Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 10:15:54 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Kill Switches: Question: Does Defense attract Offence ???
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I've had three cars stolen right out of my front driveway in 20 years.
In every case; if they couldn't get the car started they broke a few extra
windows before they left.
In the case of two cars recovered there wasn't any broken glass on the cars.
One a 83 Cadillac was recovered driving through a Churches Chicken drive in,
the other an 86 Olds station wagon was recovered after 30 days down in the
river bottom pretty well stripped but still had all the window glass.
The third car was never recovered so I can't guess the condition it might
have been found in.
Stan Wilder
Engine Ceramics
214-352-4931
www.engineceramics.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Carpenter" <Trvlr2001@AOL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: Kill Switches: Question: Does Defense attract Offence ???
> Hi All,
> .
>
> But In the end, What's (IN) the bus is often worth more than the bus
itself.
> As when you are a thousand miles from home with all of your belongings in
> your bus.
> What's a poor boy to do ??? (short of sleeping in your bus with a sawed
> off?) In fact, in Portland Or, while sleeping IN my bus (I even had the
top up!)
> An enterprising young man tried to break into my bus while I was Sleeping
???
> Not a nice feeling to Only have the thin canvas of the top, 'the' only
thing
> between you & the bad guy. (All I had was an axe in my hand Eugene :o)...
go
> figure...
> I now carry an 40 cal auto. But I really hate to be in that space !!! It
> makes me feel more like one of them, than one of...me...
> Question: Does Defense attract Offence ???
> John C...
>
> FWIW some of the fancy cars I sometimes used to see at my old job had
> switches underneath the floor carpet up where it's easy to reach that had
> to be
> actively held down in order to start the car. It was a push button on
switch
> like a doorbell in that it was on "engaged" when actively depressed.
>
> I assume they were just a kill switch for the starter. And I know it had
to
> be actively held down for the starter to run--this of course in
combination
> with turning the ignition key. The driver knew "exactly" where the
carpet
> had
> to be pushed and assumably no one else could easily find it--til the
carpet
> wore out in that spot ;)
>
> (In a sports car set up remember the reach to the floor carpeted area is
> pretty close because you're sitting low unlike in the Vanagon.)
>
> I'm not so sure this is the best set up, but I'm just passing it on .
Seems
> if the thieves jumped the starter or even better jump started the
car ---you
> know by rolling and popping the clutch--they'd be on their way.
>
> And so a kill switch for the fuel pump or the ignition system or what
have
> you may be more effective BUT and it's a big but, what happens the night
you
> forget to flip the kill switch as you get out of the bus to go to sleep.
>
> The kill switch for the fuel pump is only as good as the last time you
exit
> the vehicle. And the most painful part of getting your bus stolen would
be
> endlessly wondering if you forgot to flip the switch when you got out or
if
> the
> thief found it--or worse your wife told them where it was when she hired
> them.
>
> I wonder if it'd be over kill to have a started kill that had to be
actively
> depressed to allow the starter to turn over AND a kill switch for the
fuel
> pump.
>
> Incidentally I've had kill switches on cars and it does give you peace of
> mind, and I think appropriately so.
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