You have to pop the tie-down releases on either side of the hood, insert the ignition key into the hood lock and turn...then once the lock has been unlocked the hood can be opened normally.
Yes and no- someone really "determined" will roll it up onto a flatdeck and take the whole darn Jeep and do as they please some place secluded, whereas the opportunistic thief will go for "quick and easy" if they can pop the hood and remove it relatively quickly where it sits.
With the Bolt style hood lock, to keep the hood they plan to steal intact they would have to tear the grille out and drill out the rivets (steel ones are included), and even then they'd only have access to the front two. That may be just enough to have the thief move on to an easier target. Someone after a quick battery and not caring about damaging the hood and grille may be just as likely to use a crowbar to brute force the hood open.
I would think the main reason your Jeep was singled out is they had access to take it without being seen or interrupted, and maybe had a "steal to order" customer for one in the color of your Jeep.
Nothing will stop someone determined. With the right tools, skillset, and enough time, they will take whatever they want.
Things like hood locks will deter the common thief or crackhead. The hope is the realize it's locked, and is too much trouble vs. risk and they move on. Most crackheads need their fix pretty soon so not much time to waste!
The "Bolt" lock that is linked here on this thread is what I put in. It works well and seems sturdy. I like the fact that it keys to your ignition key and is easy to install.
One item of note is that it does require you to install it with four 1/4 inch rivets (included) I've found most of the light duty rivet guns that most of us have at home only go up to 3/16th in size. You can pick up a heavy duty rivet gun on Amazon at the same time. Or if you have a harbor freight nearby you can pick up one for less than 20 bucks with a coupon like I did.
Another user of the Bolt lock. I really liked that it matches to the ignition key, so no extra keys to carry. Also put on the Bolt spare tire lock, also matches to ignition key.
Another vote for Bolt. I like that it's keyed to the ignition key and, as I understand, it's basically what Chrysler puts on Jeeps sold outside of the U.S.
When I was a kid, Chevy came out with the quick release tailgate on the 70's pickups. In no time at all, that became the hot property for petty thieves.
I can remember my dad taking the tailgate off the truck and leaning it up against the barn before driving into town, then putting it back on when he came back.
Sorry for your loss. I can't believe that somebody didn't see two guys stripping a hood off of a jeep in a commuter parking lot. Were there no security cameras?
Man, I have never heard of such a thing... Sorry...
Hood lock AND a dash cam? I have a feeling if the thieves would have glanced at your windshield and seen a camera lens staring back at them, they might have walked away.
Man, I have never heard of such a thing... Sorry... Hood lock AND a dash cam? I have a feeling if the thieves would have glanced at your windshield and seen a camera lens staring back at them, they might have walked away.
You might not have to 'touch' it, but you'd have to break or still remove it somehow because the bolt lock has a large metal plate that locks over the hood hook latch, so it's not just sliding off even if you un-hinge from the back first.
If they have to break it to remove it, then it's going to be the same as with other deterrents, and again making it slightly more difficult than the stock hood, so not theft proof, but possibly enough of an additional hassle to have them move on... unless they are determined to get that particular one for the myriad of reasons already mentioned.
I just installed the Bolt hood lock last week. Bought on Amazon and came in a Quadratec box. Very easy install. The only drawback was having to buy a rivet gun to put the rivets in. Bought it from Harbor Freight. The darn thing broke on the last rivet.
I have noticed the hood flutter is pretty much gone too. :beerdrinking:
With the bolt lock I did not use the large rivets and instead used nutserts. Nutsert tool costs about the same as the large hand riveter and this way you can unbolt the lock on trail.
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