What Will Help You Keep Your Car Secure This Winter?

With the clocks going back last weekend, the nights are now getting longer and darker, this is the perfect situation for opportunists and professional burglars and that’s before we even dive into the financial motivation with the many festivities around the corner.

So what can be done to help keep your car secure over these winter months? As for most people, your car is not only your pride and joy but, one of the most expensive purchases you’ll make.

Due to this, it makes sense to invest and improve the standard level of security of your vehicle, whether it is a car, motorbike or van. Just think of how much of an inconvenience it would be to have your vehicle or the contents within it stolen, even if your insurance does cover some of the expenses (which most insurers only cover £150)


Our Talking Points

Install a Vehicle Tracker

Car trackers are becoming more commonplace for car owners, especially if your car is of higher value. This will allow you to remotely monitor the location of your car, so if the worst was to happen and your car was stolen, you can track where it has been taken to. Using GPS technology, trackers give you peace of mind that you can always monitor your vehicle.

Even some car companies are taking this precaution themselves by installing trackers as an additional security measure, and some insurance companies are even demanding some high ticket cars have trackers installed if you want a policy with them.

The good news we have a range of insurance approved trackers available to fit from our store.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

A large percentage of vehicle crime is opportunistic, which means that thieves look for the easiest and most obvious target and with a car being stolen every 9 minutes in the UK, do you want to take the risk?

Leaving any type of valuables in your car makes, such as backpack, coats, or tablets it highly vulnerable to thieves, so make sure that you take any personal belongings with you when you leave your car or lock them away out of sight in the boot, don’t try and cover them up with clothing it only entices a oppruntistic thief to smash the window and quickly look for what you’re hiding.

Locking your vehicle in a garage overnight is also one of the best ways of maximising the security of your car, this will also likely bring down the cost of your insurance.

Opt In For Tinted Windows

Tinted windows aren’t just for giving your factory fresh car a glow up, there’s a wide range of additional benefits to boot.

One of the most immediate purposes of tinted windows is give you more privacy while driving and parked up, but by reducing the amount of light entering your car it makes significantly hardly for thieves to glance inside your car and plan out a method of attack without looking suspect and alerting nearby people.

You should always ensure that you choose a window tinting specialist as they will be aware of the laws surrounding car window tints in order to prevent you from being fined.

Car Alarms

According to the Metropolitan Police, it can take less than 30 seconds for someone to break into a car and steal any contents.

As mentioned previously, the best approach is to leave no cues or suggestions that they’re any valuables left in the car or van, but the next step is stopping the criminal in the act if we can’t prevent it, and that’s with an alarm.

Aftermarket alarms in the past tended to have a bad reputation associated with them because of hassle of installation and issues when maintaining the vehicle, but that’s no longer the case.

We’ve got a range of Thatcham approved alarms that cover your interiors with sensors and a backup siren if the thieves try and cut the power, aswell alarms with an extra immobilizer with a random coded remote controls so thieves can’t clone the keys.

There’s a tonne of benefits to go with aftermarket alarms such as the reduced insurance premiums for having additional security installed on your car or van.

Wheel Locks

Installing a wheel lock or wheel clamp system can help keep your car secure, as they are notoriously difficult to tamper with and also act as a physical immobiliser. One of their main benefits is that they are highly visible, so potential thieves will be easily discouraged from breaking into your car at the sight of a wheel lock.

Even if the thief/theives don’t see the wheel lock in place, removing the wheel lock will require brute force or some sort of physical power tool to remove the wheel lock, as the physical locking mechanism is typical not a standard lock and requires a special designed key.

The last thing the thief wants to do is bring power tools to a crime scene and start sawing through metal in silence of midnight only to wake up the whole neighbourhood.


Speak To Our Vehicle Security Experts

Regardless of which security product you choose, always make sure that your supplier is well-established and sells approved devices. At Autotronix, we take pride in our extensive range of state-of-the-art vehicle security products, including car and van locks, tracking systems, alarms and immobilisers.

To find out more about our car security tips, feel free to call us on 01234 342 300 or fill out an enquiry form.