Can I fit the Mech Lock System® to the brakes?
NO… & YES!
EU law states that: "Devices to prevent unauthorised use preventing release of the brakes of the vehicles shall not be permitted." We are therefore unable to advertise or supply the Mech Lock System® for use as a brake immobiliser.
In Italy, fitting the Mech Lock System® to the brakes is commonplace. The Italians get around the EU ruling by claiming the system does not interfere with the braking system when in normal driving conditions. Only when the system is activated by the owner and the vehicle is at a standstill does it prevent the release of the brakes and these are not 'normal driving conditions.' Providing the braking system has not first been pressurised by the application of the brake pedal, then in a passive situation, the Mech Lock System® is not "preventing the release of the brakes". If a thief was to start a vehicle with the system activated they could theoretically drive away perfectly normally… until the first time they have to apply the brakes. As soon the brakes are applied, the Mech Lock System® would activate. When the vehicle had reached a standstill the brakes would not release making the vehicle impossible to drive away.
Although we go along with the Italians literal interpretation of the EU rule, we feel this is still a grey area and one that could be open to legal scrutiny. Therefore, MUD UK has agreed with Mech Lock System UK that we will not supply an off-the-shelf kit for fitting the device into the brake system. If we supply a Mech Lock System® to operate as a clutch lock and you plumb the device into your braking system, the purchaser does so entirely at their own risk. All warranties and guarantees will automatically become void.