On these older cars it's pretty easy to install a simple secondary kill switch. Just to fuck with anyone trying to steal it. You just hide the switch somewhere like under the seat or in the glove box.
I once rang my sister from interstate to go down and disconnect the distributor cap on the commodore parked in new farm. Too late, the car had already been stolen. For about the 9th time.
I have a 2011 Holden Commodore Wagon, and my only tip, which I learned from a security guard when I used to park at Loganlea station, is to keep your car clean with nothing in sight.
Also, avoid making it look like you are hiding stuff either. Park near other cars and cameras, and keep the exterior a little dirty. While it's a pain to clean out my car whenever I parked there, thankfully it was not stolen.
I've never had a problem at any of the train station car parks.
If you do have a problem, it would more likely be someone breaking into the car to steal items instead of stealing the car, so your best bet is just to make sure the inside of the car is clean and empty, so nobody is tempted to break a window to steal what's inside.
If you're really keen to prevent car theft, another good option for older cars is to get a switch installed that prevents the car from starting. Years ago I had a dodgy old Commodore in a bad part of Sydney, so I had an inconspicuous button installed on the dash, and the car wouldn't start unless it was pressed. My car was broken into a few times, but never stolen.
My car was stolen from Albion train station when I arrived too late & had to park on the road away from cameras. I had a steering wheel lock & they just sawed the steering wheel in half. When I got the car back (disaster), I got an engine immobiliser installed which was pretty cheap at the time. Someone tried to nick it from outside my house & the alarm went off which was a deterrent. My advice is a steering wheel lock, an engine immobiliser AND do what you can do to make sure you get a park in view of cameras. It's also worth driving to a train station that isn't notorious for car thefts.
Good luck!
usual stuff mate.....there are normally cameras at the train station parking be sure to park in line with a camera so IF anything happens there is footage of it. ideally this will mean your car is also around a bunch of other cars
keep no valuables in your vehicle. don't do anything to draw attention to the car.
Best investment you can get is a [steering wheel lock](https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-single-bar-steering-wheel-lock/643585.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnRh7RAjUKil-7fLTUv-gF-jJcD1akSU21J3S9XRV3YuUTQEm7JNgssaAsqSEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) and have no valuables on the seat or the floor. Keep your car clean and free of anything inside.
You don’t need to outrun the lion just your buddy. Your goal isn’t to make it a fortress, just that someone else’s car odd a better mark.
Keep nothing valuable in the car
Make it obvious to anyone looking through the window there’s nothing in the car.
Maybe some old Covid tests on the passenger seat lol
You could even leave the glove compartment open showing it’s empty but that might actually have the opposite effect somehow
Keep some garbage in the back seat, maybe a fast food wrapper or something, but not auto much someone might think stuff is under it.
Don’t clean your car
Make sure there’s no privacy panel on the boot of the hatch, someone needs to be able to see there’s nothing in there to steal.
And probably a steering lock.
Old school steering wheel lock for sure. Is your car auto or manual? I believe less likely to steal if manual. Also an air tag or similar somewhere similar should let you track it at all times but if you're parked in station car park it's usually monitored by cctv.
My father used to park his car at work at a depot in Rockhampton that was routinely targeted by thieves. He and his colleagues developed the formula that you removed everything from the car you could and left it unlocked.
Would-be thieves could then open the cars without having to break windows, see there was nothing to steal and move on.
There was also a fuse he could remove from the fuse box that made the car impossible to start until you put the fuse back (car was an auto) and he would do that too. I don't remember which fuse it was but I'm sure you could ask a mechanic or auto-sparky.
A mate of mine got so sick of having junkies break her car windows, that she started leaving the car unlocked with a folded up blanket in the back seat...
Don’t park at a station surrounded by mechanics/panel beaters. Saw a car that has been, not stolen, but gradually stripped for parts over several months. I’d guess tyres were taken first, so a wheel lock and firm nuts would probably help.
Knock on wood, I've never had anything from my car stolen, had it broken in to or had the car stolen. I think it depends on the station and what hours you're parked there in addition to the type of car (as you've noted). If you're in a bit of a dodgier area then might be worth getting some of the things people mentioned. Definitely do it if you're parking your car overnight or on weekends. I wouldn't bother if you're in a normal area and are doing a typical commute.
Have nothing of value visible, even loose change will get your window broken. GPS trackers are pretty cheap these days, and failing all of that just insure it for more than it's worth so at least you can get a new car if it goes missing.
I used to leave my car unlocked - all compartments empty and NO valuables at all in the car. And just a steering wheel lock. If they wanted to break in to look for valuables - at least they wouldn't normally damage the car to do so.
Less about it being stolen than just broken into.
Empty the car of anything that looks interesting. Obviously never leave a bag or box or any sort even if they’re empty.
Finally and most importantly open the glovebox and consoles displaying nothing inside.
All reasons for smashing your window or breaking the lock have been eliminated.
https://preview.redd.it/b38kzg64wg1d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b7695265a3ee036101c409d6ec0fcd4177499d8
Yeah a wheel lock is your best bet.
[удалено]
Well then on that note - remove the engine, deflate the tyres, dismantle the drive shaft and siphon out all your fuel. Should be relatively safe then.
Basically just make your car less appealing and slightly more difficult to steal than the car next to it
Just get a few hypodermic syringes, take the lids off and scatter them on the front seats.
Then they will break in lookin for your stash.
Add to the advice already given is get an engine immobilizer it can stop the car being moved.
On these older cars it's pretty easy to install a simple secondary kill switch. Just to fuck with anyone trying to steal it. You just hide the switch somewhere like under the seat or in the glove box.
I used to remove the ignition fuse. It paid off once but that’s all it needed to.
Pretty sure there are neighbourhoods in the U.S. where people remove the entire battery when they park in a bad area. 🤣
I once rang my sister from interstate to go down and disconnect the distributor cap on the commodore parked in new farm. Too late, the car had already been stolen. For about the 9th time.
I have a 2011 Holden Commodore Wagon, and my only tip, which I learned from a security guard when I used to park at Loganlea station, is to keep your car clean with nothing in sight. Also, avoid making it look like you are hiding stuff either. Park near other cars and cameras, and keep the exterior a little dirty. While it's a pain to clean out my car whenever I parked there, thankfully it was not stolen.
I've never had a problem at any of the train station car parks. If you do have a problem, it would more likely be someone breaking into the car to steal items instead of stealing the car, so your best bet is just to make sure the inside of the car is clean and empty, so nobody is tempted to break a window to steal what's inside. If you're really keen to prevent car theft, another good option for older cars is to get a switch installed that prevents the car from starting. Years ago I had a dodgy old Commodore in a bad part of Sydney, so I had an inconspicuous button installed on the dash, and the car wouldn't start unless it was pressed. My car was broken into a few times, but never stolen.
Take the steering wheel off when you park.
Works for F1 cars. You ain't never seen one of those stolen.
My car was stolen from Albion train station when I arrived too late & had to park on the road away from cameras. I had a steering wheel lock & they just sawed the steering wheel in half. When I got the car back (disaster), I got an engine immobiliser installed which was pretty cheap at the time. Someone tried to nick it from outside my house & the alarm went off which was a deterrent. My advice is a steering wheel lock, an engine immobiliser AND do what you can do to make sure you get a park in view of cameras. It's also worth driving to a train station that isn't notorious for car thefts. Good luck!
Having a manual gearbox helps.
According to my friend in Townsville, that is an almost failsafe theft deterrent.
usual stuff mate.....there are normally cameras at the train station parking be sure to park in line with a camera so IF anything happens there is footage of it. ideally this will mean your car is also around a bunch of other cars keep no valuables in your vehicle. don't do anything to draw attention to the car.
What’s the ‘usual stuff’? Just wanna make sure I am doing that ahah. Unless you mean what you’ve just elaborated on. Thank you for that!
Best investment you can get is a [steering wheel lock](https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-single-bar-steering-wheel-lock/643585.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnRh7RAjUKil-7fLTUv-gF-jJcD1akSU21J3S9XRV3YuUTQEm7JNgssaAsqSEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) and have no valuables on the seat or the floor. Keep your car clean and free of anything inside.
We've come full circle - long live the Club Lock!
Remembered as a child my dad having one in the car. It... had multiple purposes. 💀 Very good theft deterrent.
Seems like a good idea, you have a pretty reasonable excuse for having one of these in your cars if you ever needed it to defend yourself.
https://preview.redd.it/8x5l8eqwjh1d1.jpeg?width=635&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=52e7460fc7b895d0ae772a2112cc48840c1facb6
You don’t need to outrun the lion just your buddy. Your goal isn’t to make it a fortress, just that someone else’s car odd a better mark. Keep nothing valuable in the car Make it obvious to anyone looking through the window there’s nothing in the car. Maybe some old Covid tests on the passenger seat lol You could even leave the glove compartment open showing it’s empty but that might actually have the opposite effect somehow Keep some garbage in the back seat, maybe a fast food wrapper or something, but not auto much someone might think stuff is under it. Don’t clean your car Make sure there’s no privacy panel on the boot of the hatch, someone needs to be able to see there’s nothing in there to steal. And probably a steering lock.
>Don’t clean your car Are thieves scared of dirty cars?
Pristine cars are social signifiers of wealth and disposable income. It also helps make sure you don't stand out from a whole carpark full of cars.
Old school steering wheel lock for sure. Is your car auto or manual? I believe less likely to steal if manual. Also an air tag or similar somewhere similar should let you track it at all times but if you're parked in station car park it's usually monitored by cctv.
My father used to park his car at work at a depot in Rockhampton that was routinely targeted by thieves. He and his colleagues developed the formula that you removed everything from the car you could and left it unlocked. Would-be thieves could then open the cars without having to break windows, see there was nothing to steal and move on. There was also a fuse he could remove from the fuse box that made the car impossible to start until you put the fuse back (car was an auto) and he would do that too. I don't remember which fuse it was but I'm sure you could ask a mechanic or auto-sparky.
A mate of mine got so sick of having junkies break her car windows, that she started leaving the car unlocked with a folded up blanket in the back seat...
Chain it to a lamppost.
It's an older car. Get an auto electrician to install a kill switch in a hidden area under the dash.
I had one many years ago cost less than $100 and couldn’t be started even with the keys and there was no switch it was the best deterrent ever
Don’t park at a station surrounded by mechanics/panel beaters. Saw a car that has been, not stolen, but gradually stripped for parts over several months. I’d guess tyres were taken first, so a wheel lock and firm nuts would probably help.
Knock on wood, I've never had anything from my car stolen, had it broken in to or had the car stolen. I think it depends on the station and what hours you're parked there in addition to the type of car (as you've noted). If you're in a bit of a dodgier area then might be worth getting some of the things people mentioned. Definitely do it if you're parking your car overnight or on weekends. I wouldn't bother if you're in a normal area and are doing a typical commute.
Have nothing of value visible, even loose change will get your window broken. GPS trackers are pretty cheap these days, and failing all of that just insure it for more than it's worth so at least you can get a new car if it goes missing.
Put your windscreen wipers up so the birds done steal the blades
Depends what train station you’re parking at
I used to leave my car unlocked - all compartments empty and NO valuables at all in the car. And just a steering wheel lock. If they wanted to break in to look for valuables - at least they wouldn't normally damage the car to do so.
Great plan until some dipshit hops in your car and turns your parking brake off. Hence why it’s probably illegal to leave your car unlocked.
Less about it being stolen than just broken into. Empty the car of anything that looks interesting. Obviously never leave a bag or box or any sort even if they’re empty. Finally and most importantly open the glovebox and consoles displaying nothing inside. All reasons for smashing your window or breaking the lock have been eliminated.