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

[zachmac]

Just for fun, what is the general concensus on locking your Spider when unattended (with top up of course! ). I personally NEVER lock any convertible I own as I see it as an invitation to come back to a cut / sliced open top. I do lock valuables in the glove box or trunk although on our cars that is only slightly better than leaving them laying on the hood with a "take what you want" sign.

On the pro side you can argue that anyone willing to cut open your top is willing to bust out a window so locking it up will still deter the casual thief versus the serious thief. BUT, breaking a window is noisy versus a sharp knife on canvas / vinyl. Whatta ya think?

[rlux4]

I never lock the doors. If I have anything I don't want stolen I put it in the trunk. I've had quite a few convertibles and (knock on wood) never had a top cut. I do feel like leaving a note in the window though "Get in, look around, close the door when you leave", just to let a potential thief know that there's nothing to take.
Ron

[4uall]

The irony is, the real value is in the parts lol

[katsi]

This

Just for fun, what is the general concensus on locking your Spider when unattended

Actually, I think this is a really good question. I too would never lock mine either but, these little cars have JOY RIDE written all over them. The wires are compleetly accessable and anyone who knows how to hotwire can have your car in a flash. Forget about whatever you have lying arround in the interior.

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?

[leftfield6]

I have never locked any convertible, except when I had the hardtop on the Miata.

As for a hidden switch, I've seen that done nicely by either hiding it really well (inside ashtray maybe) or "disguising it in plain sight" by using a switch that's labelled for something else as your kill switch.

I guess for me, I would wonder about the need to do anything, though. Maybe it's me, but I don't see the Spider as being that attractive to joyriders. Most joyriders are going to be young, and don't even know what a Fiat is, so that eliminates a number of them right there. Now consider almost all Spiders are manual transmission cars. How many teenage punks even know how to drive a stick these days?

I leave my Spider unattended sitting at a Park-and-Ride lot where I catch a commuter bus into the city to work. It sits there for about 9 hours Monday through Friday, unlocked, no alarm, has never been bothered.

[So Cal Mark]

I never lock them either. If I were going to put a master disconnect in, it would be in the trunk.

[Exit98]

My locks don't work, and fixing them is so far down the list my grandson won't get to them. Not an issue with me.

[124ADDHE]

When i take the fiat into the city i simply open the trunk and unhook the negative lead. Simple and cheap

[Kent124]

Kill switch in the trunk sounds like the best solution - unless you loose your trunk key.

Pull wire from the coil to dizzy. Or disconnect the bullet connector near the alternator that powers the starter.

[4uall]

with all this trunk switch talk it reminds me of that scene in Mad Max where he had a detanotor switch.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079501/

[zachmac]

As far as a kill switch I have also thought of that but never got around to doing it. Fiat did of course provide the factory installed six wire connector block just prior to the ignition switch under the dash to make hotwiring as simple as possible,, but how many non-Fiat owners know that? In short I simply don't see the car as a high theft target. Non starter for parts thiefs (they want late model stuff they can chop to body shops) and joy riders as stated above are probably kids without the knowledge to hotwire OR drive a stick.

[kmac33]

I never lock mine.
Growing up, my dad never locked the doors when the top was up either - but someone still cut the top to break in one night . Idiot could have just opened the door.

[courtenay]

I guess I'm fortunate that my car isn't a daily driver and I rarely drive the car with the top up or park it unattended for very long - other than in my own driveway. I have thought about the kill switch in the trunk, though. I have one in my RV and it's a very quick installation. Negative battery cable to switch to ground. Easy peasey.

[jsab]

I never lock any of mine, but I do have battery switches in all of them, mounted in the trunk. Peace of mind, I guess.

[katsi]

Pull wire from the coil to dizzy.

I used to pull the rotor out of the dizzy in my 69 Scout. Just slip it in my pocket like a key and snap the cap back on. Totally forgot about that untill I read your post.

I never lock any of mine, but I do have battery switches in all of them, mounted in the trunk. Peace of mind, I guess.

How did you go about that? What kind of switch did you have to use and where did you mount them?

I have one in my RV and it's a very quick installation. Negative battery cable to switch to ground. Easy peasey.

For you! I'm a moron. what kind of switch did you use?