Locking valuable stuff up

[Mark]

Even the cops will tell the objective it to make the thieves task hard enough they decide it's not worth the effort and move along to an easier target. It's like the old, "I only need to run faster than you, not the bear" strategy.

Exactly - When hiking in bear country, have someone slower than you tag along!

[foama]

I was hoping this would be a thread about replacing the dinkey cargo cover parcel shelf thing with something more solid.

Mine didn't come with one at all, so I got one out of a different car from the junk yard and with a few alterations it fits well.

What is possible in our cars:
Behind the glove box and toward the outside, there is a little space. I put a lockable metal container there, just big enough for a wallet, etc. A thief would never find it, but in these parts crime rates are very much lower than in the States, and homicides or gun violence are practically non existant.

[Fummins]

I just try to keep stuff worth stealing out of sight. So far so good. Making it hard for you to steal doesn't mean it is hard for a thief.
I welded a ton of 3/8 chain to the cat convertors and around the frames of some vehicles at work. That slowed them down but didn't stop them. They just came back with a grinder when the sawzall didn't cut it.

I've heard of people stealing quads from the backs of trucks with picker trucks, stealing cars with tow trucks. Some right off the highway in broad daylight. Who's gonna question a white tow truck picking up a broke down car?

[Wallythacker]

I just try to keep stuff worth stealing out of sight. So far so good. Making it hard for you to steal doesn't mean it is hard for a thief.
I welded a ton of 3/8 chain to the cat convertors and around the frames of some vehicles at work. That slowed them down but didn't stop them. They just came back with a grinder when the sawzall didn't cut it.

I've heard of people stealing quads from the backs of trucks with picker trucks, stealing cars with tow trucks. Some right off the highway in broad daylight. Who's gonna question a white tow truck picking up a broke down car?

I know some cats are pricey but are they that expensive it's worth the bad guys time to use the noisy grinder, presumably at night/weekends when the yard is locked down, to cut 3/8" grade 70 chain to get the cat? Un frigging real.

Large GM cat - $350 US
Large exotic car - $1100 US

A good number of cars have two cats as well? I answered my own question of price. wow. 3 minutes with a grinder for $700 US.

Speaking of making it more difficult we had a small snowfall last night. Wonderful way to see all the footprints of the perps walking my property at night seeing what's easily stolen. I get my giant chains this week I hope and can sleep a bit easier. That and once I sell a blower or two there's a lot less enticing hardware on my property.

[mohammad]

I know some cats are pricey but are they that expensive it's worth the bad guys time to use the noisy grinder, presumably at night/weekends when the yard is locked down, to cut 3/8" grade 70 chain to get the cat? Un frigging real.

Large GM cat - $350 US
Large exotic car - $1100 US

A good number of cars have two cats as well? I answered my own question of price. wow. 3 minutes with a grinder for $700 US.

Speaking of making it more difficult we had a small snowfall last night. Wonderful way to see all the footprints of the perps walking my property at night seeing what's easily stolen. I get my giant chains this week I hope and can sleep a bit easier. That and once I sell a blower or two there's a lot less enticing hardware on my property.

The cats that are being taken with a grinder are being cut out. Its very unlikely that they are going to go into a car again. Normally they are sold for scrap metal, surly the scrap price is much less than that.

[Fummins]

The cats that are being taken with a grinder are being cut out. Its very unlikely that they are going to go into a car again. Normally they are sold for scrap metal, surly the scrap price is much less than that.

The prices Wally posted are likely used prices….. new cats for a Nissan van cost from the dealer $6000. Used cat prices can be crazy high. Aftermarket cats are worth next to nothing compared to oem though. They don’t have the same herbs and spices.

[Wallythacker]

The cats that are being taken with a grinder are being cut out. Its very unlikely that they are going to go into a car again. Normally they are sold for scrap metal, surly the scrap price is much less than that.

Agreed. This is no different than urban copper miners who cause thousands in damages to get a drainpipe that fetches $20.

I remember back in 2008 when gas first hit $5/g US guys were going around with portable drills and many gas tanks were plastic (I did not know this) and they'd ruin a tank to get $20 in gas.