Reader Alan thought that installing the Unbreakable Autolock would give him some peace of mind and enhance his vehicle’s security. But those thoughts were quickly dashed when his Toyota Rav4 was stolen in the middle of the night. The device is supposed to immobilize the brake or clutch making a car impossible to drive. Alan did some research, and to his amazement, found a video of a young boy picking an identical lock in under a minute. The lock-pick video and his letter, inside…
Dear Consumerist,
To my surprise, my 2002 Toyota RAV4 vehicle was stolen last night. I thought I always have a peace of mind when it comes to the security of my vehicle. I don’t think this is one of the most stolen vehicles, and my vehicle wasn’t kept exceptionally well with dents behind the vehicle. I have LoJack installed and Unbreakable Autolock model#1740.
My father woke up at 3am and just happened to peek outside the window and discovered our vehicle was missing from our driveway. The truth is everything is breakable in less than a minute even the so called Unbreakable Autolock. I doubt I will ever get $5000 dollars as they claimed when your vehicle was stolen. Here is a video from Youtube, sounds like a kid showing you how to pick a $60 lock in less than a minute.
Thanks,
Alan
We’re sorry to hear about your loss, Alan. We would certainly hope that you are a candidate for Autolock’s $5000 guarantee. Autolock’s website doesn’t reveal any details about their guarantee but we suspect there are a sea of loopholes that prevent the company from making frequent pay-outs. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that your LoJack produces results in the coming days. Let’s put it out to the Consumerists: What, if any, are the best vehicle security devices on the market?
More From Consumerist
-
Bravo And Steve’s Real Food Cat And Dog Foods Recalled For Salmonella
-
Drunk Or Sober, Jeff Goldblum Is Way Too Into PayPal
-
Make Your Own Automatic Pet Feeder With A Litter Bucket And A Pie Tin
-
Time Warner Technicians Rescue Kitten Snuggled Up Against Cable Lines
-
Kickstarter Puts The Kibosh On Crowdfunding Hardware That Doesn’t Exist Yet
[dcist.com]
Better than a guard dog….
I’d get two, and put one on each side, front and back…. that way you can’t be towed….
I’ve had experience with unbreakable/unpickable anti-theft products. Once upon a time I had a CB radio (yeah, I’m old) and I installed a clever anti-theft gizmo around it. Massive steel plates, pick resistant locks. Very formidable. One day my CB was gone and the thief was cheeky enough to relock the anti-theft device.
@Skeptic: Actually “man-traps” are illegal in all 50 states. There is a book I have called 50 Projects for the Electronic Evil Genius and it has instructions for a car ‘alarm’ that shocks the intruder with 20,000 volts. There is a starred disclaimer at the end saying that doing this is illegal though.
Too bad I would love to make a system like that.
@Ron21: I used to go to school in Newark, NJ, and I did this every morning to my car. It was good because while they may get it started for a few seconds, it will then die. This will confuse most thieves b/c it DID start, so they know it’s not a kill switch, but then you have a whole bunch of options as to why the car didn’t start, and by then it’s too much of a hassle to become a shadetree mechanic.
“@BoomhauerTX: “Starter fuse”? WTF is a “starter fuse”? I’ve been working on cars since before I was old enough to drive one, and I’ve never heard of a “starter fuse”. “
I am guessing he is referring to the fuse in the fuse box that covers the starting system in his car. It appears your car doesn’t have this fuse.
@phimuskapsi: There was a guy who tried this in NJ a few years back. He hooked his car up to a transformer so that if you touched the car, it would shock you. It was discovered when a cop was driving by on a rainy night and saw sparks coming off the car. They called the bomb squad out and everything. I remember the news story, it was funny.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the gaurantee is something akin to Kensingtons gaurantee on their laptop locks.
The gaurantee on those only applies if the cable is cut, and not if the lock is picked.
Just pull the distributor cap when you park and carry it away with you.
Although it is debatable as to how effective any anti-theft device is, one of the best devices is that which helps DETER the theft in the first place.
As told to us in criminology: “You can’t stop crime. You can only move it around.”
That being said, a company called Ravelco has one of the best ideas out there.
Unlike LoJack – which only helps and comes into play AFTER the theft has occured, the Ravelco anti-theft system deters the thief through sheer numbers: by using the number of wires in a wire loom to change the number of connections to make the car start in the first place.
These numbers add up to time. Time which most thieves don’t want to waste on any particular item for very long.
The idea is to make a thief want to abandon the time it’ll take to actually take your car…and maybe try to take another car nearby.
The quote for my Camry was $400. Less than the price of a LoJack.
Sure – someone can still break INTO my car. But chances are, they won’t spend the time it’ll take to figure out how to START it, so they can TAKE it.
Check out their website:
[Ravelco.com]
What to look for in a quality lock is an Abloy-type key.
These twist wafers inside the lock. Unlike normal locks with pins, there’s no spring to provide tension, making raking the lock impossible. The only way to pick these is by impressioning, which is quite difficult.
I’m amazed no one has said it, so I will:
They call it “UnBREAKable”, not “unPICKable”, and for a reason!
Oooold saying:
Ain’t the hick that ain’t been tricked,
Ain’t the lock that ain’t been picked.
Drive a car that doesn’t start. That was my strategy for years. Oh, and having doors that don’t open keeps them trapped in the car. Granted, he broke the window to get out.
The best anti theft device is to take your rotor button out, or the equivalent, every time you park.
One of the best way to protect your car is to park on your driveway and set a light to shine on the car all night long. That should deter thieves from stealing the car. Sure, you might waste electricity.
@unklegwar:
“Anything with an absolute declaration in it’s name (unbreakable, unbeatable, etc) – isn’t. As a matter of fact, it’s probably just the opposite.”
Wasn’t that a little redundant?
I use a police grade wheel boot on my truck. The kind that they slap on you in the city for parking enforcement. Guaranteed no one is leaving with the vehicle.
I admit it’s mighty inconvenient, as it weighs over 50 lbs and is a pain to put on and take off, but for those times when you want to make absolutely certain that vehicle ain’t going nowhere…. put on a wheel boot.
[www.universalboot.com]
@Git Em SteveDave: I guessed the same thing, but I’ve never heard of or seen one, either in one of my own cars or any one I’ve worked on (I’m in my 40s I’ve owned and worked on literally dozens of cars). I would almost go so far as to say that such a thing does not exist in any car, anywhere. The closest thing I have ever seen is a fusible link, which is a piece of thin wire between the battery and ignition switch made to burn up and open the circuit in case of overload. These are not readily removable, though.
I waiting for my briefcar from the jetsons.
@snoop-blog: Why wait? Mazda built it about 15 years ago.
[www.roadraceengineering.com]
You’re being naive if you think there’s such a thing as an unbreakable lock.
@Garonyldas:
unBREAKable, not unPICKable lol
k-bo.lets clear somthing up.the parts on a honda that are stolen are 90% cosmetic.lets not get this twisted.repairs your meaning cosmetic.hondas are in the top 2 in reliability.that offends me that you you did not do your homework before you down talk one of the most successfull and reliable car companies on the planet.