95 Accord Ex, Vtec.

I have new tires and nice wheels on this car. My Brother's housekeeper just had his 99 civic stolen. Uh, I suppose that one of the hidden costs of owning a well built reliable car is paranoia. Anyway, I'm thinking I should get some wheel locks. If they do work well, since I know absolutely nothing about them, I assume they come in different brands, designs, and price levels ... what do you recommend? ... I see in the archives most people dont think they work, though a few do. But has there been any improvements in them recently, i.e., the anti-theft aspect/design of them?

 

i can't tell you specifically but i can tell you this:
stay away from local autoparts stores wheel locks.

my theory on wheel locks is that they are not a deterrent. they can slow down a thief or prompt the thief to take the whole car.
your best bet is a really good alarm with proximity and tilt sensors on top of wheel locks.

ninja edit
check the lugnut thread

 

They are well worth it, particularly if your wheel design has the locks shielded by the surrounding wheel.
Locks (wheel and other) and Alarms are intended to make your less attractive to steal than the guys car sitting next to you. It's called "Deterrence".
Let me just say that; given sufficient time, anything can be accomplished, even getting the uber-best wheel lock off.

If someone really, really wants your car; and they have a tow truck and a garage to hide it in - your car will be history.

P

 

yes, they just slow them down allot if they are just going after your wheels.

 

Sears sells ratchet pieces that completely defeat them - but destroys lug nut in process.

Will it help? Maybe, it'll just slow them down.

For what it's worth I had Muteki's on my TE-37's and never had an issue

 

And those be some nice wheels.......

"cue flashback of MuffinMans ride"......

 

Just curious MuffinMan, which Sears tools are you referring to? I have some Sears bolts-out and other removal tools, and wondering if I already have such tools. No, I'm not wanting to steal wheels; lol.

 

Haha, it's not a Sears brand item, I'll see if I can find it, it basically has tons of angled teeth that looks like the reverse of a drill bit.

It digs into the metal and unscrews it

Kinda like this:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...word=extractor

 

Oh okay, I have a couple of different set of these types of Sears tools:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00952166000P

Seems almost like those; but, mines are not deep socket. Thanks for the info.

 

Bingo, yep, if a thief has those locking luts don't do much. It'll trash the lug nut but get it off.

It sucks, but not much you can do.

 

x2
my uncle used to be a cop, and that last sentence is almost what he told me word for word.

get the locks anyways all you can do is slow them down. hope you have a 2-way alarm too. it wont STOP them but it gives you time to come to your car's aid...that is if you wake up.

 

Its a deterrant. Its should go along with your car alarm, tilt sensor, back up battery, fuel pump kill, some type of gps tracking etc.

 

as a tech we have the snap on version of those type of removers. ya they do work well, but they work against you too.
they can split in half, and getting the lug back out of it that you just took off can be a pain. unless they buy 4 sets. with 4 guys using them at the same time.

but i have good news vs them. i do not know the brand, but we had some car with lugs that were not the customers. they got switch with another when he had new tires put on. anyway, they had a cone shape with an internal key. i could not use that reverse screw remover with them.


i personally plan on just putting on 4 diff types of lugs. it may look ridiculous up close but whatever. i live in apartments.
i also intend to take the ecu inside with me since it won't be daily driven.

 

McGard used to offer a line of tapered wheel locks.
Maybe they have something suitable.

http://www.mcgard.com/Home/AutomotiveProducts

P

 

Well, I need to clarify one thing. I think you think I meant that I have really nice aftermarket wheels. I dont. I have 7 spoke stock Honda wheels. Personally I like them better than the 5 spoke ones. But I meant that they are nice in the sense of nothing wrong with them. Anyway, most of the theft I hear about is the OE stuff; or entire vehicles being stolen. I dont have an alarm, I dont have a tilt sensor, and I'm certainly not buying any gps or subscription or high priced security system. Cant afford it financially. But I do care about the ecu and parts being taken. I gotta say, if this is what owning a Honda is about, I'm going to find something else that nobody wants to steal. This is my first exposure to Honda, and I was really impressed with the build quality, but if that is the price I gotta pay, then its not worth it. And this Honda isnt new or anything like new. I previously owned some European and American vehicles that were very troublesome mechanically and reliably speaking, and I was so glad to having got rid of them and try a Honda. Now I'm wishing I hadn't, cause no one wanted to steal them.

Btw, what is this obsession with having "awesome" looking wheels? The only time you can see them is when your not in your car, and what are you going to do, sit around looking at them all day? So, when you are driving your vehicle it is everyone else that is seeing them .. what's up with that reasoning or logic? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

You can buy an alarm yourself (Viper/Python/etc) on eBay and install it yourself. I did it on my old Accord - cost $300 with a LOT of sensors you can get the alarm with just hood pop and shock for $170ish new.

Aftermarket wheels:
- Bling/Looks
- Lightweight
- Better/more aggressive sizing (width/etc)
- etc

If you don't see a point in them, don't buy them. I always wanted certain ones for their look and weight and got them (TE-37) I also had ITR wheels for their weight and color (wanted white).

The TE's were an inch wider than stock and an inch larger in diameter but weighed 5 lbs less per wheel. I was able to run a wider tire for more grip and lost rotating weight at each corner.

The ITR's were similar but I didn't run as wide of a tire but they were around 4-5lbs less per wheel than stock.

 

I would offer that you're looking at this the wrong way.
Other than the "spur of the moment" joy-ride types we all hear about; there are three other considerations which drive car theft. They being:
Theft by Contract.
Theft by Fraud.
Theft by Inspiration.

Theft by Contract: Theft of a vehicle for the purposes of procuring difficult to find parts. Somewhere close, there's an unscrupulous body shop that's in cahoots with a theft ring looking for those really deep discounts.

Theft by Fraud: Theft of a vehicle for the purposes of insurance fraud. Somewhere close, there's an unscrupulous body shop that's rebuilding a theft recovery with those same parts stolen off it! They turn around and split the profits made from billing for non-existent new replacement parts which were never installed.

Theft by Inspiration: A strange twisted form of flattery. The theif actually steals your ride because he can't go without it.

There are ways that you can help yourself.

Audio Systems: Hide it. The dead give-away to a thief is the receiver head. Anything other than an OEM Honda radio will attract crooks faster than flies.

Buy yourself a glove box and modify it to mount the aftermarket receiver. When the glove box door is closed, who'd know?
Speakers? Sure, but when you upgrade; use the original grills.
Mount the tube sub-woofer in the console armrest and put the Amps in the trunk.

Vehicle Exterior: Have something unique that would make it stick out and be easier to spot by the police.
For example: I installed a WS6 scoop and changed my plate lamp to a non standard blue. Why? It's the only one in the state like it, and the blue plate lamp draws attention by the police.

Alarm? Good choice, but there's a cheaper alternative: Kill Switch (a HIDDEN kill switch). I've used several for customers. You can install a single throw/single pole switch to interrupt the starter signal and locate it anywhere you like. I particularly like SE's and EX's because the console cover always has unused switch locations. I've used Honda Fog Lamp rocker switches as kill switches and located them right there on the console. No one knew.....

Just some thought to ponder.
What's the alternative; drive a Chevy Cobalt? Ewww

P

 

Dang don't wet your panties there kid.
It's always better to have more protection not just in vehicles.
Always remember that you have to protect your investments.
Yes, Honda has a higher rate of stolen vehicles but it doesn't mean that every single Honda is going to get stolen, specially if its in mostly stock form like yours..for your case just throw an alarm on there and locking lug nuts and call it a day.

 

Agreed!

Good advice btw P_Adams, killswitches are lovely little devices if done PROPERLY. I hate seeing ones that fail because its so easy to do them right!

 

yes they work for 99% of the theives out there but there are some poeple that it will not deter.

 

Nice reply, the slant you put on it changes my strategy plan. Knowing the why's always helps.

 

Thanks. Sorry I get so wordy sometimes; but knowledge is power (so "they" say)
Have a good one...

P