Lost keys

Post by **Gareth** » Sat May 24, 2003 4:04 pm

A krook lock is not worth the time it takes to fit on the car.

It's bright yellow, and makes me feel better. A placebo it may be, but for £8.50, I feel happier knowing that it is locked up. I'm not expecting it to stand up to the same sort of abuse a Disc-Lok would get (that would take 5mins to remove, mine would take around 10 seconds...) but as a simple deterrent... Well, it's almost as good as a sticker in the window saying "Alarmed".

If it makes an inexperienced, opportunist thief walk by, then that could save my car being nicked. If 90% are thick as... then it's only the 10% we need to be concerned with. For the professional thief (who will have the car shipped abroad and broken for parts before the week is out) the only thing we can do is pay the insurance!

I am still firmly of the opinion that if life is made hard for the toe-rags, then they will cause more damage.

they would not need to be told how to do it, they would already know

Simple physics would give an indication of how to hot-wire a car as simple as the Minor. As for working around an immobiliser, Ray... If it's one of the cheapy ones from Argos, then that could be overcome quite simply, although I won't antagonise you more by saying how. Again, these are more deterrent than anything else.

As I've said: if they want it, they'll come and get it. If you make life harder for them, then they might walk on, but it's a gamble.

Post by **rayofleamington** » Sat May 24, 2003 5:09 pm

My Porker has a Thatcham Cat1 which allegedly is not easy to over-ride, but yes the cheap Argos DIY alarm is probably not that robust.

then that could be overcome quite simply, although I won't antagonise you more by saying how

It wouldn't antagonise me, but Robins would probably have something to say again.. ;-)

that would take 5mins to remove

They did a trial on telly a couple of years back. None of the pro's could get one off in less than 20 mins (although angle grinders were not allowed... LOL)
If you ever loose your krooklock keys I'll let you know the trick - it's as quick to get them off without the key as it is with a key...
I'd really recommend to get something that works. Just an opinion though and if you keep it, then that's your choice.

Fortunately, it seems the depressed classic market has reduce the theft of nice Minors - it seemed to be common a few years ago, but these days it seems more rare? (Maybe I'm wrong ??)
Insurance pays money which is fine for a eurobox, but I really felt bad for people who's car had taken years of work then got nicked.

the car shipped abroad and broken for parts

It requires much less effort than that - but I ain't going to comment on the easy ways, not that most Minor owners/restorer couldn't guess.

Post by **Gareth** » Sat May 24, 2003 10:00 pm

I quite agree, Ray, that the DiscLok is the best one on the market, but I have my doubts that it would fit the 3 spoke wheel on Phyllis, and £100 is a lot to find it doesn't work. Aside from the fact that it's enormous, and I'd have nowhere to put it in the car!!

Cat1 alarms a great, but whose going to put one on a Morry? I really don't think that spending £300 on an alarm / immobiliser would be worth it, considering the primitive design of the Lucas electrical system!

I don't think that it's so common for Minors to be pinched, although there is the possibility that the toe-rags would try joyriding for the novelty factor.... However, if you were to park a Minor and a Metro/205/Golf with the same security systems, I reckon the Minor would be the last to go...

Anyway, I hope that none of us have to worry about the security of our Minors. They'll have to work at mine, 'cos she's sleeping in the garage, but even so - let's hope that the god of ferrous-oxide is watchin over all Minors tonight.

Post by **Dizzi141** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 4:35 pm

I cant get my rotor arm off on my Moggie. My dad suggested it cos i can drive her at the moment but when I came to have a go, it didn't come off. Any ideas?

Post by **Cam** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 5:03 pm

GENTLE leverage with a screwdriver usually does the trick for me.

Post by **Chris Morley** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 6:18 pm

Or grip the sides of the rotor arm and try to move it side to side (usually there's a slight amount of 'give'). That works with mine.

Gareth, you must be crazy relying on a cheapo crooklock. Your nice shiny car would be a natural target for the professional thief - only a newly restored traveller would be more tempting. I seem to recall that the normal cost of fitting my Thatcham2 Clifford alarm was about £150. You should get that back within 3-4 years because of cheaper premiums.

Post by **Dizzi141** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 7:09 pm

Will go have a bash at it.

Post by **brit** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 1:13 am

my opinion was *and still is* that what would a professional theif want with a mog? (the parts are cheap and it's not the most desired car on the market* what i Mean is it's not really going to rake in top dollar and isn't going to be full of speakers, stereo's and other snazy gadgets. I know I sound lik I'm having a rant here but I agree with gareth in that a cheap lock is enough to deture *I can't spell that work at all* a crimal as if they want the car that bad they will have it whatever is wrapped around the steering wheel. but a mog isnt exactly a getaway car as such is it?. My theory at the mo is that if anyone knicks my car the crook lock will be clearly visible and even though it taks 10 secs to get off isnt really worth the time. I get worried that the better *or bigget* the lock is on the car the more of either a challenge or the more value the car has to a thief *I mean if u saw an unalarmed car u wouldnt think it to be hididng anyhing* but if a car looked like a mino fort knox u'd what to know whats hiding am i correct?

Post by **Cam** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 1:52 am

Brit,

Unfortunately there are some nasty Minor owners out there too, and I would say that most of the stolen ones are stolen to order.

By the time that they are reported stolen they are probably already stripped.

It is never nice to have these scum among your own kind, but it does happen.

I am with your theory on visual deterrents, but if there are two cars parked next to each other and one is visibly alarmed and crook locked, which one would YOU try to nick??