VW commercials get the Grip-Tech treatment

An anti-theft locking system for Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles helps to keep spare wheels safe and secure

Grip-Tech, which manufactures and distributes the Auto-Grip range of mechanical anti-theft solutions for motor vehicles, has perfected a new spare-wheel lock for the Volkswagen Caddy, Transporter and Caravelle/Kombi range of vehicles.

The lock system, like other Auto-Grip spare-wheel locks – including the spare-wheel lock for the Amarok – is made from hardened, tempered steel and features a locking bolt with a multi-pin, stainless-steel key, which is almost pick-proof.

The device bolts the spare-wheel carrier to the chassis of the vehicle, making it almost impossible to remove without the correct adapter key, which has over 1 000 possible combinations. The bolt itself is made from Grade 8.8 steel.

Says Manuel Reis, owner of Grip-Tech: “The theft of underslung spare wheels is still being seen as an easy source of income for some, with a ready market for stolen tyres. What makes the theft of a spare even worse is the fact that the loss is usually discovered only in an emergency, compounding the problem. The only thing worse than being forced to stop because of a puncture, is stopping and discovering that the spare is missing, too.”

The new addition to the Auto-Grip range fits all Caddy vans and Caddy Maxi passenger vehicles from 2003 onwards. The same device is also suitable for the front-wheel-drive version of the Volkswagen Transporter T5 – introduced to South Africa in 2009 – and current-generation T6, on sale here in various guises since 2015. A single lock fits all of the vehicles, irrespective of tyre size or wheel style.

The Auto-Grip spare wheel lock costs R351 and can be ordered direct from Auto-Grip’s website: www.auto-grip.co.za, or from Volkswagen dealerships and VESA-approved fitment centres.