Pangolin installation

You have purchased the most secure vehicle safe on the market. It therefore makes sense to use a matching quality of vehicle safe installation.

Installing your Pangolin safe is not difficult, but guaranteeing that you will not lose your competency (in case of a firearm safe) if something goes wrong is another matter entirely (e.g. your vehicle is stolen with your gun in the safe). Follow these 3 steps to counter this risk:

Purchase a Pangolin firearm safe
Have it installed by a Pangolin Certified Installer
Choose the option offered by Certified Installers to create a legal evidential record

The evidential record includes the Certificate of Installation plus comprehensive proof of a compliant installation.

You as the safe owner can of course choose to install your safe as you wish (and this is a natural and easy process for most laptop safe installations).

Pangolin does not install safes, but as the manufacturer we know how firearm safes should be installed in order to be secure and to comply with the FCA, FCR and SANS standard. Certified installers (see below) are trained in these requirements, giving owners the peace of mind with a secure and compliant installation.

Where to mount your vehicle safe

Most vehicles have multiple possible mounting locations. The installer will consult with you to decide where to mount the safe. When doing so, be mindful of the requirements of SANS 953-1: "When a safe is installed in a vehicle it shall be affixed non-conspicuously to the floor or body of the vehicle, ...". Due to its low profile and dark colour the Pangolin H safe is naturally inconspicuous, but can be rendered more so by placing carpeting over it or mounting it fully or partially under a seat.

These locations have been used in various vehicles (plus a few others with the safe mounted on its side or upside down, see photos throughout our website):

On the floor immediately in front of the front passenger seat
On the floor immediately in front of the driver's seat
In the left or right rear passenger footwell
In the above locations, partly under the seat which is moved back or forward for access
On the shelf of cab-and-a-half bakkies positioned left or middle or right
Under a rear seat which is designed for lifting up and out of the way
In the boot of a car on the floor
In the boot of a sedan on the sill
In the load bin of bakkies

Installation Legality

Compliance with SANS 953-1 for type B3 safes (temporary storage of firearms in motor vehicles and caravans) requires that a certificate of installation be completed by a third party safe installer for retention by the firearm owner. A blank certificate for this purpose is supplied with your Pangolin firearm safe.

Certificate

Installers are required to complete your certificate of installation. It is not a requirement for installers to keep a copy of the certificate, but they may do so with your agreement.

Keep the original in a safe place (but not in the Pangolin) and supply copies to those in need of it (e.g. insurance company, employer, etc). It would also be wise to keep a copy on your mobile phone.

The FCA, FCR and SANS standard do not require an inspection or any other form of validation of the installation (or certificate) by SAPS or anyone else. Any attempt to obtain one is inadvisable since it would only cause confusion.

Duration & Process

Time to install varies from less than an hour to more than two, depending on the vehicle and where you choose to install it. Most installers require you to bring your vehicle to their workshops, but mobile installers will come to you.

Evidential Record

Certified installers offer the creation of an evidential record of the installation, with free cloud storage. This proof of compliance is recommended by Pangolin's legal advisers. The record can only be created and stored if you authorise it by signing a POPI consent form.

Register with Pangolin

Please register the handgun safe and keys with Pangolin. Should you lose both keys to your Pangolin vehicle firearm safe, Pangolin Security Products will have to verify the legitimate owner of the safe before supplying replacement keys. The registration is purely for authentication purposes to maintain the security of your safe.

Mazda Pangolin Laptop Dock and Firearm Safe Installation

Nuts and Bolts

Your Pangolin safe is supplied with an installation kit that includes stainless steel Nyloc nuts and bolts of the correct length for passing through typical vehicle carpeting and floor pan. If the ideal mounting location requires bolting onto a closed box section then it is highly recommended that Plusnuts are used (since this is more secure than long bolts and conventional nuts). Bolts that are too long pose a security risk so are not supplied as standard. IMPORTANT: Rivnuts are not acceptable.

The safe must be secured with all four bolts in the holes provided for the purpose.

Please also see the ultra-secure Strike-It! bolt and nut closures available from Certified Installers below.

Rust Protection

It is a requirement that exposed metal and fasteners on the underside of the vehicle are treated and coated by the installer to prevent rust.

Pangolin Certified Installers

Pangolin's certified installers have received specialist training in vehicle firearm safe installation and associated legal requirements to ensure competence in:

Compliance with the Firearms Control Regulations
Compliance with SANS Standard 953-1 Type B3 vehicle firearm safe installation
Integrity of installation security standards prescribed by Pangolin Security Products
Creation of a comprehensive evidential record of the installation on behalf of the client.

For the highest levels of legal compliance and assurance we recommend Pangolin Certified Installers.

Please see our certified installers below (* Mobile installers will come to you for installation):

EASTERN CAPE

East London
# Alpha Tyres & 4x4, Aloe Industrial Park, Jade le Roux: 081 027 9792
Jeffreys Bay
# Smhart Security, Jeffreys Bay and surrounds, Andrew Daniell: 066 254 9737 *

GAUTENG

Centurion
# Fitment 4 Africa, Centurion, Steff Pretorius: 072 611 9448
Ekurhuleni
# Evans Motor Sport, Brackenhurst, Alberton, Edward Evans: 083 276 9943
# Lock & Safe Specialist, Mobile, Rudi Fouche: 082 568 4628 *
# Uni-Trak, Mobile, Brandon Alexander: 082 552 0109 *
Midrand
# Conceal Carry, Mobile - Midrand, Sandton and surrounds, Roger Smit: 083 632 5538 *
Northriding
# Autoventure, Bryanston, Fourways, Roodepoort, Russel Clements: 010 140 1502
Pretoria
# IC Guns Moot, Mobile - Pretoria, Centurion & surrounds, Ruan Calitz: 061 961 6239 *
Tshwane
# 4x4 Megaworld, Menlyn, Pieter Meyer: 082 378 9629

KWA-ZULU NATAL

Ballito
# Ballito Towbars and Accessories, Michael van Rhyn: 069 547 9422
Hillcrest
# Clever Stuff, Mobile - Hillcrest and surrounds, Deon Grove: 082 324 0332 *
Kloof
# The 2Do List, Mobile - Kloof and surrounds, Grant Engels: 082 464 4200 *
Newcastle
# Newcastle Panel Beaters, Newcastle CBD, Carel Boshoff: 034 315 5320

LIMPOPO

Tzaneen
# Supa Quick Tzaneen, CBD, David le Roux: 071 929 7186

MPUMALANGA

Nelspruit
# Lock & Safe Specialist, Mobile - Mpumalanga and Limpopo, Bertus Steenberg: 082 756 9242 *
Piet Retief
# 4x4 Megaworld, CBD, Jaco Stone: 083 273 9028

NORTHERN CAPE

Kimberley
# NC Audio, Albertynshof, Dewald van As: 053 861 2888

WESTERN CAPE

Cape Town
# Power Stream, Mobile - C.T. and surrounds, Hilton Frost: 082 922 0636 *
# QBE Services, Mobile - C.T. and surrounds, Geert van der Ploeg: 082 820 4397 *
Hermanus
# Guns&Ammo Safes, Mobile – Hermanus and Overberg, Martin Etsebeth: 065 818 6096 *

Ultra-Secure Installation with Strike-It!

Pangolin Strike-It! Security bolt and nut closures for ultra-secure installations adds an extra layer of security to Pangolin vehicle safe installations where bolts or nuts will remain exposed. This is an optional value-add available from Certified Pangolin Installers that you can request when you book your installation.

The Strike-It! security closure makes removal of a safe impossible with conventional hand tools. When you want to uninstall the safe, an angle grinder will be required to remove the security bolt.

Features:

Precision machined stainless steel
Permanent once hammered into position
Captive protection cap spins loosely
Cap cannot be removed once installed
Two versions: for M8 buttonhead cap screws OR for M8 Nyloc nuts

Strike-It! ultra-secure bolts available from installers

Pangolin Authorised Installers

Pangolin's authorised installers have either successfully undertaken Pangolin safe installations, or have expressed interest to do so, but have not received Pangolin training on safe installation and FCA/FCR/SANS compliance.

If you don't find a convenient installer in the list below, please contact us. We want to know where the needs are so we can build up the Pangolin installer network to fill any gaps. In most instances training installers is a straightforward and quick online process. If you have a preferred local service provider (fitment centre, panel beater, 4x4 outfitter or sound and security installer) please feel free to propose them for training to become a certified Pangolin installer.

Please see our authorised installers below: