Tragically, wheel theft has become very common in the West Valley. Just this past week my neighbor had her wheels stolen and the rates of theft nationally are on the rise. Sales of custom wheel rims,  known also as dubs,  has surpassed $3.1 billion annually and a black market supplied by thefts has followed.

Most of the time this happens in the early morning hours. A crew can come in, jack up your car, remove the wheels and leave your car on bricks, pieces of wood, jack stands or bare against the street in under 15 minutes.

There are some things you can do to help prevent these kinds of thefts.

• Purchase and install lock nuts for your wheel.  Lock nuts are like adding a pad lock to your wheels and need a special unlocking wrench to turn. Lock nuts are inexpensive and will make a wheel thief think twice before toughing your car.

• Purchase outdoor motion sensor lights. Outdoor sensor lights are a good way to discourage burglars who prefer to remain anonymous. They cast a temporary bright spot light on your driveway and walkway whenever they detect motion.

• Park your car in the garage.  without a doubt the best thing you can do is to park your car in your garage. Stop using your garage to store all that extra unnecessary stuff. Rather store you one of your most valuable assets, your car.   After all, that’s what it is for!