Cover over hard shell spare cover

[laurabw]

thanks for the input. So nobody thinks with having to unclip the thing on the bottom that it's a small theft deterrent because it would take a thief that much longer to undo it (in order to steal the spare, which as I understand on these boards, does happen).

Or is it rare that the spares are stolen?

Ok, I just looked at the manual, and also read on another thread here that in order to unclip it you have to open the door, so I would THINK that prevents it from being stolen unless they're really determined, I suppose.

[NickRav4]

i saved up some spare change and purchased wheel locks. they are pretty inexpensive, and they protect your spare from theft. They usually come in packs of 4 or 5 (mine came with 5) so i was able to put one wheel lock on each wheel.

[Blogson]

I didn't want to buy a set of wheel locks when all that I need is one, so instead I bought a heavy bicycle cable lock for the spare only. A thief would have to use a bolt cutter or long pry bar to remove it. A problem with wheel locks is that some surveys and tests have shown that every lock produced by a given manufacturer can be unlocked with the same key, and thieves may have that key along with others.

[NickRav4]

Blogson, that is very true, but to the average joe who is looking to steal the wheel that is more then enough to puzzle him, and if the wheel is successfully stolen then the insurance company would just be contacted.

[Meander]

Originally Posted by JuneBug

Laura, I've said it before and I'll say it again. The hard shell cover makes no sense to me. For example, let's say I remove the hard cover from my Limited and whack the spare tire with a baseball bat. No damage. Put a soft cover on it and whack it again. It bounces right off. But, install the hard cover on the spare and hit that with a baseball bat and there would be $200-$300 in damage! Even more if the shell gets cracked. So the hard shell cover is mostly about looks, not protection.

That is one interesting way of treating your vehicle. Could you tell me what kind of paint protection you are using to prevent scratches ?

[Blogson]

Originally Posted by NickRav4

Blogson, that is very true, but to the average joe who is looking to steal the wheel that is more then enough to puzzle him, and if the wheel is successfully stolen then the insurance company would just be contacted.

Not too many "average joes" here - feeding drugs habits has made them into professional thieves. How much the cost would be to replace the stolen wheel and tire obviously depends upon the insurance deductible amount - the vehicle owner easily could have to shell out the entire amount, as some have reported on this forum.

[NickRav4]

Originally Posted by Blogson

Not too many "average joes" here - feeding drugs habits has made them into professional thieves. How much the cost would be to replace the stolen wheel and tire obviously depends upon the insurance deductible amount - the vehicle owner easily could have to shell out the entire amount, as some have reported on this forum.

That is very true, but the areas I frequent are not too common with theft and most places I leave the vehicle are under surveillance (college campus, home, work).

[laurabw]

Originally Posted by Blogson

Not too many "average joes" here - feeding drugs habits has made them into professional thieves. How much the cost would be to replace the stolen wheel and tire obviously depends upon the insurance deductible amount - the vehicle owner easily could have to shell out the entire amount, as some have reported on this forum.

yikes to all of that!

[RAV4Smith]

Originally Posted by Blogson

Not too many "average joes" here - feeding drugs habits has made them into professional thieves. How much the cost would be to replace the stolen wheel and tire obviously depends upon the insurance deductible amount - the vehicle owner easily could have to shell out the entire amount, as some have reported on this forum.

Makes me glad I live in the middle of Wisconsin. There's some crime, of course, but missing cats still make the newspaper!