to force with the resultant damage.

I also employ “woman’s intuition”. If my wife is uneasy, we don’t park or stay.

 

Cattwg :-D

 

Very true we were burgled at home years ago. We had cash notes stuffed into an old glasses case kept on a mid shelf in the wardrobe. My wife's jewelry box was in the airing cupboard as we had moved her dressing table and not put it back where it belonged. Both were safe and we learnt that a thief will look in the usual place where everyone keeps their valuables.

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