My key only fits one way in the ignition, the locks would probably be easier to open with a hair clip though. My bus' engine is also about 10 miles away aswell so no one can drive the bloody thing away!
Your right on this one if you have insured value insurance, but will it cover all my food in the cupboards and my tools under the seat, Steve,
Top tip...ensure you buy valuable time against a thief with OCD by randomly placing the cans in each cupboard, with none of the labels showing! This will enable the Police to count any cruising homosexuals with OCD out of their enquiries. As a community we really are ensuring our busses safety and helping an over stretched police force.
If it's a professional car thief, they'll get it irrespective of what you do. Anything I have in the way of security is to stop or at least slow down the opportunistic or joy riding thief.
The steal-to-order lot will not be deterred by most things we do to protect our buses. I think the best thing I've done to protect mine is the garage - keeping it out of plain sight during the day when I'm at work. Google streetview came around our way again a few months ago, and the van is no longer shown as parked on our driveway.
Sorry, I don't believe that...the benefit (bizarrely) of these being older vehicles is that there is no standard security as with modern vehicles. This generic security with modern vehicles is what often compromises them, though a huge majority are extremely hard to nick without the keys. Layered, well thought out security and vigilant neighbourhood watch should stop even full time car thieves. Most car thieves have a cost benefit thought process...if you tip the cost (in terms of challenge) over the benefit (what it's worth to them) they will factor other vehicles in too and leave your alone.
Turn the gps location thingy off your phone when posting on facebook etc It's a flag waving in the wind that says "I live here! Steal me!!"
Rust is a good deterrent. To order thefts will often be on a low loader or towed AFAIK. GPS trackers can be jammed easily, Tracker (tm) uses a different system. Multiple visual deterrents will the casual tea leaf. I normally keep my garage closed too, one day when it was open some pikeys came past collecting scrap and their eyes light up when they saw the van and asked if I wanted to sell it. I thought oh bugger, they know where it is now.
That's a good idea, I'm going to put a good book on the drivers seat. The new Andy McNabb one is over 500 pages long. That'll slow 'em down!
just as an aside to total theft ,myself and a lot of fellas used to work at London Heathrow, and lived in our bus(s) ,my pal was awoken one early morn with movement outside /around his camper ,he pulled on his jeans and exited bus ,2 pikeys were attempting to remove the bus wheels (coolio wheels !) he challenged them , they held up the tools they had brought ,wheel brace,jack and said " and ?"it was ,as you can no doubt imagine a "tense" moment. ! Be careful where you park up for the night chaps ! (disclaimer>this post is not a comment on ALL pikeys/travellers !)
i feel secure in the knowledge that if anyone was choosing one to nick they would probably choose yours over mine
If that was a reply to my recent post pt2, I"d run after them ,retrieve bus and thank them for sorting out the various probs which enabled them to get it going !(assuming it was a drive away !)
