21 replies to this topic

[JennyUK]

Was wondering if anyone can help me..

Me and the girlfriend are going on holiday this Monday and we're worried about leaving the car on our drive. We have a garage but the car doesn't exactly fit and I don't really trust leaving it at a friends house while we're gone.

I know modern cars are almost impossible to steal but we're more worried about alloy stealing or damage to it. Was wondering what options we have?

[Lloyday]

Put a clamp on it, shouldnt worry anyway i leave mine unlocked for days sometimes

[Rh1no]

Disconnect the battery also?

[JennyUK]

A clamp sounds good. We're going for a week and I would worry a little. We live in a sort of bad area and things do happen.

[GSM]

I think most modern cars also have tilt sensors, meaning nobody can really jack up your car to steal your alloys without the alarm going off and alerting the neighbours.

Also, go to an autoshop and get yourself a decent set of locking wheel nuts if you're worried about this.

Personally I'm more worried about damage to the car when I leave it lying about, but that's mostly street parking or public car parks - I don't tend to mind if I park it in a driveway. I imagine it'll be fine there.

In terms of damage, it's no more likely to be damaged while you're on holiday than it is at any other time that you leave it unattended on the drive.

[stef123]

moder cars are still being stolen everyday and there have been quite a few posts regarding mk7 fiestas on this forum! you will never stop a thief, only slow them down.

Dont draw attention to your car by fitting a wheel clamp - im not a car thief but it looks obvious. i wouldnt like to leave the battery disconnected for a week or so, this wont be good for the ecu? and also you will loose your alarm...

[JennyUK]

I forgot about locking nuts.

It's a slim chance anything will happen but it's really more for peace of mind

moder cars are still being stolen everyday and there have been quite a few posts regarding mk7 fiestas on this forum! you will never stop a thief, only slow them down.

Dont draw attention to your car by fitting a wheel clamp - im not a car thief but it looks obvious. i wouldnt like to leave the battery disconnected for a week or so, this wont be good for the ecu? and also you will loose your alarm...

This just made me more worried..

My main problem is someone on our street went away a while ago and while they were gone they had their reg stolen, alloys taken and it was keyed.
The minute people around here know you're gone they target your car. It kinda sucks!

[Lenny]

i have fitted some richbrook anti-theft reg plate screws and changed the reg plates to metal pressed ones.
this will help because if they were to manage to get the car then they cant change the reg and also if they burn the car out then the metal reg will still be pressed out so the insurance can identify the car as being mine.

next to that i have a ritchbrook battery kill switch with stereo bypass so it allows a small current to flow and keep the alarm and stereo happy but it wont allow the car to start, this is a great addition for the ford because the bonnet is under lock and key too,

maybe put nails under your tyres too,
but remember to remove them again before you drive it, atleast then if they get it rolling the tyres will be flat and the cant get it anywhere,

but before i would buy any thing over £15 id ask my local ford dealer how much it would cost to park it in their yard for the duration of the holiday.

[DaveD]

It may be a bit too obvious but have you next door neighbours? Why not let them know you are going away and ask them to keep an eye on your motor?

[JennyUK]

We don't exactly have friendly neighbors. They are the sort who set fire to cars for the fun of it!

I've ordered some wheel locking nuts and asked a friend to keep a eye on it for us. Just got to hope for the best really.

[btmaldon]

Im just wondering why it wont fit in your garage. Is it full of toot like most peoples?

I am the only person in my road that actually uses the garage to park the car.

[JennyUK]

It's full of old furniture and tools from the previous owners of the house. When we moved in they said they were going to get rid of them but they never did. Been meaning to clean it out our selves.

[Lenny]

It's full of old furniture and tools from the previous owners of the house. When we moved in they said they were going to get rid of them but they never did. Been meaning to clean it out our selves.

if the contents of the garage is just rubbish that you want rid of and you want the garage free to fit the car in,
then go out now and open the garage door then go back inside,
when you wake up in the morning theur will be plenty of room for the car in the garage

my mate wanted rid of a old fridge so he left it outside his house on the path and a week later it was still their,
so he stuck a note on it saying ''fridge for sale 50euro''
lmao he went outside that evening after putting the note on it and the fridge was gone!!

[JennyUK]

Haha would probably work but we don't have the keys. We're moving soon so I don't worry about it

[Stoney871]

Do you not have family you can leave the car with?
When I go away I leave my car in the works car park- I'd like to see someone brave enough to break into a police station garage to get to it.