Locking your steering is a great deal if the security aspect of its features is of great concern to you. As far back as 1990, nearly all automakers had invented and factory-fitted wheel interlocking device into their vehicles to serve as additional protection from theft.
Some independent companies specifically made production of steering wheel locks their major line of products and spurned the market with varieties in varying degrees of versatility and price.
We intend, in this article, to talk about how steering wheel locks work, what is a steering wheel lock and answer some salient questions that may help you understand the concept to appreciate and value it if you have one already installed on your car or go for one as quickly as possible if you care to.
Table of Contents
What is steering wheel lock?
Steering wheel locks, also called crook lock are theft protector that are mounted or built physically on the steering wheel area of your car to prevent intruders from making away with your car.
Some are made as a device that lock through the steering wheel over to the dash board area to gag the steering wheel and make it impossible for any thief to turn in case he gains access into the car.
They come in different shapes and types and most are budget friendly. It is important to stress here that steering lock is not the same as steering wheel lock.
While the former is in-built within the steering compartment of the car itself from the automaker, the latter is an additional security gadget, iron-like rod that is used to lock the steering rack, some with the pedals and some with the dashboard to safeguard the vehicle from being able to turn in case a thief break in and try to get away with the vehicle.
How do I install a steering wheel lock?
As explained above, steering wheel lock is not expensive. It is just to prevent a thief from making away with your car if he manages to break in and try to start without your car key being with him. There is no complicated installation, it is very simple to fix. Follow this guide.
- Pull apart the two ends of the wheel until it exposed an unpadded or uncolored metal part. With the longer end to your right hand, hold the device horizontally this will ensure that the device shows on your windscreen after installation.
- You should place the hook that is close to the longer part to the right side of your steering wheel while the other is hooked to the left side and pull the lock farther apart as you may wish. Let the device be at 45-degree angle rather than being straight and ensure that it is tight enough not to slide sideways the steering wheel.
- Use the key that is provided with the device to lock it if it does not automatically lock up. Struggle to force-open manually without using the key to see that it does not on its own come off the steering wheel. Try to turn your steering to see if it will or not (as it must not turn). With this simple process you are done.
Please be aware that the keys to your steering wheel lock must not be misplaced as removing it won’t be easy if you cannot find either of the keys that come with it. Always separate the two keys and keep one somewhere as spare just in case.
How to disable steering wheel locks without key
Like we explained above, the steering wheel lock is an additional iron object used to extra-lock the steering making it impossible to be turned which is quite different from steering lock. So, if your steering wheel lock keys are lost or the key system is faulty the only way is to chisel the tiny portion out to enable you turn it off the steering neck then on your ignition and move. If you can’t then call your mechanic.
Can I break my steering lock?
Much as it will be difficult for the potential thief to unlock your steering so will it be for you too if your key is lost or misbehaving. If you need to break the steering lock, place a screw driver into the hole and hammer from the other end hardly enough and turn it sideways with a wrench.
If this will not work then all you need to do is to remove the steering wheel through the assistance of a locksmith or car electrical technician with just a little fee.
Alternatively, you may be somewhere you cannot access a technician and it is expedient you get out then get a can of freon, unscrew the pin at its head, with your gloves and goggles on, hold away the nozzle from yourself and forcefully spray the content of the freon directly to the base of the lock to build up heavy ice around the lock.
Use your hammer to forcefully strike out the ice giving you a shattered club to free your steering wheel.
How do you unlock the steering wheel lock?
You can unlock your steering by turning it leftward or rightward with the key already inserted into the ignition area. But if it is the steering wheel lock, (the additional security device installed) all you need to do is to insert its own key, turn it rightward to get it opened then remove the gadget off the steering and drive away.
Conclusion
A steering wheel comes in a metal form used to obstruct steering movement thereby protecting the vehicle from being driven away by thieves.
As a visible anti-theft device, it immobilizes the steering from being functional for the potential thief thus making movement with the car impossible as the front wheels cannot be turned from inside to move the outside tires even if he had succeeded in putting on the ignition through any dubious means.
You can see from our article that getting one installed for your car will be a wise investment.
