Thursday, November 6, 2008
- Take Your Keys
- Lock Your Car
- Never Hide a Second Set of Keys in Your Car
- Park in Well-lighted Areas
- Park in Attended Lots
- If You Park in an Attended Lot, Leave Only the Ignition/Door Key
- Never Leave Your Car Running, Even if You'll Only Be Gone for a Minute
- Completely Close Car Windows When Parking
- Don't Leave Valuables in Plain View
- Park With Your Wheels Turned Towards the Curb
- If Your Vehicle is Rear-Wheel Drive, Back Into Your Driveway
- Always Use Your Emergency Brake When Parking
- If You Have a Garage, Use It
- When Parking in a Garage, Lock the Garage Door and Your Vehicle
- Don't Leave the Registration or Title in Your Car
- Disable Your Vehicle When Leaving it Unattended for an Extended Period
- Replace "T"-shaped Door Locks With Straight Locks
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) stolen cars/parts are more easily traced when vehicle VIN numbers have been etched on car windows and major parts.
- Engrave Expensive Accessories
- Drop Business Cards, Address Labels, or Other I.D. Inside Vehicle Doors
- Ignition Kill Switch, splice an inexpensive toggle switch into your ignition wire or to your starter. Hide the switch well.
- Fuel Kill Switch
- Visible Steering Wheel Lock
- Floorboard Locks
- Gearshift Lock
- Tire/Wheel Locks
- Hood Locks
- Armored Collar Around the Steering Column
- Alarms
- Vehicle Tracking
- Be Suspicious of any deal that seems "too good to be true."
- When buying from a private individual, make sure the title and registration match the ame and address of the person selling the car.
- Be cautious of seller with no fixed address, place of employment or phone number.
- Ask the seller for references about past financing and insurance on the vehicle. Verify the information with the bank, finance company, or agent.
- Ensure the vehicle identification number (VIN) plate on the automobile’s dash is present, secure, and has no loose rivets.
- Check to ensure the VIN plate has not been repainted and the numbers stamped in the plate appear to be original factory numbers.
- Ensure the VIN plate rivets are original. All 1970 and newer autos produced in North America have stainless steel "rosette" rivets with six petals and a hole in the middle. They are difficult to scratch with a knife.
- Thieves may remove the VIN plate and replace it with one from a similar wrecked vehicle. If in doubt about plate authenticity, check with a new car dealer who handles the same model, or contact a law enforcement agency.
- The VIN on the dash must match the VIN on the registration, title and federal safety inspection sticker on the driver's door.
- If the VIN plate is scratched, bent or missing rivets, tampering may have occurred.
- Make sure the federal safety inspection sticker, located on the driver's door or doorjamb, is securely in place and none of the numbers appear to be tampered with.
- Beware of a loose dashboard.
- An excessively loose ignition switch may indicate tampering. Check the switch for chisel or pull marks.
- Be wary of a fresh paint job on a newer vehicle. This may indicate an attempt to change the car's identity.
- Check the inspection and license plate stickers to be sure they are current and issued by the same state.
- If the seller provides you with only re-made keys, not original manufacturer's keys, for a newer model car, be suspicious.
- Titles and registrations are frequently counterfeited. Therefore, demand the title before paying, and make sure it matches the registration. By completing all paperwork at the time of sale, you avoid giving the thief extra time to obtain fraudulent documents.
- Question the seller if the registration was recently issued on an older vehicle.
- Compare the engine identification numbers with all other numbers to ensure a match.
- Be cautious of new license plates on an old car, or new plate bolts on an older plate.
posted by transport blogs
@ 9:04 PM
permanent link | Post a Comment |
Clock
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home