Stoplock or steering wheel lock

[JCM71]

Hi

We have a new CH-R coming soon for my wife and she wants to get a Steering lock. Does anyone have any experience of a suitable steering lock that would fit on a CH-R? Looking at Stoplock and specifically the stoplock pro elite (although manufactures website does not state it is suitable on reviews have seen the pro elite model does fit). Also looked at the Milenco lock but reviews say this can damage the leather on a steering wheel due to the weight.

(Not looking to discuss the merits of keyless entry).

Thanks

 

J

[forkingabout]

Its a Toyota hybrid, there not high on car thieves wanted list.

A new C-HR will also have the theft resistant keyless fobs so you don't need to worry about that issue either.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Our Regional Police Force (West Midlands) recommend using a steering wheel lock regardless of car manufacturer's security measures, due to the increasing numbers of vehicle thefts. 

The only two steering wheel locks which have met Sold Secure's Gold and Secured By Design standards are the Disklok and the Milenco High Security Steering Wheel Lock. 

We use a couple of Isuzu branded Carplay Longarms which met the previous Thatcham standard for steering wheel locks. 

[Red_Corolla]

I heard that the disklocks are the most effective.

Don't forget that the keyless entry and start can be completely disabled via the car's menu if you feel more comfortable that way, thus removing it from any considerations as a potential security risk.

[Hornet3D]

I used a small DisKloK (13.7 - 15.3 inches 35cm - 39cm) on a Honda CRV that I owned for nine years. It is true that it can mark a steering wheel, particularly a leather one, but not if you purchase a wheel protective cover which is £15.55 on Amazon.  That makes the package around the £150 mark for the two which is not cheap but then 'Disklok has been awarded with the ‘Secured by Design’ accreditation by the official UK police initiative and the ‘Sold Secure’ Automotive Gold Rating certification.'  I used the Disklok extensively but always with the protective cover and the steering wheel was never marked in the nine years.  Surprisingly the small size also fits the Aygo, which I traded the CRV in for, so it is still in service today.  If I have one complaint it is that sometimes it is hard to get the key to push completely into the lock but it only ever delayed me for a couple of minutes and, considering the service it has given, that really is nitpicking.  I had need to have another key provided which I ordered using the reference tag supplied with the lock and that was sent in just about a week so good service as well.

It is testament to my history with the device that it is the first lock I looked for when buying the Aygo until I realised it would work there as well.

[Catlover]

Theft will be on the increase for sure as prices of gas, electric, council tax ie inflation in general shoots up, so wise to consider security measures now.

[forkingabout]

No sane car thief is going to walk past a C-HR & try to steal it unless they had access to the keys either by breaking in to the house / gym locker etc to get them OR forcible taking them from the owner - those situations would make the steering lock useless as they would have the keys.

The only other way would be to remove / lift it with a tow truck - again the steering lock will do nothing. 

The keyless fob is now secure against relay theft ( unlike earlier C-HR ) & there are far much easier cars to target that can disappear under a minute. 

For us everyday mortals if it was a keyless Ford product or something from the JLR product line up or a Audi / high end VW then yes you would be wise to take extra precautions.

 

[Hornet3D]

3 hours ago, forkingabout said:

No sane car thief is going to walk past a C-HR & try to steal it unless they had access to the keys either by breaking in to the house / gym locker etc to get them OR forcible taking them from the owner - those situations would make the steering lock useless as they would have the keys.

The only other way would be to remove / lift it with a tow truck - again the steering lock will do nothing. 

The keyless fob is now secure against relay theft ( unlike earlier C-HR ) & there are far much easier cars to target that can disappear under a minute. 

For us everyday mortals if it was a keyless Ford product or something from the JLR product line up or a Audi / high end VW then yes you would be wise to take extra precautions.

 

You might be right in this regard except it assumes that the thief has his wits about him and is not flying high on drink, drugs or both.   There have also many instances where such vehicles are broken into not to steal the vehicle but the air bags.

Many years ago when I was in the Toyota MR2 driving club we had one member who had his car broken into just to steal some CDs, for some unknown reason the thief tried breaking in through the sun roof.  Looking at the damage cause some might think it would have been better had the thief had taken the car.

[GBgraham]

22 hours ago, Hornet3D said:

You might be right in this regard except it assumes that the thief has his wits about him and is not flying high on drink, drugs or both.   There have also many instances where such vehicles are broken into not to steal the vehicle but the air bags.

Many years ago when I was in the Toyota MR2 driving club we had one member who had his car broken into just to steal some CDs, for some unknown reason the thief tried breaking in through the sun roof.  Looking at the damage cause some might think it would have been better had the thief had taken the car.

Personally the theft of my C-HR is the last thing I am concerned about, but there's no telling what goes through the chance thieves minds, usually addled with some substance or another. For the want of a better word, the professional thief is another entity and wants to take the vehicle with the least damage as possible and with the keys, hence the protection of your keys is a lot more important. 

I dare say the theft of Battery packs in Hybrid's, PHEV, and EV's will become the new catalyst convertors for the thief, both in the case of Hybrid's and PHEV's.

If you use a steering lock, it isn't a bad idea to leave some lock on the wheels, it may just make it more difficult for the loading to a low loader truck or trailer. 

 

[Hornet3D]

29 minutes ago, GBgraham said:

Personally the theft of my C-HR is the last thing I am concerned about, but there's no telling what goes through the chance thieves minds, usually addled with some substance or another. For the want of a better word, the professional thief is another entity and wants to take the vehicle with the least damage as possible and with the keys, hence the protection of your keys is a lot more important. 

I dare say the theft of battery packs in Hybrid's, PHEV, and EV's will become the new catalyst convertors for the thief, both in the case of Hybrid's and PHEV's.

If you use a steering lock, it isn't a bad idea to leave some lock on the wheels, it may just make it more difficult for the loading to a low loader truck or trailer. 

 

Some reports state that the latest target of thieves is the charging cables that can be either sold on to other owners or to scrap dealers due to the heavy metal content.

[FROSTYBALLS]

6 minutes ago, Hornet3D said:

Some reports state that the latest target of thieves is the charging cables that can be either sold on to other owners or to scrap dealers due to the heavy metal content.

This and vehicles being stolen for parts. Production difficulties due to Covid and semi conductor shortages has supposedly affected the supply of parts, leading to an increase in demand, and in chop shops.

[Hornet3D]

4 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

This and vehicles being stolen for parts. Production difficulties due to Covid and semi conductor shortages has supposedly affected the supply of parts, leading to an increase in demand, and in chop shops.

That is not a surprise, I guess the thieves react to life changes just as much as the rest of us do.  I did read somewhere that  lot of the car manufacturers, faced with a storage of parts to build cars, have tended to focus their production on the higher end cars in their range as there is more profit to be made on per sales basis compared with the more basic models. 

[Akirari Chard]

The Club steering wheel lock is one of the best and most commonly used anti-theft devices for vehicle security.
It works by attaching the Club car lock to the steering wheel to prevent it from being turned and maneuvered by car thieves.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Having checked the manufacturer's website (Winner International), no mention of whether The Club steering wheel lock has been professionally tested - only validation is from a brand survey of female users dating back to 2014 and 2015 - 'most recommended and trusted brands by women across America'.

[WALLOP]

I have used the Milenco steering wheel lock for the past eight months and bought it due to it's solid sturdy construction and easy storage. Very easyand quick to fit and release. When buying you have the option of purchasing two rubber pieces which attach to the lock and cushion it against the leather of the steering wheel. No indentations left so far.    

[Puglet]

I've used various steering wheel locks etc. over the years, way before immobilisers etc. and still do to this day, worth getting thatcham approved ones which I did once that was a thing. Still no guarantee though cos I still had a car broken into via window, but at least the car wasn't taken, so as said you never know what the hapless car thief may try or be after, hence you can only do so much. Due to actions some car manufacturers in recent years glad of this extra layer of security still exists. 

[Maya13]

On 2/21/2022 at 7:51 AM, forkingabout said:

No sane car thief is going to walk past a C-HR & try to steal it unless they had access to the keys either by breaking in to the house / gym locker etc to get them OR forcible taking them from the owner - those situations would make the steering lock useless as they would have the keys.

The only other way would be to remove / lift it with a tow truck - again the steering lock will do nothing. 

The keyless fob is now secure against relay theft ( unlike earlier C-HR ) & there are far much easier cars to target that can disappear under a minute. 

For us everyday mortals if it was a keyless Ford product or something from the JLR product line up or a Audi / high end VW then yes you would be wise to take extra precautions.

 

My Toyota CHR 2021 was stolen 3 months ago.  So ordered a new one and now I'm paranoid trying to find a good wheel lock or even ghost immobiliser.   But apparently if you fit ghost immobiliser it compromises your warranty! So please help.  I'm picking up my new CHR on Tuesday!

[philip42h]

42 minutes ago, Maya13 said:

My Toyota CHR 2021 was stolen 3 months ago.  So ordered a new one and now I'm paranoid trying to find a good wheel lock or even ghost immobiliser.   But apparently if you fit ghost immobiliser it compromises your warranty! So please help.  I'm picking up my new CHR on Tuesday!

If you feel happier with additional third party security add it ...

Having an immobiliser fitted and working correctly can't compromise your warranty ... but any damage an incompetent installer does while fitting such a device won't be covered by warranty. So, if you want to go down that route, choose your installer carefully. 

[Maya13]

16 minutes ago, philip42h said:

If you feel happier with additional third party security add it ...

Having an immobiliser fitted and working correctly can't compromise your warranty ... but any dama

18 minutes ago, philip42h said:

If you feel happier with additional third party security add it ...

Having an immobiliser fitted and working correctly can't compromise your warranty ... but any damage an incompetent installer does while fitting such a device won't be covered by warranty. So, if you want to go down that route, choose your installer carefully. 

ge an incompetent installer does while fitting such a device won't be covered by warranty. So, if you want to go down that route, choose your installer carefully. 

 

[Maya13]

I actually contacted Toyota head office and they said if I have a ghost immobiliser fitted, it will compromise part of my warranty.   Which is sad.  I paid £499 for this to track shop who are very reputable company.   But not sure if I should go ahead with it as I'm not happy to lose paper of my warranty! 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Any

1 minute ago, Maya13 said:

I actually contacted Toyota head office and they said if I have a ghost immobiliser fitted, it will compromise part of my warranty.   

No vehicle manufacturer will cover a third party immobiliser or its installation under the new car warranty.

The Corolla will already have a standard immobiliser. 

Presumably the immobiliser you're considering comes with it's own warranty .....

The choice is yours. 

[tfc]

On 3/25/2023 at 10:00 PM, Maya13 said:

My Toyota CHR 2021 was stolen 3 months ago.  So ordered a new one and now I'm paranoid trying to find a good wheel lock or even ghost immobiliser.   But apparently if you fit ghost immobiliser it compromises your warranty! So please help.  I'm picking up my new CHR on 

Here is part of the Chat transcript from Toyota UK.  And no its not a bot.

ME. Will fitting a ghost immobiliser void warranty 

EMILY..If you have a non approved accessory like a ghost immobiliser fitted to your vehicle this would  not invalidate the vehicle warranty,  however if it was found that non approved accessory caused a failure that particular warranty claim could be denied.

[Starensis]

We are seeing an increase in Toyota vehicles being targeted in keyless thefts particularly the C-HR model. If you have one please consider using aftermarket security devices such as steering locks and immobilisers as the thefts tend to be OBD port type attacks so these devices will offer the best defence to this type of theft. 🔐 🚗 🚔

[jthspace]

In other posts, thefts have been reported due to the headlight wiring CANBUS vunerability where a scrote can be in the car and off within minutes with no key required.  

Quote

Car thieves have come up with yet another way to steal your car, and this one is rather creative. We’ll refer to it as “headlight hacking,” but as Dr. Ken Tindell of Canis Automotive Labs describes in his extensive and technical blog post, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

This method of keyless car theft begins at your car’s headlight module, but the only reason thieves have chosen this point of entry is because it offers them the easiest way to get hooked into a vehicle’s CAN bus system. For those unfamiliar, the CAN bus system of a vehicle is the method by which the numerous ECUs throughout a modern vehicle communicate with each other. Thieves are using this central nervous system to their advantage by executing an attack referred to as “CAN injection.”

Someone has developed a tool (disguised as a JBL bluetooth speaker and sold on the dark web) that when wired into a vehicle’s control CAN bus, can impersonate the vehicle’s key fob. The vehicle used as an example is a current-generation Toyota RAV4, but it’s vital to note that this vulnerability is not specific to any particular OEM or model — this is an industry-wide problem at the moment. Thieves are pulling bumpers and trim pieces away from a vehicle, which allows them access to the CAN bus near the headlight connector. Much of a vehicle’s CAN bus systems will be found hidden deep inside a car, but since modern headlights are so smart these days, they require their own ECUs, which means they’re going to be wired into the whole car’s CAN bus system.
Once thieves find the correct wires to tap into, the theft device does the work for them. A simple “play” button on the fake JBL speaker injection tool is programmed to instruct the door ECU to unlock the doors, as though you have the actual key to the car in your hand. You turn the vehicle on in a similar fashion, and a thief can simply drive away with your car without ever coming into contact with the vehicle’s actual key fob.

Unquote

[jthspace]

Search for this in Amazon.  I use it as a visual deterrent on my MX5 

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