Use wheel locks!

[TheJANG]

Earlier in the week I was on my usual BART ride home and happened to notice a white Evo in the Bayfair station parking lot. I immediately thought to myself, "Coo!" But then I noticed it was on blocks with no wheels, and I thought to myself "oh HAIL no :evil: " There were a few folks around the car looking pretty lost, so I figured it was the owner and friends/family. My stop is the next one on the line, Hayward, so I drove back to Bayfair to see if I could help.

Bastards had ripped off the Enkei's on this guy's fresh new car (still with dealer faux-plates) in the middle of broad daylight, jacking it up and using stacks of some plastic soda syrup crates as jack stands. They put the makeshift stands square beneath each door, letting the weight of the car crush the side skirts up and jam the doors in.

I thought with two spares he'd be able to get a traditional lift tow truck to hold up the front for the trip and then set it down on stands, but I guess the Mitsubishi roadside assistance line would only send a full car carrier, so it wasn't until he got 2 more loaner wheels the next day that he was able to get the car home.

Imagine the frustration, irritation, and disgust! Moral of the story? If you don't have wheel locks, drive down to your nearest Mitsubishi dealer tomorrow morning and make the investment.

[wilson1]

Wow!
Would wheellock helps?

[EvoVIII]

when did this happen? is the car still there?

[TheJANG]

Wow!
Would wheellock helps?

Wheel locks make it much more difficult for thieves to get the wheels off, thus usually making them pass & go for easier pray.


when did this happen? is the car still there?

Forget which day it was, this whole week was a blur to me.

[SouthernCrane]

If they want it, not even wheel locks will help....sorry to hear about that guys EVO. :(

[kimmievo]

I better get some pronto!!!!

[EvolvedDSM]

If they want it, not even wheel locks will help....sorry to hear about that guys EVO. :(

+1

I lost the key to my wheel locks once and had to improvise. I was surprised how easy they were to remove with traditional hand tools. If you get Mitsu's locks, they only offer like 5 variants. Anyone can walk into the dealership and get all of the keys. Granted, they deter your spur-of-the-moment theif, but if they're serious, they'll get it.

Devil's advocate: So, you've got your wheel locks on and the scum still wants your rims... no problem. They'll just take the whole car and work around them at their convenience in a "safe" location.

[robi]

thats what lojac is for

[TheJANG]

Sure, a determined thief can always just tow your car away or something, but you can't deny that wheel locks do help deter fast-hit wheel thefts. The only thing close to a true preventative device is a full set of wheel boots like those used by parking enforcement.

Doing *something* has to be better than doing nothing, though.

[TylerO@WORKS]

thats what lojac is for

[warpspeed]

Alot of guys also don't realize that those wheel locks should be torque down also, not just snug. Remember, besides being wheels locks, they are also lug nuts, so don't forget to tighten them. :wink:

[Susurrus]

Sorry...but WTF is lojac? :oops:

Sus

[DR_EVIL]

first modification done to mine

[EvolvedDSM]

Sorry...but WTF is lojac? :oops:

Sus

The opposite of highjack ;)

I'm pretty sure it's just a transponder placed in your vehicle that allows the company to locate it. It may have some tie-in w/ the electronics in order to disable the car, but I don't know.

[SilverBullet]

Damn...I gotta get some locks !

[crapsstickman]

I know When I first got my Evo, that was first on my list. So little of an investment to calm my nerves. Kragen has these locks for like $15. Well worth the investment... Haven't had mine stolen yet. :wink:

[ob4]

It's always sad to see people getting rip off... anyways, besides the evo, what other car can use the evo stock enkei? probably not many, most honda (the biggest market for ripoffs) are 4 lug. I guess the thiefs are just going to sell them on ebay... so don't buy any evo parts from a non-evo owner on ebay...

[vtluu]

Lo-Jack is a "vehicle recovery system". Basically they hide a transponder somewhere in your car, and if it's ever stolen, you report the theft, the transponder is remotely activated, and the police can then locate your car and hopefully also the scumbags who stole it.

More info at: http://www.lojack.com/

I got it as a dealer-installed option on my Evo. Most insurance companies will give you some sort of discount for having a vehicle recovery system.

[BluEvo]

man, if you think that crazy. someone at Mitsu told me that some fools jacked 4 sets of wheels straight off the Evos in their back lot,.... behind locked fences. :shock: now thats some shit! can anyone say ..."inside job!"

[GokuSSJ4]

i don't see what other vehicels can these wheels fit on ?? :? :? :?
is sad to read stories like this , since there always people out there trying to make an easy $$$ ...

[DR_EVIL]

lojack & wheel locks oh so special combo

[vtluu]

I figure another good theft deterrent for wheels is curb rash. ;) No-one wants to steal wheels that are all scratched up, right?

[kataklyzm]

when i bought mine from capitol, ALL of the evos had wheel locks, free of charge when i bought them, anyway... the GSM told me they had like 6 sets of wheels stolen and two seats, and an ungodly amount of shift knobs stolen, not to mention floor mats

[kataklyzm]

man, if you think that crazy. someone at Mitsu told me that some fools jacked 4 sets of wheels straight off the Evos in their back lot,.... behind locked fences. :shock: now thats some shit! can anyone say ..."inside job!"

if it was capitol you are talking about, its really friggin easy. i always wondered about security when i worked there. none of the new cars in the back lot are locked, they all have keys in the cupholders, no cameras, and you can pretty much walk into the lot from a back alleyway toyota uses to park their cars, walk up an suv, step over the barbed wire, and right onto a montero's roof, and away you go. we had an eclipse stolen at night and found it in a creek a few weeks later. horrible security. i hope theyve changed that

[TheJANG]

Lol... when I bought my car at Capitol they had a 'Tegra back behind the Evos (I guess owned by one of the service guys?) that was sitting on the ground with no rims.

[SouthernCrane]

i don't see what other vehicels can these wheels fit on ?? :? :? :?
..

I've seen our rims on an Eclipse a few weeks ago. Not sure if it required any modification or not though.

[MarkSAE]

Don't forget about the tires that get stolen along w/ the rims! Our Yokohama Advans cost $210 each! Wheel locks were the first thing I installed on my EVO after I got it. Don't go by the "if a thief really wants it, he'll get it" thinking. Having an alarm and wheel locks will deter most thieves. A set of McGard wheel locks cost $25 at Napa Auto Parts.

[kataklyzm]

they'd prolly put it on anything with the same bolt pattern, wether the offset is good or not..thieves to the stupidest shit

[evo_dadi]

I figure another good theft deterrent for wheels is curb rash. ;) No-one wants to steal wheels that are all scratched up, right?

hey you talking about me ;)