Typically a hammer, screwdriver or anything else that can be used to break a window and break the locks. The old addage suggests that locks are for "honest" people and that a real theif will steal your car regardless of what you do to prevent theft. Some of the more sophisticated criminals have been known to cross-reference the vin number to have a set of keys made and/or have had it towed away appearing to be a legitimate towing company that is legally performing a service. In my opinion the best deterrent against auto theft is a secret "kill switch" somewhere in the vehicle that only you and a few trusted users of the vehicle know about. Even though it does not prevent someone from towing the car away, it can still make it nearly impossible for someone to just break in and drive it away.

Most thieves don't bother breaking a window. It is quite easy to get into a car by either punching out the lock or using a thin bar that slides down between the window and the door frame to catch the locking mechanism and unlock the door. Both of these methods take seconds and are much more discreet than the rock through the window. Many ignition switches can be broken and bypassed using nothing more than a screwdriver - a number of Chrysler products had notoriously weak door and ignition locks for many years. Information on stealing cars does get passed around. The best deterrents are: - Owning a car no one wants to steal, either for itself or for parts. - A steering-wheel locking bar. It takes a thief time to cut through the steering wheel with a hacksaw. An opportunistic thief will move on to an easier target when confronted with one. - A hidden kill switch for the ignition or fuel pump. Effective so long as it cannot be easily bypassed under the hood. - A hidden fuel-line cutoff valve. These are a little more effective than a kill switch, as electrical systems are easier to bypass than a fuel line. A car alarm does nothing. No one pays any attention to them, since the false alarm rate is so high. How many times have you heard an alarm go off with no one near the car? I like to call out "would someone please steal this car" whenever one goes off near me for no reason. And, ultimately, you cannot protect your car from a determined thief. All they need is a tow truck or a flatbed and your car is history. Fancy cars tend to end up in containers within the hour to be shipped offshore.

The latest trend is a very loud auto alarm and a steering wheel locking device. if they can not steer it, then why steal it? lets face it, if thieves want your automobile bad enough, they will find a way to take it. for an auto thief, quickness and quietness is the name of the game. if you have a high dollar automobile, invest in the above security devices. and, your auto insurance company may give you 10% less premium break.

My truck was broke into last weekend and they stole my $3,500 stereo, They used some kind of tool to punch out my door lock with almost minimal damage besides bending the keyhole outta wack and making the old lock useless, what do they use or how do they do it? It was parked 50 ft. away from the front doors of the hotel i was at. and noone saw a thing. Especially the guy carrying a 200 lb. box outta the back of my truck. thanks in advance. Oh yea my factory alarm system didn't even go off, go figure....

Theives managed to get into my car by just thumping on the door where the lock was. Somehow they knew the lock was rusted and it just disintegrated when they hit it!!!

there ins;nt really nothing to prevent it just to get alarm for the car!

you re correct but people tend to take a peek out the window to look what is going on!

In my experience I have found that magnetic strips from other stores could set another stores off, also cell phones. This is just what I've heard from Asset Protection Employee's

G'day Thesceneaesthetic, Thank you for your question. It has probably been set off by something from another shop or even a mobile phone. Hopefully, it is soon sorted out even if other people look at you funny. Regards

One time I kept randomly setting off store alarms. Like one day I would set off two... then a few weeks would go by with no problems... then I would set them off again. It turned out that the jeans I was wearing had one of those small, but strong, round plastic alarms snapped on the inside. It was put on the very edge of the pocket between the pocket and the leg of the jeans, so I never felt it. I only found it by chance one day when I had peeled my jeans off turning them inside out. The funny part is that it obviously didn't set off any alarms when I walked out of the store when I bought them. What's the point in using alarm tags if you dont turn on the alarms?

The equipment malfunctioned, the sales clerk forgot to remove one of those security tags at another shop, you are walking out at the exact same time as a person who did, in fact, steal something from the store. I'm sure there are loads of reasons, these are just a few.

I would assume that the guy used a dent puller. All you would have to do is screw it in the lock and pull. It would rip out the entire tumbler assembly out with minimal damage.

SCREWDRIVER A FIVE MILL IS EASYIST,AND A SCAFF BAR TO TAK THE IGNITION OFF YES YOU CAN GET A STEERING LOCK THAT COVERS THE HOLE WHEEL TO STOP THEM AND REMOTE CONTOL DOOR LOCKS WITCH ARE EXPENSIVE BUT WORTH IT,QUINNEY

Being an ex-car thief myself, there are many ways to make your car *inconvenient* to steal ! Using a kill switch is one of the best things that one can use to ensure the thief will, tire of his intentions. Please put your switch some where that cannot be found in under 5 minutes. In saying this a visual deterent is also needed...as hopefully he will move on from the start. I have not known of too many car theives that include Hacksaws in their *Tool Set* unless they have been targeting a particular vehicle ! So a Steering lock is a good deterent....but in saying this I find that instead of having the *steering Locks* key assembly facing you ! You should have it facing the dash/intsrumentation ! This can be a pain at times as you have to unlock the mechanism by entering the key from the back....but this will very much ensure that any one with a Slide Hammer (Dent Puller) will not be able to take your steering lock off the wheel in under 5 seconds flat ! Slide hammers are the easyest tool to steal a vehicle in under 2-1min. Anyway good luck !!! And keep your car safe ; )

Anything you can think of can be a tool. I've seen people pop open doors with blood preasure cuffs. As for preventing it, no. You can't stop someone from stealing your car. All you can do is make it more difficult to get away with.

The most common tool a thief uses when stealing a car is crack or meth.

Normally it is the owner's keys! Don't believe me. Look it up. To catch the thief quickly use a tracking device. Several companies sell them.

Anyone can read the VIN number tag through the windshield and go to the dealer and they will sell you a key. That was on CNN.

VISE GRIPS AND FLATHEAD SCREWDRIVER : )~