How To Secure Your Motorhome From Theives
Motorhomes represent a large capital outlay for most of us so it makes sense to protect your pride and joy from the less desirable elements of our society.
They are not only expensive to replace if stolen but also often contain a significant amount of valuable personal contents so wherever you park your motorhome it needs to safe, secure and well insured.
Be prepared
Without wishing to state the obvious it is worth double checking that all the catches on the windows are firmly in place and always lock the doors no matter how friendly the locals look. Secondly, put anything vaguely valuable out of site as this will only encourage thieves and try not to leave your motorhome unattended for too long where at all possible.
If you want to get a sensible quote from your insurance company they may also insist on certain security measures or devices than reduce the risks to themselves and to you. For the maximum discount you may have to install a satellite based “tracker” system or an expensive immobiliser/alarm. Some of these may cost a lot but you will recoup some of this expense over the following years in reduced premiums and you will also gain increased peace of mind when your motorhome is out of sight.
There are many mechanical and electronic devices on the market that you can obtain to protect your asset and we have listed the most common ones that are recognised as being effective and like most things in life you generally get what you pay for.
Motorhome Security Devices
Steering Locks: These are generally a heavy duty bar and lock which is attached to the steering wheel preventing the steering wheel from being of any use in the event of a theft. Cheaper locks and clamps can be easier to cut through by thieves so get the best that you can afford.- Wheel Clamps: Similar to those used by unscrupulous parking attendants but no one will charge you to remove it! Generally a metal frame in chained to one of the wheels to prevent the wheel from turning when in place.
- Gear Stick Locks: Another simple type of mechanical protection which locks the gear stick to the hand brake lever preventing gears from being selected.
- An Alarm: A conventional alarm system that has an audible siren normally accompanied by flashing lights and is triggered by switches on the doors and windows or a sensor inside. This will alert passers-by or wake you up if it is outside your house and will make any thief think twice about hanging about to steal your belongings. Window stickers advertising the fact that you have an alarm are also a good deterrent so why not put some in the windows even if you haven’t got an alarm yet.
- An immobiliser: These are often fitted in conjunction with an alarm system, preventing the motorhome from being driven away and are fitted to the electronic ignition system of the vehicle. Most modern motorhomes have one fitted as standard now, but if buying an older model then you should consider one of these.
Tracker System: Straight out of a James Bond movie, a small electronic device is hidden somewhere in or under the vehicle which gives off a signal to a control centre enabling the police to track your motorhome if it is stolen and recover it. These do incur an annual fee which varies depending on what level of monitoring you require.
All of the above devices are generally rated and approved by an independent body called Thatcham whose aim is to improve safety and security for motor vehicles. The grading system that they have devised gives you and your insurance company a very good idea of the effectiveness and value for money that different makes of security devices offer when deciding which one to choose.
The categories below will give you an idea of how effective the device is with “CAT1” being the most effective and “CAT4” being the least effective.
Category 1 Electronic alarm and Immobiliser
Category 2 Electronic/Electromechanical Immobiliser
Category 2 -1 Electronic alarm upgrade (General Application)
Category 3 Mechanical Immobiliser
Category 4 Wheel Locking devices
Thatcham also have the following categories which rate devices used to recover a stolen vehicle
Category 5 After – Theft Systems for vehicle recovery
Category 6 Stolen Vehicle Tracking Systems
Category 7 Stolen Vehicle Location Systems
At Pegasus Finance we would recommend that any device you get has a Thatcham approval. For more information visit their website at https://www.thatcham.org/security
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