Talk of The Villages Florida - Ways To Make Your Golf Car(t) Less Attractive To Thieves

Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)

- All About Golf Carts and Things (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/all-about-golf-carts-things-156/)

- - Ways To Make Your Golf Car(t) Less Attractive To Thieves (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/all-about-golf-carts-things-156/ways-make-your-golf-car-t-less-attractive-thieves-348191/)

So anyone that knows carts will tell you to use some type of anti-theft device that keeps the cart from rolling.
Different key ignitions, security key pads, kill switches will not work for someone who knows.
I can start a quiet tech cart as fast as someone who has the key and drive off with it.
Im sure many of the other golf car techs on this page will agree.

Ways to make your golf cart seem less likely to be stolen:

1. Check Google Maps and discover you're 1,234 miles from New York City.

2. Look up the crime stats for The Villages, FL and find that there's been one stolen golf cart in a city of 100,000 golf carts in the last six months.

3. See a shrink about your paranoia.

4. Don't leave your keys in the cart, with your golf clubs in the back, when you drive it to the Square or Publix.

5. Install a kill switch, which you need anyway, to make the damned thing turn off that stupid alarm when you leave it in reverse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianL99 (Post 2307101)

The photo of my FLSTS I posted a few posts back? This was my License Plate.

That looks a lot like my last HD, a 79 fhls. I painted it pearl white, chromed everything possible, added a sidecar and reverse. The day I sold it was a very happy time. I've never looked back. After that it was sport and adventure bikes for 20 years then back to cruisers made in Japan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueblaze (Post 2307490)

thank you for your response. I appreciate your attitude. It means I only have to make my cart slightly harder to steal than your cart. :mademyday:

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawgolfer (Post 2307178)

I did two things which I believe gives me as much protection as possible.

1. I installed an ignition "lockout" in the dash between the ignition key and the gas gauge. This was an electrical "barrel lock" which has a unique key. You'll often see them on vending machines and electrical panels The key is round, the size of a pencil eraser, with serrations on the end. You'll find one on Amazon. All you need to do is cut the wire leading to the ignition switch and connect the two ends to the terminals on the barrel lock. The chance of a thief having the correct barrel key as well as the correct ignition key are next to nothing.

2. I installed a lock on the brake pedal which prevents the cart being towed or pushed. I drilled a hole in the top right corner of the pedal and a corresponding hole in the floor board. Next, I installed an eye bolt through the floor board with fender washers on both sides of the floor and nylock nuts on each side. With nuts on each side, you can adjust the length of the eye bolt so it is close to the brake pedal when it is fully depressed. Then, I bought a decent padlock with a slightly longer shackle and put it through the eye bolt and then through the hole in the brake pedal. Finally, just to be ultra-careful, I bent the end of the eyebolt under the floor to prevent the locknut from being removed.

The brake lock took no more than 10 minutes time to install. You need to be careful to get the two holes properly aligned. Although not necessary, I bent the eyebolt 90 deg to make it easier to insert the shackle of the padlock. Finally, you adjust the distance between the eyebolt and the brake pedal so the padlock will fit and will not allow the brake to be "kicked off" by pressing the gas pedal.

The barrel ignition took a little more work, perhaps 20 minutes. On a Yamaha you have to remove the top of the dash and then cut the wire leading to the ignition switch. You'll need to splice in some wire as you will connect the two ends to the barrel lock after the wires have been pushed through the hole you've drilled in the dash. Finally, I had to solder the ends of the wires to the barrel lock, although I expect you can find one with screw terminals.

The result has the appearance of a professional job.

I frequently use the ignition cut-out as the most common thefts are done with duplicate ignition keys. The brake lock I use when I have parked the cart in one of the parking lots behind the buildings at the squares or when I am at a restaurant or store outside The Villages where a thief might push or tow the cart away, particularly so at night.

I doubt that you can use a "brake pedal to steering wheel" lock as you need to lock the brake pedal in the "down" position. All of these locks I've seen go behind the pedal and keep it in the "up" position, which is the opposite of what you need with a golf cart.

I have seen several carts with tire "boots". Those would be effective, although they are messy to install, are heavy, will fill the basket on the cart, and will rattle around in the basket when the cart is in motion.
,

What if you turned the wheel all the way in one direction before mounting the lock. The cart would free-wheel, but not in a straight line. Wouldn't that make it difficult to tow out?
Keeping in mind that we aren't trying to make it impossible to steal, just enough of a PITA that a thief will move on to an easier target.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty_Star (Post 2306844)

I was just commenting on this on another thread.

I suspect wheel locks are going to be difficult for older folks to get down on their knees to lock/unlock.

How about a steering wheel lock? I would lean towards one that is just a steering wheel lock, no brake pedal involvement.

Yep! We got the brake pedal lock when we bought our cart a year ago, and have never used it because it’s too difficult physically for my husband to install it every time we park. Waste of money for us. We just have insurance and hope we never need it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topspinmo (Post 2307013)

IMO that would attract thief cause he knows the reliability of Honda’s. :pepper2:

HaHa! So true! Our 2004 Honda Odyssey minivan is still running great after 20 years. We even had it repainted rather than buy a new vehicle two years ago. Though it’s not a motorcycle, which I know nothing about.

My Solution To Potential Golf Cart Theft

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laker14 (Post 2306831)

I thought it would be a useful conversation to have, to discuss various products designed to make one's golf cart less attractive for thieves. The theory being, of course, that we can't make it impossible, but a little deterrence will make it more likely that a thief will move on to someone else's cart.

I was going to post links to all of the products, but that's really a PITA, so anyone who is interested in finding more information online needs merely to GOOGLE a few keywords to educate themselves.

1. "unique" keys, vs. "common" keys, vs. "uncommon" keys. From what I've gleaned on searching "Buggiesgonewild" ( golf cart forum), an "uncommon" key might be what you have if you've had a headlight kit installed on your Yamaha. While it is harder to find than the "common" keys, it is more easily defeated than a "unique" key. As I understand it, to get a "unique" key ignition you have to buy a new one, so labelled, and have it installed.

I am not absolutely sure I understand all of the nuances of this, and would welcome more discussion from someone more knowledgeable. I think I do understand , however, that even such a system can be defeated by someone willing to put the cart in neutral and pull it onto a trailer. Certainly not as easy, and certainly more likely to arouse suspicion, than merely acting like you own the cart with a key that works and driving off in a matter of seconds.

Which leads me to another set of products that in one way or another immobilize the cart mechanically, such as:

1. A wheel boot.
2. A pedal to steering wheel lock bar (which can be used to fix the steering wheel to a part of the frame if the pedal hook doesn't fit the pedal for your particular cart).

3. A pedal lock, which fixes the gas pedal in one spot, and some of them fix the brake in the "set" position making rolling it onto a trailer even more difficult, if not impossible.

My inclination is to get a pedal-to-steering wheel lock bar. Simple, not too expensive (around $30-$40), and immediately obvious to the causal thief that there is easier prey available.

Thoughts?

Bottom Line Up Front: Any thief who really wants your cart or what you have in it can steal it. Below is what I have done to make my cart less likely to be targeted.

Several months back, I saw an article in the paper about some golf cart thefts in a particular Village (do not recall which one…does not matter anyway).

I wanted to address for myself what I thought were the two potential types of crime: those who may want to take something from my golf cart AND those looking to steal the golf cart itself.

I created a sticker to warn potential thieves my cart is now monitored by a motion-activated camera and tracked with an Apple AirTag.

I suspect most petty theft is based on opportunity and spur of the moment decision making when they see something in a cart and notice nobody is around the cart. Perhaps, they believe nobody will think it unusual to walk up to a cart and take something from a cart that does not belong to them. Either way, when they see the sticker I just wanted them to think twice about their actions.

Most people in TV are not going to mess with items left in our golf carts, but some folks see nothing wrong with taking advantage of an opportunity to help themselves to your stuff if they think nobody is looking.

The camera is a non-subscription, motion activated camera which records movement around my golf cart while I am away. When I am driving around, I have a small collapsable cover I place over the lens (no motion, no recording). When I park my cart and remove the key, I place the key inside the small collapsable camera cover which allows the motion sensor to record movement. When I return to my cart, I remove my key from the key pouch / camera cover and place it back over the lens. When I get home, the camera automatically uses my home WiFi network to let me see the activity it recorded around my cart. Note: Initially, I looked at the footage routinely, but now I don’t bother AS LONG AS NOTHING HAS BEEN “REMOVED” FROM MY CART. Sort of like convenience store video footage: no need to consult the video unless there is a robbery but the video is there if needed.

I will never know for sure, but I suspect the sticker and seeing the small video camera gives them a moment to reconsider their actions while looking the cart over as a potential opportunity. At the end of the day, I just want them to move on to a golf cart other than mine.

I have had some folks ask me about it and did put my phone number (352) 932-3958 on the sticker. I do not know if this could be a potential business opportunity or not. All I know is how much I detest the idea of someone taking something from me. It may seem like overkill to some folks to set something up like this and that is fine. Everyone is different and must do what is best for them. It took me a long time to find the right set up but it works great and does its job silently in the background as I go about my day in The Villages.

Hmmmmm, more info re: camera and mounting system.

Also, if cart and/or camera removed, can you still access video files or are they on a cam-mounted SD card or other such memory?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laker14 (Post 2307501)

thank you for your response. I appreciate your attitude. It means I only have to make my cart slightly harder to steal than your cart. :mademyday:

Well, I don't know about that. There's lots of golfcarts easier to get than mine. I don't park at the square with my clubs in the back and the key in the switch! I even have a kill switch! And, while I may have never lived closer to New York than I am right now, I'm so paranoid, I sleep with a shotgun under my bed -- and I don't even have a shrink. But of all the crazy things I worry about, someone stealing my golfcart hardly makes the list. For crying out loud, I drive a Kia! I'm crazy, I tell you!

So if my relative insanity helps you sleep better at night, you're welcome. All you need now is a $1,000 car alarm and a GPS chip so the gooberment always knows where you parked your golf cart, and you're golden!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueblaze (Post 2308001)

I opted for the bar that connects the steering wheel to either the pedal or the frame. Several reasons: Real obvious to see, so hopefully potential thief just keeps on walking, and pretty easy to manipulate on and off. Also pretty cheap. I didn't get the real expensive one because I figure I'll lose the key and need to cut it off. But a thief, generally being an opportunist, will just find a target more easy to steel than mine. There will be plenty to choose from.

I understand that KIAs are common targets for car thieves, and relatively easy to steal. You better be careful!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianL99 (Post 2307024)

If Bikers really cared about reliability, Honda would outsell Harley-Davidson

Honda sales, 2023, 18.7 million
Harley sales, 2023, 162,771.

Honda doesn't care about the cruiser market when they are outselling Harley 115 to 1.

I've owned both, and Harleys are loud nostalgic junk with shiny chrome.