Wheel locks really work?

[WondrousBread]

In my opinion, wheel locks are not a preventative against theft, they are an irritant towards potential thieves.

It's the same reasoning behind a steering wheel lock, or a fuel cutoff switch. It isn't going to stop someone who is determined to take YOUR car in particular, but it is going to be irritating enough that someone who is just looking to steal ANY car will probably move on to the next one. Especially if they need to make noise / draw attention to circumvent your anti-theft measures.

Your car will never be impossible to steal, but you can make it irritating enough to steal that the thief will decide to steal the car next to it. Wheels are no different.

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by Traction
Some locks are impossible to grip with anything, and I've had to do some creative welding to get them off.


The good ones at least.

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by rubberchicken
We talked briefly about wheel locks, steering wheel clubs, home security, all sorts of topics. His take on wheel locks is that they are a good thing: "Wheel locks are easy to defeat if you have the right tools. But they take extra time and preparation to defeat, and they cause noise. It is difficult to defeat wheel locks without drawing attention to yourself. The act of removing wheel locks without the correct key is unusual, it draws attention. The banging and vibration sometimes set off car alarms. " He had a lot of opinions on what things are worth the time and money, and what things are worthless. His opinion is that spending $25-30 on a decent set of wheel locks is a cheap deterrent, " its very cost effective , it makes me do extra work. If I am planning on stealing the car then its just a nuisance , but on the off chance I am just trying to boost the rims it makes me think twice.". It cuts down on amateurs and crimes of opportunity.


This is pretty much it.

During my last months working at a BMW dealer, we had a new-car overflow lot a couple streets away where the old dealership used to be. Not to long after I left that place a lot of wheels were stolen off those brand new BMWs overnight - and all of them came with wheel locks. Assuming this wasn't an inside job, if a thief wants your wheels or ride they'll get it no matter what. But it does help against the amateur guys who don't come prepared or don't want to garner a lot of attention.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by XCIDMigs
I am a LEO officer with 23 years in a low income town where thefts of all types are prevalent, I have seen perhaps 2 cases of legit stolen rims on vehicles as compared to perhaps 1 stolen vehicle per week. Meanwhile I have dealt with wheel locks that were damaged when mechanics did not realize they were installed or just didn't' care and decided to just try to zip them off with the larger socket. My 2 cents would be they are a waste of time money and if you are not deligent with the key good luck. However its not a big expense so if you sleep better do it. The Club was the same exact thing 30 years ago, I almost want to buy one of those now just for the nostalgia factor.


I think I still have The Club in a closet somewhere. I don't think I have the key though. I used to just put it on without locking it. I figured if someone broke in and was that determined to steal the car, it wouldn't matter if it was locked or not. I got tired of using it after a while and just stopped.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by Wolf359
I think I still have The Club in a closet somewhere. I don't think I have the key though. I used to just put it on without locking it. I figured if someone broke in and was that determined to steal the car, it wouldn't matter if it was locked or not. I got tired of using it after a while and just stopped.

Someone at work still uses one. Granted it's in a '65 Mustang (or similar year).

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

FWIW I bought a Club 27 years ago to keep my separated (now ex) wife from simply taking my car (she had the other one) whenever she felt like it. Gave it to my daughter a couple of years ago after her older Acura was snatched and recovered. Never taken when Club installed, stolen once more when it wasn't. Both times I believe it was stolen by someone with a master key simply to save him the cost of an Uber ride. The Club made it not worth his while.

Not really a fan of wheel locks since the wife lost the key to hers and had to pay to have them removed. If someone is going to risk their life for a set of rims and tires, they can have them if they don't get caught.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted by MoneyJohn
And I really don't understand why you would lose the key?


The dealer I work at puts wheel locks on most new cars during PDI...turns out a former tech who worked here a few weeks was throwing out not only the boxes with the key code, but the keys themselves. The shop ended up buying new lock sets when those cars got their first tire rotations. Thankfully when we started doing the wheel lock thing, we bought a master set of keys from McGard.

Aside from nonsense like that, a lot of people just aren't very organized with their car stuff. The wheel lock key winds up in the same black hole as the owner's manual and jack.

I think any deterrent helps a little, just make sure you keep the key AND the box with the code for the lock set.

 

[chainblu]

When I used to work in a tire shop, whenever I was finished with the wheel lock key I would either put it in the customer's hand or back in the glovebox. Either way, I noted where I put it in the work order notes.

 

[Traction]

Originally Posted by 01rangerxl
Originally Posted by MoneyJohn
And I really don't understand why you would lose the key?


The dealer I work at puts wheel locks on most new cars during PDI...turns out a former tech who worked here a few weeks was throwing out not only the boxes with the key code, but the keys themselves. The shop ended up buying new lock sets when those cars got their first tire rotations. Thankfully when we started doing the wheel lock thing, we bought a master set of keys from McGard.

Aside from nonsense like that, a lot of people just aren't very organized with their car stuff. The wheel lock key winds up in the same black hole as the owner's manual and jack.

I think any deterrent helps a little, just make sure you keep the key AND the box with the code for the lock set.

I'm pretty sure any good thief would have a whole selection of master keys, and some techs like to add to their collection, or pitch them for fun.

 

[rubberchicken]

Originally Posted by MoneyJohn
My mechanic in favor of using wheel locks. And I really don't understand why you would lose the key? I always left it in glove box and never had a problem. The mechanic needed it only once a year at the time of inspection. Don't understand why it is such a bother.

Originally Posted by rubberchicken

He had a lot of other cool stories- if I remember some more details I might post some extra stuff.

I would be interested in the stories if you can recall and have time to write it up.


For some reason I cannot remember too much else- I was a couple of beers into the event- a 25 year high school reunion, and it was a few years back.
A couple of quotes " by any chance did you have a Kryptonite lock on your motorcycle ?" - referencing an old issue where Kryptonite locks could be defeated by a BIC Pen body or something similar. (No)
" The models we grabbed most often were Honda Civics (and some popular pickup truck that I forget). I never had a chance to steal a Lambo, or a Peugeot, or a Fiat. Nobody wants anything to do with Fiat around here". (this was confusing, I think he meant no demand for cars and parts)
" Demand changes year to year, season to season. "
" There is good money in junk yards, I was trying to diversify and go legit. As long as your employees treat you fair, and you quickly weed out the bad ones. And you stay clean enough to keep the EPA off your nuts".

He was an interesting guy, always a car nut and a good mechanic, well spoken and kept a low profile.