Cali Theft Prevention

[Californication69]

Feels like it's a balance but Golf R owners and cars like them have found a gang in the bed room wanting the code for the ghost. California must be targeted less as they are more distinctive over a std VW transport conversion.

All I heard was Gang, Bedroom, code

 

[The Tall Luthier]

We live in a half decent area in the West Midlands. I’m connected with a lot of people on Next Door.
The last two years, I’ve seen a large increase in house break ins for car keys.
My daughters house included 4 weeks ago.
They take car keys upstairs.
2 years ago, they stole a Fiesta ST off my drive.
We had it back the next morning as a Facebook user had seen them dump it waiting to see if it had a tracker.
It now has a global Telemetrics tracker.
£12.49 a month.
And a ghost 2 fitted.
I have the same GTT & ghost 2 on wife’s Evouque and MY23 Cali Ocean.
Also stop locks through steering wheel
I’ve paid lots of money, and want to keep my vehicles

For me the lesson is to keep the keys downstairs, easy to find, out of the range of electronic key captures.
The last thing I want is to meet a car thief at 2am in my altogether.

We recently fitted better door locks to the house. They were all Eurolocks which can be opened with a door lock wrench, it snaps the barrel in half!
The new euro locks have a sacrificial notch, they still get broken in half but at a place where removing the lock is still impossible.

 

[Californication69]

For me the lesson is to keep the keys downstairs, easy to find, out of the range of electronic key captures.
The last thing I want is to meet a car thief at 2am in my altogether.

We recently fitted better door locks to the house. They were all Eurolocks which can be opened with a door lock wrench, it snaps the barrel in half!
The new euro locks have a sacrificial notch, they still get broken in half but at a place where removing the lock is still impossible.

Have heard the guys in balaclavas come upstairs for keys, for the really high end stuff.
And out in the countryside, where there are safes too.
We have a cheese tin that acts as a faraday cage.
I fitted Avocet ATK 3 star Euro cylinders around 4 years ago. With grade 2 handles that need a grinder to chip in half to get to cylinder.
And fitted these to my daughters house after the break in. And moms house yesterday.
Checked all windows for any outside beading too.
All beading inside.
Poor Guy opposite the daughters house got done a week after and they drove on his drive in broad daylight and removed window beading in kitchen.
They robbed his TV and cash.
The world has gone to sh1 t.

 

[The Tall Luthier]

Have heard the guys in balaclavas come upstairs for keys, for the really high end stuff.
And out in the countryside, where there are safes too.
We have a cheese tin that acts as a faraday cage.
I fitted Avocet ATK 3 star Euro cylinders around 4 years ago. With grade 2 handles that need a grinder to chip in half to get to cylinder.
And fitted these to my daughters house after the break in. And moms house yesterday.
Checked all windows for any outside beading too.
All beading inside.
Poor Guy opposite the daughters house got done a week after and they drove on his drive in broad daylight and removed window beading in kitchen.
They robbed his TV and cash.
The world has gone to sh1 t.

My neighbour had his X5 stolen a few years back, they broke in through the euro locks. They eventually found it in a ford transit van!!!! When I say 'it' I mean the expensive parts.

In the 1950s you could pop to the shops and leave your door open wide, it was so safe they say, obviously cobblers, they just had nothing worth nicking back then.

That said, we live in a country where only 1 in 200 rapes get convicted so perhaps you are right, but it's ok we're criminalising laughing gas.

 

[flying banana]

Mines in the garage when home. Out of sight out of mind. Could you fit some tall gates on your drive and park behind those? When away out n about stop lock pro. That's it.

 

[Elmo3]

Good insurance is the best bet. If it’s going to happen it’s going to happen. I’d rather not risk being confronted by masked thieves with knives / guns demanding keys / codes etc. Others may have different views or priorities.

 

[Viktorgeorge]

Does anyone have thought on window etching (with number plate or VIN)?

On google search Halfords come up for this service, but in practice they don't now offer it it appears.

I saw this on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CD7YDVU/?tag=vwcalifornia-21

Also, are California keys vulnerable to 'keyless card theft' - so benefitting from storage in a faraday cage - as their older type of fobs have push buttons unlike the keyless fobs you leave in your pocket and push a start button in the car?

 

[chockswahay]

Blimey this thread is heading down the road called ‘Fear and Paranoia Lane’

I don’t want to offend anyone and I understand it, but I still go along with something my old dad used to say (and I’m sure he misquoted it from someone else)…….. ‘A life lived in fear is a life half lived’

Yes, bad people are out there, but in my 65 year life I have not directly met them or been on the receiving end of their bad doings.

It is all too easy to read/hear scare stories and convince oneself that doom is around every corner………. well, not for me

 

[andyinluton]

Yes, bad people are out there, but in my 65 year life I have not directly met them or been on the receiving end of their bad doings.

I have!

In the UK I just have decent insurance & keys left where anyone that has already entered the house can find them.

Our next door neighbour has had his 5 series BMW nicked twice, first time he upgraded locks on his UPVC front door, the second time he found out that a small blow lamp can make a very large hole in a UPVC door silently and very quickly.

On the farm in SA it's a slightly different approach, a couple of ridgebacks running loose in the yard as alarms & just shoot the intruders before they shoot you.

 

[OooOooTheMonkey]

Blimey this thread is heading down the road called ‘Fear and Paranoia Lane’

I don’t want to offend anyone and I understand it, but I still go along with something my old dad used to say (and I’m sure he misquoted it from someone else)…….. ‘A life lived in fear is a life half lived’

Yes, bad people are out there, but in my 65 year life I have not directly met them or been on the receiving end of their bad doings.

It is all too easy to read/hear scare stories and convince oneself that doom is around every corner………. well, not for me

Personally I’m not fearful, I just don’t want to lose my van. Deterrents look to be the best options here and perhaps decent house security is more important than decent van security. The thieves can have the van if they break in, I don’t care at that point, but if I can take measures to reduce the likelihood of that happening then that’d be great.

 

[Californication69]

Blimey this thread is heading down the road called ‘Fear and Paranoia Lane’

I don’t want to offend anyone and I understand it, but I still go along with something my old dad used to say (and I’m sure he misquoted it from someone else)…….. ‘A life lived in fear is a life half lived’

Yes, bad people are out there, but in my 65 year life I have not directly met them or been on the receiving end of their bad doings.

It is all too easy to read/hear scare stories and convince oneself that doom is around every corner………. well, not for me

Had it happen 2 times at my house (son in laws car) and 4 weeks ago daughters house.
But there are simple things you can do to
1. Let the thieves go look for an easier target.
2. Fit and then forget. (Ghost and tracker, house alarm, Texecom connected with smartcom, so I can see when alarm is triggered)
3. Satisfy insurance company you did all you could to protect against casual thieves.
I don’t fear anyone. I don’t live in fear.
I leave the door open sometimes, and once had some blokes try to gain entry whilst my house extension was being built. Luckily my builders didn’t let them in.
It is a crime riddled world we live in.
So protect and forget.

 

[Californication69]

I have!

In the UK I just have decent insurance & keys left where anyone that has already entered the house can find them.

Our next door neighbour has had his 5 series BMW nicked twice, first time he upgraded locks on his UPVC front door, the second time he found out that a small blow lamp can make a very large hole in a UPVC door silently and very quickly.

On the farm in SA it's a slightly different approach, a couple of ridgebacks running loose in the yard as alarms & just shoot the intruders before they shoot you.

I’d just heard about this blowtorch trick.
I’ve asked my boss if he’d lend me his AR-15.
Really nice and comfy to hold and load.
It would go through the patio window and intruders like a hot knife.
They wouldn’t do it again.
The M43 is a little over kill.
Sig’s are nice but don’t have the visual impact of the AR

 

[Californication69]

Does anyone have thought on window etching (with number plate or VIN)?

On google search Halfords come up for this service, but in practice they don't now offer it it appears.

I saw this on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CD7YDVU/?tag=vwcalifornia-21

Also, are California keys vulnerable to 'keyless card theft' - so benefitting from storage in a faraday cage - as their older type of fobs have push buttons unlike the keyless fobs you leave in your pocket and push a start button in the car?

No push start in california’s
So they need the key.

 

[Californication69]

Blimey this thread is heading down the road called ‘Fear and Paranoia Lane’

I don’t want to offend anyone and I understand it, but I still go along with something my old dad used to say (and I’m sure he misquoted it from someone else)…….. ‘A life lived in fear is a life half lived’

Yes, bad people are out there, but in my 65 year life I have not directly met them or been on the receiving end of their bad doings.

It is all too easy to read/hear scare stories and convince oneself that doom is around every corner………. well, not for me

Crime is rife and rising in the West Midlands. Not sure where you are in Scotland, but if you’re out in the country then you have a blessed life. We have scummy little gutter rats who do this every night and just don’t get caught. Then when they do, they have a few months in young offenders institute. Then they out to do it again.

 

[Amarillo]

My neighbour had his X5 stolen a few years back, they broke in through the euro locks. They eventually found it in a ford transit van!!!! When I say 'it' I mean the expensive parts.

In the 1950s you could pop to the shops and leave your door open wide, it was so safe they say, obviously cobblers, they just had nothing worth nicking back then.

That said, we live in a country where only 1 in 200 rapes get convicted so perhaps you are right, but it's ok we're criminalising laughing gas.

A BMW X5 is about £66,000.
The average annual salary is about £33,000.

I wonder how many people in the 1950s left something worth double their annual salary on their doorstep, with the keys in their home and their front door open?

 

[Elmo3]

A BMW X5 is about £66,000.
The average annual salary is about £33,000.

I wonder how many people in the 1950s left something worth double their annual salary on their doorstep, with the keys in their home and their front door open?

Most wouldn’t consider it this way. It’s 500 a month or whatever it is. The actual cost of the thing doesn’t register.

 

[Corradobrit]

And don't post photos of your pride and joy parked at the house or garage. The embedded EXIF data with GPS coordinates will give the scrots all the info they need to locate your vehicle. Or better still make sure that feature is disabled.

 

[chockswahay]

Crime is rife and rising in the West Midlands. Not sure where you are in Scotland, but if you’re out in the country then you have a blessed life. We have scummy little gutter rats who do this every night and just don’t get caught. Then when they do, they have a few months in young offenders institute. Then they out to do it again.

I hear you and I accept that my remarks were a little narrow in their delivery. I’m just trying to inject a little balance into the discussion. Yes we do all need to take some form of preventative measure to safeguard our property, but I also think it’s a little to easy to be influenced by what we read compared to what we may or may not experience.

As it happens we used to live West of Glasgow and my wife worked at Paisley hospital….. as she just reminded she would NEVER have left the van parked there (if we had one at the time) …… now we live in the middle of nowhere in nowhereville we are as safe and secure as it’s possible to be …. Safe as houses! Haha

For me, the Cali alarm and immobiliser will do for now. Interestingly when we had our other PVC vans my concern was how easy it would be for a thief to break in with a jemmy by simply forcing the plastic caravan style windows (still a real weakness in these style of vans).

 

[Ch1pbutty]

On another note…never post photos on Facebook etc whilst you are away (wait until you get home). If you do, you may find that your house insurance is not valid if you advertise the fact that you are away from home.

 

[Californication69]

I hear you and I accept that my remarks were a little narrow in their delivery. I’m just trying to inject a little balance into the discussion. Yes we do all need to take some form of preventative measure to safeguard our property, but I also think it’s a little to easy to be influenced by what we read compared to what we may or may not experience.

As it happens we used to live West of Glasgow and my wife worked at Paisley hospital….. as she just reminded she would NEVER have left the van parked there (if we had one at the time) …… now we live in the middle of nowhere in nowhereville we are as safe and secure as it’s possible to be …. Safe as houses! Haha

For me, the Cali alarm and immobiliser will do for now. Interestingly when we had our other PVC vans my concern was how easy it would be for a thief to break in with a jemmy by simply forcing the plastic caravan style windows (still a real weakness in these style of vans).

Thank you for the kind words, I hear you also, when you say don't live in fear. I and my family don't live in fear. That's an absolute.
Enjoy the peace and quiet. wish we had the same. Wait! We will once we get out in the spring in the California. (That hasn't been stolen hopefully Ha !)

 

[Multi1100]

If your Cali is on target it will be nicked, no matter how much devices you can secure it with. Same with breaking in a house, you can only discourage them, making it hard to steal and/or break in. Maybe then they will try to find an "easier target" which makes it no less criminal by the way.
I live in The Netherlands and from police reports the bad guys even know there way around bearlocks etc. So a decent insurance is always necessary.
My wheel clamp, steering lock in utmost RH and possible 4 **** chain lock can only discourage them.
Fortunately never had the experience!

 

[CaliCarol]

I’m after a bit of advice. The area I live in is generally low crime, however, there have been some camper-van thefts over the years. As I have a new T6.1 incoming I’d like to know what people thinking are the best security measures to put in place to protect your Cali from theft? Apologies if this has been discussed before. I’ve run a search and couldn’t find what I was looking for. Thanks!

We park our Cali on the street in an urban area. We have a ghost immobiliser which we're very happy with. We've avoided trackers even when insurance companies have asked for them as not convinced they are much of a deterrent.

 

[andrew bazeley]

I’m after a bit of advice. The area I live in is generally low crime, however, there have been some camper-van thefts over the years. As I have a new T6.1 incoming I’d like to know what people thinking are the best security measures to put in place to protect your Cali from theft? Apologies if this has been discussed before. I’ve run a search and couldn’t find what I was looking for. Thanks!

I've never really been worried about someone actually stealing my old Cali. They are so head-turning, I can't think why anyone would risk it. The only theft fear I have ever had though (in the 14 years I've been camping in my Cali!), is leaving the van on a small campsite with the roof still up. You have to turn the interior alarm off, as the roof could easily blow around in a light wind, and set the alarm off. It took me a long time to realise this. with many complaints from neighbouring vans and campsite owners!

 

[ArunAlec]

We park our Cali on the street in an urban area. We have a ghost immobiliser which we're very happy with. We've avoided trackers even when insurance companies have asked for them as not convinced they are much of a deterrent.

When you say you’ve avoided trackers, I’m assuming that you’ve not signed up for an insurance that specifies having a tracker fitted?

 

[Nigel Whitwood]

Why is it that when ever this subject comes up many only seem to consider theft of the vehicle when outside their home? IMHO if that is where the Cali is most of the time then it might be worth considering whether it's actually needed, it is after all a considerable investment.
It is when travelling that the consequences of loosing the vehicle are greatest. It is then that the value of the contents and reliance on the vehicle are at their highest, particularly if thousands of miles away from home, (where decent insurance wont help with the immediate issues).
Fortunately the Cali is one of the most secure vehicles. Like any vehicle it s vulnerable to brute force entry but its strength is the need for the physical key to start. This is also it's Achilles heel but it's a gap that can be closed by adding a Ghost Immobiliser.