Security Paranoia?

[Wazzer1622]

The end of the day we shouldn't have to secure are vehicles, manufactures such as Ford have the ability to make vehicles virtually theft proof. The only way any vehicle should be stolen is on the back of a transporter

 

[Pausim]

Yeah, obviously the family comes miles above the van! Even Mrs DDJC
And the extra safety stuff on my van reflects that.
But If I lost the bus, I could not replace it and everything in it, within a few days like Bill-H says he could. It would take months. And I wouldn't want to, which is why I have gone heavy on security.

Losing the van would be a serious inconvenience and I would be very cross, so yes some security is a good idea. However the word inconsolable suggests an event that would impact on ones life for many years to come and I would not want any of my possessions to hold such a potentially devastating position in my life. It would not be a healthy position to be in.

 

[Bill-H]

But If I lost the bus, I could not replace it and everything in it, within a few days like Bill-H says he could. It would take months. And I wouldn't want to, which is why I have gone heavy on security.

I've only got clothes, bedding, kitchen stuff, camping chairs, table and tools in mine - all of which can be readily bought. I had a converted van stolen in the 80s, did me a favour in a round about way as I made a better job of the replacement . I supose that if my house burnt down while I was away it would be a little inconvenient as I couldn't replace some of the old family photos, but have jpeg copies of them. The rest is just 'stuff' and I could live in a caravan I have on my smallholding while it was sorted.
Having your house burgled, vandalised ir burnt down is much more serious for most people I guess, so you must have some extremly high levels of security there else you'd spend the whole time away worrying about it.

 

[The Wino]

Latest recorded numbers of MHs in UK indicate 300k. Your AI figures suggest close to 1 in 100 are stolen annually. Seems a lot.

But the 4000 includes campers motorhomes and caravans. Out of that 4000 it could be any number that are motorhomes so it's probably a lot less than 1% otherwise the insurance claims would be a lot higher and the premiums.

 

[the1andonly]

Had a little conversation at last insurance renewal,
do you have any physical mechanical antitheft devices for example a clutch claw
yes, why
if you list them we can get an extra discount.
oh what if i forget to fit one and it gets stolen
that will affect the payment.
OK i'll continue to fit them and not bother telling you just in case i forget to fit. (should really have asked about the cost/ benefit equation but its insurance so unlikely to be in my favour)
Ps I have 4 yellows mostly fitted and the hidden devices including the poison blow dart wielding pigmys.

 

[Orion]

Cane Corso and a German Shepherd would be perfect… struggle with a PVC though!

The Corso looks the part of big guard dog and GS just delivers…

And a Malinois would be ‘Express Delivery’!

 

[Tony50]

I was speaking to a chap who said his neighbours caravan was stolen by someone with crane, !! They lifted it over his fence, don't know how true this is, seemed to be reasonable bloke who told me

 

[meanders]

I usually reverse the polarity on the EHU, then the outside of the van is electrified. I dare anyone to touch it

You have a serious wiring error if it is. The body should be connected to earth. Revering live and neutral might put you at slightly increased risk when using appliances, but the RCD sits between live neutral and earth to protect you. Any imbalance between live and neutral currents, indicating a leakage to earth will cut the power in milliseconds.

Anything that deliberately makes the chassis live would be a criminal offence if anyone got hurt. Electric fences deliver a pulsed and none lethal shock.

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[Garfields]

Reading through this I worry that some folk have no exit plan for an emergency.
We have a pvc and have a way to release the rear doors at a push if we had to. Not easy but doable.
I appreciate that most of the concerns are for when the vehicles are left unattended.

 

[motorhumour]

I've only got clothes, bedding, kitchen stuff, camping chairs, table and tools in mine - all of which can be readily bought. I had a converted van stolen in the 80s, did me a favour in a round about way as I made a better job of the replacement . I supose that if my house burnt down while I was away it would be a little inconvenient as I couldn't replace some of the old family photos, but have jpeg copies of them. The rest is just 'stuff' and I could live in a caravan I have on my smallholding while it was sorted.
Having your house burgled, vandalised ir burnt down is much more serious for most people I guess, so you must have some extremly high levels of security there else you'd spend the whole time away worrying about it.

You make a very good point… I am getting ready for our motorhome to arrive, I have cctv, tracker and will have some visual stuff like disk lock etc….. but it has now made me realise that my house the weak point in our security…
None of our locks on the house are anti snap or anti bump eurolocks…. That’s about to change…
We have 2 proper E-Mtbs that are now very secure in the shed, but if you come in the house you can help yourself to the keys…
That will change this weekend with some proper locks on the house…..

 

[Montezuma]

I know of a chap, a motorhoming acquaintance, who had his Merc based, elderly, MH nicked from outside his home.

It had just been in for a service and major repair, automatic gearbox, if I remember correctly; I think a reconditioned unit was fitted, or some such, very expensive anyway.

He was preparing for an early start on his holiday jaunt, and parked the van on the little service road outside his house.

The last task of the day was something that his missus had omitted to do, . . . check and clean the cutlery, and the drawer in which it was contained .

He took the offending tray, complete with utensils, into the house washed and cleaned everything, and thought that he would leave it on the draining board till the morning.

He went out in the morning at first light clutching the pristine drawer with its contents, but, LO and Behold, the MH had vanished, as if by magic. So all that remained of his pride and joy was a clean cutlery drawer, and some cutlery.

Several theories were offered; had he forgotten to lock the vehicle, he claimed definitely not; had some ne’er-do-well, from the 'garage', copied his keys and offered them to miscreants, or, and this was not mentioned, and went unsaid, was it a diabolical insurance scam ?

Notwithstanding, his replacement vehicle is now equipped with every possible sort of security device imaginable. The piece de resistance, which I think is probably illegal, is some sort of gizmo that will give any nasty chap who tries to steal his catalytic converter a very sharp shock, . . . . . . . literally; it is wired up through a system which utilises an inverter (don't ask me, electrics is a black art) to give a would-be thief a bit of a belt, if removal is attempted. A subtle strobe-light emanates from under the vehicle when the system is in operation, . . . . . . in the dark it looks like a space ship.

Don't ask me how it's wired, and what it does to battery-life when not on EHU, I haven't a clue.

Paranoid, methinks, . . . . . . I just have a Catlok security device installed on my catalytic converter. These exhaust system components are still quite sought after by thieves.

 

[DDJC]

You make a very good point… I am getting ready for our motorhome to arrive, I have cctv, tracker and will have some visual stuff like disk lock etc….. but it has now made me realise that my house the weak point in our security…
None of our locks on the house are anti snap or anti bump eurolocks…. That’s about to change…
We have 2 proper E-Mtbs that are now very secure in the shed, but if you come in the house you can help yourself to the keys…
That will change this weekend with some proper locks on the house…..

You've set me thinking.

My MH is actually far more secure than my house*. I think that when I retire (in forty one long tortuous days time - wuhoo!), in amongst all the other bits SWMBO has on my joblist, I need to address that.

*alarm, two immobilisers, Fiamma locks on hab and garage, HEO deadlocks on cab doors, window locks, keys in Faraday box, disklok, kept behind locked gate with four padlocks, locked ground spikes, heavy duty chain attached to the trailer.

 

[Jabstatt]

I don't keep mine on the drive!

I don't want to look at it, walk around it, ask my neighbours to look at it and advertise when I go away!

Simples.

Tony

 

[gus-lopez]

suggests an event that would impact on ones life for many years to come

It would.

 

[The Wino]

I don't keep mine on the drive!

I don't want to look at it, walk around it, ask my neighbours to look at it and advertise when I go away!

Simples.

Tony

Moving to somewhere that we could keep it on the drive and leave it on hook up before going away and use it occasionally as extra accommodation for guests was one of the best things we ever did also saved a lot on storage.

 

[Happi]

On the flip side ignoring PCV for a moment - the windows and skylights are easy pickings for breaking into if doors are secure .

Such great feedback do you have any recommendations for the sky lights please? Newbie here and just bought my first motorhome so currently looking through these forums for additional security ideas. Appreciate any feedback you may have.

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[iandsm]

I have a grands worth of alarm and immobiliser along with a tracker. Each door has it's own chained deadlock for use where we feel we might need them. The only way into our van is with a sledgehammer or chainsaw. But if you walked past us in the day on a site it would look like we had no security at all.

Or you could be a little more obvious

 

[Coolcats]

As I have discussed on these forums we have fitted hook type deadlocks, a drivers door Proplate and bought a Disklok for our new van.
We are on a site at the moment and it looks like we are the only people to have any physical security measures.
It makes me wonder about the real risk of theft, perhaps I am concerned without good reason, maybe even a little paranoid?

Better being paranoid than the vehicle stollen, if a van is going to go missing it may well be one of the others. Good for you and dont worry about looking as if your paranoid there lots of us about

 

[gus-lopez]

OK i'll continue to fit them and not bother telling you just in case i forget to fit.

there answer to that might well be the same as the answer to me when I said exactly that about the alarm on the house
" if you have one & do not tell us you will not be covered due to the fact that if you have one then that indicates to thieves that you have something worth stealing" *
same would apply to all the multiple devices used to secure a van i'd have thought?
* " & if you do have one it has to be set/used on every occasion the property is empty or at night or you are not insured again"

 

[Jev88]

Such great feedback do you have any recommendations for the sky lights please? Newbie here and just bought my first motorhome so currently looking through these forums for additional security ideas. Appreciate any feedback you may have.

You might not like this but there's not a lot you can do about the roof lights that I am aware of. But I know some of the fancy alarms out there have sensors to put on internal windows?

Side windows - there are various after market levers and small attachments that lock the standard locking handles in place, often seen at Warner shows "stop the thief" or similar titles. On older windows a butter knife between the rubber seal and the window and flick the lever across - bit like old sash windows?

20 x Caravan Window Security Lock (Caravan & Motorhome) swift bailey 20 x Caravan Window Security Lock (Caravan & Motorhome) swift bailey
£19.34

 

[B+W vanman]

Personally, I’ve always taken the view that you should deter the opportunistic/casual thief ie lock your car, close and lock the windows and doors of your house, secure your property generally when you’re out, or otherwise engaged, and have some visual deterrence to ensure the casual miscreant moves on.
However, I believe that most modern cars are very difficult to steal without the keys, once properly locked
If a professional car thief really wants your vehicle, they will break into your house and steal the keys, or approach and threaten you (and possibly yours) and demand them.
What would you do? Fight them?
I personally would hand over the car

 

[swemmy666]

By the time we get the clutch claw, the disklok, the drivers seat secured wrong way round, the straps on both doors ....I feel like squaring up to the skanks and shouting "MON THEN COME AHEAD " .....

"clutch claw, the disklok, the drivers seat secured wrong way round" takes me less than 2 minutes, the seat locks the hardest, as I have to use the same hand to hold the lock and turn the key

 

[Happi]

You might not like this but there's not a lot you can do about the roof lights that I am aware of. But I know some of the fancy alarms out there have sensors to put on internal windows?

Side windows - there are various after market levers and small attachments that lock the standard locking handles in place, often seen at Warner shows "stop the thief" or similar titles. On older windows a butter knife between the rubber seal and the window and flick the lever across - bit like old sash windows?

20 x Caravan Window Security Lock (Caravan & Motorhome) swift bailey 20 x Caravan Window Security Lock (Caravan & Motorhome) swift bailey
£19.34
View attachment 1101137

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I read a post on a van life video that recommended a plastic clip on the roof lights which was swiftly followed my lots of comments that they were easy to remove. If they are professionals they will arrive with all the tools, my aim is to slow anyone down and provide time to act should a break in happen whilst we are in the van. I will also check on the alarm I have to see if it has a sensor on the roof lights. Thanks again for taking the time to respond, I have roller shutters on the windows however I will now source some of these. Huge thank you and have a blessed day.