Old Top Gear 1991 - Breaking into Cars

IN this clip, they look at how easy it is to break into cars and what 3rd party products you can buy to keep your car secure. Taken from season 14, episode 19.

[@TheJohnlyh]

Well in America driving a stick shift is already a good theft deterrent

[@HRHooChicken]

That's hilarious

[@fosterfuchs]

I have a 2000 Honda Accord, all manual. Amateur thieves can't drive it. And it's too old and boring for professionals who could drive it.

[@Nick-Emery]

😂

[@Jb-db5kj]

I don’t think anyone fucking asked jOhN

[@TheJohnlyh]

@@Jb-db5kj nobody asked u to reply too

[@mattbartholomew5707]

And now the BMWs and Mercedes of this era are so secure even the owners can't get into them gotta love late 80s electronics.

[@vg666]

Matt Bartholomew not really

[@Mladjasmilic]

I have '88 Sierra . I have very elegant anti theft system . I cut ignition coil wire , connected it onto a relay which stays off until you press a hidden button and crank the engine at the same time . Relay stays on until you switch off engine . If relay is not connected , engine cranks until it drains battery , 'coughing' while cranking because system is set to make one spark plug still working , so thief thinks that car is broken down .

[@lowlow643]

+Mladen Milić on older cars with a mechanical distributor you can take out the rotor on top of the distributor cap, the silly thief can keep cranking all he wants and it will never ever start

[@JohnMcMahon.]

+MrOrmesby What kind of car was it?

[@JohnMcMahon.]

+MrOrmesby What kind of car was it?

[@lowlow643]

MrOrmesby what year was this incident ? i cant believe that a thief will go through the trouble of pin pointing why it doesnt start & coming back with a part to start it, this kid is really dumb

[@Wasmachineman]

Genius!

[@stephenwhitehead5351]

I left the door open and the keys in my alegro for a week and still no one knicked it!!!!!

[@popstars4444]

I left a brand new MGF in central London, near Victoria Station, all night with the keys in the boot lock on full display and it was still there when I came back!

[@b10xtn]

20 odd years later and the security is so good they come in your house and rob you at knife point for the key. Progress?

[@codykyle511]

the thing is there will always be ways to steal cars... No matter what you think of there will be a go around sooner or later... The best thing you can do is get a good insurance and just make a claim when your care is stolen...

[@5688gamble]

Many people keep the keys on hooks or counters near the door, or if the keys are attached to the house keys, they may just be left in the door. conveniently we put handy dandy slots in our doors and a handy dandy hook on a stick is easier than a knife. Cup hook screwed into garden cane, what? Couple of quid? Wire coat hanger on the end could work instead if you want flexibility to reach more awkward places, or could be bent into a U shape to reach keys left in the door, at which point if the car keys are on the same loop, your laughing, if not you may need to be quiet when you use the keys to open the door and look for the car keys (presumably you wait till the occupant is sleeping), you could load some nice valuable electronics, jewellery and cash into their nice car before driving off. Convenience at it's best. Great if they have a work van and go for a night out leaving the spare keys in reach, empty house into van, drive off!

[@MrWolfSnack]

If someone wants your car bad enough they will steal it. All you have to do is make sure it is safe and secure.

[@codykyle511]

@Neville Thompson that also works 🤣🤣

[@codykyle511]

@Neville Thompson wonder how a milk float will be protected against theft haha

[@cowan21]

"This causes a considerable annoyance factor" lol

[@DystopianOverture]

My mum had a very old broken Ford Fiesta that had to driven a certain way to go, some kids nicked the car and the police was searching for it to find it was dumped no more than 800 yards down the road!

[@johnny_123b]

Kirsty Foster is that a cause for ur life decisions?

[@joshua4302]

Was it a manual?

[@MrTamiya89]

Did The Car Break Down On Them?

[@jswets5007]

Love the Jessica piano lead in. Visions of the past future and the future past.

[@Nooziterp1]

There's a Skoda in the background at 1:00. That definitely won't be stolen! I used to have one in the 90s and I accidentally left all the doors apart from the driver's door unlocked for four days. Anything else would have been gone almost immediately.

[@williamyoung7204]

Old skodas as had the best locks on the market

[@LAG09]

Well at least back then it wasn't as easy to steal a car as it was in the 60's, 70's and 80's when all you needed to get in and sometimes even get the ignition going was a roughly similar key, a flat head screwdriver or the back end of a tea spoon.

[@vladimireng4938]

L_A_G Ah those were the days,l

[@rushy0157]

Apparently you could even unlock and start a late 90s model ford escort by using a similar key

[@Kimmobiino]

I had mitsubishi lancer from early 90s, I could take the key off from the lock during driving and it still ran fine.. It got stolen too for a day.. I had locked the doors but all locks probably worked with a screwdriver just as well.. Thieves smoked something in the car and I just could not stand the smell so had to sell it..

[@JowoHD]

@Ginger Nutz my uncle had a late 80s red corolla during the 90s which he left in a car park at a football match, came back out, got into it and was getting ready to drive off when someone tried to pull him out, turns out he had got into the wrong red corolla and still managed to start it with the key to his car

[@vix_in_japan]

Ironically, my 1988 Mk 4 Escort was broken into in Milton Keynes....

[@APRCraig]

They upgraded car alarms and made it so it was virtually impossible to just walk up and steal a car. But car thiefs got creative and turned to house theft, started to use clothes hooks to steal keys through letter boxes and attacking people early in the morning when they leave their house to get to work.

[@larrylentini5688]

Hide a manual switch for the fuel pump under the dash. No thief will know how to start your car.

[@MajorT0m]

They will now 😂

[@benbartels6559]

That’s why you don’t listen directly to the suggestion. Put it somewhere like... imbedded into the back of passenger side seat. Now, you’ll have to excuse me, I must go find a new place to hide the switch.

[@bigsohc]

Sure, that'll stop em driving off in your car, but it won't stop them getting in,

[@larrylentini5688]

@@bigsohc Well nothing is really going to do that if they're willing to break a window.

[@HRHooChicken]

Those sorts of suggestions would only work if you modded your car yourself, and he can be assed with that.

[@adamholmes740]

When i had a 2000(X) corsa i didn't lock it. 1. I cba because it didn't have central locking. 2. Because i had nothing to steal inside so it saved me possibly £10 for a window. 3. Because the car was s??t! Had the car for 2 years in the hope that someone would steal it but nope :(

[@Professional_Youtube_Commenter]

Adam Holmes if you live in a council estate with high tower rises and lots of cramped people (and teenagers who have nothing to do because everywhere around them is a concrete jungle) you will get break ins. I remember growing up as a kid in a council estate with nothing to do. In cold winter evenings we'd find unlocked/abondoned cars and just get in them and sit and chat, play blackjack etc.

[@vladimireng4938]

OnlineBackupServices They would smash the car up.

[@HRHooChicken]

@@Professional_KZbin_Commenter And people wonder why there's a class divide lol. I would never have dreamed of doing that as a kid. Even if i did i would've brought shame to the entire family.

[@TheHardik112]

Besides the good people in my life, I’m willing to give up everything. Just take me back to those days.

[@PeaveyPV20]

Mr bean invented the removable steering wheel idea in his mini ha ha

[@gazjonze]

Tame expert? Like the tame racing driver?

[@panfutiepornihac405]

I have a hidden little switch on my motorcycle that operates one of the wires from the ECU. It will start without it, but it will run very rich, missfire and cough like hell. Plus, it has no power, you may get it going in first at high rpm, but as soon as you switch to second it dies. And once it dies, the engine is flooded so good luck getting it to start again.

[@smartalec2645]

I should do this for my bike. Lost one already which was taken. Have locks on the current one.

[@KeithsReviews]

All you need is a van and 2 guys to steal a motorcycle. Lift and go.

[@csuporj]

The problem with all these clever ideas is that it's a big chance that the owner or some friend triggers them by mistake. And if you do it in the middle of nowhere, good luck.

[@Brad-lt6mr]

Back in those days, I would pull the king lead off the distributor cap. Ain't going nowhere without that.

[@richardprice7763]

I remember the early compulsory electronic immobilisers with a separate plastic key you had to put in a slot before starting the engine, right pain in the arse!

[@yuensoong8061]

Hello celticmadliam , i like the more sensible old top gear series very much. Thieves are still doing it in the old fashion way !

[@MrTrick.]

Pagers! How quaint.

[@michaelisaacson9735]

How about a system where once a thief is in the driver's seat a video screen pops into place and plays this clip? True, many may die of extreme boredom but crime never pays.

[@stephenmurray2851]

That steel spike was a great idea. Don't know why it never took off.

[@danielsolberg1638]

What if u acidentally sett off the alarm your self?

[@LancerloverLL]

Fitting a steel spike into your seat when 99% of the time it's gonna be your own carefree ass resting just inches above. Yeah, sounds incredibly smart Stephen.

[@user-zt4ry9hm9u]

Also in the eyes of the law it would be murder

[@georgemorley1029]

Because if you “took off” with that steel spike up your brown balloon knot, you wouldn’t think it was such a great idea.

[@MrSupercar55]

Guys, I've just had the greatest way of stopping your car getting stolen. Disconnect the battery terminals. You need the keys to open the bonnet.

[@Tony-pg3hk]

you could break into the car pull the bonnet release and reconnect the battery

[@MrSupercar55]

Ben Dover I don't think a car thief would have the time for that. They just want quick, easy wheels. As a motorist, you just gotta make it as much of a ballache for them to steal your car as possible.

[@MrSupercar55]

I don't think the removing a section of number plate thing is legal. I like the spike. Extreme as it is, desperate times call for desperate measures. The thing with the seat at 4:07 is so clever it's unreal. I knew satellite tracking was a thing, but I didn't think it or the technology to create such a device were publicly available as early as 1991.

[@rarevhsuploads4995]

& the camera behind the dash idea must have been fairly large & battery draining in 1991.

[@televisionandcheese]

The point of the removing numberplate thing was that it wasn't legal. You only drive around with it on, and take it with you. A theif comes and then has to illegally drive without the numberplate bit, which is very noticable

[@1100HondaCB]

Fair enough. We all make mistakes and thanks for the correction.

[@blue7081]

Stewart's idea sounds great

[@escfxp]

1:29 Stuart Cod of Newark has clearly travelled from the medieval times where impalement must have been his talent.

[@rarevhsuploads4995]

Stuart Cod of Newark was delighted to vote Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum & put a stop to all that Maastricht nonsense. He reads the Daily Mail, despises young people & has always thought Britain's finest hour was in the past when foreign riffraff & other trouble makers got corporal punishment like back in his medieval day. Jeremy Clarkson's books form the core of his political & philosophical ideology.

[@easydrive3662]

Wow dont times change! All those ford sierras, fiestas and escorts in 1991!

[@aaroni5074]

How did he get into them?

[@peugeotCitroen2CV]

Nowadays its a nightmare even if the battery in the key is flat

[@PeteBlack76]

Peugeot had a good system in place back in the 90s with a keypad pin number system immobiliser which gave you 3 attempts then made you wait over an hour to enter another pin. Fast forward to 2022 and we have keyless entry theft, Key Cloning via OBD and Keys stolen in burglaries, if every car employed a simple keypad system like your bank card with a secure Thatcham immobiliser with rolling encryption that kills the ECU if tampered with then it would solve the problem.

[@_crg_]

"eeeeelectronic"

[@RWL2012]

Chris Goffey is a really down to earth guy, I don't see the need to pick on him for things like that

[@9890jsp]

Didn't Vauxhall/Opel have coded keys with chips like North American GM cars? My 1992 Camaro had a key with a chip, and a separate key for door locks. GM shared a good bit of random bits from Vauxhall/Opel, I'm sure they shared that too, right?

[@morthren]

+9890jsp All European market cars from the mid 90s have to have a coded key immobiliser. With a few exceptions, the only way to steal a car these days is with the key.

[@jeanlessage7560]

Those were rubish, one time i ended up in the wrong car both were the same model and color

[@mediocrefunkybeat]

+9890jsp The classic was my Dad's late-70s Fiesta. In a car park, he walked up to his car and unlocked the door. Sat in the car and then tried to ignition. It was only then that he realised he wasn't sitting in his car at all but a similar one ten feet from his.

[@MrSupercar55]

Yes, Vauxhall/Opel are part of the GM group.

[@TheStan80]

full enclosed steering lock best deterrent. they will just walk on by

[@Darwinion]

Why not just fit a hidden switch so the live feed to the ECU is dead till it's flicked? I do this now on my classic. Nobody can start it without that hidden switch. Still doesn't stop anyone towing it away if they really want it. But easily outwits the opportunist.

[@davidcarbines1891]

Darwinion because this is before you needed cats and most won't have had ecus fitted!

[@lngvly22]

I think that a removable steering wheel is a good idea, you could put it in a bag in the boot..

[@scottsherman7069]

The thief could then just go into the boot and get it...

[@MrSupercar55]

I've actually seen security systems like that in car mod catalogues before. They consist of a custom steering boss that allows the steering wheel to detach with ease and a special carry bag for the steering wheel to be carried comfortably.

[@SteveM000100]

Since the mid 90's all cars have had immobilizer chips built into the keys. There's still ways around it tho of course, and I believe it's led to an increase in burglary for the keys...

[@MrWolfSnack]

You know you can drive a car with vice grips right? Doesn't matter if the wheel is off.

[@HRHooChicken]

That idea reminds me of Mr Bean and how he padlocks his car then throws the key through the back window

[@colmaniac]

Yet, 30 years later nothings changed. Its now even easier to steal a 40k+ keyless car just by using a mobile phone. Progress? I think not.

[@kernals12]

6:49 that is the only time that BMW and Vauxhall are used in the same sentence

[@peugeotCitroen2CV]

@mtothem1337 sometimes the right key for my car doesn't start it :)

[@Kit_Bear]

Use Magnavolt.

[@rarevhsuploads4995]

It won't even run down your battery!

[@jafwilding]

When did Matthew Kelly present Top Gear?

[@RWL2012]

never.

[@maxxo5534]

5:43 scantronic 9600 house alarm tone

[@joshooahh]

Strange how every single car in that car park doesn't really exist anymore, cant remember last time i saw a ford Sierra

[@mrtommygunwhite]

about ten years later when they do breaking in to cheap cars they don't bother with the blurring

[@joedaman8436]

He's an expert?? I never got into a car like that ever? I won't give away secrets, I'm retired now, not proud of my past, but I used to like the puzzle of getting past security systems, we cracked Vauxhall's dead lock system in 1989, it had only been out about 6 months..

[@littlesebastian4389]

Satellite tracking and dash cams? Will never catch on lol. I bet whoever sent those idea in are kicking themselves now.

[@munnsie100]

Mmm Vector Laser key!

[@foxyknoxy9410]

Back in the 90's vauxhalls were at the top of the twoccers list as they were piss easy to get, mainly the faster models, GTE's, SRi's, GSi's ect. Its turned violent nowa days people raiding houses for the keys Audi RS's are getting tuck now where will it end.

[@Crazybenjiwoo]

most cars of this era start and can be forced with a screw driver and/or a butterknife. thyem pesky renaults don't like their ignition smashed.

[@skipraida5497]

Best anti theft device I ever heard of was from a biker who tapped a spark plug into his petrol tank and when he left the bike he attached the h.t lead to it.Try starting it and the family allowance is null and void!

[@procta2343]

I have heard some did a similar trick to a car, which would blow the whole works up, with the twat in side it.

[@skipraida5497]

@@procta2343, you would need a good memory though😁

[@procta2343]

@@skipraida5497 yeah you would, i am not sure if it was my grand dad or my uncle that told me the story. It was some trumph sports car if i remember that the owner rigged it to blow.

[@matthewking5612]

5:43 A huge bolt

[@MarshallSambell]

just buy one with manual transmission thieves don't know how to drive them any more

[@MrSupercar55]

Since when? Manuals get stolen just as frequently as automatics. In fact, prestigious manufacturers, such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce, make cars that are only available with automatic gearboxes, no manuals up for grabs and, because of their far superior security systems, they're harder to steal. Also, manuals can be bump started, a procedure that does not use the battery or the starter motor. Bump starting involves pushing the vehicle and, once momentum is created, having the driver select a gear, preferably second, and release the clutch pedal. This is impossible with automatics, so if your American-imported Toyota Camry has a flat battery and nobody can jump-start it, you're shit out of luck.

[@MarshallSambell]

I was joking bro

[@LancerloverLL]

@@MarshallSambell Me too

[@mad_cat431]

@Ginger Nutz Most cars, not all of them.

[@MajorT0m]

You can't beat MagnaVolt.

[@procta2343]

Now that should be put on sale! i would love to have had a my old land rover as a test car, as it would have fuckin fried the cunt who stole it 2 years ago.

[@assmannewzealand]

2:29 Sounds like Clarkson a bit

[@sendittoride6223]

Milton Keynes

[@spenceCID]

Haha they had to blur out the slimjim!

[@Harvey142009]

what's the car in 3:07

[@bombadilian]

Rover 200 series.

[@tomservo56954]

Today it would be a status symbol to have your car stolen by Jeremy, James or Richard.

[@Christopher-N]

Wow - I wasn't aware the series was this old. Shame about the second incarnation following the 22 series; I quite enjoyed the antics of Hammond, May, and Clarkson.

[@RWL2012]

Jeremy Clarkson had joined in 1988 but didn't have the "main" presenting role he had in the later version. A couple of his early appearances are on here :) James May also had a brief appearance on "Old Top Gear" in 1999, and Richard Hammond presented on Men & Motors from 1998.

[@sharpfalcon6196]

@@RWL2012 Also in 1998, James May presented "Driven", similar to the Top Gear we know.

[@scottstephen3125]

I love these videos...but why the stupid music from Grandstand?

[@elbecko7969]

There's a lot to be said for foibles with old cars that fox thieves

[@innit_yt]

I miss my Honda Accord, I do have A '92 Ford Mustang but it does not have any character 😥.

[@evanjones2053]

I don't see how a honda accord can have more character than a mustang but what do i know

[@rossmarshall628]

Plant a fucking bomb inside it, best outcome is the thief wont try and steal again and ul get a 80quid scrappage fee

[@kylewaddington1983]

Old good wen loss keys you can Hotwire your car in old cars

[@sursomsatan1225]

Oh look, James May's dad

[@mhikari92]

I wonder how long it need to breaking into a micra(which is second gen(K11,1992-2003) model, and is a 2006 model year one) Because I really want to know how long that Son of bXich who steal MY CAR in 2008 used to breaking into it and bust that third party ignition lock(which required to key in a password to unlock).drive away and never to be seen,only in a few minute that I goes into the PO.

[@lukej6555]

l6632154 2-5 Minutes. Flat head or a pull out hammer. Or you can take 5 seconds and use the white bit of a spark plug, no sound on the sound of glass falling on the floor. Another 2 minutes with two lads doing steering lock and back barrelling it.

[@mhikari92]

Luke J THX,Now I finally got the idea about how that F*Ck DAN ASS Theft broke into my lovely little car and steal it wiht the few miunte my mom going to the post office 7 years ago.. And just feel like to mention,I was only 16 when she left my life,and since the legitimate age for driving in my coutry is 18 and up,so I never even ever driren my baby for ones. OK,Technically,the micra was my mom car at the point,but,she said the car will be mine when I go to college...which never happen.And I'm now a man with lisense but no car.

[@lukej6555]

Extremely easy to steal the old cars. MK 2 Astra's especially the GTE's are the worst cars to own so are the other sporty models of that era. Can steal them in less than 2 minutes, two lads or a big scaffold pole.

[@NoahRobinson07]

just take my dizzy cap with me :P

[@bombski5657]

My parents had a Lada, problem solved.

[@1100HondaCB]

Don't worry. I'm sure you're not bothered. I've been using that word all day. LOL.

[@MythicSuns]

Police are now on the lookout for a man with pixelated arms

[@terryah2136]

Is he related to the man with the pixelated face that was in the Arctic Special I wonder

[@sharpfalcon6196]

@@terryah2136 Or the 'thieves with pixelated chests' from the BMW Convertibles challenge?

[@louisjames1062]

Eeeeelectronic!

[@RWL2012]

3 seconds to get into the original Clio as well, wow...

[@mtothem1337]

@peugeotCitroen2CV today they just steal the key :P

[@Strike86]

@10chipsahoy Damn straight. We have some of the worst car crime rates in Europe. Hooray!

[@MythicSuns]

If you want the best in anti theft technology all you have to do is buy an old Vauxhall Nova; yes it's easy to steal but it's also a Vauxhall Nova.

[@roaenokesyzlak7828]

I have the best anti-theft provision in the world. Never park with more then a quarter tank of gas, and leave trash all over the floors. No one wants a rolling garbage can with less then 50 miles in the tank xD

[@TheShepster80]

Or leave a tiger in the back!

[@AaronLin]

Just buy a cheap beater car you don't like at all and don't care about that way you wouldn't care if the thief steals it

[@eyesrightout]

I just take fuel pump fuse out

[@ricardorath8853]

Jürgen Кристоф but would you do if the car has a mechanical fuel pump

[@jamesgizasson]

Easy solution: drive a cheap POS nobody wants. Works for me! :3

[@TheCheshireCat.]

Or disconnect the battery, easier and cheaper. 😂

[@HRHooChicken]

Yes disconnect the battery multiple times a day, every day. Doesn't sound inconvenient or annoying at all.

[@troy0000001965]

Just sit on the nearest curb/bench. With a 18" Machete and wait for the fuckers to mess with your car. Its difficult to steal a car with no fucking hands.

[@thevdubber6918]

Car security is that good nowadays people can just plug a machine into your obd port and just drive away in seconds....

[@BigJoePerron]

Just take out the spark plugs

[@PeteBlack76]

What if it was Diesel?

[@RWL2012]

Clio right at the start :-(

[@Htiler]

A removable steering wheel.....reminds me of Mr Bent.

[@1100HondaCB]

The problem with the flashing pager device at 3:15, it poses a risk to the owner as he than has the option of intervening with the theif and this could be dangerous. The best security devices are the reinforced attachments which you fit to the gearstick, steering wheel or clutch pedal. Saab's idea of locking the gearstick in reverse gear is a good one and I'm surprised more manufacturers didn't adopt it, but then is it a patented idea by Saab?

[@no-damn-alias]

Simple solution. Get a beater and don't care. I don't care about anything. If somebody bumps the door into mine. Nor potholes or speed bumps. I don't care for any curb. Simply do the bare minimum to keep the car running properly. Oil change and anything else if needed.

[@1100HondaCB]

Not only do I imagine some sort of device to inflict injury on an unauthorised person driving someone's car, but as a victim of vehicle crime myself, I wish the person that stole my motorcycle dies from an aggressive form of cancer. This may sound harsh, and many will frown upon my thoughts, but they have no idea the no end amount of grief the thieving little shits have caused. I believe in calmer; what comes around, goes around, so when they become a victim, I'm sure they won't like it.

[@tonymaries1652]

More recently, some enterprising soul designed an alarm hooked to a smoke system. Trigger the alarm and thick clouds of smoke surge from under the dash. The device uses standard smoke fluid and you can put as much as you like in and mix it with whatever you fancy. The verminous little pondlife in your car can't see what he is doing, sh1ts his pants in fear that the car might be just about to burst into flame. Or that the smoke might be poison gas. He beats it sharpish. Apparently he was prevented from continuing to sell his device because some poor little pondlife might get harmed.

[@boobsthechemist2067]

£200 for that alarm is £50 more than that red rover is worth 🙈

[@Raven-Claws88]

Chris Goffey looks and dresses like my old Geography teacher from secondary school! Also who on earth wants to nick an F-reg Austin Montego? & is it me or does the chap with the Welsh accent sound like a Rob Brydon character?

[@marccarter1350]

Twas a great time to be a ram raider. Car alarms were a joke. It really did not take much to bypass them. Early engine cutout switches were found easy. Immobilisers were just a circuit break. We use to reconnect them with foil and match sticks. These were only found o0n the very high end, not shitty fords or vaxuals. By the end of the 1990s, by which time I had been in retirement for a few years, it had become more difficult. They just break into your house now for the keys!

[@herrbela84]

Stealing cars is a European value, right?

[@AClown]

Richard hammond got old

[@rutter1ify]

Rover GTi 😂😂

[@VaidasMaldzius]

pff easy just take the engine out with you

[@nathannangle6354]

The best anti theft device was to buy a Citroën, honestly have you ever heard of someone robbing a Citroën! Pure shite

[@Beyonder1987]

Average Cars were ugly as hell back then.