Anyone know a way to lock the hood of an xB? I.e., are there any foolproof aftermarket locks that keep the hood from opening fully after it has been popped from inside?

Seems like a worthwhile thing to do if there are starter, ignition, or fuel pump interrupts in a security/alarm system. A would-be thief could just pop the hood and simply rewire around the interrupts.

 

I had some Late 70's ford pickups that had locks on the hood release handle from the factory- cool idea I guess but I don't think you'd want a giant chrome handle in your xB, eh?

 

thanks for the idea.

We were thinking that maybe there's something aftermarket that locks the secondary hood release under the hood so that it requires a key to open after popping from inside the vehicle.

Ever seen or heard of anything like that?



thanks

 

A hood lock is practically useless. If someone wants your car bad enough, they'll get it. I don't think you have that to worry about with a $14K car.

Most car theives will only spend about 30 seconds trying to get a car. Anything longer than that the risk of getting caught is too high. The purpose of the fuel cut-off, starter cut-off, etc. is to make it take longer than a thief feels comfortable to steal the car so they'll leave it.

If you have a thief that has the time to pop your hood to get your car, then he probably has time to get past any lock you put on it and still do what they please.

Don't waste your time worrying. Locks are for honest people.

 

Afraid I haven't. Each lock would pretty much have to be specific to each model - I have a feeling thats going to be hard to find. Depending on how the latch is setup you might be able to drill a hole through the whole lock mechanism and padlock it. It's a toyota so it's not like you have to open the hood often.

 

Chadfo, thanks for the thoughts. Normally I would agree. However, we live in Pittsburgh in a nice area and had our Jeep Laredo (1992), worth about $2,000 including the $500 bike racks, stolen right from the assigned parking space outside our bedroom window!! Thieves around here seem to prefer low-priced vehicles :-)

On this same street, parked ON the street itself instead of in a space like ours, there are Mercs, BMWs, Mini-C's, and even a Boxster. Go figure.


LeetxB, nice ideas. Thanks. I'll think about and maybe come up with my own approach.

In the end, I know that Chadfo is right, If a thief wants it badly enough, he'll get it, even if he has to just tow it off. But if i can add even 30 seconds more frustration, then maybe I'm cutting in half the probabilities they'll keep trying to steal mine. :-)


if anyone has other approaches, we're open.

 

Are you worried the hamsters might escape?

 

yeah, and we definitely don't want anybody stealing one. We need every one of those 108 HP (that's "Hamster Power", of course)