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How to keep your motorhome secure
From simple tricks which make it easier to track down your motorhome, to security devices to stop thieves taking a second look, these are our top tips to securely store your motorhome...
A new motorhome undoubtedly represents a significant investment, with prices that can start from around £45,000, and rise to more than £100,000. That’s a whole lot more expensive than, for example, a tent – but it’s a whole load more civilised, too.
And those prices don’t include all the stuff you have to put into a motorhome, such as bedding, travelling electronics, or even food. So, with experts such as Tracker reporting that motorhome thefts are on the rise, it makes sense that you’d want to keep your investment as secure as possible.
Here, we’ve listed some effective and affordable ways to ensure that your motorhome remains exactly where you left it, and with all of your stuff still inside.
1. A security post
If you park your motorhome in your driveway, a security post makes a great visual deterrent.
These posts are usually comparatively inexpensive, starting from around £40 for a fold-down affair from hardware outlets such as Screwfix, and rising to almost £1000 for a telescopic post that retracts into the ground from dedicated security providers. This might only work if you have a narrow entrance to your driveway, though.
2. Parking
Sometimes the simplest methods can be the most effective. So, when you park your motorhome up for the winter, simply make sure it is parked out of the way near a wall or building, and ensure that the steering is on full lock. This will make it vastly more difficult for any miscreants to tow your van away.
3. Wheel clamp
If it’s good enough for all those parking enforcement companies, then it should be good enough for your motorhome. A sturdy wheel clamp will stop a wheel turning, making it impossible for a thief to steal your motorhome. These start from around £25 from Halfords, rising to around £270 from a recognised security outlet such as Bulldog.
4. Steering wheel lock
A good steering wheel lock will not only prevent (or at least delay) a thief from stealing your prized motorhome, it will also provide a strong visual deterrent to prevent them from even attempting the job in the first place. A lock that covers the entire wheel is the most effective deterrent, but not always the most portable, while bar-shaped locks such as the Stoplock Pro Elite offer good protection and portability.
5. Alarm and immobiliser
Ensure that your motorhome has an alarm and immobiliser fitted, and that both systems are working as intended. A screaming alarm will cause a thief to flee empty-handed and alert you to any issue, while an immobiliser should stop the motorhome being started.
6. OBD tracker
An OBD tracker allows you to keep an eye on where your motorhome is, in real time, and is comparatively inexpensive. Most plug into your OBD socket and have a sim card that transmits a GPS location to your phone, which you can keep an eye on using an app. Such devices are available from around £50.
7. Key protection
If you’re away from home, keep your motorhome keys in sight all the time. However, if you’re at home, consider locking the keys in a box, away from prying eyes. In today’s world of thieves cloning keys from outside your front door using a laptop, it also makes sense to invest in a RFID protection bag to prevent the thieves copying the signal from the keys. These are highly effective and cost from around £5 (www.defendersignalblocker.co.uk).
8. Clutch claw
This is a long-served piece of technology that remains popular because it’s simple and it works. The Centinel Clutch Claw is a robust item that attaches around the brake and clutch pedals, rendering them unusable. However, bear in mind that the clue is in the name, so if you have a motorhome with an automatic gearbox, this won’t be suitable. The Centinel Clutch Claw is available from all good motorhome security outlets, as well as on websites such as Amazon.
9. Secure storage
If you’re concerned about security and know you won’t be using your motorhome for a while, it could be worth leaving it at a secure storage facility. However, you should always make sure that the facility is properly manned and that it has plenty of CCTV. Make sure the perimeter fencing is sturdy and in good condition, and find out if it has been subject to previous break-ins. It’s also worth regularly checking on your motorhome, just to make sure all is in order.
10. Empty your motorhome
If you’re giving your motorhome the winter off, you should obviously make sure it’s closed up. But it’s also a good idea to make sure all the cupboards are left open. That way, if someone with less-than-legal thoughts in mind has a look through the window, they’ll see that there’s nothing worth stealing – this also helps to keep the build up of damp to a minimum. If your motorhome has televisions in it, you might also unplug these and remove them.
11. Postcode on the roof
Put your postcode on the roof of your motorhome. This will make it easier for the police to find it if it’s stored in a compound somewhere, and is also somewhere that thieves rarely think to look for an identifier, so will make it easier to find if your motorhome is sold on.
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