Security

[cactusman]

Hi fellow E typers. Spring is officially here even if Mr weather thinks otherwise so many of you will be awaking your beloved motor from winter slumber and preparing for the up coming mix of weekend runs, car shows and the odd evening blast when you get back from work. Much time will be spent tinkering and polishing over the coming weeks.

I would urge you all to spend a little time thinking the unthinkable....theft, and then taking steps to minimise the chance you will fall victim.

My car was stolen off my drive last May. I got her back as she has a tracker! Like many of you I had been doing some tinkering. The ignition was out so I could not start the car to put back in the garage. Could have pushed her in but instead I threw the cover over and left her on the drive. Gone next morning.

I had fitted a tracker so by 10 am she was with the police and I got her back. The thieves were never caught. However Herts and Essex Police car crime units were most helpful. They were sure it was stolen to order and not opportunist. Someone had been watching!

I now make sure the car is always in the garage. I now have an alarm. I fitted ram raid posts and other security measures in the garage.
The police gave me various tips and hints based, I presume, on previous knowledge and I think it worthwhile passing these on given the increase in classic car thefts being reported.
When at home try and keep the car garaged and out of site as far as is possible. That way passers by can?t clock the presence of your classic. Park a modern vehicle in front of the garage and ensure all keys are safely in a draw somewhere and not on a hook by the front door!
Do not rely on the period security features of your car. Locks on olds cars are next to useless. Fit secret switches on the fuel pump and ign. Use a steering lock that completely shrouds the wheel. Uprate your garage door lock with a T bar lock or posts in front. Alarm the garage if possible. Fit a tracker to your vehicle and register it with the police.

Car shows are a favourite activity for classic car owners. 99.9% of visitors are there for a burger and an ice cream and to admire an Austin or drool over a Ferrari. However the police told me that car shows have been targeted by thieves so make sure your car security at shows is in place if you leave your car unattended. You will welcome conversations with visitors but be very guarded about discussions on value or where you are from!
They also told me that they suspect cars have been followed home so the thief knows where the car is stored. They return later and help themselves when the time is right. Saves the hassle of trying to pinch from a show! So when on the way back home, peer in that rear view mirror. Ask yourself ?has that Ford Mundano followed me?. If you think you are being followed then either drive straight past your house and turn round a mile up the road or drive to a 24hr petrol station and call the police.
Lastly do take five minutes to check your insurance is both up to date, the car particulars are correct and your agreed valuation is still valid. My insurance insists on a revaluation every two years. Ensure your valuation is realistic but equally make sure it does reflect the current market value. At least that way if you do suffer the unthinkable at least you will get your money back.
Happy motoring in 2016.

[Simon P]

All good advice. A number of classic car insurance policies (mine included) make it a condition that if the car is parked overnight within a mile of home it must be garaged - another argument against leaving it on the drive. The 'sacrificial banger' parked in front of the garage door is always a smart move too :D

[BRM]

I must admit it worries me a bit living on a main road. I keep the car locked away as much as possible but you have to get it out sometime and it's surprising how many people know it's there. On the plus side I suppose it's harder for some ne'er-do-well to try to break in without being noticed.

Since I bought the car I've fitted a pair of Enfield bolts to the garage door which makes me feel slightly more comfortable.

[Heuer]

Removable steering wheel tends to fox them as well with the wheels on full lock!

[Simon P]

As an aside, I had a mild moment of panic a couple of weeks back when I took the E-type out for a quick spin one Saturday lunchtime. All went well until I returned, hopped out of the car, and then discovered that the garage door's integral lock had failed when I'd set it behind me and had now jammed solid

I managed to summon a local locksmith, but no amount of ingenuity could pick the lock and he confirmed that the only option was to cut through the (solid metal) door - not something he was equipped to do there and then: he would have to return after the weekend.

With light already beginning to fade (this was early February) it suddenly became urgent to find a home for the car at very short notice. What to do? I didn't know anyone else with a garage locally. The in-laws live a half-hour drive away but they'd gone away for the weekend and their garage was piled high with junk anyway. I briefly considered contacting the nearest Jaguar showroom and trying to persuade them that their showroom would be enhanced with the inclusion of a heritage car :D

In the end, with the brain in overdrive, I hit on an idea. The old lady a few doors down had sadly passed away a few months back, and although the house was on the market it hadn't yet sold. We had her daughter's contact details, so with as much brass neck as I could muster, and with darkness approaching, I picked up the phone: "Yes. Sorry about your mother.... Anyway, about your garage...."

To her daughter's enormous credit she agreed, and with it the E-type found a safe place to sleep once more. Phew! :D

[BRM]

I've looked at those steering wheels on the Superspoke website. A lot of money but they look lovely. Seriously tempted !

[Gfhug]

The 'sacrificial banger' parked in front of the garage door is always a smart move too :D

Simon, is that what the Lancia is for?

Geoff

[Simon P]

The Lancia's there to confuse the dreaded tin worm: it never knows which one to go for first! Lancia.... E-type.... Lancia.... E-type.... Dammit, I think I'll go an have a lie down whilst I figure it out....

:D

[ALAN COCHRANE]

Sage advice Julian. I've gone completely overboard on the security issue partly by luck and partly by design.
I had a battery powered tracker unit fitted to the Jag. It's not cheap but the TRACKER company have the highest recovery rate of any on the market. They can find it even in underground car parks and metal shipping containers which most others can't. This version is specifically designed for cars which are stored with the battery disconnected for lengthy periods. If the unit stops transmitting they will replace the battery-as they did with mine.

That's only the final level of security though. In between the E-Type and the public are in order:-
Electric gates, large Eurobox, drive through garage with electric roller doors and inside a Porsche Boxster with an even more sophisticated tracker. Once through that lot there's the main garage with an electric roller door and alarm, then a GT6 and finally the E-Type at the back. Some might think this is a bit of overkill but it does give you piece of mind. When I go on holiday I chuck the rest of the cars keys in the safe just to be on the safe side.
Admittedly most of this was built out of necessity-the drive through garage was built on the side of the house for the Porsche as there was no where else to site it. The electric roller doors were installed because i was too lazy to get out of the car and open them all. They are well worth considering since it's impossible to manually raise them with the motor connected-much more secure than any lock. I installed the electric gates before the garage was built because I thought it would look a bit posh.

But all in all it works well.

Alan

[cactusman]

Thanks all for the comments and tips. No point being alarmist but equally it is worth thinking about security as our cars are now worth large amounts of money. If you do your own maintenance then don't keep your angle grinder or similar power cutter in the garage ready for a thief to use it to hack off your steering lock....makes sense.
As always, prevention is better then cure. Make your car very hard to access and the tea leafs will move elsewhere. J[/code]