Vehicle Security

Car Security Guide- Part I

Yoohoo~!! I've got my WAJA~!
When you have just got your car, you'll be very happy and over excited. You plan to change the rims, tint the car, install spoiler and etc. But you always forget the most important modification/add-on for your car-which is your car security.

A car owner's nightmare is when you went back to the car park and found out that your car is no longer there where you left it. Every hour, every minute and every second, stolen car cases happens around Malaysia especially for those Top in the list- 'HOT' car such as the Mits. Storm, Proton Waja and Proton Satria GTi.

Surprise?! Unbelievable?! Believe it, Proton Waja is in the list too. As vehicle thefts and hijackings become more prominent, we need to increase our vigilance as well. What you can do to prevent your car being stolen? By the way, bear in mind that there's no such thing as FULL PROOF anti-theft system to protect your car and there's no such thing as 'un-stealable' vehicle. Here's the section on the WPC website where you can find all the information about the car security.

First of all let's talk about your car, how vulnerable is your car to the car theft? Every car is stealable, it's just the matter of TIME--how long it takes to steal a car. By installing additional anti-car theft system will lower the odds of losing your car or being stolen. Basically, I'll divide it into 3 major category in ways to prevent your car being stolen:-

Human Common Sense

• When parking in a public car park - look for one that is well supervised, with restricted entry and exit points, good lighting and security cameras or with security guard. In multi-storey car parks, choose a widely visible bay. Please do not park your car beside the road just to save that 50 cents or a dollar parking fees.
• Make sure you have all the doors locked, windows are rolled up before you leave your car
• Make sure you DID NOT leave you car keys inside the car and DO NOT keep a spare key inside your car. You can have a spare key inside your wallet.
• Never leave valuables in plain view, even your car is locked and have alarm installed.
  Tips: For SmartTag user, it's advisable NOT to stick your SmartTag device at the windscreen. You can hide it inside the glove compartment and take it out whenever you need it. Put a non-slip mat on your dashboard, when you need to go through the toll, take it out and put it at the non-slip mat on the top of your dashboard. The reason is that there are so many reported cases that SmartTag is the main cause of car windows being smashed to steal the device
• DO NOT leave your parking ticket in the car.
• DO NOT leave personal identification documents, credit cards, company smartcard and identity card in the car.
• Sandblast your car registration number to all your screen.
• If you have to park at the roadside car park, park with front wheels turned to the sharply towards the curb to discourage towing.
• Do not leave your car key to anyone. If you have to give it to another person (during service/car wash), give them only the car key without the keychain or the remote control. Set your alarm in the valet mode.
  Note: This is important because there are rumours that some stolen car cases were done by duplicated keys/remote control from the Service Center/Workshop or Car Wash.
• Never leave your car with the engine running. Not even a few minutes just to buy a pack of cigarette.

Visual Deterrent/Mechanical Lock Anti-Theft Device

Visual Deterrent means those extra locks that you can put inside your car such as the steering locks, pedal lock and gear lock. If your car come with factory fitted gear lock, then all you need to do is just buy a good steering lock. Personally I lock my car with steering lock and pedal-steering lock everytime I leave my car.

Tips: Stoplock Airbag fit nicely with the WAJA steering. When you use this type of steering lock, the position is 2 o'clock-8 o'clock. For a manual car, it will lock steering and block the gear stick as well.

Electronic Anti-Theft System

Car Alarm
Nowadays most of the car comes with factory fitted alarm system but how good the factory fitted alarm? As for me, I think the factory fitted alarm system for PROTON car is just merely the remote control to lock/unlock your car. It's advisable to install those after market car security system. Please bear in mind that, any modification that you have done to your car will cause your car warranty voided on certain parts. Anyway, what choice do we have? You either install a better car security system to prevent car theft or you'll end up a vulnerable car, which is very easy to be stolen.

FACTS: Do You Know That (DYKT)

• DYKT an amateur car theft can open your car door, disable your alarm and drive away you car in just 5 minutes time? [Standard Factory Fitted Alarm]
• DYKT a factory fitted PROTON car alarm system DOES NOT come with sensors? This including our WAJA. This means even the car theft smashes your windows, the alarm will not trigger?
• DYKT a factory fitted PROTON car alarm system will only be triggered if any of the door/hood/trunk lids is opened? And you can fool the alarm by pressing down the door switch?

Time to change your car alarm? Yes and you need to do some homework before shopping. Here's some guide on what type of alarm system to get for your car. There are hundreds of brands/models of alarm system in the market but basically, a good alarm system should have basic features as shown below:-

Anti-Scan/Code Bump/Code Hopping/Anti Code Grabbing Technology system
Your car remote control 'communicate' with the console through a frequency. Basically the anti scan/code bump/anti-code grabbing technology is to prevent car theft to use a device called "code grabber" to record your radio signal when you arm/lock or disarm/unlock your car. If alarm system come WITHOUT those features, car theft can use a code grabber to record the frequency/code and duplicate a remote control to disarm your car. Anyway, this method of stealing a car is not common anymore.

Passive Arming and Auto Locking
Passive arming refers to the ability of your alarm system to automatically arm itself. This can be a valuable feature, as occasionally you may not remember to arm the system (or you may have your hands full of kids, packages, etc.) Although the details vary with the specific alarm, typically your passive-arming alarm will arm itself shortly after you exit your vehicle and close the last door. If the alarm comes with the features of auto locking, which means when the passive arming kicks on, it'll lock your car as well. Some alarm comes with auto windows rolling up features upon arming too.

125dB Siren
A good should come with at least a 125dB Siren. This is the measurement of the loudness of your siren, the louder the better.

Starter Disabled
When you armed your alarm, an electronic circuit and a relay will open the circuit for the starter of your car. In another word, it cuts the power to the starter. By doing so, even if the car-theft have your duplicated car key, he/she won't be able to start your car without disarming the alarm, which close the circuit and connect the power back to the starter

Backup Power Pack for the Alarm Console or the Siren (Optional)
Most of the alarms have some optional accessories to add-on to the alarm, backup power back is one of it. As the name stated, it provides backup power to the alarm module or the siren just in case the car battery has been disconnected.

Pass-code Protected Override Switch/ Valet mode
This feature is useful when you want to send your car to the workshop or the service center for some repairing or servicing. Always set the alarm to the valet mode when you send the car to workshop/service center/car wash and only give the person in charge your key and not your remote control. It's useful too when your alarm malfunction and you can disable it without a remote control. It's a must to have pass-code protected switch instead of no pass-code protected hidden switch.

Central Locking and Locks Doors upon Ignition
Most of the cars come with central locking mechanism, it's not a problem for a new car owner. Waja comes with Central Locking as well. A good alarm should be able to locks all your doors when you start your car. If the alarm does not come with this feature, you have an optional choice to install a RPM Lock. Remote Control Panic Button Most of the alarm carries this feature. It's useful to locate your car or in the case of emergency.

Remote Control Panic Button
Most of the alarm carries this feature. It's useful to locate your car or in the case of emergency.

Sensors
Good alarm should have at least a shock/impact sensor. There are so many types of sensors for an alarm, most of them are optional accessories for the alarm. A good alarm should have at least shock/impact sensor as standard.

Anti-Car Jack/Anti-Hijack (Optional)
Those more expensive alarms carry the anti-car jack/anti-hijack features. It's useful in the case of hijacking. You can use this feature as an additional immobilizer before you have an immobilizer install. Normally the anti-car jack/anti-hijack will kicks on when u press a hidden switch or some other activation sequence using the remote control.

Code/Memory Wash
When a new transmitter/remote control is code learned, all the old transmitter/remote control codes are instantly deleted from the alarm brain (console). This prevents thieves from using lost or stolen remote control to defeat an alarm.

All Black Wires (Optional)
Some alarm comes with all black wires to confuse the thieves about the wiring connection.

Immobilizer
That's all for the car alarm. Besides alarm, there's another electronic anti-theft device that's a must for every car owner, it's called the IMMOBILIZER. Immobilizer is commonly installed in foreign country such as Aust. and Europe country. In Malaysia, most of the car owner still don't have it installed. For WAJA owner, I feel that it's a must to have it installed.

You may ask what's this IMMOBILIZER? As the name stated, the function of the immobilizer is to immobilize your car when it's armed. Basically, when the immobilizer is in the armed stage the electronic circuit with the relays with cut off the power of Electronic Fuel Pump (EFP), ECU, Starter and Ignition keys. Those points are the so-called Immobilization Point. A good Immobilizer should have at least 2 or 3 immobilization points cut off in the armed stage, which means a good immobilizer should cut the 2 or 3 out of the 4 immobilization point mentioned above. Normally the immobilizer comes with passive arming which means that after you have closed your last door; the immobilizer will be armed after n seconds. When the immobilizer is in the armed stage, even with a car key, you can't start your car because all the immobilization point is at the open stage.

There are many ways to disarm your immobilizer, it all depends on what type of immobilizer you have installed. If it's the transponder type, you need to get your key fob(transponder) near to the antenna (which is hidden). If it's the touch key type, you need to poke your key plug(touch key) to the Touchkey Receptacle. If it's the keypad type, you need to enter your passcode to disarm the immobilizer. If it's the card type, you need to have your card near to the sensors to sense the present of the card to disarm it. Basically, all the immobilizer have the same function which is immobilize your car. The only difference is i) How many immobilization Point ii) Type of disarm method, ie. Transponder,Touchkey,Card, Keypad,etc.

Prevention is better than cure, upgrade your car security system before it's too late. This is just some basic guide for you to decide what types of alarm to install. Do some homework, shop around and check with your car accessory shop owner on the Price, Features, Workmanship and After Sales Service. Besides the alarm features, a good workmanship and after sale service from the car accessories shop is a must too.

Car Security Guide Part II - Sensors