TheSamba.com :: View topic - best way to prevent a bus from being stolen?

Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:51 am

Here is my security system:
Locking doors and deck lid.
I use a "D" shaped Kryptonite lock that goes over one of the steering wheel spokes and under the steering column plate.
Remove the rotor, it is the easiest ignition piece to keep in your pocket.

Common sense security system:
Listen to your feelings. If you have a bad feeling about parking your vehicle somewhere, you may be right.
Don't leave any valuables out for the snatch and run punks to see.

Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:35 pm

i'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it- im too lazy to read all the posts- but my favorite method is to switch the 1 and 2 spark plug wires. If they try to hotwire it, it will SEEM like it's trying to start, but it won't. A quick look at the engine seems normal.
Pulling the rotor is an old trick, but it fucks with your timing. doing it like takes 5 seconds.

Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:28 pm

Sell it

Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:42 pm

Slowlow wrote: my65vert wrote: just leave the keys in it, they will think its a set up and leave it alone.

haha, Thats what I usually do.... of course my bus is the only split bus within a 40 mile radius, it would be easy to find.

:lol:

me too ... no worries here ... only split bus on the road in my county 8)

Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:29 pm

let your pitbull use the bus as his/her bed at night, sleep with a assault rifle under your pillow, everything else comes into play

Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:53 pm

SplitBusChick wrote: i'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it- im too lazy to read all the posts- but my favorite method is to switch the 1 and 2 spark plug wires. If they try to hotwire it, it will SEEM like it's trying to start, but it won't. A quick look at the engine seems normal.
Pulling the rotor is an old trick, but it fucks with your timing. doing it like takes 5 seconds.

I do this, except I switch the coil wire with one of the plug wires. At a glance nobody would notice, and it sounds like it's "trying" to start when the key is turned.

Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:08 pm

Has anyone ever tried blood soaked clothing scattered around outside their bus or fresh human scalps draped over the steering wheel???

Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:49 pm

spook1s wrote: Has anyone ever tried blood soaked clothing scattered around outside their bus or fresh human scalps draped over the steering wheel???

im gonna say no

Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:08 pm

I bought a screw type battery disconnect terminal from Pep Boys. You bolt it to the battery terminal, then bolt the battery cable to it. It has a big green thumb screw to separate the electrical contact.

Then you lock the engine hatch with your key (after taking it off an making it work at the locksmith)

Prevents the casual guys, not the super determined

Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:22 pm

I'm a little confused....what happens typically to a stolen bus? It's not like you can just drive them around and think that you won't be noticed. Is there a bus mafia that steals them and then ships them to a distant land to be resold? Seriously, I don't get it? A true bus lover would never steal another's bus. Who are these people?

Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:49 pm

vwcrazybus wrote: I'm a little confused....what happens typically to a stolen bus? It's not like you can just drive them around and think that you won't be noticed. Is there a bus mafia that steals them and then ships them to a distant land to be resold? Seriously, I don't get it? A true bus lover would never steal another's bus. Who are these people? A true bus lover on speed or crack will steal anything. Even if it's bolted down, and then try to sell it for $1. And, certain people will theive anything, from freinds or family, because they can. period. :?

Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:51 pm

vwcrazybus wrote: I'm a little confused....what happens typically to a stolen bus? It's not like you can just drive them around and think that you won't be noticed. Is there a bus mafia that steals them and then ships them to a distant land to be resold? Seriously, I don't get it? A true bus lover would never steal another's bus. Who are these people?
Steal, switch the VIN tags, resell.
Some people don't even switch the VIN tags.
Or steal Bus, take it out of the country.

Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:58 pm

So it's not about the good ride, it's about the money!

Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:14 pm

vwcrazybus wrote: So it's not about the good ride, it's about the money!

It's usually about the money, basically to fund some other habit they have.

I have always wanted to figure out a way to isolate the door handles and make them live. Run a few thousand volts through them so if someone tries to open them (even if they smash the windows to get in, they will touch the door handle at some stage), they'll get zapped and turn into a crispy fried thief!

Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:51 pm

vwcrazybus wrote: I'm a little confused....what happens typically to a stolen bus? It's not like you can just drive them around and think that you won't be noticed. Is there a bus mafia that steals them and then ships them to a distant land to be resold? Seriously, I don't get it? A true bus lover would never steal another's bus. Who are these people?
A friend of mine had their bus stolen. Police were no big help, they'd 'put it on their list' .
A couple weeks later a neighbor said they saw the bus parked a few miles away. It was trashed inside.
It also had a bunch of used needles in it
And a pile of Christian evangelical pamphlets.

He drove it to a local show that weekend with the junkies' debris still in it as the display, and won a prize. :?

so.... that's one thing stolen buses get used for.

Sat Mar 08, 2008 6:56 am

First, my 64 split is garaged. Then, when I park it somewhere (grocery store/restaurant) I put it where I can see it from inside the location. I NEVER leave it someplace where it will be out of my sight for hours, like at a shopping mall or a movie theater. Then:
The doors are all locked.
The sliding vent windows are locked (that loop and chain device)
The steering wheel is locked (club)
The kill switch is activated
The alarm is activated
The Alpha Lock (like a mini Denver boot) is in place
The Tire Deflater is in place (fastens to a valve stem, deflates tire if bus is moved)
If all this fails I have to rely on the LoJack system (expensive but worth it)
Note: if you can't afford a LoJack system, just get one of the mauals and leave it where it can be seen. Thieves don't like to hassle with LoJack if they can avoid it.

Sat Mar 08, 2008 7:49 am

wow, thats intense. none of my locks work and i leave the keys in it half the time.

Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:01 am

Doc Hopper,

Why go with the Alpha Lock and not the Trimax? Couldn't you just pull the lug nuts and the Alpha is defeated?

Thanks,
Aaron
http://www.singlewheel.com

Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:58 am

do people really still steal old buses? i used to park 3-4 complete pressbumpered/bubble taillight buses in a row on a side street when i lived in portland,never anything stolen,woulda been easy to snag a rear bumper and taillights/reflectors.

my 56 sc is such a pile that i ussually leave the keys or exposed wires (often im just hot wiring it) just sitting there,my philosophy is if anyone really wants to steal it they are in for a helluva ride. first i doubt they could get it started with all the bs quirks it has,and then theres the brakes that need finesse to work right......yeah i dont worry about anyone stealing it.

Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:43 pm

Has anyone thought that the person who started this thread is just seeing what he needs to carry with him and look out for next time he goes jachin' :shock:

Best defense against the dark arts is to think of something new and then NOT TELL ANYONE!! #-o

Im not particularly worried about my ride being stolen its the stupidly expensive parts on the outside i worry about, like the BD rear lights.

That said, does any one make a quick release steering wheel kit for splits? So you can park up and take your wheel with you. Nascar style