10 Street-Smart Ways to Prevent Thieves from Stealing Your Vehicle

Any car, particularly the brand new ones, are like "moving cash vaults" for car thieves. Throw all these vehicles together in one place, and these crooks will literally feel they're in Disneyland on Wheels.

Your job is to let them know your car's not something they can mess around with. Otherwise, you're throwing away your money for something you could have prevented from happening in the first place.

You probably already know the basics of safeguarding your vehicle: keep your windows closed; don't leave your keys in the ignition; don't leave your valuables in sight; park at a secure place; and place an alarm and steering lock inside your car. And while they're all great, there are also those that street-smart drivers do that give them a better edge than the rest of us. Let's take a page from their rule book and add these to your list:

1) Get a tire and brake lock.

Are you planning to park your car in an unknown area outside? Then make sure to use a tire and brake lock. Tire brakes are commonly used by the police for illegally-parked cars, and you can see them from time to time. Brake locks aren't as common, but you can still buy them at less than P3,000 in good car gadget shops.  They can be cumbersome to use, since it takes time to lock and unlock them, but they can be a great deterrent for outsiders, especially if you're going to park it in one place for long periods.

2) Use a baby monitor.

Yes, a baby monitor is actually a serious gadget for car owners. Choose the ones that are wireless and with audio and night vision. Leave them on the dashboard so they can be visibly seen by thieves. And don't forget to turn the volume up so you can hear if someone's breaking your windows.

3) Install a kill switch.

It may not be something you can do yourself, but if you have the money, have someone install a kill switch inside your car. These devices stop the flow of electricity to the fuel pump, preventing your car from starting. You need to flick a switch to get the car working again.

The best way to use it is to hide them from sight so the thieves won't be able to switch them back; another great way is to buy two or more of them, and designate an order that they must be switched back. That's far better and more frustrating for any thief.

4) Bring your steering wheel with you.

Thinking of parking your car at an open spot for a long time? Then just take the steering wheel with you. This is especially true if yours is a quick-release steering wheel,  which you can easily install in 30 minutes or less.

5) Park facing your house.

We know it's easier--and much faster to get out your garage when you park with your car's nose facing the gate. However, you're also making it easier for thieves to steal it.

Do yourself a favor and park nose-first facing your house. Not only will this make it harder for thieves to get your car out, you'd more likely see them doing it faster than when your car's front is facing away from you.

6) Be unpredictable.

Don't do the same routine when parking your car--change it up every five or seven days. Choose another parking space; change your time of arrival and departure; commute instead of driving that day. This makes it harder for thieves to anticipate your next move.

7) Use all your glass windows.

Have your vehicle's identification number etched on ALL your glass windows (even the uppermost corner of your car's front and rear windows). This will deter thieves from stealing your car, because they don't want to waste money replacing all your car's glass windows.

8) Park strategically.

No, we're not telling you to park at a public place with good lighting. That's a given--and you probably know this already. What we mean here is to choose the right location and angle when parking your car.

Here's why: There are some thieves that don't break a window to get inside--they prefer to just tow away your entire vehicle. You can make it very difficult for car thieves to do this just by parking your car on incline (whenever possible) and on gear (not neutral). It's also important to turn your tires completely sideways toward a curb or any kind of obstruction (or another vehicle). Believe us, they'll break a sweat just by maneuvering your vehicle to where they want it to be.

9) Install a GPS and a camera.

They're both handy in case your car does get stolen. Not only will GPS help you locate your car, the camera will show who are the perpetrators of the crime.

10)  Drive a manual.

When all else fails, drive a manual transmission car. Not everyone knows how to drive it, which is a great deterrent on its own.