Thieves are around us. Don't be subjective!

Crime incidents that are associated with cars and other four-wheeled vehicles are growing day-by-day. It’s like the thieves are developing newer, craftier and well-thought ways to steal from your ride. These incidents of theft can be categorized into two events: 1) The thief steals something from your car or 2) the thief steals your car.

Whichever incident it is, there’s no bargaining when you know you’ve worked hard to get those material things; and it would be a terrible waste of your money and effort to lose it. That’s why Philcarnews.com listed down these helpful tips to help you theft-proof your car. In the end, you may or may not retrieve the things stolen from you but then again, prevention is always better than cure – whatever the situation.

1. Get Your Ride A Well-Deserved Garage

This is one of the most obvious ways to always keep your car safe. Though there are times when your garage will still infiltrate, chances are it wasn’t the car they were trying to steal or steal from. Having a roof over your car prevents you from leaving it out on the side of the street where it’s like you’re offering your vehicle to thieves of a silver platter.

Providing a garage for your car may be expensive and will require some space allotted from your yard but this definitely comes with benefits. This not only protects your car from thieves but also accidents and weather damage.

A nice garage not only protects your car from thieves but also accidents and weather damage

Think of the floods that take place in our country, if you don’t have a garage your car is most likely to be submerged in water – and maybe even looted by strangers. The sun’s dangerous rays also damage the car’s exterior and even heats up your ride on the inside, literally.

2. Take Care of Your Roaring Baby

There is this theory about cars and thieves that we want you to reason out with yourself and use as a tip. If you see a car that is not well taken care of by the owner, would you think it has an alarm? Let’s say the car has broken windows, one headlight shattered, painted with rust and other stains and also has dents. Anyone would think that the owner isn’t taking good care of his vehicle. What if you see a car that’s about 5 years old but still looks presentable? You would think that the owner really cares about it and takes good handling of the vehicle.

So which do you think of those two cars are more likely to have an alarm? Of course, it would be the second one. Seeing as the owner takes care of the second vehicle, there’s a higher chance that he exerts effort and spends money to keep it in good shape and keep thieves away from it.

Seeing as the owner takes care of the vehicle, there’s a higher chance that he exerts effort and spends money to keep it in good shape and keep thieves away from it

3. Flaunt That Warning Sign

Surely in your lifetime you’ve experienced going to a store where there is a cheap sign that says “This establishment is equipped with CCTV” or “CCTV records 24/7 for our customer’s safety”. These act like fly swatters that shoo away potential thieves and robbers from the store. This is also used in rich people’s houses and you can apply the technique to your vehicle too!

No, we’re not saying that you need to buy a similar sign and put it on your dashboard or get a sticker for your windshield; however, the critical part of the idea is there. You just need an accessory that signals a message like “Even if you try to steal my car or something from it, I will find you and you will be put in jail.”

Dashcam is a great way to scare thieves away from your car because it can serve as a surveillance camera of your car

4. Keep Your Stuff In A Secret Place

If one were to look over your car’s window and take a peek inside, what would they see? Do you leave your laptop bag on the seat? Why not put your iPod, phone and smartwatch on there too? This habit of leaving your valuables where the eye can see is exactly the attitude that thieves are preying on. There are even incidents where a plain stranger just purely wants to walk past the street where your car is parked; until they notice that there are extremely valuable items inside.

This could trigger the person to be enticed and even try to steal from your car. To keep this from happening, store your wallets, purses, gadgets away from the eye’s view and remember not to leave intriguing items like a gorgeous handbag in plain sight. Thieves may assume that you have a car, an expensive-looking bag so it must have some valuables inside that’s worth the steal.

Thieves may assume that you have a car, an expensive-looking bag so it must have some valuables inside that’s worth the steal

5. Park With The Guards

This tip is like following your common sense. If you’re obliged to go to the dangerous part of town, or in fact anywhere, do your best to park your car as close to a security guard as possible. In province areas in the Philippines where you can’t see establishments with security guards, take a good look if there are a police outpost and an officer on duty or maybe even a barangay hall.

You can also opt to park the car in the most prominent area possible. Filipinos have a tendency to notice things that are new to their eye and gossip about it. If you’re new to the area, or just visiting, then you can best bet your car is the talk of the town. In this condition, whatever happens to your car is seen by many; so it’s like getting a couple of CCTVs to observe your car for you while it’s parked.

Do your best to park your car as close to a security guard as possible

6. The Simplest Tip

Have you ever left your car door unlocked 5 minutes after leaving it parked? Some people who may have experienced this and rushed back to their car with a loud, pounding chest to make sure they lock it. Well, there’s a chance that no one gave attention to your car and the thief around that area didn’t go on shift that day – or you were too late and they have already gotten away with something in your car, or worse the car itself. Always remember to lock your vehicle door especially in a shady neighborhood. Neglecting to do so is like simply helping the thief to rob you of your stuff – something that of course, you would hate to do.

These useful tips and advice are brought to you by Philcarnews.com. Always remember this guide to drove car thieves away from your car.