Sniper_mjh

I have been giving this some thought... At first I thought about putting a brace over the hood release to prevent the hood from being opened, then decided that would be a pain in the ass, and nothing would be tough enough, pretty much everything can be bent or broken...

Second thought, What if we velcro on a shock sensor to the back of each light. We can set the sensitivity WAY down, so that it will never go off unless the theif is actually digging arround in there, Set it so that if the light is moved or the sensor messed with it goes off...

Some one said that the alarm will go off if the hood is opened right? And now the only way to get them is from the wheel well right? So there we go, a sensor right there, that is set not too sensitive, any sensitivity level will go off if you grab the damn thing... I think that this will work well...

Any comments.

Also, how are you guys wiring the shock sensors into the existing alarm???

daverman

How about some way to secure the light fixture to the rest of the car body? A cable of some sort maybe? You know, like those portable computer security things?

pianoman41

Another theft thread discussed possible alternatives to making the lights theft-proof. A couple of people discussed replacing the four screws that hold the light in place with either one-way screws or Torx-head screws so a thief would probably not have the right tools to complete the job. The problem with any of these suggestions is that a thief going after your lights is going to *assume* that it is a factory configuration. Which means while getting to your theft-proof lights, your hood gets damaged and your bumper gets damaged anyway. And once the thief finds you've thwarted his efforts (after all that trouble), who knows what else he may do to the car to show his frustration! Sure you saved your headlights but you still have a messed-up car.

I think the general consensus was you need to discourage the thief before he starts working. Aftermarket alarms with warn-away dual-stage shock sensors work wonders, as do aftermarket proximity sensors. Even adding the shock sensor to the factory alarm is better than nothing (although I'd bang on the headlights pretty good when setting the sensitivity to make sure it registers). I think such an alarm is going to be the only way to discourage thieves *before* they start causing damage.

VTEC Animal

Best solution IMHO is to back into stalls and to just make sure you've got insurance and a comprehensive deductable that's $250 or so.... Really if you think about it, just attempt to get the lights is gonna cost you way beyond your dedutable, especially if they start messing up body panels. If your car is backed into a stall, then they wouldn't have two cars to kneel down between and hide, it would be a little obvious, no it won't stop things, but it'll make it a much bigger risk for a thief, and it'll make make it less desireable.

VTEC Animal

Something that just hit me.... You know those exploding die packets that clothing stores put on clothing, it would be cool to encorporate that into the scheme..... I'd like to see some guy peeking into the light surrond to pull it apart then KABLAM! He is covered all over (face too) with die, that would be cool. I doubt he'd stick around long....

Oswald Vater

If a thief wants them, he's going to get them. I think the best preventive medicine is to park in your garage if you have one, only in well-lit areas or under a street light at night, and pull in front first when parking in a multi-level lot. It will discourage them enough to move on to easier pickings. FWIW.

dean078

go to http://www.12voltshop.com

they have a pager system that hooks to the alarm as well as to individual components (doors/trunk/hood/etc.).

i'm thinking about getting this and trying it out, but i won't have it done until the middle of august as i'm away from my car until then.

dean078

I just ordered this thing. $100 + 7.95 s/h.

I won't be able to install it until the 3rd week of August, but I will let keep people updated on how it goes...unless someone else wants to get one and install it before I do.

I downloaded the installation instructions. The wiring diagram shows the device being connected in paralell to the shock sensor for that indication, and then to the doors/trunk/hood through the triggers on the main alarm unit. I think it can be connected to the door/trunk/hood pin wires instead (this may be easier, the harness we connect the shock sensor to isn't the main alarm unit) as this works without an alarm system (ex. it will notify you that someone opened your door, but won't set off anything).

daverman

Maybe we should come up with a security system that is somehow visible from the outside. For example, we can come up with a bracket that secures the light to the car's frame that visibly "peeks" over the glass, so that would-be thieves will be persuaded to move on to easier pickings.

Alarms may help, but it will not prevent the thief from bending your hood up with a crowbar in the first place.

2001TL4KCdude

I park at the airport often so I'm vulnerable. I park with my nose out at the corner lot with traffic coming thru. It is a high traffic area so I guess I'm ok. There is an airport security camera 7 feet away pointing to my car. I don't think KC is a problem area yet..
I like Daverman's security cable wire idea..

daverman

Hee, wanna get together and invent a device?

Are there any technical drawings that we can get our hands on? Does the Helms manual contain drawings of the light fixture? I don't need exact measurements, just an accurate description of how things are put together.

Sniper_mjh

It is impossible to take the lights from the wheel well. The hood has to be opened or they are breaking the lamp fixtures... That is all there is too it, behind the lights is sheet metal. there are 2 nuts that need to be unscrewed or the fixture needs to be broken. So they are breaking them on the way out, or they are popping the hood. Either way, a shock sensor right there would help.... I like the exploding ink pack idea too

gohawks63

Got an even better idea. My parent's neighbor used to be a Chicago cop. He told me of a story where he responded to someone who called in that his car was broken into. When he got there, noticed the usual broken glass, but the guy had a huge smile on his face. When he (the cop) looked in the car, the stereo was still there, but there was blood everywhere. The guy told him that his car had been broken into several times and he was sick of it, so he welded razor blades to the radio. When the guy reached under the dash .

The car owner said "I know I gotta clean this all up, but I got the SOB".

This was a while ago and I was still pi$$ed 'cause someone broke into a Chevy I used to own to steal my radar detector. I just had the car painted and the scrathed up the door when they reached in to yank out the radar detector. I ended up doing the same to the Kenwood Stereo and EQ/amp I had in that car.

j83

motion sensors that turn on the headlights everytime something walks by, might be stoopid when theres ppl walking by all the time(so it can be turned on at night and off at day time) but imagine the thieve himself just gettin freaked out by seeing the thing hes supposedly tryin to steal goin beserk...