tdm@akguc.att.com writes >
> I used to use a "crook lock" that I brought back from the UK.
> It is similar to the "Bar" or whatever it is called. It is
That would be THE CLUB.
> a steel bar with a crook or cane on each end with a lock in the
> middle. It goes around the clutch and the steering wheel. I
> would like to use it on my MG but have lost the key. It made me
> feel more comfortable anyway.
I remember the CROOK LOCK. It shares the same disadvantage as THE CLUB.
They are both made of super-hard steel, but your steering wheel rim is
not. A quick snip and little bend, and away we go. Amazingly, all the
media and police endorsements seem to ignore this fact. Just once I saw a
TV news feature where they got an ex-thief security expert to approach a
car with BOTH a CROOK LOCK and THE CLUB attached. He was in the car for
about 5 seconds, and they both came clattering out onto the pavement,
still locked. The wheel bends right back to almost-OK shape, and is
easily replaced later, or if the car is chop-shop bound, it does not matter.
Like most things, it helps prevent casual joyriders, but does not even
slow down an actual car thief. Maybe luxury cars will start offering
hardened steel steering wheels.
How about the wheel locks J C Whitless sells? The thing clamps around one
road wheel so you can't drive the car. There is a plate that goes in
front of the wheel so you can't take the wheel off and replace it with
another because you can't reach the bolts. No device is perfect, but this one
will slow 'em down. The only downside I can see is that a thief stupid
enough to miss it, even though it is brightly-painted, might damage the
brake calipers or something by trying to drive the car.
Phil Ethier, THE RIGHT LINE, 672 Orleans St, Saint Paul, MN 55107-2676 USA
h (612) 224-3105 w (612) 266-6244 phile@stpaul.gov
"Smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go." - Stan Rogers
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