One Tuesday night, eight men wearing T-shirts with police logos and riding a van intercepted a cargo truck in Guiginto Bulacan, as it was about to enter the North Luzon Expressway. The truck was carrying 25 tons of steel bars worth approximately P600,000 and was bound for Aparri, Cagayan Valley. But the hijackers had to abandon it because the engine wouldn’t start. The driver, who was dumped by the hijackers in Mexico, Pampanga, told the police that he had activated a device to prevent the engine from starting.
This news report was read to me over the phone by Johnny Angeles, vice president of the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) and chair of AAP’s road safety committee. Angeles and I were talking about the rising tide of car thefts in Metro Manila and how to prevent your car from being stolen. One way, he said, was to install a device that disables the engine, just like the mechanism in that hijacked cargo truck.
“Don’t think that because your car is old, it won’t be stolen,” Angeles said. “Whether a car is old or new, it will be stolen if it is easy to steal. It will not be stolen if you make it extra difficult or impossible to steal.”
Advice
He advises motorists to park in pay parking lots or car park buildings that have roving security guards. Roll up the car windows tight and attach a steering wheel lock. Don’t leave anything inside the car that might attract attention, such as a briefcase, jacket, package or bag, least of all valuable items like a laptop or a cell phone even if these are hidden from view. Double-check, before you leave your car, that it is locked. At night, park in a well-lighted, secure place.
But parking in a guarded parking lot is not a perfect guarantee of safety, Angeles warns. He remembers when he parked his Lancer in a pay parking lot and did not use his steering wheel lock because he thought it would be safe. When he returned, his car was gone.
“A steering wheel lock clamped on the steering wheel discourages car thieves since it will make stealing the car difficult,” Angeles says. “Even if they succeed in breaking into the car, it will take time to break the steering wheel lock. And car thieves have to work fast.” According to police reports, a professional thief can pick the lock of the clamp or break it open by spraying it with liquid freon and hammering it, but this takes time.
Device
Aside from a steering wheel clamp, Angeles advises installing a device that immobilizes the car, such as ignition cutoffs or starter and fuel disablers. “The device can be an electrically operated solenoid valve that is installed in the fuel line between the fuel tank and the engine,” he says. “Only the driver should know where the cut-off switch is inside the car.”
New cars these days have engine immobilizers and car alarm systems as standard equipment. Angeles says the best alarm systems are those that set off sirens and flashing lights to call attention to a vehicle in the midst of a theft. To expedite the recovery of your car in case it is stolen, invest in an electronic tracking device, or GPS.
What if your car is taken from you at gunpoint? I agree with Angeles that human life is more valuable than a car, so don’t fight back. Report the carjacking to the police afterwards and file a claim with the insurance company—if your car is insured against theft. In this country, paying extra for comprehensive motor car insurance is worth it, no matter how old your car is.
‘Lost’ brakes
Another topic of our conversation was road crashes caused by vehicles that “lost” their brakes. The brakes are still there but they failed because the brake fluid had leaked out completely or was the wrong type, Angeles says.
“Brake fluid should be changed two times a year, before and after the rainy season, especially if the vehicle is under heavy use, like a truck or bus or jeepney,” he avers. “When the brake fluid reservoir is dark instead of pinkish orange, there is dirt and the brake fluid should be changed. Recycled brake fluid should never be used, but you sometimes see it in a can on the dashboard of a jeepney, covered with a crumpled old newspaper.”
Checking the brakes regularly is important because over time, the brake fluid collects moisture and the moisture becomes water. Since water is heavier than oil, it will settle down on the brake wheel cylinders and corrode them. Then the brake fluid will start to leak.
Rust
Angeles points out that when a mechanic opens the brake wheel cylinders to check the source of the leak and finds rust, he will remove the rust by sandpapering the cylinders. This results in the cylinders becoming oblong, no longer perfect circles. Even if new rubber wheel cups are installed on the cylinders that are no longer perfect circles, there will be tiny gaps and in two or three weeks the brake fluid will leak again. Loss of brake fluid results in the brakes failing to stop the vehicle when the driver steps on the brake pedal.
“The entire brake wheel cylinder should be replaced with a new one when it becomes rusty,” the AAP VP declares. “In a sense, the brakes are more important for road safety than the engine because if the engine fails, the car will stop. But if the brakes fail, the car won’t stop and will most likely crash.”
He also stressed the importance of using the right type of brake fluid: “Cars use DOT3 brake fluid which has a low boiling point. Trucks, buses and PUVs that are run 24 hours a day should use DOT4, which has a higher boiling temperature. For high-end cars with four-wheel disc brakes, DOT4 or better still, silicone brake fluid is advised because it has the highest boiling point.”