To lock or not to lock, that is the question.

[spidernut]

If someone wants to break into your car (hardtop or ragtop), they will break in. It doesn't take much to break a window and unlock the door. Why make it even easier? You might want to talk with your insurance company and ask how leaving your car unlocked would affect a theft claim. I was told that my insurance company will not cover any theft from inside an unlocked vehicle.

[zachmac]

If someone wants to break into your car (hardtop or ragtop), they will break in. It doesn't take much to break a window and unlock the door. Why make it even easier? You might want to talk with your insurance company and ask how leaving your car unlocked would affect a theft claim. I was told that my insurance company will not cover any theft from inside an unlocked vehicle.

And how exactly would / could the insurance company prove the car was unlocked at the time of theft? After all once entry is made the thief can unlock it all and there ain't exactly any reason they would re-lock it when done now is there? I think the "We won't pay of it was unlocked!" myth is just another example of insurance company stupidity / bluster. Again, prove to me I didn't lock it.

Now if I pose the question to them as "If I leave my car unlocked and it is stolen or contents are stolen AND I am stupid enough to tell you I left it unlocked, will you pay?" we all know the answer. What WILL get you a no pay response is leaving the KEYS in it.

[katsi]

"If I leave my car unlocked and it is stolen or contents are stolen AND I am stupid enough to tell you I left it unlocked, will you pay?"

HA HA

Right off the bat, insurance companies always say "That's not covered" before they even check your policy. Just to see if you will go away. Don't beleive me, wait untill you have your next claim.

[Spiderinmlnj]

I had an insurance company who considered my Honda Prelude locked if the doors were locked and the sun roof open.
I wonder if the top is down on my spider (i've been told it goes up ) and i lock tne doors if it is considered locked.

Geoff

[124JOE]

one day i jumped out of the shower and looked out the window and seen a 10 year old boy digging through my glove box
"it wasnt a fiat"but since i lock it up, except at car shows ofcorce.

[ChrisSRT]

never lock the Fiat, locks don't work. But always locked my Miata when I had it and always lock my Viper, even with the top down, I put the windows up and lock it. But I put valuebles in the trunk.

[RedWolf]

I never lock it - I have on of those screw type battery disconnects in the trunk and use it occassionally if I'm going to be away from the car for a long while. I've had two Fiat Spiders for about 17 yrs and have never had anyone mess with it.

[adrians]

I lock my car ….. no one has ever tried to break-in.

For F.I. Cars simply insert a kill switch into the fuel pump circuit, the car might start if hotwired, but die soon later, hopefully the thief just walks away.

AdrianS

[Fi8spider]

Mine is a weekend car so most of the time that it's out of the garage, I'm driving it.
If I do leave the car unattended I lock it but I think I'm more paranoid about someone damaging it while parked than it getting stolen..

I do have an isolator switch installed on the battery terminal, I really only use this between weekends or winter storage.

I also worried about locking my keys in the trunk, so I'm working on a solenoid set up to take care of that.

A spare trunk key well hidden inside the car put my mind at ease a long time ago on this one.

Good topic! I don't lock mine either. The driver side doesn't lock and I haven't taken time to figure out why, the passenger side locks though.

This recently happened to me and in my case I removed the door card to see what was going on. I slightly extended the adjustment on the rod that attaches to the back of the key barrel to the door lock.

[4uall]

My wife actually came to my aid


Security by itzebtze, on Flickr

[zachmac]

For F.I. Cars simply insert a kill switch into the fuel pump circuit, the car might start if hotwired, but die soon later, hopefully the thief just walks away.

AdrianS

Of course if you haven't properly sorted out your FI you often get this same end result without installing a kill switch!

[zachmac]

My wife actually came to my aid

Bad news dude, she hocked your Fiat for a Cobra. That's probably why you haven't seen her lately other than in your dreams!

[DUCeditor]

Here's my question, I have been thinking about putting in a switch somewhere hidden that will shut down the electrics. But, where do you put something like that and how would you go about it? I was thinking locked in the trunk would be the best place since it's locked and close to the battery.

Any thoughts about how to go about such a thing?

When I got my `77 Spider back in `88 I had something installed that was quite common back then, a Chapman Lock. I've read that the company that made them when out of business a decade or more ago, but I wonder if one couldn't be found somewhere?

In any case, this is how a Chapman Lock worked/works... In the cabin of the car (in my case, under the dash to the right of the steering wheel, there is a metal spring-loaded "plunger" with a circular key. When you park the car you push in the plunger which does two things: 1) via an armored metal cable it locks the hood so that it cannot be raised, and 2), it grounds out the ignition so the car can crank but not start. When you wish to drive the car you insert the circular key which allows the plunger unit to pop back out, allowing the hood to again be opened and/or the ignition to create spark.

I use it only rarely because I rarely leave my Spider anyplace. (And heaven forbid I should lock it and lose the key!) But it does just what is being talked about here, it makes the car unstartable, even with common hot wiring methods.

Might be worth looking for.

-don

[engineerted]

Yep, I have a hidden fuel cut-off switch. The problem is that sometimes the driver (me) forgets to turn it back on. Dumb ass!!

[124JOE]

we call that a TEST