Locking & Safety

[amcordo]

Hi All!

I park my LR Series III in a city and would like any/all advice you have for securing it.
1. Is there a way to lock the hood?
2. What else should I do to make it harder to steal?

[siii8873]

I have heard of guys installing a hidden battery cutoff switch. This would prevent starting of the truck.

[Firemanshort]

I live near Wash DC. I have owned a Series truck since 2000. I have never, ever locked anything on it - mostly becasue the locks were not there or did not work and I usaully have a soft top on.

I never leave anything inside of it.

Nobody has ever messed with it. Stinky, rusty old trucks are not on the local car thiefs top 10 lists.

Obvioulsy, your results may vary.

[Eric W S]

Leave the truck unlocked without anything of value in it. I live in Chicago. If they want it and it's locked they will smash a window.

[superstator]

I'm far more worried about vandalism than theft with mine, but so far nobody's messed with it. Like Eric said, I just never leave anything of value in it (or anything that they might mistake for something of value, like an empty box with a tarp over it). The lock hasn't been invented that can keep a determined meth head out, so I just make sure they don't want in in the first place.

[rbonnett]

I second that. i don't have keys for my doors, and a soft top anyway - so I just don't worry about it. I live in Portland, Maine - not the real city - though I did have a pickup taken here a few years ago. i agonized cuz I couldn;t remember if I locked bith dorrs - the cop told me it didn't matter. If they want your car they'll get it.

I too have nothing of value I leave in the Rover - except for my road tools. So far no one's looked under the driver's seat

[Jim-ME]

I do have working door locks but never use them because I also run a soft top. I do leave my GPS in it when its parked and have never had a problem in the big city of Bangor. I hope to someday have a Tuffy Security box which I can lock stuff in and I will also have an under the seat tool box when I swap out my seatbox. As far as someone stealing it I really think that the 3 levers on the floor plus that it is a standard will intimdate most young punks.
Jim

[Dubv1980]

Apparently, you can only respond to this thread if you live in Maine or Northern Virginia!
That said, I also concur...I lock the doors on my other vehicles, but on the series the locks are finicky and quite frankly, as was mentioned before, the kind of person thats going to steal a vehicle probably isn't going to find a 35 year old series truck to their liking...and thats if they can figure out how to start it, put it in geat (which shifter do I use!?), etc. I just wouldn't leave anything of value IN the truck and you'll probably be ok.

[SeriesShorty]

I live in St. Louis...the CITY. Remember the beginning of National Lampoons Vacation where they accidentally get off an exit in St. Louis? Yeah, that part of the city, I'm talking stone cold hood. There is at least a car or two stolen in my area each week. They've tried to steal my Discovery at least 7 times that I know of in the less than two years that I've lived here.

The Series has been parked on the street, unlocked, with the soft top rolled up year 'round and I've have no problems (knock on birmabright). When I first got the truck all the neighborhood kids would climb all in my truck uninvited and tell me that they could steal it cause it was open. So I showed the front passenger area and pointed to all of the sticks in the floor and asked them if they knew how to drive a car with 3 stick shifts, 8 forward gears and 2 reverse...then they went back to being kids just swinging from the hood sticks.

I also installed an electronic fuel pump with a switch. So unless you know where the switch is to get fuel to it you ain't going no where. Of course, they could always back a truck up to and drag it off, but so far everyone knows it's a lost cause to even bother with it.

Like everyone says, just don't leave stuff in it to draw attention. If you're still concerned, install a hidden battery disconnect. I did the disconnect in my Disco, yanked out the keyed ignition cylinder and installed 2 switches for on/accessory and a momentary switch for the starter. So far so good!

[Rineheitzgabot]

Deterrence

You can never stop someone from stealing your ride; however, you can make it difficult. And, this serves as the best measure for deterring theft of your vehicle.

In the mind of a criminal, being able to execute a car theft, quickly and easily, is important. The more time it takes to actually execute the theft, the more likely they will give up, or not even try. I agree with the people above, that all of the levers on the floor, alone, would make a would-be car thief, avoid any Series.

I have a battery cut-off switch, and whenever I park somewhere that concerns me, I cut off the battery, and I put the transfer case in neutral. So, even if the thief figures out why the starter won't crank and finds the cut-off switch (after several minutes of walking around the thing), and somehow gets it started, now he throws it in first to take off, and it won't go any where.

Again, all of these things will not absolutely stop a thief, however, it will really slow them down, and as I stated above, slowing them down, may encourage them to give up.

[Tim Smith]

If you are leaving the truck on the side of the street with the transfercase in neutral, be sure to turn the steering into the curb. I think you are more likely to have a kid hop in and disengage the parking brake than you are to have the thing stolen.

Considering that mine smells of impending explosion from years of leaking gas tanks, I'm more worried about someone tossing a cigarette in the wrong puddle than anything else.

[NickDawson]

Apparently, you can only respond to this thread if you live in Maine or Northern Virginia!

Not so - Central Virginia also counts...

I adopted the same philosophy that all soft top owners have - unlocked, not leaving anything important.

This is coming from a guy who grew up in a house we kept unlocked... on our family farm, we do lock the doors, but the key is on a hook next to the door...

I'm looking at a tuffy center console box to keep some things in, but again, nothing I couldn't live without.

[TeriAnn]

To answer your initial question, yes bonnet hasps are a factory option that I believe is still available, along with fuel filler cap hasps from the usual Land Rover parts specialists.

I have locks all over my truck. With 3 fuel tanks (42 gallon capacity) I keep my fuel caps locked. I don't get change back from my hundred dollar bill when I fill from dry and prefer for the fuel to be there in the morning.

I have a built in propane tank behind a door in the side of my truck. I lock the door when I'm not on the trail just because I'd otherwise worry about some idiot opening the valve just to see what would happen with a spark.

I have a built in 15 gallon stainless steel water tank and I would like to be assured that nothing adulterates my drinking water. So the cap also has a hasp and lock (keyed differently from the fuel tank locks).

In areas where I worry about vandals I'll lock my bonnet. 18 years ago I had someone pour dirt down my engine's oil filler tube.

I also figure that if someone is serious about taking my truck they will, but a Dormobile is real easy to spot in traffic and has a very limited market for parts or resale. I don't recall seeing any lists mentioning Series Land Rovers as being a high level theft target.

Like everyone else I tend not to lock my doors and weather permitting usually leave a window open in the hopes that someone would use the door latch and not break a window or prise the door. I figure anything inside (except on trips) is worth less than a door repair. On trips I try to keep anything worth anything well out of sight and if I'm feeling paranoid will buy a cheapo disposable camera and leave it in plain sight inside the vehicle with the real camera gear out of sight. I think there is a lot to be said about misdirection when dealing with a spur of the moment would be theft.

My biggest theft concern is someone walking by who might be under the influence of something deciding my truck was a cool African expedition truck that they just have to take for a joy ride just because it would be a cool thing to do.

Most people would not have a clue how to start and drive a factory positive earth Land Rover. If the three levers and a clutch don't intimidate them there is the mater of turning the starter motor. You need to know there is a starter button hidden away down on the bulkhead and that turning the ignition key would not turn the starter motor. For a little extra insurance I have a fuel selector switch with a fuel off position.

Bottom line is that I think it is prudent to protect against spur of the moment targets of oppertunity but most anyone can beak into a locked vehicle with break being the operative word. I assume no vehicle can be proof from someone with a tow rig or who knows Series Land Rovers and wants yours (did you know that a jumper wire between the top and bottom fuse turns on all the electrics and allows you to drive without a key?) Most would be joy riders would not know how to start and drive a Series rig and an extra switch or valve hidden away would discourage the would be joy riders who might know how to start & drive a Series Land Rover. Of course it never hurts to park near a high theft value vehicle.

I mostly use my door locks when I'm driving alone in an area that I think might be dangerous and then to protect myself and not the truck.

[thixon]

Don't know what I can add here other than that I'm from GA, thus destroying the Maine or Virginia theory.

I've used swithches for fuel pumps and battery cut-off switches in various cars and trucks before. Never had one stolen. I did find an old couple sitting in a '61 covette I resorted for my dad once. Apparently they "fell in love" over a summer when the guy had access to "this same car." They apologized for helping themselves, but still went a bit to far in my opinion.

On one occasion that I know of, an MGA in my area was a target of a thief. The owner (a close friend) had a battery cut off switch that the thief couldnt find. To celebrate his lack of success in starting the car, the jackhole released the brake, put the car in neutral, and let it roll down a hill into a tree. Nice guy.

[amcordo]

In Summary...

I'm glad I saw some posts in there about vandalism - that's one of my bigger concerns too. Sounds like overall the best methods for keeping the series safe from tampering is:

1. Keep nothing of value in it.
2. Keep doors and windows unlocked.
3. Lock the hood & spare tires if possible.
4. Install a battery cutoff.
5. Keep everything in neutral, but make sure I'm not on a hill.
6. Make sure to keep all oil full so I can follow the trail to it if it's stolen / create a puddle big enough around it to act as an oil-moat.

Thank you all for replying. All of your posts were not only great info, but some hilarious reading.

Considering that mine smells of impending explosion from years of leaking gas tanks, I'm more worried about someone tossing a cigarette in the wrong puddle than anything else.