What is the best way to disable the engine? To stop a thief...

[A4A4]

If you got to leave the car parked up for long periods, for example 2 weeks in Airport car park or at home on the drive. (it won't fit in the garage).

What is the best thing to do to stop the engine starting? To make it more difficult for a thief to steal your car.

 

[NHN]

Pull the starter relay/fuses.

 

[xpoweruk]

Remove fuel pump relay ?

 

[bobby singh]

take the ecu with you

 

[Stu2w]

Remove the starter, fuel and main maxi fuse.
The main maxi fuse stops the OBD port from working.

 

[desertstorm]

take the ecu with you

Unless you have had the car remapped and had the ECU removed this is a little tricky as it's help in a cradle with security bolts.
I would of thought you might want to keep the alarm working so you need to watch what you are pulling.
Fuel pump fuse is located on the drivers side fuse box I think so reasonably easy to remove.

 

[kanecullen89]

Like others have said, is pull the starter or fuel pump fuse.

How secure is this car park though? CCTV? Gated? Ultimately, if thieves want your car, they will take it. If that means loading it onto a low loader, they will do it.
It's best to make it harder for them though.

What car do you have?

 

[AudiLeon]

As above. Or fast setting cemet into your sump.

 

[desertstorm]

On the A4 drivers side fuse box on the end of the dash fuse 3 in the middle bank is for the fuel pump, well it is on my car and probably is on most A4's. Just remove this. And if you want to be really sneaky replace it with a blown fuse, then It doesn't even look like it's been removed.
Not that most people would get that far.

 

[rum4mo]

I'd think that to back-up the "invisible" precautions, you should add at least one visible one like a "diskloc".

Edit:- this is a tricky choice to make, "car in driveway" might protect the house and contents, car in secure airport carport should be safe from being stolen, though maybe at risk from slight damage from those round about. Just to try make sure that you leave it in a secure "outside" carpark if at the airport, a few cars got damaged at the multi-storey carpark at Edinburgh airport - a parked car went on fire!!

 

[RSW46]

You would think that keeping your car in a secure airport car park should be "secure", however someone I work with had his Subaru written off by an employee at a Heathrow car park a few years ago while he was on holiday. The guy decided to take it for a spin and crashed in to a barrier.

 

[rum4mo]

You would think that keeping your car in a secure airport car park should be "secure", however someone I work with had his Subaru written off by an employee at a Heathrow car park a few years ago while he was on holiday. The guy decided to take it for a spin and crashed in to a barrier.

I can't think when I last left a car at an airport secure car park where the car park operators required the keys to be left with them - maybe last time was at an airport hotel at Manchester airport - my worry was that after parking I discovered that if hotel car parking was in demand, they would move the car to some where else - and I worried quite a bit that it might just have been a muddy field 50 miles away, in the even, the car remained where I had left it!

Personally, if "we need to keep the keys to move the cars around" is part of the deal, I'd use elsewhere, all that info tends to be on the websites of these car parts.

 

[RSW46]

I can't think when I last left a car at an airport secure car park where the car park operators required the keys to be left with them - maybe last time was at an airport hotel at Manchester airport - my worry was that after parking I discovered that if hotel car parking was in demand, they would move the car to some where else - and I worried quite a bit that it might just have been a muddy field 50 miles away, in the even, the car remained where I had left it!

Personally, if "we need to keep the keys to move the cars around" is part of the deal, I'd use elsewhere, all that info tends to be on the websites of these car parts.

Yeah I agree I wouldn't like to leave the keys with them, although it was some time ago that this happened, must have been 5 or 10 years. I've seen the pictures though and it wasn't pretty! Maybe it happened a few times and they changed their policies.

 

[Zafi]

Take 4 of the wheel studs out each wheel........

 

[rum4mo]

Take 4 of the wheel studs out each wheel........

Problem is, if you were serious and I did that, I'd hide the 16 bolts in a very safe place - so safe that I would not find them when I came back "refreshed" from my holiday!

 

[desertstorm]

You would have a bigger problem if you forgot you had removed 4 studs from each wheel and drove the car. I don't think you would get too far before 1 or more wheels departed from the car.

 

[Chop.]

At the airport

Take the wife's car !

It is a tricky one though I think if someone wanted it that bad they would take it no matter what, I like the idea of a visual deterrent like the disc lock, it's prob Gona put of the chancers and if the pro car thief wants your car he's Gona get it anyway

 

[jdp1962]

You would have a bigger problem if you forgot you had removed 4 studs from each wheel and drove the car. I don't think you would get too far before 1 or more wheels departed from the car.

You might have a bigger problem still if you tried to take the 16 studs with you onto the aircraft. Scanned up, I imagine they's easily be mistaken for large calibre ammunition.

 

[rum4mo]

At the airport

Take the wife's car !

It is a tricky one though I think if someone wanted it that bad they would take it no matter what, I like the idea of a visual deterrent like the disc lock, it's prob Gona put of the chancers and if the pro car thief wants your car he's Gona get it anyway

Yes I agree with both comments, the first one is probably why I insist with using an airport within 100 miles of us, as well as trying to avoid paying London for needing to use her important airports!!

 

[Chop.]

Hahaha has anyone considered A4A4 is a professional car thief looking for help

Just saying ;-p

 

[Dippy]

Take 4 of the wheel studs out each wheel........

......and get sued by the car thief for putting their life at risk!

 

[scotty76]

I take the wife's car. 8 year old dented TDI Jettas with 4 kerbed wheels and kids seats in are not high on the shopping list.

 

[A4A4]

Thanks for the advice, gave me some good options to protect my 'pride & joy' apart from me needed a wheel clamp.

My last secured Airport parking resulted in just my passenger side genuine Audi dust caps being nicked!.

 

[rum4mo]

That is not good, I would have thought that these dust caps were safe enough as they are all recessed, also I would think that the wheel will now be scratched. At around £25 a pop it is a good enough way to make money though?

 

[A4A4]

My guess it was a staff member who thought a need a couple of these for his/her Audi and thought I would not notice collecting the car at night after 2 weeks. Anyway I won't be using the 'meet & greet' services at the Airport again. Not only this but the car came back covered in bird mess, I mean everywhere..........