Hi. This winter we hope to take our MH to France, Spain and Portugal our 1st time abroad with it. Our dream holiday that we have spoke about for years and years but never been able to go due to family commitments. We only have a wheel clamp and no other security. Can anyone recommend a company or if we need extra security for the van please? Thank you
Van security
- Thread starter Fluffy
- Start date
Leave it open. If they want to get in they will. Better they don’t damage it getting in. Just dont leave phones keys or money in there.
Save the money to fund staying on sites. Being among folk who will watch your van is the best security.
Or you can spend thousands and thousands on (garbage) motorhone security. You are about as secure as any other caravan, ie not at all. You can think you are secure. Try parking in the centre of a large city like Rome or Marseilles. It will take them 5 seconds to defeat and trash everything you have.
Save the money to fund staying on sites. Being among folk who will watch your van is the best security.
Or you can spend thousands and thousands on (garbage) motorhone security. You are about as secure as any other caravan, ie not at all. You can think you are secure. Try parking in the centre of a large city like Rome or Marseilles. It will take them 5 seconds to defeat and trash everything you have.
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My Take on this, and i am a MH Noob, but have owned 'Vehicles' for best part of 40 years. If you are parked in the middle of nowhere, and away from the MH (Vehicle), and thieves want to get in they will no matter.
However if you in an area where there are other MH (Vehicles) thieves will not take the hardest option and will always plump for the easy take. So if your MH has visible security, and others around you don't, then guess what is 'Likely' to happen?
So my take is have plenty of Visible security, but don't spend a fortune on it!
However if you in an area where there are other MH (Vehicles) thieves will not take the hardest option and will always plump for the easy take. So if your MH has visible security, and others around you don't, then guess what is 'Likely' to happen?
So my take is have plenty of Visible security, but don't spend a fortune on it!
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We have strikeback alarm, non start, deadlocks & steering lock. Not going to stop someone determined to get in, but will hopefully make it a less attractive proposition to any scrote looking for an easy target.
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Something to keep the wheels you have, locking studs,visual deterrent. Something on the wheels, locking clamp,visual deterrent.
Something on the steering wheel, visual deterrent. Pedals, another visual deterrent. If your seat spins around, the locking motorcycle disc lock through the seat plate, buggeration to remove deterrent. Alarm, audible/visual deterrent. Immobiliser technical deterrent.
Tracker, post theft possible recovery action.
Then as other's have said, park wisely, no visual clues to rich pickings there in.
Mike.
Something on the steering wheel, visual deterrent. Pedals, another visual deterrent. If your seat spins around, the locking motorcycle disc lock through the seat plate, buggeration to remove deterrent. Alarm, audible/visual deterrent. Immobiliser technical deterrent.
Tracker, post theft possible recovery action.
Then as other's have said, park wisely, no visual clues to rich pickings there in.
Mike.
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Lenny HB
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If you are RHD, wheel clamps, steering lock etc., pretty useless in France & Spain no one is going to nick a RHD.
A good alarm is worthwhile as if the van next to you doesn't have one which van do you think they will break into?
Deadlocks will stop them from getting in the doors but easy to get in the windows.
We are LHD but only bother with an alarm.
A good alarm is worthwhile as if the van next to you doesn't have one which van do you think they will break into?
Deadlocks will stop them from getting in the doors but easy to get in the windows.
We are LHD but only bother with an alarm.
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If you don't even lock it, the opportunist thief will come in for a look. As in nature the weak will be prayed upon 
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vectian
Free Member
Before you start fitting extra security check with your insurance company if they count as a modification to the original vehicle and need notifying of them. Some can increase your insurance as the extra damage caused by the thieves braking past these devices increases the cost of repair.
I know it sounds stupid but they will try and wriggle out of paying.
I know it sounds stupid but they will try and wriggle out of paying.
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eddie
LIFE MEMBER
really bad advice
Which doesn’t explain why people get stuff nicked whilst on sites
Any links to security systems costing thousands and thousands of pounds or a ”guess”
Any actual evidence or supporting links for this
Can you actually park in the centre of Rome?
I would suggest that any big city is awash with con men, pickpockets, thief’s, drug dealers an prostitutes and you should be extra cautious, but I’d rather have a decent security system on my motorhome than not if I ‘had’ to park somewhere dodgy
What a hilarious post
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Perhaps I could have been clearer, the main point is to stay somewhere where there is less risk, among other campers, on aires or a site. Perhaps a locked door may stop an opportunist thief for a few seconds, however if said thief really wants to get in they will, and they will do it in seconds, no matter what security you have. Unlike houses, which can be made relatively secure, motor homes cannot be made secure and are inherently extremely vulnerable. I speak as a victim of crime (in central Rome). I had those Fiamma extern aluminium door cover locks on all doors and an alarm. We were gone 30minutes. The Fiamma locks were snapped off (presumably by a jemmy), entry gained, the alarm smashed and everything of value taken before we returned. We lost a lot that day.
The one thing the thieving low life scum will try to avoid is confrontation with other people. Thus, where safety and security is of principle concern, simply being among others is one of the best ways to improve it.
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Jim
Ringleader
Houses are so easy to break into, it happens every 2 minutes of every day. We still lock them and add other deterrents.
Parking your van and leaving it unnatended in high crime areas and you risk a break in. All security systems will struggle with that, but internal sirens and trackers might help.
Most every van burglary on the continent when the owner is within, has two things in common. Doors/windows unlocked or they were not alarmed.
We get lots of reports of break-ins here, hundreds over the years, because they get posted here even if they are reported elsewhere. I think I can remember only one time when someones alarm woke them with a burglary in progress. The alarm deters. Visible alarms with disabling internal sirens are a great deterrent and I'd rather set one of those than leave the door open.
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lorger
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What happened to me contradicts this as I parked my van next to the security office at Nice marathon while I went to collect my number and have lunch, when I came back my van had been broken into, fortunately nothing was taken so i can only assume the alarm sounding put them off. I asked the 5 security personal and the several car park stewards if they had seen or heard anything and they all said no, again I can only assume if I didn't have an alarm they would have spent time going through my van and would probably found my Ipad and 2 Rolex's
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eddie
LIFE MEMBER
I am retired
It‘s still really bad advice
Fly’s in the face of advice given by actual people that deal with actual crime rather than guessing
Home Office, Police Forces, Foreign Office, Insurance Companies, Caravan Club, RAC, The AA
I noticed you quoted the one bit of my post that could be deemed challengable, but ignored my other comments about your ill informed post
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eddie
LIFE MEMBER
Perhaps you had the “wrong” security?
Yes my son was so lucky not to have his MH stolen (from storage) because he had the metatrak non starter. The thieves tried really hard, probably on more than one occasion, to get it going, including taking a battery from another vehicle etc etc. this is how they left the wiring - but they never managed to steal the MH
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Yeh, cheap trick by insurance company's, but shooting themselves in the foot ultimately if nobody bothers with additional security because of claim devaluation.
Mike.
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tonka
LIFE MEMBER
Thats does not work !!.
One of my satellite engineers had an issue with his van and we decided to park it on my driveway overnight.
We removed the ladders, tools etc and he said "nothing to pinch so i will leave it open" and he did.
Woke up next morning and they had only taken out the windscreen to get inside !!!! Van totally unlocked if they had tried a door.
Funny now...
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. . . or perhaps they were just stealing the windscreen?Thats does not work !!.
One of my satellite engineers had an issue with his van and we decided to park it on my driveway overnight.
We removed the ladders, tools etc and he said "nothing to pinch so i will leave it open" and he did.
Woke up next morning and they had only taken out the windscreen to get inside !!!! Van totally unlocked if they had tried a door.
Funny now...
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Possible. Swmbo had her rear window stolen from her car twice.. . . or perhaps they were just stealing the windscreen?
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Jim
Ringleader
Download this and have a read. The new version of this is being produced now, but the vast bulk of this is good advice that remains valid forever
Motorhome Security Handbook
Written especially for motorhome owners; this book covers all aspects of security when home and on the road. A must read for everyone concerned about there security at home and abroad. This ebook is free to subscribers, if you are not a...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk
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The same as I do but for each of us who will use them there are 99 who won't as tthey 'do not feel safe'From the gentleman who is buying a campsite
View attachment 792686
Our motorway rest area last night below Tours en route to Spain
Great quite night easy and free
What they are intended for and used by thousands nightly
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ok ok, perhaps saying ‘leave it open’ was a bit much. I was just trying to offer some sort of counter argument to the idea that it is possible to make a camper secure. It isn’t, have a look at your windows. See the little plastic catches that hold them closed. These are designed for one thing only, to have sufficient strength only to keep a window closed against the wind. Anyone with a screwdriver or even just with their fingers can prise open almost any window and break all the catches off just with their hands.
This was what I meant when I state that if someone wants to get in, they absolutely will. This subject seems to come up quite often on this forum, and there is usually one advocating the argument that they will cause less damage if it isn’t locked, and cite the example of the German guy who never locked his van for 20yrs for that reason. Perhaps it comes from a time when there was less of value to steal in the van, and perhaps the fabled German guy had nothing of value and/or stayed on a site. It is an arguement, and under certain circumstances it has some merit.
I understand that people are rightly concerned about security, these days theres often more of value in a camper to steal and fully accept that (in general) leaving a van open is not a good suggestion. I really did mean if you are among others or on aire or site. Yes we are trying to buy a site - thinking someone would know that I made sure to mention aires as well, though it would have to be aires with a bit of security and quite a few others. We wouldn’t leave the van open on those tiny free aires.
Being a victim of crime and seeing how easy that they get in and defeat whatever devices you deploy, and the damage that is done to door frames and doors by jemmies does make one a bit more philosophical about just how far to go to try to stop a determined thief. Our approach has been less/no overt external security, curtains open and nothing on display, and the most expensive safe we could buy, internally bolted to chassis. Even this would obviously succumb to a determined thief, but it would slow them down, and they would need battery grinders and sledgehammers and make a lot of noise.
For the van itself, we rely on the factory immobiliser.
Again, apologies for what came across as a bit of a silly or fatuous comment.
This was what I meant when I state that if someone wants to get in, they absolutely will. This subject seems to come up quite often on this forum, and there is usually one advocating the argument that they will cause less damage if it isn’t locked, and cite the example of the German guy who never locked his van for 20yrs for that reason. Perhaps it comes from a time when there was less of value to steal in the van, and perhaps the fabled German guy had nothing of value and/or stayed on a site. It is an arguement, and under certain circumstances it has some merit.
I understand that people are rightly concerned about security, these days theres often more of value in a camper to steal and fully accept that (in general) leaving a van open is not a good suggestion. I really did mean if you are among others or on aire or site. Yes we are trying to buy a site - thinking someone would know that I made sure to mention aires as well, though it would have to be aires with a bit of security and quite a few others. We wouldn’t leave the van open on those tiny free aires.
Being a victim of crime and seeing how easy that they get in and defeat whatever devices you deploy, and the damage that is done to door frames and doors by jemmies does make one a bit more philosophical about just how far to go to try to stop a determined thief. Our approach has been less/no overt external security, curtains open and nothing on display, and the most expensive safe we could buy, internally bolted to chassis. Even this would obviously succumb to a determined thief, but it would slow them down, and they would need battery grinders and sledgehammers and make a lot of noise.
For the van itself, we rely on the factory immobiliser.
Again, apologies for what came across as a bit of a silly or fatuous comment.
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