Updated Theft Advice?

[seatown7]

Greetings,

I'm shopping for a Westy and think I've found "The One." It has no theft prevention installed which concerns me.

I checked the FAQ pages for theft deterrence ideas and am grateful for the advice listed there....BUT...

I observed that most of it was generously offered in 2008!

Surely there have been new developments in van theft prevention since then.

Could we please revisit what y'all have found in the last 16 years?

I'm definitely getting a kill switch installed, will likely have an Air Tag hidden, but how about anti prowl measures? Anything that alerts you to open doors etc?

[dhaavers]

FWIW, search “kill switch”… https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php?searc...=titleonly

- Dave
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[PDXWesty]

Most van thefts I've read about in the last few years come from vans parked on streets overnight in less desirable or high density areas. If you have a driveway or off street parking, odds are far less your van will be bothered. It really depends on your living situation in my opinion.
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[zerotofifty]

Now days a manual shift transmission serves as a theft deterrent. Crooks are more lame, perhaps more violent, but certainly more lame these days.

You can add kill switches for fuel or ignition, loud alarms, all the standard stuff.

some folks may want to try a parking violation type locking "boot" attached to a wheel to disable the vehicle from driving.

[tdivan82]

These vans are typically stolen by someone who breaks in and "hotwires" the ignition switch to drive off. It's pretty simple to do on these vintage vehicles, and the thief knows there's no alarm. It's frequently bums and drug addicts who steal them to live in, not some high-tech Mission Impossible heist.

IMO the two most effective methods are a hidden kill switch that prevents the engine from starting, and a pedal lock. Steering wheel locks like "The Club" are ineffective. GPS trackers help you locate it after it's stolen, but are not preventative. There's really nothing you can do to prevent someone from gaining access to the interior, so focus your efforts on preventing an unauthorized drive-off.

The pedal lock I like is this one, which prevents a thief from operating the brake and clutch pedals.

The combination of no-start (kill switch), and no pedals (pedal lock), will deter pretty much every casual thief out there.
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- George
'82 Westy TDI (ahu)
'96 Passat TDI

[bobbyblack]

Take the steering wheel with you.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[do.dah]

You should have both a hidden deterrent and a HIGHLY visible deterrent.
It is a well know fact that a "club" is easily bypassed, but it is VERY visible deterrent.
I have a hidden kill switch/alarm, a bright yellow visible peddle lock that has a "dick" sticking up between the driver' legs, and a bright yellow locking device that slides onto the e-brake and locks onto the shifter.

I just hope that the visuals are enough to make a scumbag choose something else....

[kourt]

As others have said, you will not succeed in preventing access to the van--it's just too easy to break into these vans.

GPS locator to find a stolen Vanagon is a thread that has been continuously updated since 2013 with good advice for tracking your van.

When someone's van gets stolen, the first questions everyone asks are:

1. did you have a kill switch installed, and did you use it?
2. did you have a tracker installed, and did you use it?

I see you are in Seattle. I would never own a van there without a killswitch and a tracker.

kourt

[DeLvxe]

Seattle dweller here! Never had a problem with vandals / thieves here, but I have a tracker installed. I recommend https://gpsandtrack.com/car_tracker/ as an affordable options. I have plans to install a kill switch, but it is somewhere down the list -- probably below fixing the power mirrors but above dealing with some paint chips.
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1991 manual camper with EJ25

[Mikesarge]

I'm in inner SE Portland, and over the years I've had several neighbors have their vanagons stolen. Mine has not been stolen yet. Lately, it's been parked off-street, which obviates many of the issues with street-parked vans.

That being said, I have a kill switch (hidden) and a steering wheel boot (I leave that unlocked, but it is visibly installed).

My theory is the steering wheel boot signals that it's more work than it's worth, and the kill switch actually makes it more work than it's worth. So far so good!

As I've offered on threads like this in the past: I'm more than happy to help other vanagon owners in the area install a kill switch if they want a hand, just send me a message.
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1986 Syncro westfauxlia EJ22
1980 911 SC 3.1

[Glenn]

If they want it, they'll take it and there's very little you can do other than having it in a locked garage.


Link

_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[the_benjamin_effect]

MY $0.02...

I think a hidden kill switch that disables the ignition circuit is the best solution, where the motor will still crank, but not ignite. IMO the thief will attempt to crank the engine once or twice and be done with it after making all that noise. Most likely, they want an easy target and a quick getaway. If the engine cranks and does not ignite, they most likely to believe the vehicle is broken/inoperative and move on...

But I'm no thief, so I have no idea what goes on in those tweaker heads...

Just my humble opinion.
_________________
-1967 Sundial Camper 1914cc "Sunny"
-1978 Deluxe Westfalia Jake Raby built PowerStroke 2109cc "Westy"
-1987 SYNCRO Westfalia GoWesty 2400cc "Ruby"
-2000 Subaru Impreza Sport EJ22 ¼ million miles "Trusty"

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. I.A.M. 751
International Brotherhood of Naval Flight Engineers. I.B.N.F.E. LOCAL 8251

U.S. NAVY Retired; Senior Chief Flight Engineer, P-3 Orion and EP-3E Aries II
U.S.S. Carl Vinson, VFA-22, VQ-2, VQ-1, VP-30

[fxr]

I'm extremely happy with this kill-switch solution. The huge advantage is that it "arms" as soon as you take the key out, so you don't have to remember to "do something" each time you leave the van.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8882643#8882643

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Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300

[dobryan]

We have been seeing many stolen vehicle reports on Vanalert. None of them had any anti theft.

YMMV.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[Red Ryder]

[dobryan]

Seriously doubt we have to worry about tow truck snatches. But it seems tweakers are a real concern.

I have a kill switch and tracker.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[Glenn]

Just remove the distributor rotor.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[Xevin]

[E1]

All I hope is thieves are too dumb to use Google and learn how to steal my rig with these how-to threads.
_________________
1984 Westfailure/2.1 Digijet/5.43 Ring & Pinion/Peloquin/D-rated BFG KO2s
AI has spoken to further illiteracy, to steal, to cheat, and to replace humans

"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere." — Colin Chapman

[Klister]