Vehicle security for long road trip

-
str12-340

str12-340

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2012
Messages
4,373
Reaction score
4,020
Location
Vashon, WA
My wife and I are taking one of our Darts on a long distance road trip (2 months) this summer and plan to do the same in 2024. I am looking for people's experiences with various types of security systems for cars. I am particularly concerned about being parked outside hotels at night or in a restaurant or tourist stop. I have looked at various systems to track the car, but many these days plug into you OBD port (something I've never had). So suggestions on how to keep the car from being dragged up on a rollback and disappeared, or tracking it if someone does manage that would be really welcome.

I get even more nervous when I see stuff like Hotchkiss' car, trailer and truck being stolen!!! I'm afraid that a nice Plum Crazy car is just too much of a magnet for this kind of thing.

Thanks for your help...
 
apple air tag? if someone want the car they are going to get it. thats just the way it is.. you need to prevent the theft of opportunity. kill switch, the club anything that makes it harder to get for a regular guy who stumbles on it. being able to track it if stolen is the key.
 
str12-340 said:
I get even more nervous when I see stuff like Hotchkiss' car, trailer and truck being stolen!!! I'm afraid that a nice Plum Crazy car is just too much of a magnet for this kind of thing.
Click to expand...

the difference is people knew where that car was. it was advertised as to being at a big event along with a bunch of other desirable cars so a thief could just show up and have his pick of what to take. your trip is un announced and it will be a surprise for someone to stumble upon it. they most likely won't be as prepared if that makes sense.

up your insurance too. make sure you have it over covered incase something happens.
 
str12-340 said:
My wife and I are taking one of our Darts on a long distance road trip (2 months) this summer and plan to do the same in 2024. I am looking for people's experiences with various types of security systems for cars. I am particularly concerned about being parked outside hotels at night or in a restaurant or tourist stop. I have looked at various systems to track the car, but many these days plug into you OBD port (something I've never had). So suggestions on how to keep the car from being dragged up on a rollback and disappeared, or tracking it if someone does manage that would be really welcome.

I get even more nervous when I see stuff like Hotchkiss' car, trailer and truck being stolen!!! I'm afraid that a nice Plum Crazy car is just too much of a magnet for this kind of thing.

Thanks for your help...
Click to expand...

I'm looking into the same thing and I think Apple Air tags would work as a tracking device. Just stick one somewhere it can't be readily seen and you can track it wherever it goes via your phone. Unfortunately, it can't stop the car from being stolen in the first place.
 
Get a Club, while it’s easy to cut off for some thieves it still buys you some time and could deter some people. I’d unhook my battery at night, also keep the front wheels turned and park in well lit areas, or where you can see it from your room, or by the front door. I’d you are that worried about a trip maybe take a different vehicle? I know it’s fun, when I took our Challenger on Route 66 I wasn’t worried much till we got to the west coast and went up the coastal hyw 1, some pretty sketchy places, in Oregon one Hotel even had razor wire fence around it and it was a nice place! Meth heads and druggies everywhere…I didn’t sleep well that night worrying about my car, that takes alot of fun out of it but it’s still a blast to take a long trip in a cool car! I heard the Apple Air tags are good, I don’t know much about security systems. I’d also get some wheel locks too so nobody can steal your wheels and tires.

What area of the country are you traveling? Some parts are fine and I wouldn’t worry, others I’d stay away from with a sweet car!
 
Last edited:
Take the coil wire into the hotel with you.

Boot.
 
Park next to a lamp post and 3/8 chain your axle to it if you'r real paranoid.

Just don't forget or you'll "American Graffiti"
 
Last edited:
Put a ring camera beneath the dash on the driver side. Connect the ring to the Hotel WIFI. Any motion and the camera will alert your phone.
 
Put in several tracking devices, that way when they find one or two they may quit looking, they won’t know how many are hidden.
 
YY1 said:
Park next to a lamp post and 3/8 chain your axle to it if you'r real paranoid.

Just don't forget or you'll "American Graffiti"
Click to expand...
Or the rotor, I would pull a plug wire and cram it in the coil if I was a crook.
Wife says Im paranoid.
 
Hagerty has a brochure... everyone has pretty much hit on the majority of points with the exception of covering the vehicle to make it less attractive (although that may draw attention so 6 of one - 1/2 dozen of the other). WeatherTech and others offer locking car covers. None of these things will stop a determined thief but might discourage an opportunist.

 
Park nose in between 2 cars ( I know ) and crank the wheels over , then club it.
Hidden Airtag or old cell hooked to battery power with a tracker app .
Sleep in the car. . . I prob would !
 
Last edited:
Don't know much about it, but do you people offer access to a garage when doing air bnb?
 
SIX225 said:
Don't know much about it, but do you people offer access to a garage when doing air bnb?
Click to expand...

That might be an alternative.... Airbnb or VRBO as opposed to a hotel/motel to limit the exposure to passers-by or proximity to interstate or high volume roadways. :thumbsup:
 
I like the pull the coil wire or rotor. ....and a gun.
 
This has been in the back of my mind too as I want to do another cross country trip in my 68 Barracuda. One advantage is I'll probably camp, sleep in my car, or stay with friends more than 50% of the time. I read the Hagerty brochure and there are some good ideas there. I would recommend a car cover for night parking. I do that at Carlisle and the Mopar Nats.

Fuel and electrical shutoffs, alarm and tracking device all good. I'd need a pre-flight check list before takeoff. One thing not mentioned is a removable steering wheel as another layer of protection.
 
use the theft device that was in the movie Robocop. bring extra air freshners. sorry, being a smartalec.
the tracking advice idea is good, put them inside the doors.
 
I have a shut off switch under the dash, it would take a theif a while to find.
 
I have over 20000 miles on my Barracuda just in road trips, these are 1000+ miles one way trips with multiple overnight stops.

I do nothing, I stopped worrying about it 40 years ago.


Alan
 
Mount this type of killswitch before the ignition wire on starter it requires you to hit a momentary switch every time before you start the car and self deactivates everytime you shut the car off, I'd forget to turn off a normal killswitch 90% of the time.

1680646074617.png
 
Last edited:
273 said:
Mount this type of killswitch before the ignition wire on starter it requires you to hit a momentary switch every time before start the car and self deactivates everytime you shut the car off, I'd forget to turn off a killswitch 90% of the time.

View attachment 1716073203
Click to expand...
You could wire that in using the cigarette lighter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top