‘The Club’
Theft deterrents
Available at: Automotive stores and Amazon.ca
Price: $5 to $50 for budget deterrents
Stopping thieves from stealing your car or its contents can be expensive or cunningly cheap. Fancy fobs on your key chain work remotely to let you know everything but the cat's birthday. However, they can run a few hundred bucks plus the same amount for the installation. If you don't have that kind of budget, consider deterrents that make any car less desirable to break in to.
Since 1988, "The Club" has helped countless cars from being stolen. The highly visible $40 (and up) stick is locked across the steering wheel so "if you can't steer it, you can't steal it." Another simple device from Amazon is a dummy flashing LED dashboard light. Some are hard-wired while others work off a watch battery.
Of course, a good hacksaw will cut through your steering wheel, rendering the club useless. And the lights need to be turned on and off. And you should remove the valuables. But if you were a thief in a parking lot rushing around looking for an opportunity, would you pick the car with The Club, a flashing dashboard light – or one with neither?
If you have questions about driving or car maintenance, please contact our experts at globedrive@globeandmail.com.
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