Security: How to Keep Your Car Safe

Protecting your pride and Joy

As a nation, we love our cars. They are an extension of our personality, a passion, or even a member of the family. However, like many nice things in life, premium cars are often a target for thieves. Perhaps you are in the market for a new or used premium car, and are looking for tips on how to keep the car safe. In this blog, we hope to do just that.

Discover below our top tips for keeping your car in the right hands, rather than the wrong ones. Some tips are rather easy, but some may just inspire you. 

Use a Garage

Using a garage to store a car may seem obvious, but these days how many people actually use the garage for a car? Instead, garages tend to be a storage facility or dumping ground for life's possessions accumulated over the years.

However, a garage is still a great way of keeping your pride and joy out of sight. Performance and premium cars are of course going to attract attention, which is always nice, unless you go for something of a sleeper. For example a BMW M4 in metallic black is much more inconspicuous than one in 'Signal Green'. Either way, at night especially, keeping them out of sight and away from prying eyes is an easy deterrent and may even lower insurance premiums too. 

Keep keys out of sight

It is rather concerning how many people leave doors unlocked and keys in plain sight. This makes it ridiculously easy for opportunists to grab your keys and scarper within seconds. By keeping them out of sight, it again acts as another easy and straight forward deterrent. Sometimes the easiest methods are some of the most effective. 

Having a secure place for your keys is a great idea, and one in which you can apply to your daily routine when returning home. 

Get ahead of the game

Technology within the automotive world has moved on quite considerably, within the last decade. Features such as key-less entry all make starting and driving a car much easier and convenient. However, with evolving technology, criminal activity also evolves with it.

Unfortunately, car theft is actually possible without the keys, especially with new cars that use a key-less entry system. This is because thieves can use items such as a relay amplifier, along with a relay transmitter to pick up a signal from your key-less entry car key without the need for the actual key, meaning they can enter and start your car without the key, using just the signal instead. But, you can take steps to prevent this happening. Keep keys away from doors and windows. Place keys in metal tins to block signals, or use signal-blocking pouches for keys. 

Physical Measures

Physical measures are also a good way to keep your premium car safe. If your car is parked on a driveway, installing a driveway post could be the way to go for you. These are usually made from steel and can simply retract into the ground for when you need access to the car. But when the car is parked, cause a physical barrier so the car cannot be moved.

Other strong deterrents could be the use of a disklok that covers the steering wheel, meaning the car is more difficult to steal. These are good if you are unable to keep your car in a garage.

Privacy

In this day and age, it seems like everyone and their dog (literally) is on Instagram. Along with Facebook and Twitter, the list goes on for social media apps. It is therefore common to see photos of cars being shared on these apps.

This is fine, as the car community love an arty Instagram shot, but sometimes sharing locations, especially if you own a 'nice' car can sometimes attract unwanted attention and gives thieves an indication where certain cars are kept. Of course, it is up to the user on what they share but sometimes keeping number plates and exact locations private is another easy way of looking after your premium car.

CCTV

CCTV can also be useful in keeping your car safe, especially if you want to keep an eye on things if you are away from your car, or the car's location.

With many areas of the UK covered in CCTV already, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on your investment when possible too. CCTV can be purchased rather easily with some systems working off of a Wi-Fi connection. Interior and exterior systems can be used in keeping an eye on your car, again acting as a good deterrent for thieves. 

Simple Actions

Sometimes keeping it simple pays off. The above measures may seem obvious, but in our everyday busy lives, sometimes the basics and simple actions can be forgotten. Hopefully we have inspired you in keeping your car safe. Perhaps you may be thinking of a new or used premiumcar, and want to improve your security? Here at Stratstone we can help you find the perfect car. Contact your local Stratstone retailer today.