Is your garage too safe?!

[kryten22uk]

Was thinking of redoing my garage door which got me thinking about security.

If you have a super secure garage, and a super nice car then does it mean that if a super-determined professional outfit decides it wants your car for free, they opt for breaking into your house and taking your keys at knife/gun point?

The alternative is to have a simple lock on a garage in order that insurance is satisfied and the odd chancers are deterred/blocked, but the determined professional can get into the garage without needing to rough-up your family? Then you just have to claim on insurance and pay the excess and any increase in insurance at renewal. The price of these two items is effectively the price you wish to pay to keep your family safe?

Any thoughts?

[cqueen]

Interesting Dilema! ...

[Jules360]

I garage mine purely to stop it being seen from the road by an opportunist.. if its on the drive and if they want the car with all its security equipment, chances are they will break in the house for the keys anyway.

[kryten22uk]

Jules360 said:

I garage mine purely to stop it being seen from the road by an opportunist.. if its on the drive and if they want the car with all its security equipment, chances are they will break in the house for the keys anyway.

Precisely. ie stopping the opportunist, not directed theft.

[Jules360]

kryten22uk said:

Jules360 said:

I garage mine purely to stop it being seen from the road by an opportunist.. if its on the drive and if they want the car with all its security equipment, chances are they will break in the house for the keys anyway.

Precisely. ie stopping the opportunist, not directed theft.

If someone wants to nick your car, whether its in the garage or not, they will most probably break into the house to get the keys. These days with alarms, immobilisers,trackers etc, they are too difficult to steal... easier to ge the keys. I was advised once by a copper to leave car keys in an obvious place such as the hall table. That way, they find them quickly and don't turn your house upside down or physically threaten you to divulge their whereabouts.

[neil-f]

kryten22uk said:

Was thinking of redoing my garage door which got me thinking about security.

If you have a super secure garage, and a super nice car then does it mean that if a super-determined professional outfit decides it wants your car for free, they opt for breaking into your house and taking your keys at knife/gun point?

The alternative is to have a simple lock on a garage in order that insurance is satisfied and the odd chancers are deterred/blocked, but the determined professional can get into the garage without needing to rough-up your family? Then you just have to claim on insurance and pay the excess and any increase in insurance at renewal. The price of these two items is effectively the price you wish to pay to keep your family safe?

Any thoughts?

If they are going to steel the car they will more than likely break into your house for the keys. I keep my car unlocked in secure garage with the keys in my gun safe

[RedBull]

I keep my car and bikes in a very secure, heavily locked and alarmed garage. I also have a baby monitor in the garage which will alert me to anyone trying to break in long before they succeed (a tip I got from Motorcycle News, and the only thing the thieves they interviewed could not think of a way around). The keys to the garage and vehicles are kept in a good quality safe. My dog will "assist" me with anyone wishing to break in to the house to get them. I will never make it easier for anyone to take my hard earned and much loved car and/or bike.

[bromers2]

Liking the 'baby' monitor' system.

Securer the better albeit the 360 often gets left outside but always make sure the other car has blocked it in.

[bad company]

I keep mine in a locked garage with an alarm system. The keys are kept in a safe in the house so probably not too easy for a thief.

I hope I am not tempting fate

[Jules360]

RedBull said:

I keep my car and bikes in a very secure, heavily locked and alarmed garage. I also have a baby monitor in the garage which will alert me to anyone trying to break in long before they succeed (a tip I got from Motorcycle News, and the only thing the thieves they interviewed could not think of a way around). The keys to the garage and vehicles are kept in a good quality safe. My dog will "assist" me with anyone wishing to break in to the house to get them. I will never make it easier for anyone to take my hard earned and much loved car and/or bike.

Appreciate your sentiment, and at 6 foot 2 and 17 stone, i can look after myself. However, if they are to break in during the night, i would rather they found the keys and buggered off than have to fight two tooled up lunatics over what in effect is a £500 excess.

[hawkaye]

bloke comes to my door with knife, "give me your fcuking car keys, holding knife to my throat"

me: "why surely sir, 2 seconds and I'll just get them for you"
me: "hands over keys"
me: "goodbye sir and thanks for visiting"

it's only a bit of metal/plastic

Edited by hawkaye on Friday 3rd August 14:14

[wazza]

[quote=hawkaye]

it's only a bit of plastic

Try posting that on the TVR Forum

[LotusJas]

wazza said:

it's only a bit of plastic

Try posting that on the TVR Forum

ROTFLMAO

[andysv]

i would be dead or shot before they got my car out, alarmed garage on doors, windows and movement sensor, electric locking door, bars on windows, cat one, tracker, got to move a transit then a bmw to escape through a 20ft long gap that requires one mirror to be manually folded whilst reversing a diablo(possibly in the dark).
by which time they would be wondering if there was an easier lambo to nick or just have next doors zafira away instead

[kryten22uk]

Some people have other specifics about their drives/houses which means theives are more put off, but I still think that a standard house with a heavily protected garage is introducing the possibility of aggrevated theft with significant personal danger rather than simply waking up in the morning to an empty garage.

Are those who arent as fussed about the former, generally those without kids, or is it just that that sort of thing doesnt happen in real life?

I'm not saying either is the right way, as its all personal preference. I just find it an interesting dilema.

[Craig]

andysv said:

i would be dead or shot before they got my car out, alarmed garage on doors, windows and movement sensor, electric locking door, bars on windows, cat one, tracker, got to move a transit then a bmw to escape through a 20ft long gap that requires one mirror to be manually folded whilst reversing a diablo(possibly in the dark).
by which time they would be wondering if there was an easier lambo to nick or just have next doors zafira away instead

sounds easy enough

just need to get past benson & hedges...

[Jules360]

andysv said:

i would be dead or shot before they got my car out, alarmed garage on doors, windows and movement sensor, electric locking door, bars on windows, cat one, tracker, got to move a transit then a bmw to escape through a 20ft long gap that requires one mirror to be manually folded whilst reversing a diablo(possibly in the dark).
by which time they would be wondering if there was an easier lambo to nick or just have next doors zafira away instead

So your house and security measures make it difficult to nick ... so they wait for you to go to Tescos and stick a gun in your face when you get out. Now, do you, as you said, die or suffer serious wounds, or simply give them the keys ? So its now your life or £500, i would suggest you would do the latter.

Edited by Jules360 on Saturday 4th August 10:01

[andysv]

craig-it's now harvey and hedges, unfortunately neither are particularly brave

jules-the gap is the problem, i'm well practiced and it can take 3 goes to get through without incident and around 5 minutes that's before you move the other cars bikes etc.
it would be one of the trickier diablo thefts.
being realistic there's more revenue in bmw's or porsches nowadays than an sv you can't hide or sell in this country at least.
maybe you've been watching too many action films

Edited by andysv on Saturday 4th August 09:16

[Jules360]

andysv said:

craig-it's now harvey and hedges, unfortunately neither are particularly brave

jules-the gap is the problem, i'm well practiced and it can take 3 goes to get through without incident and around 5 minutes that's before you move the other cars bikes etc.
it would be one of the trickier diablo thefts.
being realistic there's more revenue in bmw's or porsches nowadays than an sv you can't hide or sell in this country at least.
maybe you've been watching too many action films

Edited by andysv on Saturday 4th August 09:16

I appreciate your position, but it's not really answering the OP's question. I'm also sure there is more money in BMs and Porsches, but as the guy posted on this channel, i guess his question relates to something more exotic. I was just trying to give my opinion that garaged or not, i think they still break into your house and if they can't find the keys, will try to intimidate you into giving them up. It's all well and good saying "over my dead body", we all feel like that, but would you really risk it over £500 ?

[RedBull]

Jules, I think it all rather depends on how you view your car. For me it isn't simply a case of £500. To buy my car has taken a lot for me, and I'll be denying myself other things for a long time to come. But it's all very much worth it for me. My car is the realisation of a boyhood dream, and means an awful lot more than just paying the excess and going out to find another. I was lucky enough to buy a Countach in superb condition, with only 2K miles on it, fully recommissioned, and in the colour scheme I always liked most. Not easy to replace, and I don't know that I'd be so lucky again. As for my bike, well I bought that new in 1998 as my ultimate 2 wheeler. So I know everything that has happened to the bike since new. They are no longer available new so replacement would be 2nd hand and wouldn't therefore be a true replacement. Cost me £13K in 1998 and I'd be lucky to get more than £4K from insurers now. So yes, I would put up a hell of a fight for it.
But, I have been told by Police that the vast majority of thieves don't want confrontation of any sort, for most it's the last thing they want. I have read similar threads on PH and many have recounted how they would still have their cars if they'd hidden the keys. If you leave the keys out, then an opportunist who may be after the TV and DVD etc. may well see the chance and take the car instead. Where I live, armed and planned break-ins for a car would be rare and unlikely. Also Police posting on PH have said there have been many times when a thief has broken into a place to get the keys, but fled when unable to find them easily. So in truth, if faced with a sawn-off brandished by a mean and determined mofo, yeah I think I'd probably get the keys. I'd still look for a chance to take him down but ultimately I would want to protect my family more than my toys of course. But in reality that is the least likely scenario, so I don't want to make things easier for the less dangerous and determined scum that are more likely to try it. I also doubt that a Countach or a Ducati would likely prompt an armed break-in as they are hardly easy cars to conceal or shift on, and the Duke isn't worth that much.
With a newer car like a Murci or a G maybe I'd feel differently as they can still be ordered new so would be easier to replace, but I'd still fight. Make it as hard as possible for the pondlife and maybe more of them won't want to take the risk.