Automotive bad actors have been around as long as cars themselves. Among the first was a man from France who stole Baron de Zuylen’s Peugeot in 1896. The thief was a mechanic, probably one of few who could pull off such a stunt considering how unusual autos were in those early years.
Auto theft has been an ongoing problem ever since, and creative deterrents have been invented to address the issue.
Around 1900, a removable steering wheel was developed. It was an awkward system requiring the driver to tote around the steering wheel when away from the vehicle.
A similar, though more convenient, alternative came about a couple of decades later, when a steering wheel lock was implemented. Aftermarket steering wheel locks became popular on vehicles not so equipped from the manufacturer. The steering lock is still employed today, though generally only as a tertiary device.
The early 1920s saw door locks become a standardized feature. While a door lock seems like a logical anti-theft solution, many vehicles were open topped or implemented a soft top that nullified the locked door. Still, the door lock was effective on solid-topped vehicles, and by 1956, Packard was offering power door locks as an option.
Keyless entry made its debut on Ford cars in 1980, and I can tell you, as a former limo driver circa mid-1990s, the remote keypad was a great feature on the Lincoln Town Car and the Lincoln-based stretch limousines; it allowed the driver to leave the car running but secure and made getting into a car for a midnight run easy and safe. There were a lot fewer lost keys around the lot back then.
The remote key fob that many vehicles still use was pioneered in 1982 on the Renault Fuego, a funky French hatchback of a sporty nature.
Clever inventors added car alarms as far back as 1913, and a 1920 “Popular Mechanics” magazine featured a complex unit housed in a riveted steel case mounted in the floor of the vehicle and operated by a dedicated key that, when the car was moved improperly, sounded its own bell or horn via a friction gear driven shaft and cam that also short-circuited the magneto (early ignition) — much like a kill switch with alarm that would become popular in the 1970s.
Anyone remember those alarm activation round key slots mounted on the driver’s front fender of cars from that era? That was high-tech back then, and some of those keys fit vending machine coin trays, or so the rumor went among adolescents.
With modern electronic theft protection designed into vehicles from the factory, most aftermarket systems are redundant or less capable. Today, pressing a button on a key fob typically sets the alarm and locks all the doors and access points, sounding a honk of the horn to notify the operator of the lock and alarm activation or unlock and disabled alarm status.
I recently spent some time in North Conway Village on a beautiful autumn day, and I can attest to the number of vehicles so equipped. At times, it was like an annoying symphony of beeps, toots and honks punctuated by the reverberating exhaust note of a passing motorcycle or the backfire of a whiny little “performance” car.
Briefly and for those who are unsure, pushing the key fob lock button once typically secures all the doors and activates the alarm. That tell-tale honk is the give away that your vehicle is all set. Pushing the lock button repeatedly doesn’t make your vehicle any more secure. It’s not as though you’re increasing the potency of your door locks with each successive button press and honk. If your thumb is naturally twitchy I suggest taking it off the fob buttons immediately after hearing your horn.
Similarly, when returning to your vehicle, one push of the fob button will unlock your doors and deactivate your alarm, maybe two pushes are needed to unlock all the doors, but more that that and you're just indicating to the world that you’re overly nervous or you don’t remember where you parked your Urban Predator SUV, undoubtedly in some shade of dark steel gray metallic pearlcoat which, unfortunately, blends in nicely with all the rest.
There will always be bad actors out there, and if a car thief wants a vehicle badly enough, he will find a way to defeat a security system. But you don’t have to make it easy for them. Never leave the key inside the vehicle; lock your car doors; and become familiar with your vehicle’s security system. One press of the button is probably all it takes.
Eric and Michelle Meltzer own and operate Fryeburg Motors, a licensed, full-service automotive sales and service facility at 299 Main St. in Fryeburg, Maine. More than a business, cars are a passion, and they appreciate anything that drives, rides, floats or flies.
October 14, 2020 at 03:03AM
https://www.conwaydailysun.com/business/local/wheels-anti-theft-removable-steering-wheels-to-car-alarms/article_33779ff6-0d65-11eb-b382-9b2303a9632c.html
Wheels: Anti-theft: Removable steering wheels to car alarms - Conway Daily Sun
https://news.google.com/search?q=Wheel&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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