I am not sure if this was a wise use of my time, or perhaps the end results is a bit over the top? Anyway, it kept me out of trouble for a while.

So, having heard of various stories in the UK about various Land Rovers models getting stolen via the ODB port... and the assumption that Jaguars must be using simular (if not identical) systems, I thought for pure peace of mind that I would dig out my trusty old "4tress" steering lock.

My 4Tress is a few years old but I seem to remember it being quite a secure device back in its day. However, the only issue with it is that it is not the prettiest looking device in the world, as you can see from the picture below.





Therefore, I decided that if I was going to use it on my Shaguar that I really should spice it up a bit.

First thing I should say to anyone who has one of these that the horrible "Halfords 4Tress" writting is easily removed in about 10 seconds with just white spirit and a tissue... it really is that easy (and I wished I had figured that out years ago).

However, removing the horrible silver paint is more of a chore. There is no way around this except a couple of hours of sanding. You should be warned that the only failing with this product is the key snapping in the lock due to the mechinism tightening up... so it is critical that all the important lock and movement areas are comprehensively masked up.

Anyway once stripped down....

Several coats of normal black car spray
One Shaguar sticker from ebay
Several coats of clear lacquer

and I am quite pleased with the end result. I've already had one person who thought it was sold with the car!

 

Lol, good job recycling too, finished result looks so much better

 

Haha that is a cool addition!

 

that looks great, amazing that we are having to go backwards regarding car security !!

 

Not only that, when not mounted to the steering wheel it makes a dandy personal defense weapon.

 

nice looking.......

 

flibberflops,

This type of device (aka"The Club" in the USA) really wasn't effective back in the day because it took the thief a very short time to cut through the plastic steering wheel with a hacksaw, remove the bar, and drive away. The same applies today. Nevertheless, ...

So, in order to further update its appearance and enhance its theft deterrence, consider attaching a red coiled telephone handset cord to the end of the bar with the other end of the cord going up under the dash. This will give the bar the appearance of being electrified and should convince a car thief to go elsewhere, particularly if you also have a sticker on the driver's door stating "Danger - Keep Out - High Voltage". Don't actually electrify it since doing so could expose you to legal liability.

If this was helpful, please click on the Thanks button on the bottom right.

Stuart

 

LOL, thanks but thats probably taking things a little far... I was aiming for something secure but still retaining some class of the XJ. The orginal black paint made it a little hard to see so I added the shaguar sticker to make more visible... something I am still not convinced makes it look a little chavvy?

From what I have read the flaw in the modern keyless entry system attracts a modern "techo" car thief. These new type of car thieves tend to want a quick removal with as little fuss as possible (i.e. they don't tend to carry a saw with them)

Statistics has shown that adding a security lock drastically reduces this type of crime to virtually zero... and hopefully the mere presence of this lock would move any potential thief onto the far more desirable target of an Range Rover.

Obviously at the end of the day, no addition is going to make a car 100% thief proof, however I guess everyone has to make their own security calculation based on thier own individual circumstance, risk and daily inconvience of using such devices!

 

A thief reprograms via the OBD port so put a switch somewhere in its circuit or remove its fuse. Reinstall fuse / flick switch when the port is needed.