Chicago Locksmiths excels at providing vehicular locksmith services to the entirety of the Windy City. In order to do so, we need to be experts at all aspects of car security. Here’s a brief guide prepared by our expert locksmiths on how to ensure that your cars are protected from theft.
Keeping Doors Locked
Make sure that your car doors are locked at all times including when you are driving. Car doors cannot be broken through with the exact same methods that door locks can be, but that doesn’t mean that car thieves don’t’ have a ton of tricks up their sleeves to steal your vehicle. There’s many car thieves that are crafty and pay attention to every opportunity they have to steal a car, including car jacking, so make sure your doors are always locked.
Never Leave your Car Fully Unattended
Try to park in well lit areas where they will always be in somebody’s line of sight, as car thieves usually prefer to attempt stealing cars parked in isolated areas where their actions aren’t visible.
Don’t leave your car idly running
Car thieves often wait for an opportunity where they find a car idly running as it’s one of the smoothest ways to jack a car. Make sure to adopt the practice of turning your vehicle off and stowing all your property away if you’re moving away from your car at any moment- and make sure to take the keys with you!
Roll up your windows
Windows are one of the most common access points for car thieves, so make sure that they are always rolled all the way up when your vehicle is parked. This is a big mistake, as it gives thieves direct entrance to your cars, where if given enough time they can forcibly start the car’s engine.
Car Alarms
Make sure that you have a car alarm installed or already present in your vehicle to help notify you or anyone in the vicinity of your vehicle that something shady might be going on. Most modern cars have keyless entry remotes paired with alarms – and you can even improve security through the use of a cruciform lock.
Route Planning
Make sure to have a vague idea of what your route getting to destinations are so that you are more prepared, and can be protected from the eventuality of a car thief catching you off guard when you’re stranded in a weird area trying to figure out directions. Of course, it isn’t always possible to have a detailed itinerary planned, but you really should do so when you can.
Car Maintenance
Make sure that your car’s door locks – and the lock’s cylinders, alarm systems, key fobs, and linked alarm systems are working properly. Without proper maintenance, it’s likely that eventually one of these systems will require repair, and without maintenance, you won’t even know if this is the case. Make sure to pay attention to how various systems of your car work as they function.
Don’t Keep Valuables visible in your car
When parking or leaving your car for any amount of time, make sure to place all valuables or objects that could inspire or tempt a potential car thief in your car’s trunk so that they are not visible. Sometimes, car thieves will do so much as to smash a car’s window simply to access objects that they’ve visually clocked as profitable to steal.
