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Seasoned...
Joined: Sat Oct 21st, 2017
Location: Near The Pointy End , USA
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Im not sure what sub section this post should go...
I'm concerned about my truck getting stolen after I dump a bunch of money into upgrades. I live North of a big city but not what you'd call rural. Im not blinging out my truck but I do keep it nice and shiney. If i add a s/c, headers, and dual exhaust It will be obvious its upgraded. I dont have a secure area to park and it won't fit in the garage. So I'm curious what measures other have taken to insure the security of their truck, like lowjack, ingnition kill swithches, etc...
Im not looking to annoy my neighbors with an obnoxious alarm that goes off every time a cat walks over the truck or for the guy that buys a cheap Nokia and hard wires it into the truck as a cheap tracking device but I admire the effort. I know the club just makes it easier to break the steering wheel lock and I don't want to lift the hood and pull the coil wire or something similar. Im mostly worried about when I park it at home for the night. Im interested in a more professional device that won't be noticed that will prevent the theft or aid in recovery. I do have a security cam on it but that wont help find it or prevent the theft. It will only record it. Lol.
Sadly there will likely always be someone who wants your as much or more than you do. I used to do vehicle security on a somewhat competitive purpose. That being said, all an alarm will do is keep the honest man honest.
The best things you can do is make safe considerations to swap out certain screws to security screws, there is a place in Texas if I recall and they can put nearly any type of special security head or screw tip feature on any size nut or bolt, thread pitch, you name it. An alarm PROPERLY setup to know the difference between an actual thief and a cat of course some additional features will be needed and the alarm will have to be capable of implementing such add-ons. A tilt sensor, a 2-stg motion sensor, and an electronic shock sensor would be my top recommendations to cover 90% of concerns. Power locks and maybe the addition of a tailgate lock such as the "Pop Lock" PL8250 Power Tailgate Lock for Ford can be tied into the OEM doorlocks locking the tailgate as with the rest of the truck.
Ignition kill stops the joyriders but ideally if someone really wants your truck they'll tow it away or car jack you for it after you warm it up, or as some Audio demo vehicles back in the day would suffer a minor accident (bumper tap) and when you get out, they get out and take your car by force or gun point. Rockford Fosgate suffered some great losses back in the day as well many other companies.
I would also suggest that you add an additional Battery backup siren for under the hood in a most difficult place to get to whether from a fender well or even with the hood open. And also take the original siren the alarm will likely come with or get a second one and wire it up so that its in the back under the vehicle fusing both the negative and positive lines so they can't short out the output of the alarm.
Most of my sirens I installed i always drilled a hole, ran my wires for the siren into the hole after directing them through the bracket and screwed the siren pase down over the plastic grommet itself making it nearly impossible to get to the wires, same in the rear under-body, drill a hole, plastic grommet, route wire, feed it in, secure siren over the hole, silicone the grommet from the inside.
I'd like to say parking under a streetlight keeps people away but in reality its as if you put your vehicle on showcase for a thief, whereas more un-noticeable in a darker area its easier to pass up. Security lights do help in most cases with on/off on the property if you can and you can even get creative with that. If you had too, by a baby monitor that runs on batteries and toss it in the cup holder and park close enough to get the signal.
Also, no one really wants to live a life where you're constantly in fear of something happening to your vehicle or someone for that matter. I say this because when I was back in the fear days of thievery of audio systems, [I'm talking easy $14-20k+ minimal systems on average] AND having a Honda Civic Hatchback known for being fast. Having all of the anxieties of parking your vehicle ALWAYS within view no matter the restaurant, place of business, constantly trekking back and forth at the mall having to park up front, finding several different ways to go home, never taking the same way twice in the same week, all while driving and looking out the rear window more than the front windscreen was an unbelievably powerful thing to take over your persona. and it will encroach on your relationship(s) too especially if you're in a single vehicle household and your significant other doesnt share or has an attention deficit to situational awareness, compounds things if they take the car to do even remotely basic and safe things.
I had a friend that was worse than I back then and hes a prime example of why I don't suggest alarms with 2way communication remotes, Primarily because the thieves that hit his car one night came 4 deep in accomplices, while 2 guys started stripping his car in the driveway and his alarm went off for a few short seconds, he flew out the door with a ball bat and both him and his girl got as close to a near death experience as they would ever want to know and they lef them in the yard to be discovered by police bloodied because a neighbor thought to call for help at 4am leaving for work.
Keeps you from similar situation or worse, shooting someone over a Hi-lift jack or a 50" LED light bar...
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Roman courtier during the reign of Nero.
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