Aftermarket Security Features For Vehicles

[Hawk]

Well, as posted in another thread, my truck was stolen by a professional crew Tuesday, Dec. 7th, from a public parking lot, in the middle of the afternoon, while being videoed by security cameras. The truck was locked and the keys were in my pocket. The police said it was a professional crew. I was told F150s were the most stolen vehicle in our area, with Silverados a close second.
Onstar would not help, because I had let my subscription expire and they told me they could not activate the onboard equipment remotely. It could only be reactivated from within the truck, by pushing the blue Onstar button. I suspect the thieves would have had software that could have deactivated Onstar, anyway.
If they have software to defeat the door locks, the anti theft devices and start the truck, I'm sure disabling Onstar tracking would be no challenge.
Whether I will be getting a replacement truck or my truck is recovered, I will be adding additional tracking devices and security features.
I would like to hear thoughts and ideas on additional, aftermarket tracking and security devices that can be installed on my vehicle.
I asked my insurance company adjuster this question and he had no answer.
I've been to Car Toys before, looking for a dash cam and the guys that worked at that store were idiots that could not even tell me the basic features of the cameras they sell.
I know we have many retired and current LEOs and at least one Master Mechanic on this site.
I need to research this, but value the practical experience and opinions of members of this board more than the hype of anything that is posted online.
This has really p___ed me off and I'm determined not to lose another vehicle to these bastards.
Any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bret4207]

My info is dated as I've been retired almost 13 years now, but On Star was worthless back then. Lo Jack was supposed to be good a few years back. Might look into that. The other option is to get an ignition disconnect as someone in the other thread mentioned. I'm not sure if that would void a warranty, might talk to the dealer about it. If you buy used, then it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[RicinYakima]

The neatest one I ever saw was a simple on/off switch inlet into the cowl piece by the driver's wiper motor. Close and lock the door then push the button. Return to the car and push the button and unlock the door. Since it is not factory nor aftermarket, nor accessory bought, hard for thieves to figure out what is happening. Two disadvantages: one if they can defeat the factory security they can hot wire the car; two if it rains or snows and freezes while active, you have to run a hair dryer to free the switch from the ice. FWIW

 

[Rockydoc]

The neatest one I ever saw was a simple on/off switch inlet into the cowl piece by the driver's wiper motor. Close and lock the door then push the button. Return to the car and push the button and unlock the door. Since it is not factory nor aftermarket, nor accessory bought, hard for thieves to figure out what is happening. Two disadvantages: one if they can defeat the factory security they can hot wire the car; two if it rains or snows and freezes while active, you have to run a hair dryer to free the switch from the ice. FWIW

What circuit does the switch interrupt ?

 

[Ian]

When you get a truck again, we can talk. Like Ric said, the point is to have a simple interrupt switch to a critical powertrain electrical circuit. That can be a ground circuit, something to do with the starter or fuel pump, or better yet a computer communications line although the comm lines are more difficult to interrupt due to being twisted pairs and needing a DPST switch with twist direction and turns per inch maintained.

 

[RicinYakima]

What circuit does the switch interrupt ?

His was the electric fuel injection pump.

 

[Chris]

Many years ago there were ads on TV for a device that hooked your steering wheel to the brake pedal. Was it "The Club"? Anyway does that have any value in deterring or slowing down a theft? I imagine if it isn't hardened steel that a sawzall might just rip though it.

Are there any physical deterrents available to making theft hard? Other than making your vehicles look like mine and Bret's... dented rust buckets.

 

[Brad]

They just cut thru the steering wheel to remove the Club.

Professional thieves are very skilled.

 

[Winelover]

Anything can be defeated, given enough time. The idea is to make it harder so they move on to the next vehicle. Push come to shove, they'll just latch on to it with a tow truck.

Best thing is to drive something that isn't popular. Not everyone that drives a pickup truck, needs one.

 

[popper]

Lots of tricks I've heard of, phono plug cutout for the coil, etc. Most newer have a fuel cutoff in case of turnover, not sure of the wiring.

 

[Hawk]

Mine is garage parked, so not on the driveway or the street.
My brother locked his keys in his truck on the deer lease today

AAA guy just inserted a bladder in the window. Inflated it to create a gap and punched the master unlock button with a contoured steel rod, bent just for that purpose.
Brother said it took three minutes, start to finish.

 

[RicinYakima]

Mine is garage parked, so not on the driveway or the street.
My brother locked his keys in his truck on the deer lease today

AAA guy just inserted a bladder in the window. Inflated it to create a gap and punched the master unlock button with a contoured steel rod, bent just for that purpose.
Brother said it took three minutes, start to finish.

It is not getting into the truck it is making it run. Meth maggots don’t sleep for week at a time. They study everything on the net. Got to be something not commercial.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

A few points and I apologize up front for being blunt.

All security is a compromise - How much cost and inconvenience are you willing to put up with in exchange for how much you want to slow down the thief ? Notice I didn’t say stop the thief, you can only buy time you cannot absolutely prevent the theft.

The general goal is to buy enough time to either discourage the thief from attempting the crime OR force the thief to abandon their attack before they complete the theft.

Alarms do not stop theft, alarms only alert someone else that the theft may be occurring.

Cameras do not stop theft, cameras only record the actions, and they often don’t even record that well. While video recordings may provide some evidence after the event, that evidence is often of little value. A video recording of an unknown subject, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and mask has little evidentiary value unless the subject is captured shortly after the crime still wearing those items.

Hidden kill switches may buy enough time to force the thief to abandon their attack if that attack involves driving the vehicle away. Kill switches will be useless if they simply tow the vehicle away. Once the vehicle is removed from the immediate area where it was parked, the thief or thieves will have plenty of time to locate and defeat the kill switch or simply strip the vehicle of its valuable parts and abandon the rest. Remember, kill switches only work if they are used every time the vehicle is parked and no one else knows where they are. Kill switches tend to become a nuisance for the owner/operator.

Physical secondary locks, such as a steering wheel bar (the club) are easily defeated by cutting the wheel or the lock. Plus, they are a PITA to consistently use.

Hidden GPS trackers do not stop the theft, but they can sometimes assist in the recovery of the stolen vehicle. However, simply placing the entire vehicle in a shipping container or trailer may be enough shielding to prevent the GPS unit from receiving and transmitting the required data to operate. Professional thieves will look for and remove GPS trackers shortly after stealing the vehicle. The really smart thieves will place the still functioning GPS unit on another vehicle. A GPS tracker receives data from satellites to determine its position, but it also must transmit that known position information out somehow. That outbound signal is generally accomplished by cellular data links. That requires both an active cellular account AND cell service at the vehicle’s location. So that is an expense for the owner and a limitation concerning where it will work.

In the end, it really comes down to how much inconvenience and cost the owner/operator is willing to tolerate. A hidden kill switch that is completely separate from the vehicle’s factory anti-theft system will probably thwart most thieves that plan on driving the vehicle from the point of theft.

A vehicle that is old enough to no longer be highly desirable but new enough to have good anti-theft protection, may be your best bet.

Remember, not all thieves are seeking to make money from the vehicle itself. Some thieves are merely seeking temporary use of the vehicle. A vehicle needed for another crime, such as a robbery, need not be valuable. It only needs to serve the criminal for a few hours in the commission of some other crime.

 

[462]

Locally, very high vehicular theft items are Prii catalytic converters. The shop owner who smogged the motorhome, last Summer, keeps fairly busy installing shields over them. Still, he told me, it only deters the punks, not the professionals.

 

[oscarflytyer]

If its a Pro and they want it, they get it. Dealer I bought my '21 from had 5 F250s stolen. No video/got them out of town avoiding all cameras/ALL the anti-theft and location devices/services were defeated. Everyone was wearing white suits/no ID/Nothing! Never recovered... Sadly, best bet is to have good insurance...

 

[CZ93X62]

Auto security devices dissuade & discourage the lames and the amateurs, as a practical matter it is well-nigh impossible to prevent auto theft by pros. The best defense is good insurance coverage.

Factoid--35% of the vehicles in Mexico are or were USA or Canada stolens, including the police cars. In Tijuana and Mexicali, the percentage is about 65%-70%. THAT is where the stolen rides end up.

 

[fiver]

trunk monkey.

 

[RBHarter]

Pro Lok used to be a pretty low tech a simple PITA of get around . I think it had a 7 pin make/break key . 49 possible keys , easy to reach out of sight generally a fuel pump interruption .

 

[Bret4207]

Drive a beater, works for me. Lots less expensive too!

 

[Hawk]

They steal anything.
In 2001, they stole my Dad's 1976 Chevy Scottsdale truck. It only had power steering and brakes, nothing else. And a dent in the passenger door.
They stole it off his front entry driveway.