Hi, I have an old brake lock that I've been using for about 20 years, but it no longer fit my last couple of cars, as the steel shaft behind the brake pedal was not shaped in a way that fit. Can anyone say which brake locks will be usable with a 2013 Volt?
Brake Lock Suitable For 2013 Volt ?
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Just don't lock it if you are in a high crime area or you will return to a car with the windows bashed out.
The car has an electric parking brake---use it.
Thanks, I will consider starting to use the parking brake (is that a level of theft protection?) and I'll try to remember to lock the car. I am in a low crime area that does still carry a concern of vehicle theft, to some extent.
The advice to leave the car unlocked when in higher crime areas is not advice I will take at this time, but I accept that even though things sometimes seem counter-intuitive, there may be a point to it.
I spoke with OnStar today and it appears that the level of service I will need from them to get them to locate my car if it were stolen is $25 per month. I need to ask my insurance agent how much of a discount I will get, to see if this is worth it.
I like brake locks.... one of them on a previous car where I had the pink slip helped me move about with confidence, particularly in some neighborhoods, being almost completely certain that my car would still be there when I got back. Even assuming I keep OnStar, and notwithstanding the advice, I am still left with my basic question: does anyone know of a mechanical brake lock that is known to fit this car?
The advice to leave the car unlocked when in higher crime areas is not advice I will take at this time, but I accept that even though things sometimes seem counter-intuitive, there may be a point to it.
I spoke with OnStar today and it appears that the level of service I will need from them to get them to locate my car if it were stolen is $25 per month. I need to ask my insurance agent how much of a discount I will get, to see if this is worth it.
I like brake locks.... one of them on a previous car where I had the pink slip helped me move about with confidence, particularly in some neighborhoods, being almost completely certain that my car would still be there when I got back. Even assuming I keep OnStar, and notwithstanding the advice, I am still left with my basic question: does anyone know of a mechanical brake lock that is known to fit this car?
I doubt it. Opportunistic thieves (who happen to spot something but are not prepared) will be thwarted by a locked door, and professionals (who are prepared with glass breakers and have a rhythm, method, and plan for ransacking a car in the shortest time possible) won't even bother trying the handle because that's just an extra couple of seconds they're spending on your car for little gain. Pop the curbside forward glass, open inside handle, search, move on to the next car, all the way down the street.
Ironic side-note to the conversation, on Friday a well-known Prius (I am not sure, but I think it may be modified for plugging in?.... I do know it's modded with some photovoltaics on it) with a lot of distinctive signs on it, belonging to EV Advocate Jerry Asher was stolen from a residential parking lot near Tucson. On Saturday I and other members of the Tucson EV Association happened to have our meeting at that location (it went without any further thefts, fortunately.
). The police showed up during the meeting to communicate more with Jerry and later on Saturday the vehicle was recovered. I'm not sure who can read this, but here is a photo:https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...723.1073741826.100001592251795&type=3&theater
It was a 2005 Prius, and as far as I know, the thieves were not apprehended, so it's not clear to me what the motives were, or who they were, but my for-the-heck-of-it kind-of-far-out-there theory is that some kids saw the extensive signage on the car and might have thought it looked like it was modded for high performance and speed rather than for ultra-high-efficiency.
On the Volt question, given how wired and dialed-in and traceable the car seems to be, I have to agree the car is not a great candidate for getting stolen. (Note, however, that there are special cases. In my case I am close enough to the border that it slightly raises the level of concern of mischief coming to the car, although I should quickly add that I have no specific reason for being concerned about matters - I don't remember friends or neighbors indicating such things. I haven't yet checked the local paper to get a sense of this.)
I spoke yesterday with OnStar and it sounded like if I want the deal where they will track down the car if it is stolen, I will have to get the $25/month subscription (never mind all of the complications and temporary deals). They do apparently offer "add-ons", and I would have been ok to get the no-fee OnStar and then pay $5 or $10 per month for that feature separately, but they don't seem to offer that. So, I sent an email to my insurance agent (Farmers) to find out how much of a discount they will offer for me to keep the track-down feature activated, and if it is not much, then I will consider getting rid of the feature. (I do want it, but I am a bit tired of getting nickel and dimed).
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FYI:
All of Onstar's paid plans include the 'Locate Vehicle' function. With the $20 plan, Onstar will NOT help you locate a stolen car and disable it for the police, but with the mobile app you can locate it and show it to the police yourself. And you can still get your insurance discount.
Thanks, good to know. I have to wonder what the insurance companies and police (not to mention customers) think of OnStar billing $240+ per year to reveal where stolen cars are, but I suppose upon diving into the topic there are possibly countervailing points to be considered, including that GM has ongoing costs in maintaining the service (though I would question if simply allowing for locating vehicles upon request amounts to a high ongoing cost item).
To return to this topic:
Since I created this post in 2017, I've been traveling regularly in Mexico on foot, but am now thinking of taking my car. This will involve buying extra insurance. I might also increase my OnStar subscription. I still would like to know if anyone can recommend a brake lock which they know fits a 2013 Volt properly. Notwithstanding all of the other points made here, for 10+ years a good brake lock gave me good added peace-of-mind when traveling in challenging areas with a couple of other vehicles I've owned, and that's what I'm going for here.
Since I created this post in 2017, I've been traveling regularly in Mexico on foot, but am now thinking of taking my car. This will involve buying extra insurance. I might also increase my OnStar subscription. I still would like to know if anyone can recommend a brake lock which they know fits a 2013 Volt properly. Notwithstanding all of the other points made here, for 10+ years a good brake lock gave me good added peace-of-mind when traveling in challenging areas with a couple of other vehicles I've owned, and that's what I'm going for here.
We paid a bit over $335 for a years worth of insurance for a trip to Mexico City. We left our Volt in a parking ramp for almost five months while we traveled to Guatemala and except for the dust and other pollution coating the car, all was well. I doubt if the car has a high resale value in a country where the Volt was never marketed (although we did see a Gen II with Mexican plates while in Cuernavaca.)
I appreciate having the information, but I also have to say, I still never was able to find a straight answer on a brake lock that would fit a 2013 Volt. This week I ordered this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GWPFNZ7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
but I have no idea if it will fit, I guess I'll know in a day or two.
My initial response was a bit unappreciative though - thanks again though for this personal-experience/information, I think these sorts of stories are invaluable.
for the record, it doesn't seem to fit very well, other than as a possible annoyance. So far I cannot seem to find a way to lock over both the gas pedal and the brake pedal at the same time. It will lock over the brake pedal, but not leverage against another surface, so in theory the brake pedal can still be used.
I have also ordered a cheap bike cable lock, just to see if that can be wound around something in a way that would present a deterrent, however modest, perhaps buying another minute or two while the alarm is going off.
Extra insurance for a year cost me $220. It's unclear what added payment I will make with OnStar. They want $3.75 per month for the security add-on, which seems very fair, but it's unclear if it will function where I am going, so I am testing a different deal for the moment to get a sense of some things.
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