12 mm tamper proof bolts for battery

Unfortunately, any shop that sells the bolts sells the extractors... So...

 

My advice would be don't get caught up in this hype. There is no fastener you can buy publicly that will stop a thief from taking your battery if they want it bad enough (or destroying the vehicle in the process). Just use common sense vehicle security practices and keep your insurance premiums up to date..

 

Still won't stop them.

 

The insurance outcome is likely to be a 'total loss' unless the Prius is very new, as the prices of the wiring harnesses the thieves will have destroyed (even the ones that can be ordered at all) will significantly exceed that of the battery itself.

My guess would be that, for anyone who judges this risk to be unacceptable, it would be best to design and fabricate something independently (probably including sheet metal extending over the wire harnesses, which will otherwise be destroyed before the thief even notices there are clever fasteners holding the battery down).

Someone might go into business mass-producing such a thing and selling it, but as soon as that happened I'd be disinclined to buy it. If anything becomes common enough, thieves will just be prepared for it. Sometimes you can slow them down by creating an environment of diverse one-off countermeasures they have to take time to figure out in each instance. They don't want to be slowed down, if somebody else's Prius won't.

OTOH, if countermeasures just change their routine to putting your Prius on a flatbed and hauling it to the chop shop, all bets are off.

-Chap

 

i think the v is the most highly desired battery, and alberta seems to be a hotspot for some reason. check your insurance to make sure you're covered.

 

Tamper Proof Security Screws | Key-Rex | Bryce Fastener

 

Yep...just another keyed fastener like wheel locks...and just as easy to remove.

 

Did you watch the video? I'm sure you can think of a way they didn't try in it.

 

Respectfully speaking...

That was entertaining and makes the naive feel all warm and fuzzy, but as a member in good standing who runs a respectable shop, you know the only people these fasteners would stop are ignorant owners that lost their adapter.

[ ignorant - used in context and defined as - lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular ]

...and for the record, the last thing I'm going to do is tell everyone how easy these are to remove. They are nothing but placebos and my previous advice stands.

YMMV

 

I know I could remove these, and am pretty sure I could do it with the same tools they showed in the video. They are in no way impossible to remove, however, I doubt these thieves come prepared to remove them. In reality though, If someone was going to break my window and destroy my interior, I'd probably like a new battery included in the repairs. Now, if someone only has liability insurance, complicating things for thieves couldn't hurt.

One thing I think might be a good idea is engraving the cars VIN number on the battery.

 

"One thing I think might be a good idea is engraving the cars VIN number on the battery."

Another warm a fuzzy, but some people still put flimsy chain locks inside the house doors too. If folks want to take these measures that's fine, I just wanted to make people aware they won't really do any good against people that steal for a living.

 

Fine, what about something like this:
CatClamp Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention Lock

 

Buy a Yugo. Problem solved!

 

Clicked on the first one out of curiosity. Wow, only $680 (before TTL+install) to make your cat theft "resistant". The same cat that cost $150 or so (before) in states that allow aftermarket units (not California). Who's the thief?