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Original Sussex Installations video

Thieves target same van 3 times! The customer outsmarted them this time, but can we repair the van?

Jul 21, 2023 · 20,814 recorded views

Video ID: 5qc80k9NRrQAttacks, shielding and repairJul 21, 2023 · 20,814 recorded views

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Original description

Renault Trafic, Vauxhall Vivaro, Nissan NV300, Fiat Talento near side load door LARGE External repair shield. This was a success story for the customer in terms of the thief didn't manage to gain entry into his van! This was due to the customer having fitted our internal shield at the same time as he fitted our standard size external shield, after he had previously been broken into.

Of course having a hole in the door where the thief had attacked his van below our standard size shield had left this customer with the need to repair his door, but luckily for him we already had a large repair shield solution that would cover the damage over.

At the same time the customer had our internal shield fitted to his barn door also, and swapped the external shield (that had been fitted by the previous owner of the van after another earlier break in) for one of our external shields, which is compatible with our internal shield.

Jeff from Sussex Installations demonstrates how specialised internal and external shielding can effectively cover damage from recurring break-in attempts. These custom, multi-layered metal panels are designed to reinforce vulnerable points on commercial vans, providing robust security solutions for owners facing persistent theft challenges.

Find out more on our website at https://www.sussexinstallations.co.uk

Historical context: This video records the advice, products and attack methods relevant when it was published. Current recommendations may have changed as vehicles, products and criminal methods evolved.

Common questions

How did the internal shield stop this third break-in attempt?

The thief drilled below the van's existing external shield and reached the internal shield behind it, apparently snapping off a drill bit trying to get through. The internal shield held, so the thief never got the door open, the customer kept his tools, and only the external panel needed repairing.

Why did this van need a large external repair shield rather than the standard size?

Because thieves had already attacked the area covered by a standard external shield, and their drilling had spread beyond its edges. Sussex Installations developed a large size shield specifically to cover this kind of extended damage where a standard shield wouldn't reach far enough.

Was the internal shield that stopped this third break-in a genuine Sussex Installations product?

Yes. The internal stealth shield that stopped the thieves getting into the van on this occasion was a genuine Sussex Installations shield, fitted by the current owner. The only non-Sussex Installations product involved was an external repair shield fitted years earlier by a previous owner, after an unrelated break-in through the barn door, and that shield played no part in stopping this third attempt.

Why did the barn door also need its external shield replaced?

The external shield already fitted to the barn door wasn't compatible with Sussex Installations' internal shield, so it had to be swapped for a compatible external shield before the internal shield could be fitted there too, giving the barn door the same internal-plus-external protection as the side load door.

Does Sussex Installations make an even bigger shield for severe damage?

Yes, but only for the barn door. For damage severe enough to have destroyed the door handle area, Sussex Installations has developed an extra-large barn door shield that can cut out and replace the whole damaged section, including refitting the handle into the new panel, as an alternative to writing off the door. There isn't an equivalent XL shield for the side load door.

What does this repeat break-in case show about layered van security?

Even a good external shield alone isn't enough if a thief targets the same van repeatedly. It was the internal shield, fitted after two previous break-ins, that finally stopped this third attempt, showing why Sussex Installations recommends internal and external shielding together rather than either on its own.

Transcript

Show transcript
0:00 -I'm Jeff from Sussex Installations.
0:00 -Today's video is about Renault Trafic, Vauxhall Vivaro, Nissan NV300, this type of shaped van, with holes in the door.
0:08 -Holes have been made in different places than normal on the door.
0:08 -In this case, the customer already had a shield fitted, and the thief has gone below the shield, so we're having to cover up that damage.
0:15 -But good news, the internal shield protected him, they didn't take his tools, they didn't get in the van.
The internal shield saved the day!
0:23 -So this is a success.
0:23 -It's a shame the customer's had to have his van repaired after the thieves have made damage to it again, for the third time, would you believe.
0:30 -But at least he didn't lose his tools on this job, and that was down to the internal shield that was fitted to the van.
0:38 -The internal shield saved the day, it's the hero.
0:38 -But don't forget to subscribe to Sussex Installations, turn notifications on so you can keep up to date with the van security as it happens.
0:46 -Please do give us a like for the video as well, be much appreciated, thank you.
0:46 -It's, um, it's a bit of a story with this van, this is his third break-in on the same van.
0:54 -So, look, um, what happened was, initially, before he actually, before he bought the van, someone made a hole through the barn door and broke into the van.
1:02 -And the previous owner of this van had bought a repair shield, that's not actually our repair shield that he bought, and fitted it to cover up the hole that was in the back door.
1:10 -This customer purchased the van, and someone had made a hole in his door around about here and broken into his van.
1:18 -So at that point he got in touch with us to get a repair shield for the external.
1:26 -Now, in addition to buying the repair shield for the external, we did talk him into having the internal shield fitted, which goes behind the scenes, which is actually inside the van, which is really really good value.
1:35 -So basically there's a lot you can spend your money on in terms of van security.
1:43 -I do believe, like, pound you spend versus the amount of security you get, that the shielding is really really important, particularly the internal shielding.
The shielding can often be the best value security improvement for your money
1:51 -So this would be inside his door, one of these around about here, and it's double layered up in the most vulnerable places, you know, it's a big heavy bit of kit.
1:59 -And so he's fitted this, the thief has tried to go in, um, below the external shield, they've made a hole, they've damaged the van, but they didn't get in.
2:07 -They come across our internal shield and they got stuck here, looks like probably got a snapped-off drill bit at this point trying to get in, so they've had a good go at it and they've not been successful.
2:22 -So it's like we have a solution for that as well, because the way that things are, we have a bigger shield that can go on this van and cover up the damage.
2:30 -And the reason I've designed and created this large shield is so we can cover up damage that's been made by attacking, like, the regular size shield.
2:36 -It's a shame that you've got to go to this level, but it seems to be a necessary thing, you know, we're trying to keep the vans on the road.
2:45 -If this van has been broken into three times already, if that could have been off the road at a body shop for like a week or two weeks each time, you know, spending like a thousand pounds on a repair.
2:53 -But these repair shieldings are really good value for money, and it's effective, it's a quick repair, it does give some additional security as well.
3:00 -So what we're going to do, we're going to take that shield off, and we're going to fit this shield over, covering up the damage and re-securing the van.
3:08 -As far as the barn door goes, we have a similar situation for that, where we have an internal shield, this is our internal shield.
3:16 -It's really really good, I've got to say, you know, this is my design, we've made tweaks over the years to this design as well, and it is really really good, and it is double layered up in the most vulnerable area.
3:30 -Um, so we're really looking to protect from all the different angles going in at this shield, for the barn door, the barn door shield.
3:38 -We have our first version shield that we had, this is, feel like, almost like it's like a pizza kind of restaurant, you know, would you like a medium, large, or extra large size shield for your van?
3:46 -Which is nuts, but that is the reality that we're living in at the moment.
Standard Size
4:01 -That is our standard size shield, there.
4:09 -This is our large size shield, here.
4:09 -And then if someone's made a really big mess of your van, like your Vauxhall Vivaro, as this is Renault Trafic type of shape van, and made a mess around this door handle.
For an extreme break in
4:27 -What we can do is we can still save the back door by cutting out this whole handle here and fitting in this massive replacement panel.
We have an Extra Large Size!
4:35 -Extra large shield, and refit in your handle into that extra large shield.
4:42 -So there are options, and here we go, we're done.
4:42 -Look, take a look at this, another fine masterpiece.
Another masterpiece
4:49 -I mean, it's a big shield, it's covering up holes that have been made on the van in different areas, but I've got to say, very proud, matching all the contours of the van, all the bends.
4:56 -So many bends in the shield, it's crazy, but it's a good finish.
5:05 -Really really making some fine quality products here at Sussex Installations, designing them in-house, I design them, we develop and manufacture in a little factory here, all made with love, love and care, ready to go out the door to you guys, whether you have it fitted by us, or whether you're buying them on eBay, on Amazon, or on our website.
5:21 -So that's a really great solution for this van, in terms of a good effective repair and some additional shielding.
5:30 -Customer has the internal shield refitted that he already had fitted before, the one that saved the day, bit scratched up, a little bit damaged, but actually it's fine.
5:37 -It's still, um, it's not been compromised.
5:37 -It's got the new external shield covering up that damage that was on the door, and at the same time he's realised the value of the internal shield, and he's had us fit an internal shield to the barn door as well, inside the door.
5:53 -So our internal shield guarding the mechanism in the barn door, in addition to what he had, the internal shield guarding the side load door mechanism.
6:00 -But unfortunately, the brand of external shield he had, our internal shield wasn't compatible with that, so we have had to change the external shield for ours, obviously a better looking one, but there we go, a bonus.
6:08 -But by having our external shield fitted, that means he's been able to have our internal shield fitted too.
6:16 -So that's epic, that's a good result.
6:16 -If you're looking for security for your Renault Trafic, your Vauxhall Vivaro, NV300, Fiat Talento, or any other van, get in touch via the website, it's www.sussexinstallations.co.uk.
6:25 -Please do give us a like for this video, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, turn on the notifications so you get alerts once we've got new videos, to keep you up to date with the latest in van security.
6:42 -If you're thinking about buying one of these shields and thinking, can you fit it yourself, stay tuned, and we're going to do an installation now and show you start to finish, give a bit of an idea of what's involved in fitting these shields.
6:49 -Stay tuned, here we go.
6:53 -[Music]
7:02 -Thank you.
7:06 -[Music]
7:32 -[Foreign]
7:39 -[Music]
7:47 -[Music]
7:55 -[Music]
8:10 -The question is, are we ready?
8:10 -Ready for the reveal?
8:26 -Whoa, look at that beauty, it's a masterpiece, another masterpiece.
8:34 -So our internal shield fitted as well in the barn door, which is a massive security improvement, it's a really good design.
8:41 -Our external shield fitted, which is compatible with the internal shield.
8:41 -Reveal number two, not quite as exciting, not that we want to run it down or anything, but look, we've done hundreds of these, haven't we?
8:49 -So here we go, very nice, not seen it for the first time, but it's still got that nice style.
8:58 -I hope you found that interesting, thanks for watching, much appreciated.
9:01 -Go to our website if you're looking for van security, www.sussexinstallations.co.uk.
9:11 -[Music]
9:16 -Thank you.

Transcript source: the YouTube auto-generated transcript supplied for this project, re-grouped into sentences with minor corrections (e.g. a misheard word). Automated transcripts can contain recognition errors and should be checked against the original video.

Page details

Author
Jeff Scott
Publisher
Sussex Installation Team Ltd
Updated
2026-09-13
Primary focus
Attacks, shielding and repair
Jeff Scott, founder of Sussex Installation Team Ltd
About the author

Jeff Scott — Van Security Specialist and Industry Educator

Jeff Scott is the founder of Sussex Installation Team Ltd (Sussex Installations). He has fitted vehicle-security systems since 1997, started Sussex Installations in 2003 and has specialised in van security since 2008. His work combines installation, vulnerability research, product design, UK manufacturing and long-term public education.

In 2009, Jeff published the first known YouTube video explaining mechanical key-operated van deadlocks. He has continued documenting van-security products, installation standards, vehicle vulnerabilities and changing attack methods ever since – earning his description as "The OG Van Security YouTuber."

Jeff has supported thousands of professional vehicle aftermarket technicians across the UK and beyond with access to technical information, while actively promoting higher quality installation standards through his trade community ifitstuff.com since 2006.

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