Mechanical car protection: types and which is best

What a mechanical lock stops and what it does not

A mechanical lock stops the car from being driven away. It does not run on power and has its own key. So nothing a thief uses to trick the car electronics opens it. It is not opened by a new key the thief makes through the OBD port, the spot under the steering wheel where diagnostics is plugged in. It is not opened by the signal of a keyless key, which unlocks the car while it is in your pocket, when the thief relays it to the car. Nor is it opened by a fake message that the key is genuine, which the thief sends through the wiring by the headlight.

The thief can still open the car and start the engine. The lock then forces him to cut or break it, which takes time and makes noise. For many thieves that is too much work.

6 types of mechanical protection

Locks are either fitted or portable. A fitted lock stays in the car and you just lock it with its key. A portable one you put on after every drive and take off before the next.

Steering column lock

A steering column lock is fitted on the steering shaft, the metal bar under the dashboard that the steering wheel sits on. Only the part of the lock you put the key into can be seen. When you lock it, a steel pin holds the shaft, so the steering wheel cannot turn. The lock is not connected to the power supply and does not affect the car electronics.

Without a powerful angle grinder a thief can hardly beat it. More about the steering column lock

Gearstick lock

A gearstick lock is a fitted lock that locks the gear lever. With a manual gearbox the lever stays in reverse, and with an automatic in P. The lock is made separately for each car model and is fixed with bolts a thief cannot unscrew.

!With a manual gearbox, a thief can still drive in reverse or tow the car away with the lock on.

That is why a gearstick lock holds a thief up for less time than a steering column lock.

Steering wheel bar

A bar goes over the steering wheel after every drive. It can be seen through the window, so a thief knows at once that more work is waiting for him.

!The weak point is the steering wheel itself: a thief cuts it and takes the bar off.

Pedal lock

A pedal lock stops a pedal from being pressed, usually the brake. It goes on after every drive, low down by the floor. So people do not put it on every time. On some cars a thief unscrews the pedal and drives the car away with the lock still on it.

Wheel lock

A wheel lock goes on the outside of a wheel and stops it from turning. It is awkward to put on, gets dirty and takes time, so people rarely use it. In one test, both wheel locks fell off as soon as the car moved.

OBD lock

An OBD lock is a cover with a lock over the port under the steering wheel. Through that port a thief makes a new key in a few minutes. When the port is under lock, the thief cannot plug in his device.

The thief sees the protection at once. A determined thief can still break the cover by force, and how long it holds depends on the car. That is why there are also OBD port relocation and an electronic blocker, which a thief cannot see. After relocation the factory port does not work until your small adapter is in the hidden socket. The blocker switches the port off until you switch the blocker off.

We fit the OBD lock. Before a service or the roadworthiness test, you unlock it with its key and take the cover off. More about OBD protection

Which mechanical protection is best

A fitted lock is best, because it does not depend on whether you remember to put it on. This is the order from the strongest to the weakest:

• 1. Steering column lockIt is fitted, so you just lock it with its key. Of all locks, it holds a thief up the longest.
• 2. Gearstick lockIt is fitted too. With a manual gearbox it is weaker than a steering column lock, because a thief can drive in reverse.
• 3. Steering wheel barA thief sees it through the window. It helps when it is good quality and when you put it on after every drive.
• 4. Pedal lock and wheel lockThey are the hardest to put on every day, and the easiest for a thief to get around.

The OBD lock is not in this order, because it does not hold the steering, the gearstick or the wheels. It protects the port a thief uses to make a key. It goes with a steering or gearstick lock, not instead of one.

Mechanical and electronic protection together

Mechanical and electronic protection stop different steps of a theft. A lock stops the car from being driven, and an immobiliser stops the engine from starting. The Serbian police (MUP) urge drivers to secure their cars with mechanical or electronic protection.

A mechanical lock has 3 weak points, and the electronic protection we fit covers each one:

• You forget to lock itA lock protects only when you lock it. You do not switch an immobiliser on, so it protects every time the engine is started. More about the immobiliser
• Nobody hears the thiefA lock has no siren. An alarm sounds the siren when someone opens a door, hits or moves the car. More about the alarm
• You do not know where the car isIf a thief still drives the car away, the lock does not show where it is. A GPS device sends the location to your phone, and a message arrives as soon as someone moves the parked car. More about GPS tracking

Mechanical protection and comprehensive insurance

Mechanical protection can lower the price of comprehensive cover, for example a lock that holds the steering. The insurer tells you how much when you take out the policy.

For some cars, the insurer requires an extra anti-theft device as a condition for cover against theft. In the terms of one insurer, this is a device that gives a light, a sound or a phone message during a theft attempt and blocks the steering, gearbox, brakes or engine.

A lock alone gives no signal, so then an alarm that blocks the engine from starting goes with the lock. More about comprehensive insurance and theft

How to make a lock really protect the car

• Lock it every time you get out of the car, even for a short while.
• Keep the spare key of the lock at home, not in the car. A thief who finds it unlocks the lock too.
• Do not keep the lock key on the same key ring as the car key. A thief who takes the key ring has both keys.
• Keep the card that comes with the lock at home, not in the car. A new lock key is made with it when you lose the old one.

Frequently asked questions