Wednesday, November 6, 2013

7 Ways to Protect Your Car When Parking in a Busy Area



A car is an expensive personal asset that gets left behind to sit where anything can happen to it. Of course, you don't have an option but to park in a parking lot or alongside the street if your home does not have a private garage or driveway. Even though the car may have to be left out of your sight, here are a few things you can do to protect your car from being harmed.

Try to park as close to your home as possible. If you have the option to park closer to your home, your car may be protected just by being within a certain distance from your home. Cars left away from residences or buildings in lonely alleys or dark places may be vulnerable to theft or vandalism. If you can't keep it very close to your home, leave the car in a well-lit area.

Buying a device that helps you to retain your parking spot while you are away is a great idea. These items create a type of barrier that work by remote access. Another car will not be able to park there, but you will be able to activate the mechanisms via your remote access to lower and park right over the barrier.

Test your alarm to make sure you can hear it.What good is a car alarm if you cannot hear it? Alarms don't just go off because of theft. Sometimes they are set off by other passing cars or a number of random reasons. A car alarm that you can't hear may drain your battery, cause you to be charged with a fine for the disruption, or may tell thieves that you don't pay attention to your car alarm.

If your alarm is very sensitive, talk to a mechanic to see if you can have the sensitivity lowered. This way you will not have to deal with so many false alarms. You should always check your car over for damages or possible theft after the alarm has been set off, even if you suspect it was caused by a non-threatening incident.

Make sure your doors are locked. Of course, many people think that locking their car doors is a given. But some people forget to lock their doors if they think they will only be away for a moment. It only takes a few minutes for someone to steal out of your car or even to drive off with it. Even if you are running into your home or building just for a minute, make sure you lock your car doors when you are out of sight of your car.

Keep valuables out of sight. Leaving a purse, wallet, or any other valuable item in full view for everyone to see on a seat or other place in the car is an open invitation to thieves who will not be able to resist. Even change left in the car is sometimes too much for a person in desperate need of money to resist. Keep all items locked in the boot or trunk of the car or hide them out of sight.

Try to park in the same place every time.Putting your car in the same place can actually help you to spot differences in the appearance of your car, who may be hanging around it, and other situations that may alert you to suspicious activity. It is easy to be more aware of what is going on that could cause a problem to your vehicle if you are familiar with the area.

Make sure your spot is easy to get in and out of.It is useless to place your car in a safe area if you cannot see to get in or out of the spot. Avoid trying to put your car in between large vehicles that hinder your ability to see, and try to avoid areas where you cannot safely maneuver to get back onto the road.

Inspect your car before driving. No matter where you leave your car, you should always inspect it before driving it. Check your tires to make sure they have not been flattened, look at your side mirrors to make sure they have not been damaged, and always look in the backseat before getting in to protect yourself. If you find damage to your car now, you will know where the damage occurred and can contact the authorities.

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