Secure Storage

by Dave 418 Tue Aug 02, 2016 4:27 pm

Since my van was broken into I have been trying to find some way to store things like the TV, DVD Player etc if we leave the van any were. We have spare storage space but nothing secure. Our Duetto had a small safe under the passenger seat. The Rienza has batteries under both front seats. None of the cupboards are lockable and the storage under the seats is not divided. You can get into the n/s seat base from inside and outside via the locker door.
The best idea so far is a secure box under the centre seat base. Any thoughts appreciated. had_idea

by Paulmold Tue Aug 02, 2016 4:34 pm

Perhaps better to make breaking in harder. Fiamma or Milenco habitation door lock and deadlocks on the front doors and window locks such as lock-m-out on all windows.

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and of course, don't leave such items on show.

by Dave 418 Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:03 pm

Thanks Paul. Our habitation door has a FIAMA lock fitted before we bought the van that proved useless when they got into the van via the cab doors. If they were dead locked from the inside and the window locks fitted the habitation door lock might slow them down.
The TV etc is stored in the TV cupboard out of site. I have walked fast a few vans and seen large TV,s on full view. To me they are asking to be stolen.
A friend from the motor trade has suggested an alarm with movement sensors. From my time at the roadside they are not so good because they get ignored. Also if you are away from the you cant here the alarm.
I am going to do some thinking about this matter. think_smiley_46

by Paulmold Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:15 pm

I presume your Rienza is Transit based. Milenco do interior deadlocks as do Heosafe. The Milenco are shown on the link above. The Heosafes are here (I have them fitted on my Boxer based Nuevo).

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you could also fit this type of deadlock (locked from outside)..

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by Greyhound Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:22 pm

In terms of securing the actual items, if you want a nice large single storage area you can buy van lock boxes that are bolted down (would fit in a bench seat if you have room) and then might fit a small TV etc and beat most would be tea leaves.

Here's an examples of some that may work:
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There are some small 350mm square boxes that might fit in a bench seat, but not sure if a standard TV would fit in that.

A search on Amazon also has some decent looking van boxes which are cheaper and lower profile, might be worth a look if that interests you.

Failing that you can also get some lock chain/cable that is designed to secure laptops and computers. It would do the job but IMO would be easily broken away from the item with some decent force.

by bikeralw Tue Aug 02, 2016 6:32 pm

Our van has a Fiama lock on the hab door and a factory fitted alarm with interior sensors, with stickers on the outside stating such. As an extra addition when we leave the van we lock the cab doors together through the armrests with a motorcycle cable lock.
A determined tealeaf will always get in, but the idea is to make the next van look easier pickings.
Regarding locked boxes, a friend fitted one, bolted through the floor and wardrobe wall. With the aid of a crowbar it was stolen, complete with contents, a sat nav and tablet worth about £400, but the massive damage to the inside of the van cost the insurance many times that, and he had the inconvenience of being without the van for weeks while repairs were carried out. I wouldn't bother fitting one myself.
Al.

by Dave 418 Tue Aug 02, 2016 6:58 pm

:think_smiley_4I have had a think about this and it looks like the Milenco door locks are the best option. They look like a DIY job. The Lock-Em-out widow locks are a simple idea. An alarm fitted to Insurance standards would be a lot more costly. As said a secure box is only as good as its fitting.
My father fitted dead locks to his MGB GT. Two pieces of 1/2" steel rod through the door pillars into the ends of the doors. Not as easy to do on a fully trimmed motor home. shrugg

by Gromit Tue Aug 02, 2016 7:42 pm

Dave 418 wrote: The Lock-Em-out widow locks are a simple idea.

And in my opinion a complete waste of time.

They assume that the thief will be kind and considerate, and try not to damage your van as he wiggles a wire coat hanger up through the rubber to push open the catches.

Like hell he will!!! He'll jemmy the window near the catches and break them off. They are only a bit of flimsy plastic after all, so is he really going to stand there fiddling with them for minutes when one good wrench will have the window wide open!! shrugg

Dave

by groundhog Tue Aug 02, 2016 9:30 pm

As Gromit says... we had a motorhome stored some years ago, never mind any door locks they just put a paving slab straight through the window and got in, turned the interior upside down.... only to find the van totally empty, so some poetic justice there snigger

by groundhog Tue Aug 02, 2016 9:30 pm

As Gromit says... we had a motorhome stored some years ago, never mind any door locks they just put a paving slab straight through the window and got in, turned the interior upside down.... only to find the van totally empty, so some poetic justice there snigger

by Greyhound Wed Aug 03, 2016 8:54 am

bikeralw wrote:Our van has a Fiama lock on the hab door and a factory fitted alarm with interior sensors, with stickers on the outside stating such. As an extra addition when we leave the van we lock the cab doors together through the armrests with a motorcycle cable lock.
A determined tealeaf will always get in, but the idea is to make the next van look easier pickings.
Regarding locked boxes, a friend fitted one, bolted through the floor and wardrobe wall. With the aid of a crowbar it was stolen, complete with contents, a sat nav and tablet worth about £400, but the massive damage to the inside of the van cost the insurance many times that, and he had the inconvenience of being without the van for weeks while repairs were carried out. I wouldn't bother fitting one myself.
Al.

It's true about potential damage, but that can be said for any additional security. The cable through the armrests that you use can simply be defeated by hacksawing / ripping the armrests off. I presume they go to the internal door handles - these would easily be ripped off too.

I do agree though, at the end of the day you have to weigh up the items you're protecting against the potential damage caused. Number one is protecting the van overall, so door locks and steering disckloks are not a bad thing. Secondly is making it less attractive, so don't leave things in sight. During storage if a bench seat/cupboard is empty maybe leave it open so they can see there's no point in smashing a window for empty storage.

Of course the hardest thing is protection when actually touring, because you have no place else to store things.

Maybe put valuables in the toilet cassette cupboard, because I doubt a thief will be eyeing up the contents of that ;)

by Dave 418 Wed Aug 03, 2016 9:44 am

I have consulted with management and we agree that we need do some thing. We are at a proms concert soon leaving the van in a dark field for a long time.
I have ordered the lock-Em-Out for the side windows and a pair of van locks. As said the window locks may not stop a determined low life but it may slow them down a little and the dead locks will mean they have to make noise getting in.
We will put our valuables out of site of coarse and if they do get in we may get some sympathy from the insurance. uncertain

by dbroada Wed Aug 03, 2016 9:57 am

Noggin wrote:Maybe put valuables in the toilet cassette cupboard, because I doubt a thief will be eyeing up the contents of that ;)

I once went to my old van and found it unlocked (I had it serviced the day before and forgot to check). The radio had been removed from the dashboard - but not the van. The thieves obviously realised they wouldn't get anything for it down the pub. Having found nothing worth stealing I wondered what else they might do. Then I saw the porta potti and my heart sank. Not for long though, they didn't use it. snigger

As for security - I was once told "safes don't buy you security, they buy you time". You have to get the balance right between providing a visible deterrent and not advertising you have something worth stealing. Tricky.

by Greyhound Wed Aug 03, 2016 10:33 am

dbroada wrote:As for security - I was once told "safes don't buy you security, they buy you time". You have to get the balance right between providing a visible deterrent and not advertising you have something worth stealing. Tricky.

Very true, the best way is to disguise a safe (or your valuables) as something else, which is why those little electric socket safes are a good idea in the home and may possibly work in the vans for small items.

A safe etc screams 'here are my valuables' whereas an electric socket isn't given a second glance.

by Dave 418 Thu Aug 04, 2016 4:15 pm

I now have Milenco dead locks on the front doors and Lock-Em-Outs fitted to the side windows.
scratch head

The dead locks took about two minits of sussing and boggling to work out why they didn't fit as per the instructions. The picture and instructions are orientated to Seval vans. To make them fit a Transit you need to turn the mounting block through 90 degrees.
Yes they are very visible when fitted but you can still open the door about 1/4". How much will four large self tapping screws hold. In good engineering practice I suppose riv nuts and bolts would be better. As much as I am hoping they wont be put to the test I feel happier having done something to slow the scum down a little. tap_fingers

All we had on our Duetto was a flashing LED that looked like an alarm was fitted. winks

by Greyhound Thu Aug 04, 2016 4:38 pm

Sounds good, it's all just an added level of security.

I put a Fiamma lock on the hab door and it simply screws into the frame. I also though with some heavy duty persuasion it would probably rip out eventually, but it's a great visual deterrent.

by Dave 418 Thu Sep 01, 2016 2:57 pm

I know this is an old subject now but the latest issue regarding vehicle security may be of some help to others.
I had to move the van today and that meant unlocking the habitation door including the Fiama dead lock. This has one of those strange round keys with cut outs and a tab on one side. When you remove the key there is a slot in the barrel and the outer of the lock. You cant put the key in unless the two slots are in line. With me so far, if not look at a picture or youre own lock.
The said slots were not in line on my lock so the key wouldn't go in stopping the lock from turning. shrugg

This is not good because I will be leaving the van on car parks next week. After a lot of sussing and boggling I realised the barrel is knackered. Choices are a bit thin with it being so close to going away time.
I trawled the internet and found a replacement barrel from the better internet people. Delivered tomorrow for half the price of a new lock and fairly easy to fit.
Now the panic is over I suppose I got away with this quite well. If it had been locked and my cab door dead locks on it think it would have involved a locksmith.
This lock was fitted by the first owners so has faired well I suppose. think_smiley_46

by rose49f Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:05 pm

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I have a similar one to this in my van. If anyone walks past it in the van the alarm sounds in my house. Totally portable. It does work as I keep forgetting to switch it of when I go in the van and my husband says 'Bloody alarm's gone off again' It also goes off when the battery begins to run down which is about once a year. So I have wheel clamp, steering lock and alarm but no valuables. Only my van.

by Dave 418 Thu Sep 01, 2016 7:23 pm

Thanks Rose. That is exactly what I was looking for. The only access to the garden/workshop/shed is passed the van parked on the drive. I think this could be quite discretely positioned to cover all points of value.

by rose49f Thu Sep 01, 2016 7:46 pm

I'd put both sensors in the van. One at back and one in the front as low flying birds will set the sensor off. But that is up to you. They do work. allthumbz

by rose49f Tue Sep 06, 2016 2:37 pm

rose49f wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I have a similar one to this in my van. If anyone walks past it in the van the alarm sounds in my house. Totally portable. It does work as I keep forgetting to switch it of when I go in the van and my husband says 'Bloody alarm's gone off again' It also goes off when the battery begins to run down which is about once a year. So I have wheel clamp, steering lock and alarm but no valuables. Only my van.

Alarm went off at 3.00am. Had my torch ready, shined it outside then got up enough courage and went outside to see what was happening. Wheel clamp on, Steering lock on and all doors locked. Couldn't see anyone inside. Went off again about 10min later nobody about so realised it was either a spider going it front of the sensor or the batteries must need changing. As they haven't been changed for over a year I will now change them. broomstick

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