I'm I paranoid?

[Frankie]

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I got my new Caterham and it seems I've developed this paranoia about parking my car for lunch. Having spent some time at the race track where it's known that every driver has a not so amusing mean streak in them They would steal the pad key. It didn't help that Top Gear guys would make a joke about it and advertise to the whole world on how to remove said key.  So I'm asking all of you what do you do?  Take the key or leave it?

[Croc]

Take the key.  All it takes is one toddler with bad parenting.  

 

I dont think you are being paranoid at all.  There are some weird ducks around this country.

[Vovchandr]

Sometimes I take it 

 

Sometimes I don't

 

I'd feel a lot easier leaving it in it if I have my spare with me in the trunk 

[mrmustang]

3 hours ago, Frankie said:

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I got my new Caterham and it seems I've developed this paranoia about parking my car for lunch. Having spent some time at the race track where it's known that every driver has a not so amusing mean streak in them They would steal the pad key. It didn't help that Top Gear guys would make a joke about it and advertise to the whole world on how to remove said key.  So I'm asking all of you what do you do?  Take the key or leave it?

Take the key with you.

 

In addition, if you have a removable steering wheel, you might want to take that as well, or someone you know might walk off with it as a prank.

 

Bill S.

[kayentaskier]

Hi Frankie, 

hope to see you on Saturday at Brighton. I always take the Master switch, ignition key and steering wheel, all these fit in the small backpack I carry

[wdb]

My kill switch key is safety wired to the car. I guess a sufficiently evil person could still take it though.

 

Damn, now I'm paranoid too. Although there is an old adage: just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't really out to get you.

[JohnCh]

In my experience, when it comes to boundaries, many people don't view se7ens in the same way as a normal car.  I have caught a 4-year-old trying to climb into my car at dog park while using the silencer as a stepping stool.  Parents watching their 10-year son attempting to get behind the wheel while the family stood around the car in a store parking lot.  And foreign tourists at Mt. Rainier asking in broken English if they could take photos of my car, only to find them a few minutes later taking those photos while one of them posed behind the wheel.  I suspect the desire of some miscreants to take a souvenir of the encounter is also higher than normal which is why I didn't option either the quick release wheel or the master cutoff switch.  To be fair a lot of people have those and have never had an issue.  But with my luck, I wouldn't be in that category.

 

-John

[Vovchandr]

Since a 7 is very close to being a bike, it comes with a lot of bike problems

 

Bikers often have a problem with strangers feeling empowered enough to sit on somebody else's bike

 

I've caught a girl posing in my 7 outside a bar for a picture before

 

Things can't be prevented with ease and it just sort of comes with territory

 

It's like a an exotic car owner complaining about everybody constantly taking pictures of them anywhere they go. Desired? Maybe, maybe not. Should this be expected with purchase? Most certainly. 

 

 

With all that said I don't think I've ever taken my steering wheel. 

 

In some context areas I would consider mounting my tonneau cover before leaving. 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Vovchandr

[CarlB]

My car doesn't have a keyed-on switch. It has a master switch, an ignition switch that isn't obvious, a fuel pump switch, and a starter button. The dash has a number of unmarked switches to figure out. The steering wheel also come off.

[BlakeJ]

I take the ignition key, master battery key and steering wheel with me. 

[Vovchandr]

If you guys go to like a store you take your steering wheel?

 

Even if I take it off I'd put it in the trunk or under seat or something 

[MV8]

A short cable lock in the boot for the wheel, with a small locking "dry box" mounted through the inside of the box makes sense. Preferably under the boot cover. I've seen them under the bonnet where the heater normally goes.

[panamericano]

Wow!  Some of y'all must hang out in some shady neighborhoods.  I never take any such precautions and have never had an incident (10 years in December).

Of course, it's not a truck, so most Texans wouldn't care.

 

 

[mrmustang]

1 hour ago, panamericano said:

Wow!  Some of y'all must hang out in some shady neighborhoods.  I never take any such precautions and have never had an incident (10 years in December).

Of course, it's not a truck, so most Texans wouldn't care.

 

 

Mine was at VIR quite a few years ago, friend decided to play a practical joke on me by removing the steering wheel and stashing it in his truck.....His wife then decided to go off site to a winery nearby.....Three hours later rolled back in with my steering wheel still in the back of the truck.......Yes, really.

 

Bill S.

[Frankie]

Thanks everyone, It's nice to know I'm not paranoid. Seems like all agree to take the pad key, the ignition key and the steering wheel.  Good advice from all.

[inchoate]

I keep my tonneau cover in the car and I put it on if I'm going to be away for any length of time.  It won't deter a dedicated miscreant, but it keeps random strangers from trying it on for size.

 

speaking to the motorcycle/7 thing I almost never have issues with people behaving inappropriately with my motorcycles but everyone seems to think it's ok to sit in the 7.