"Autolok" and other vintage security devices
Discussion
Was discussing the eighties/nineties car theft epidemic with a colleague and reminiscing about the old things we used to do to protect our cars/alloys/stereo, many a sunny summer evening with a car stereo on the table in front of you in the beer garden, various mechanical devices between pedals, gearstick and handbrake, for the wealthier ones there was Toad and Clifford alarms, some of which spoke to passers by and told them in no uncertain terms to get the f
k away from your car.
I found the most effective anti theft thing was a simple cut out switch wired somewhere not to obvious, I had a Montego that got broken into (twas a GTI, oh yes...) and the steering lock thing was broken off, the cowl mullered, steering lock broken, steering shaft bent but it didnt go due to the small switch located behind the dash. The scrotes loved the old Austin Rover tat, used to park it in Stockport at work and you could see them weighing it up, used to bang on the window to let them know they had been spotted. It really was bad back then, every week you heard of someone getting their car stolen, my auntie one year supplied more Metros to scrotes than the local AR dealer did to normal punters
Funnily enough, after this discussion noticed someone at work in a newish supermini, think its a Polo fits an "Autolok" dilligently every day, we work in a rural location with security and she fits a security device from the eighties that wasnt that great then when you could actually steal one without the keys, am I missing something or is this a really quite pointless ?
I am thinking it is a modern car so with have deadlocks, coded immobiliser, steering lock, factory alarm etc, plus it is a bog spec Polo, not a bad car but it is parked next to Astons, Porsches, mercs, Jags etc etc.
Anyone else still use one ?
k away from your car.I found the most effective anti theft thing was a simple cut out switch wired somewhere not to obvious, I had a Montego that got broken into (twas a GTI, oh yes...) and the steering lock thing was broken off, the cowl mullered, steering lock broken, steering shaft bent but it didnt go due to the small switch located behind the dash. The scrotes loved the old Austin Rover tat, used to park it in Stockport at work and you could see them weighing it up, used to bang on the window to let them know they had been spotted. It really was bad back then, every week you heard of someone getting their car stolen, my auntie one year supplied more Metros to scrotes than the local AR dealer did to normal punters
Funnily enough, after this discussion noticed someone at work in a newish supermini, think its a Polo fits an "Autolok" dilligently every day, we work in a rural location with security and she fits a security device from the eighties that wasnt that great then when you could actually steal one without the keys, am I missing something or is this a really quite pointless ?
I am thinking it is a modern car so with have deadlocks, coded immobiliser, steering lock, factory alarm etc, plus it is a bog spec Polo, not a bad car but it is parked next to Astons, Porsches, mercs, Jags etc etc.
Anyone else still use one ?
In a village near me there's what on first inspection appears to be a derelict shop - it's filthy, windows are all boarded up and there's a collection of ancient cars and vans rusting away outside. The shop is in fact, still open - the old geezer that owns it puts a small selection of household items and fruit out for sale each day. He drives an old Rover 400 estate and still uses the yellow steering lock.
I’ve got Autolok 2000s fitted to both my cars (when not in use, obviously!).
The XR4x4 had a Toad Thatcham cat 1 rated alarm/immobiliser fitted to it when I bought it so (hopefully) it’s going nowhere. My Volvo Amazon has a homemade kill switch fitted, so again, it’s going nowhere.
The reason I use a visible deterrent as well as immobilizers etc. is that I’d rather some scumbag of a car thief took one look through the window and moved on, rather than smashing a window/bending a doorframe, trashing the ignition system only to THEN find out the my car was not going to start for him.
Hopefully, both my cars are so far below the radar of the ‘higher level’ scum bags that they wouldn’t even bother trying. What worries are the ‘low level’s who just want to scream around in a car for an evening before torching it… unfortunately the XR probably falls into that category. Over on the XR owners club forum there have been several recent threads about older Fords having had this done to them.
The XR4x4 had a Toad Thatcham cat 1 rated alarm/immobiliser fitted to it when I bought it so (hopefully) it’s going nowhere. My Volvo Amazon has a homemade kill switch fitted, so again, it’s going nowhere.
The reason I use a visible deterrent as well as immobilizers etc. is that I’d rather some scumbag of a car thief took one look through the window and moved on, rather than smashing a window/bending a doorframe, trashing the ignition system only to THEN find out the my car was not going to start for him.
Hopefully, both my cars are so far below the radar of the ‘higher level’ scum bags that they wouldn’t even bother trying. What worries are the ‘low level’
s who just want to scream around in a car for an evening before torching it… unfortunately the XR probably falls into that category. Over on the XR owners club forum there have been several recent threads about older Fords having had this done to them.J4CKO said:
, am I missing something or is this a really quite pointless ?
That device pictured is pointless. You can just tear it off in seconds.Likewise most other physical immobilisation devices that don't require professional fitting apart from 'disklok' which as far as I know is fairly hard to defeat.
Had a Krooklock which I fitted when we visited Alton Towers many years ago and then dropped the keys somewhere. Luckily I had a junior hacksaw in the boot and was able to saw through the outer non hardened casing and we were home without too much delay! AT were kind enough to send on the lost keys a few days later.
I didn't bother to replace the Krooklock though.
I didn't bother to replace the Krooklock though.
I was the magazine editor of the RS Owners Club in the late 80s, early 90s when the theft epidemic reached apoplectic proportions (to Mail readers at least!) There was so much correspondence on the best anti theft device. I had a 'Vecta' immobiliser fitted to my Mk2 RS2000. It was lifted (in lovely Heywood) but the scrotes couldn't get it going and I kept it.
My Volvo T5 was lifted a few years ago in a much more subtle way - scum bags kicked the front door of the house in, took the keys, drove it off the drive. Dumped it in Wythenshawe. Cat D right off.
Happy times.
My Volvo T5 was lifted a few years ago in a much more subtle way - scum bags kicked the front door of the house in, took the keys, drove it off the drive. Dumped it in Wythenshawe. Cat D right off.
Happy times.
Motorrad said:
J4CKO said:
, am I missing something or is this a really quite pointless ?
That device pictured is pointless. You can just tear it off in seconds.Likewise most other physical immobilisation devices that don't require professional fitting apart from 'disklok' which as far as I know is fairly hard to defeat.
Disk lock is the only one worth buying.
J4CKO said:
She phoned me in distress one evening as she'd lost her car keys and wanted me to collect the spare set from her house and bring them to the Metro Centre where she was stranded. As the spare set did not have a key for the Autolock, I took the precaution of taking a junior hacksaw with me.
After gaining entry to the car it took no more than five strokes with the hacksaw to cut through the 'yoke' of the Autolock and release it. This proved two things:
1. They were as soft as s
t2. No-one was bothered in the slightest that I was sawing away inside the car.
littleredrooster said:
My mother had one of these back in the day.
She phoned me in distress one evening as she'd lost her car keys and wanted me to collect the spare set from her house and bring them to the Metro Centre where she was stranded. As the spare set did not have a key for the Autolock, I took the precaution of taking a junior hacksaw with me.
After gaining entry to the car it took no more than five strokes with the hacksaw to cut through the 'yoke' of the Autolock and release it. This proved two things:
1. They were as soft as st
2. No-one was bothered in the slightest that I was sawing away inside the car.
You never unscrewed the gear knob then? She phoned me in distress one evening as she'd lost her car keys and wanted me to collect the spare set from her house and bring them to the Metro Centre where she was stranded. As the spare set did not have a key for the Autolock, I took the precaution of taking a junior hacksaw with me.
After gaining entry to the car it took no more than five strokes with the hacksaw to cut through the 'yoke' of the Autolock and release it. This proved two things:
1. They were as soft as s
t2. No-one was bothered in the slightest that I was sawing away inside the car.
BalhamBadger said:
In a village near me there's what on first inspection appears to be a derelict shop - it's filthy, windows are all boarded up and there's a collection of ancient cars and vans rusting away outside. The shop is in fact, still open - the old geezer that owns it puts a small selection of household items and fruit out for sale each day. He drives an old Rover 400 estate and still uses the yellow steering lock.
Must be this one?http://g.co/maps/s2tkk
Funkycoldribena said:
Must be this one?
http://g.co/maps/s2tkk
What a bloody eyesore! Still, I bet there is some gems hidden in there somewhere.http://g.co/maps/s2tkk
TheHeretic said:
Funkycoldribena said:
Must be this one?
http://g.co/maps/s2tkk
What a bloody eyesore! Still, I bet there is some gems hidden in there somewhere.http://g.co/maps/s2tkk
I used to have a hidden kill switch under the dash on a couple of cars in the mid 90s as well one of those useless gearstick/handbrake things and a krooklok too. Not to mention a crappy head-unit on display with the real thing in the glovebox. I even used to take the king lead off the distributor when parking sometimes.
I don't think anyone pretends that these security devices are unbreakable, just that they make your car a little less attractive to a thief than another car without them. As everyone knows if a professional car thief wants your car they'll have it one way or the other.
I don't think anyone pretends that these security devices are unbreakable, just that they make your car a little less attractive to a thief than another car without them. As everyone knows if a professional car thief wants your car they'll have it one way or the other.
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