Has anybody installed a battery isolator?

workaccount

Hi,
Some young lads tried to steal my car last week. It's an old car and had no security. I'm thinking of fitting a battery isolator to install under the seat or in the glovebox.

Also thinking about a decoy alarm and stickers. There's a possibility of a disklok but there very expensive.

I can get the isolator from ebay but looking for instructions on how to install it....what kind of cable etc. Just looking here on google and haven't come across anything.

BeardyGit

I'm not joking when I write that the best way to protect a car against thieving filth like that is a BFO chain and lock. €50 should see something suitable from a hardware shop or similar. Run it down around the seat mounts and through two segments of the steering wheel, if that makes sense to you.

They'll have to cut and bend the steering wheel in two places or take the seat out to get to a point where they can steer it, let alone start it. To be honest, most scum won't run the risk of making the noise or taking the time they'll take to do either of those things. They don't have the intelligence to facilitate the attention span it would require.

If you really want to, you could fit a passive immobiliser kit for small money. I noticed Maplins are doing one for about €25 at the moment, which is fine I reckon for those older cars that never came with one in the first place. Even if you've to pay someone to fit it for you, it should cost less than €100 all in I'd reckon.

For me though, BFO chain and padlock all the way.

Or a BFO dog with BFO teeth and an empty belly.... What? You actually like your seats/upholstery?

Max_Damage

A big heavy duty chain around the sterring wheel.

Del2005

What Gil_Dub says is correct, but maybe look to getting some sort of cheap alarm also.
Better to keep then out of the car then let then get in and make sh!te of the car trying to get it started. And when it's outside your house you'll here them breaking in. They aren't too worried about breaking every bit of the of a car to try and get it started.

Rebeller

workaccount wrote: »

Hi,
Some young lads tried to steal my car last week. It's an old car and had no security. I'm thinking of fitting a battery isolator to install under the seat or in the glovebox

What about just removing the fuse for the starter motor?

Maybe not the most convenient solution every time you're out and about but would be fine for when you park up for the night.

+1 for heavy duty chain etc. as a visual deterrent.

eringobragh

I'm sure a disklok will deter them I have one some one tried to nick mine even though its immboilised etc

The steering wheels easy hack through with a junior hacksaw I know someone who had a thick Mr T :pac: chain on steering wheel and they cut the steering wheel and shoved the chain under the seat.

Del2005

eringobragh wrote: »

I'm sure a disklok will deter them I have one some one tried to nick mine even though its immboilised etc

The steering wheels easy hack through with a junior hacksaw I know someone who had a thick Mr T :pac: chain on steering wheel and they cut the steering wheel and shoved the chain under the seat.

Most of then diskloks aren't worth buying as they can be defeated easier then cutting the wheel. All your doing with the chain is hoping they won't steal your car and move onto someone elses, cause if they really want it they'll get it.

JoeySully

i used to remove the rotor out of the distributor cap and put it into my pocket if i parked my car in a dodgy area. thieves might carry fuses around or just use one of the other unnecessary fuses to pop into the one you removed, but the chances of them having a rotor arm are quite slim.;)

eringobragh

Del2005 wrote: »

Most of then diskloks aren't worth buying as they can be defeated easier then cutting the wheel. All your doing with the chain is hoping they won't steal your car and move onto someone elses, cause if they really want it they'll get it.

Indeed a lot of them are, I ripped the GFs T-Rex off in 10 seconds no joke:p

But the "disk-lok" below that I have is pretty tough



Anything can be defeated its just making it more difficult. OP how about a fuel pump / starter motor kill switch, I'd imagine the fuse thing would get tedious after a while. Maybe add a blue flashing LED or a Clifford LED off ebay.

blackbox

There are a few issues about having a battery isolator that make it less than practical for regular use.

My car has one, so I'm speaking from experience.

The main one is that unless you split the circuits, your radio will lose it's memory - all you presets will have to be set up every time. Also, your clock will stop.

Depending on the type of engine management system you have, this may also lose its memory. Mine takes several minutes of rough running to re-learn settings from scratch.

For practical purposes, you will want to fit the switch near the battery to avoid long lengths of VERY heavy cable. Mine is fitted on the earth between the battery and the body.

I'd be wary of fitting a switch to a fuel pump for fear of damaging injectors.

Personally I think a visible deterrent is a better option. If your car is very valuable you might consider a tracking device.

Steve

Gil_Dub pretty much summed up my thoughts.

Unless the car is expensive or high powered (in which case you should invest in some proper security) then a chain is the best bet.

Most car thieves are lazy opportunists and they'll simply move on to the next one rather than go through the hassle (and time) of defeating a chain.

ianobrien

What I've done, as well as the BFO chain, is added an extra wire into the loom, with an OEM connector under the steering column, with the rest of the connections. If I make the connection, I bypass the coil. Result, no spark.

If I want the car to start, break the connection. It's tougher to spot than a switch etc. and easier & quicker to do than taking out the rotor arm

If the car hasn't a coil, but a coil-pack, it won't work