How can I secure my van's doors against someone breaking a window to reach in and opening the door?

[scaredycat72]

I suggest that anti-break in window film because locks don't make any sense to me.

If someone breaks your window for a smash and grab, they have to see something on your seats or in your console to grab. A smash and grab is reaching into the vehicle through the window and grabbing whatever they see of value. I don't see how stopping the doors from opening will stop that?

If someone wants to break into your vehicle to look around and they have the time and commitment to smash the windows to do it, they would just climb through the window. Why would not being able to open the door stop them?

If you're in the vehicle and you want more time to respond after someone smashs a window, then yeah, maybe stopping the doors from opening makes sense but just yelling that you're inside should stop the person from breaking in if they just want to steal stuff.

Plus if you ever need help, how will rescue personnel get to you if you're locked up like a bank? It's going to be hard to save you if they have to crawl through a window or wait for equipment to get the door open.

 

[tradesman]

There is a new thread started about security film here:
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/security-film-on-glass-windows-better-than-metal-bars.47162/
However typical automobile locks are very easy to defeat, so window film would be just one of several measures to take. Another is reinforcing the door handle lock areas and/or adding secondary locks.

 

[scaredycat72]

There is a new thread started about security film here:
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/security-film-on-glass-windows-better-than-metal-bars.47162/
However typical automobile locks are very easy to defeat, so window film would be just one of several measures to take. Another is reinforcing the door handle lock areas and/or adding secondary locks.

Sweet. I want security film on my windows but no one in my area installs it. Hopefully I'll run across a shop that does on the road.

Automobile locks and smash proof windows will keep out most people and thieves but reinforced handle areas and secondary locks are smart if you have the type of vehicle that gets targeted a lot, like construction vans, or if you leave your vehicle for really long periods of time, like 12 hour hikes.

 

[tradesman]

You can purchase security film online and do it yourself, but its all in the preparation. Cleaning the glass, then scraping the glass with a razor blade and cleaning again. Then making sure you're in a dust free zone when applying it.

 

[jacqueg]

I've seen tradesmen's vans with metal grates covering the windows. I have no idea where they got the grating or how they installed it.

 

[CosmickGold]

Here's the final version of what I'm doing to secure my van:
1. Security film on the windows. This page has the size and length I need (out of their 14 choices), which is 24 inches by X 24 feet. Also, I read you need the 8mil to be strong enough to keep thieves out, even though 4mil and 2mil are of course cheaper to buy. Here's a video showing how well the film works. (There are also plenty of YouTube videos showing how to install security film.)



Here is important information about security-film I got in a reply from tradesman answering the questions I had asked:

1. It must be installed on the interior of the window.
2. It must be installed on the interior of the window.
3. It must be installed directly on the glass and not on top of any "added on" tinted lamination.
4. Adhesive strength will be similar in all security films and on the interior the criminal will not be able to remove it.

FYI: The thicker the film the more protection it provides, however for curved glass (especially two directional curve) you cannot use the thicker versions as they do not conform to curves like thin window tint which is only 1 or 2 mil.
Also for roll down windows you would need to remove the window in order to apply it out to the edges of the glass to provide a better level of protection. On fixed windows it would need to have a structural adhesive caulk applied around the perimeter. If you do not do this, the glass can simply be smashed in as a whole piece.

Windshields are made of two layers of glass with a plastic layer in the middle. This is called laminated safety glass.

2. Securing my doors from the inside. I am installing these gate latches as "dead bolts", using threaded bolts to secure one onto the inside of each metal door near the bottom. The "dead bolt" part goes straight down through a hole I drilled through the metal floor. If you put padlocks on these, be sure to keep a key right there near each lock in case you need to make a quick escape!




3. Securing one door from the outside. Even though I understand an external lock will make thieves wonder what valuable item is being secured inside, I'm putting this one across my side twin doors anyway. Be sure to use this black one by Proven Locks, and not the similar silver one by Master. There are videos showing how the Master lock can be picked in only a few seconds, while this black lock could not be picked even after two hours of the same person trying; for unlike the silver lock, the pins of the black lock must each be tipped by the inserted key at just the right angle as well as pressed down the correct distance.



4) The windshield. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think windshields are secure enough already, for they consist of a strong plastic layer between two sheets of extra thick/strong glass, meant to withstand objects flying into them at high speed on the road.

 

[Zerpersande]

Here's the final version of what I'm doing to secure my van:
1. Security film on the windows.

Security film - Keeps thieves from getting in, let’s bullets out.

 

[CosmickGold]

. . . . I want security film on my windows but no one in my area installs it. Hopefully I'll run across a shop that does on the road. . . .

I bought a a 24' X 24" roll of this film, and followed their instructions in the video below to install it on my van windows.

 

[D'L]

If someone breaks your window for a smash and grab, they have to see something on your seats or in your console to grab. A smash and grab is reaching into the vehicle through the window and grabbing whatever they see of value

I recently found out this is not true. A friend of mine experienced a smash-and-grab in her truck. They got her laptop, her backpack with valuable things in it, and some other tings, ALL of which were hidden in the truck under seats and not the least bit visible through the windows, which in any case are also dark tinted. So that person just smashed to find out what was there, and I am willing to bet that happens a lot. Doesn't take much time, after all, to get in that way and look around.

 

[Happy Camper]

They stole my car, towed it 2 miles away, and took the catalytic converters and the entire exhaust manifold. Funny thing is that they didn't touch anything inside. And there was a lot inside.

 

[Zerpersande]

They stole my car, towed it 2 miles away, and took the catalytic converters and the entire exhaust manifold. Funny thing is that they didn't touch anything inside. And there was a lot inside.

Specialization? They have a preferred fence that only handles certain things?

Lion steals a hyena’s gazelle. Eats all the meat, leaves the bones. Hyena comes back and wonders why the lion left the bones.

 

[WanderingRose]

I read somewhere recently that there has been a wave of catalytic converter thefts, taken to resell.

 

[Zerpersande]

I read somewhere recently that there has been a wave of catalytic converter thefts, taken to resell.

It’s rather old news as it’s been happening for a long time. There are even devices that you can put on your car to try to prevent the theft of your catalytic converter. Depending on the thief, both how knowledgeable they are and how persistent they are, the devices have limited efficacy. But a Netwerk exist for selling those things which is why I said the thieves may not have been interested at all and whites in the car all they wanted was the catalytic converter and to get the hell out of there.

 

[bearbayou]

Cat Converter theft has being around for awhile, EXCEPT now--as of 10 days ago--even the Justice Dept is actively going after the people. (BTW: here in Davis, CA, it's been crazy because of how easy it is to snatch a bunch of those converters & then jump on I 80 and be gone.) We have a 2010 Prius. Ours has never been touched. Our mechanic told us 5 years ago, that it's a model that makes stealing a lot of work.

 

[Zerpersande]

We have a 2010 Prius. Ours has never been touched. Our mechanic told us 5 years ago, that it's a model that makes stealing a lot of work.

Pros know what they want and where to get it. No need hitting a hardened target when there are so many soft ones. And stealing something you don’t have a safe fence for is a good way to get caught. So…they don’t steal stuff other that what they came for.

 

[scaredycat72]

I recently found out this is not true. A friend of mine experienced a smash-and-grab in her truck. They got her laptop, her backpack with valuable things in it, and some other tings, ALL of which were hidden in the truck under seats and not the least bit visible through the windows, which in any case are also dark tinted. So that person just smashed to find out what was there, and I am willing to bet that happens a lot. Doesn't take much time, after all, to get in that way and look around.

There's some info missing. It takes valuable time to get in and look around, it can attract attention, and even if you have someone watching out for you, you never know when someone is going to pull up. Even when they're hitting different cars on one street, they're not going to hit every car because they don't have unlimited time and they don't want to waste time on a car with nothing in it when there might be a car 2 cars up with a bunch of stuff.

Unless her truck was parked on a desolate street, all by itself, with no one around, like a gift from the criminal's God, there was a reason they targeted her truck. If they got all of that - which is not normal to keep inside a vehicle unless you're a vanlifer and most of us would keep our backpacks on us - then they knew it was there. They either saw her with the stuff or they knew it would be in her truck. Or, and this is far fetched but I've seen people do it, she's lying to commit insurance fraud. A homeowner's insurance policy will cover her loss at retail price and that's thousands of dollars. I'm guessing it's the first.

Whatever it was, she wasn't targeted randomly.

 

[scaredycat72]

I bought a a 24' X 24" roll of this film, and followed their instructions in the video below to install it on my van windows.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it.

 

[TonyMinnesoti]

I saw someone who would run a chain between their two doors that had eye bolts installed. If someone would try opening the door it would pull on the chain stretched across the cab, preventing it from being opened.

Seems like a simple solution as a cheap option.

Doesn’t help the crawl in through the window issue though.

 

[magentawave]

You're right about them not being "inexpensive". All three cost more than $200. *Yikes!* But looking them up on Amazon led me to a far better design choice than what I'd listed in my first comment above. It led me to locks that are actually intended for use on a van, as shown below.

View attachment 32465
This one only costs $42.81, looks great, and mounts very securely to the door and frame. So I think I'll purchase it for the driver's door, to prevent the door from being opened even if someone can reach in through the window.


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[tx2 Mod Edit] Cosmick has asked that we update this information to reflect a better quality alternative lock mentioned later in the thread, but retroactively updated here.

https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/...and-opening-the-door.46874/page-3#post-578599
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B6WYF3P?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1&tag=forumyield-20
[end of mod edit]

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I just saw one of these locks (or very similar) today on a full size Ford E250 van. He installed ONE at the BOTTOM of the front passenger door so it spanned across the front passenger door and on to the side sliding door. When I clicked the Amazon link in your post I got a notification that the same locks are only $30 each on eBay today. (Not sure that includes free shipping though.)

I wish they made these out of stainless steel. Any ideas on how to prevent them from getting rusty?

 

[D'L]

There's some info missing. It takes valuable time to get in and look around, it can attract attention, and even if you have someone watching out for you, you never know when someone is going to pull up. Even when they're hitting different cars on one street, they're not going to hit every car because they don't have unlimited time and they don't want to waste time on a car with nothing in it when there might be a car 2 cars up with a bunch of stuff.

Unless her truck was parked on a desolate street, all by itself, with no one around, like a gift from the criminal's God, there was a reason they targeted her truck. If they got all of that - which is not normal to keep inside a vehicle unless you're a vanlifer and most of us would keep our backpacks on us - then they knew it was there. They either saw her with the stuff or they knew it would be in her truck. Or, and this is far fetched but I've seen people do it, she's lying to commit insurance fraud. A homeowner's insurance policy will cover her loss at retail price and that's thousands of dollars. I'm guessing it's the first.

Whatever it was, she wasn't targeted randomly.

Well, in this case, your assumptions are inaccurate. There are always exceptions.
Her truck was parked at a bowling alley with people coming and going all the time, although it was parked at the side of the building where there were fewer people than at the front.
They couldn't have seen her with the stuff, because she had just driven in from out of town with the things in her truck, (which was why there were there....they would not normally have been) and had not taken them out of the truck when she parked and went inside.
It's not possible that they could have known what was in the truck.
They tossed the backpack into a nearby dumpster, as it had nothing of value in it to anyone except to her, so she got that back, but the laptop was gone.
And, since I was with her I know she was not lying. And I know this person wouldn't ever lie about something like that in any case.

I think where she parked it was a factor, but it certainly was not a desolate place. there were other cars parked there and people coming and going. It takes very little time to smash a window and get into a truck. Just for the hell of it, I did a sort of mock of that just to see. Pretending to smash, unlocking the door, diving in and looking around fast grabbing and out. Took me about 30 seconds. The inside of a pickup truck without a back seat is not a large area.
It was a nice truck, fairly new. I am sure if it had been an old one they wouldn't have bothered.