Stoplock steering wheel locks

[Phil3747]

Hi Guys, newbie to the Tucson forum but a regular over on the Kona (my car) forum.

My bro has a 2019 Tucson 1.6 petrol and to date has no additional security to stop it being stolen (I'm well aware of the number of Hyundai's/Kia's that are being stolen without keys), so, as it's his birthday in 3 weeks I'm looking at getting him a manual steering wheel lock and like the look of the Stoplock Pro/Pro Elite.
However, the Amazon site says that neither the Pro or Pro Elite models fit the 2019 Tucson whereas the link to the manufacturers site reveals that the Pro is the recommended one for all 2004-on Tucson's !!

So, has anyone got one of these, or can confirm that it will fit before I order it please ??

[Indalo]

So, has anyone got one of these, or can confirm that it will fit before I order it please ??

Stoplock Pro Elite works but it is rather unwieldy to fit and remove. The visual presence will be sufficient to deter most thieves but those who might try to disable it probably won’t manage it.

I’d guess that the other Stoplock models may well fit and possibly better but I can attest that the Elite model does the job.

[GrumpyDad]

Hi,

To address the Hyunadai/Kia theft issue first, I'm going to make a slight presumption that you are in the UK (just because of the use of the word "Petrol"). If so, it is worth being aware that the spate of Hyundai/Kia car thefts (with lots of people referring to them using a USB cable) is pretty much exclusive to the USA. This is because the US market does not make immobilisers compulsory on new cars. As such, to save money, some manufacturers don't fit them to low and mid range models. An immobiliser would have made those thefts impossible (in the manner they are being done). Fortunately for us in the UK, it has been compulsory for all car manufacturers to fit all new cars with immobilisers since 1998. So that method of theft won't work if your brother has a UK (or actually, pretty much any nationality other than US) Tucson.

That takes us onto the wheel lock. Not personally a fan. As a visual deterrent, they work against your basic opportunistic thieves. These days it is very difficult to find any reviews/comparisons in the media that aren't practically paid adverts for steering locks; and so I have a lot of trouble believing there isn't more "Press release" than real journalism involved in any of the reviews. But, sometimes security is more about making your property less convenient than the other options available to a thief. So, in that regard, they can help. I'd be inclined to go by the manufacture's guidance for model compatibility. Looking at the most current Stoplock Application Guide from the Saxon website, both the Pro and Pro Elite models are reported to fit the Mk.3 Tucson. When I looked up the Stoplock Pro (HG 149) and Pro Elite (HG 150) on Amazon, they show up as compatible with the 2019 1.6 gdi, T-gdi, and T-gdi all wheel drive model Tucsons, based on the Amazon compatibility filter. So I'm not sure why they were showing as incompatible for you. But given that Saxon's own compatibility guide says they both fit the Mk.1, 2, and 3, I know I'd expect them to offer a refund if I bought one and it turned out not to be compatible. (While I was researching and typing this you received another reply confirming the Elite fits, but I figure having typed this lot I'd go ahead and post it).

Given your concern about vehicle theft, if I might proffer a little security advice... If your brother's Tucson (or anybody's car) is a key ignition model, the best thing to do is keep the keys in a secure place that isn't visible from the front door, and most importantly, isn't reachable from a letterbox. For key ignition car based thefts, a very large number involve the use of the original keys, and they are often acquired by using a long piece of wire, passed through the letter box. Many people keep their keys on hooks, or a shelf/window sill near the front door; and so are very easy targets for thieves. Because of the immobilisers installed by manufacturers, it is quite difficult to steal a car without those keys. For "Keyless" models, the "New" (this has been the case for a number of years now) problem on the block is the "Signal repeater theft". Once again, the easiest bit of advice that can help, is to relocate the key-fob away from the front (or main) door. Signal repeaters can be quite strong, but if you have the keys well away from whatever doors/windows are near your car/easily accessible areas around your home, they are likely to struggle. There are also bags/cases you can put the keyfobs in, to block the signals being proxied from your car. So in an ideal world, you have a small keyfob box/bag somewhere convenient for you, but away from the door/letterbox (lest a thief tries to physically acquire the keyfob in the same way they do physical keys).

Another option to consider, is an aftermarket "Ghost Immobiliser". This is a very old idea, but has found a new lease of life since keyless systems became so popular (and signal repeaters became so cheap (about £250) and easy to buy). Basically, rather than relying on a transponder in the key/keyfob, a ghost immobiliser requires you to enter a code combination on your car's controls to deactivate the immobiliser. For example, you might have volume up, cruise control speed down, mute, cruise control speed down, volume up. The idea is that the immobiliser is not obvious, and there is no keypad to give away its presence. You can disarm it without drawing attention to your actions, and even if the thief has your key/keyfob, the ghost immobiliser won't be deactivated (even though the manufacturer's OEM immobiliser will have been). Of course, if the car is on credit (or for other cars, if they are on lease/hire-purchase/credit/other agreements), your brother would have to check the terms to ensure he is permitted to make such modifications. And of course, they are not exactly inexpensive. Expect around £500 supplied and fitted. As a bonus, if you fit one of these systems, and pick one which is TASSA approved, it can bring your insurance premiums down a bit (varies from one insurer to the next). A decent one should be transferrable between vehicles, so even though there is a fairly significant initial investment, you don't have to lose it when buying a different car.

Anyhow, that's quite enough jibber-jabber from me; although if anything I have written brings up any questions, feel free to ask.

[alan sh]

Very useful info there - thank you.

If you didn't know, the keyless fobs deactivate themselves if they haven't moved for 20-30 minutes, so the repeater thieves won't get it anyway - but your ideas are still sound.

Alan

[Phil3747]

Thanks for the quick responses guys...it's usually like tumbleweed on the Kona forum !!

I thought I'd put the correct vehicle details into the "Amazon garage" but I've just checked and I'd put Crdi and not T-Gdi in as I'm not 100% sure which one he has, so I've now amended that and it now shows that both the Pro and Pro Elite versions both fit, so thanks GrumpyDad .

My bro's car has the push button start, so my main concern is with the signal-repeater type theft and having just started looking at potential security options I was directed to this group test...

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-g ... ermination

I work for a Motor Factor's these days and we have the Streetwize Full Steering Wheel Lock in stock but it just looks too un-wieldy to me and obviously doesn't score as well as the Stop-locks, so that's why I'm looking at them instead.

I know he doesn't leave the keys anywhere near the letterbox and am pleased to hear that the fob de-activates after 20-30 minutes but I've got a spare Faraday pouch kicking about somewhere so will give him that as well, as my car is garaged behind a locked 6ft gate every night

[GrumpyDad]

If you didn't know, the keyless fobs deactivate themselves if they haven't moved for 20-30 minutes, so the repeater thieves won't get it anyway

Phil stated his brother has a 2019 Tucson. In 2020 Hyundai confirmed to Which? magazine that they had not implemented sleeping key fobs on any of their vehicle ranges. Whilst they may have introduced sleeping key fobs for the Mk4 Tucson (I can't currently confirm), it wouldn't help for this situation.

The following is a link to an article from May 2020 examining manufacturers that had, and had not implemented measures against keyless relay attacks:
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/car ... crime.html

Even with sleeping key fobs there are issues with CAN-injection; which is likely to become the go-to method of theft on car models that won't respond to relay attacks. Unfortunately, that likely means more damage to the vehicle if a theft victim happens to be fortunate enough to get their car back.