Thoughts on Protecting your Classic

Your insurers will probably specify the overnight parking conditions that apply to your Classic. Unfortunately, we owners cannot always have a securely locked garage protected by an approved alarm along with a couple of Rottweiler dogs patrolling the premises. 

However most Insurers will require your Classic to be kept on a driveway and be off the road overnight. If your driveway does not have security lighting a PIR motion sensor can be purchased from as little as £10.00 (Argos).

This should deter most thieves who don’t want to be seen. A removable or foldable security post, secured by a key, at your gateway is a worthwhile investment (£50.00 – £150.00).      

CHEAP ANTI-THEFT MEASURES TO PROTECT YOUR CLASSIC 

• Remove the rotor arm from under the distributor cap and take it with you.  
• Remove the HT lead from the coil to the distributor.  
• If you don’t want to carry around a rotor arm or HT lead pull out the coil centre lead from the top of the distributor and exchange it for one of the plug leads.         

MORE ANTI-THEFT MEASURES 

[1]   Run the LT lead between the coil and the distributor and extend it through an on/off toggle switch secured and hidden under the dash or in the glove box.       

[2]   MGOC Accessories can supply a battery disconnect or cut-off switches from £10.00 – £12.00. Bearing in mind the MGB has unfused wires (brown, white and blue) a cut-off switch can prevent fires and provide an easy and convenient way to remove all power from the car.

Halfords can supply a battery master switch at around the same price which incorporates a fused link which allows low drain items like the clock, radio and CD player to be kept on.   

[3]   Car Window etching kits make the car easier to recover and less likely to be stolen by the opportunist thief. Obtainable on Amazon or eBay for around £14.00. Your car VIN or Registration details are sent with your payment. Marking materials and instructions are returned within a few days.   

[4]   Locking wheel nuts are available from MGOC accessories,Moss Europe and Halfords. Cost £18.00 – £31.00. For around £20.00 Halfords can sell you a Universal locking wheel nut remover. Halfords warn this reverse thread remover may damage your locking wheel nut. No doubt this would not worry a potential thief who fancied your classic wheels.

[5]   Steering wheel locks are a good visible deterrent although the best lock can easily be removed by a thief. The availability of cordless tools such as drills and angle grinders can be used to attack the steering wheel. 

One of the better locks is the Stoplock Pro at £55.00 from Halfords. This lock would require two steering wheel cuts. A Disclock covering the whole steering wheel costs around £110.00 on Amazon or Halfords. A Carpoint Steering Wheel lock which can incorporate a flashing LED is available on eBay for around £20.00.

The best bargain seems to be a Universal Steering Wheel Lock available at present on eBay for £6.00 (free  delivery). You could incorporate this with a flashing LED light from eBay costing £4.99.         

[6]   Car Alarms. Some DIY devices are listed although the general advice is to have these professionally fitted if only to have someone else to blame if the alarm accidentally activates at 2.00 am and annoys the neighbours.                  

• Cobra G193 – £100.00 on Amazon         
• Viper 3100v – £100.00 on Amazon        
•  A budget alarm sold by Ultimate Car Parts called “combined alarm and immobiliser” for £40.00 plus postage          

[7]   Motorola make a baby video and monitor with infrared vision £60.00 – £100.00 (Argos) which is placed on your dashboard for overnight protection of your car.         

[8]   Fake car alarm stickers for £2.99 (eBay) may make a potential thief think twice.         

[9]    I-phones with tracker apps have recently been in the news although the publicised app was used to track its owners spouse rather than his car. Apparently the hidden phone rang and gave the game away.          

IN PASSING   

On browsing insurance sites on the Internet it seems many stolen cars are later recovered showing no signs of forcible entry. Insurers would be inclined to conclude the car had been left unattended with the keys left in it – a reason for declining a claim.

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DISCLAIMER: The MG Owners’ Club Northern Ireland does not endorse any business, service or product mentioned in the article above. All product and service prices are for illustration purposes only.

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