Found this for vehicle security

[RVTravel]

Interesting. The device is best used for older vehicles no longer in warranty for any electrical components? Seems adding it could void warranties.

 

[user 36441]

Some observations:

1. You need to do what it takes to feel safe. If that makes you safe or not is different (and lengthy) discussion.
2. As with any defense you must define who is attacking and their methods of attack.
3. Your best protection is good theft insurance.
4. Professional car thieves are not interested in the junk most of us drive. They are interested in high return vehicles, not standard vans with DIY interiors.
5. Professionals are very tech savvy.
6. As Overland One said: "many modern car thieves just pull up with a roll back or a wrecker, hook up". Gives them legal cover.
7. Unless a thief knows (s)he is going to be undisturbed for a while they won't waste time looking for hidden switches, etc. If it's not 'gone in 60 seconds' they grab what they can and move on to the next target.
8. Airtag may or may not protect you. Airtags can be easily found by anyone with a smart phone. It may scare them off or indicate you have something valuable to steal.
9. Most thefts are cars that were left unlocked with key in. Most smash and grabs have valuables in plain sight.

Some observations:

1. You need to do what it takes to feel safe. If that makes you safe or not is different (and lengthy) discussion.
2. As with any defense you must define who is attacking and their methods of attack.
3. Your best protection is good theft insurance.
4. Professional car thieves are not interested in the junk most of us drive. They are interested in high return vehicles, not standard vans with DIY interiors.
5. Professionals are very tech savvy.
6. As Overland One said: "many modern car thieves just pull up with a roll back or a wrecker, hook up". Gives them legal cover.
7. Unless a thief knows (s)he is going to be undisturbed for a while they won't waste time looking for hidden switches, etc. If it's not 'gone in 60 seconds' they grab what they can and move on to the next target.
8. Airtag may or may not protect you. Airtags can be easily found by anyone with a smart phone. It may scare them off or indicate you have something valuable to steal.
9. Most thefts are cars that were left unlocked with key in. Most smash and grabs have valuables in plain sight.

I kind of doubt a thief would take the time to find an AirTag before he goes to work stealing the car. I think he would wait until he got it back to the chop shop. That gives me time to call the cops and give them the coordinates.

 

[user 36441]

Some observations:

1. You need to do what it takes to feel safe. If that makes you safe or not is different (and lengthy) discussion.
2. As with any defense you must define who is attacking and their methods of attack.
3. Your best protection is good theft insurance.
4. Professional car thieves are not interested in the junk most of us drive. They are interested in high return vehicles, not standard vans with DIY interiors.
5. Professionals are very tech savvy.
6. As Overland One said: "many modern car thieves just pull up with a roll back or a wrecker, hook up". Gives them legal cover.
7. Unless a thief knows (s)he is going to be undisturbed for a while they won't waste time looking for hidden switches, etc. If it's not 'gone in 60 seconds' they grab what they can and move on to the next target.
8. Airtag may or may not protect you. Airtags can be easily found by anyone with a smart phone. It may scare them off or indicate you have something valuable to steal.
9. Most thefts are cars that were left unlocked with key in. Most smash and grabs have valuables in plain sight.

"...the junk most of us drive..."
Speak for yourself, please. My van is not there yet.
And who are "most of us"? I see a lot of very expensive vans nomading.

And by the way, I just saw something on tv that contradicted that. The average car is still in high demand.

 

[user 36441]

Interesting. The device is best used for older vehicles no longer in warranty for any electrical components? Seems adding it could void warranties.

I'll risk the warranty.

 

[Happy Camper]

Recently had a vehicle stolen. They towed it a mile away and took out the catalytic converters. If it were a chop shop, they aren't really interested in sitting there trying to bypass BS. They have known ways to deal with standard security and aftermarket alarms.

What they don't have is time. Time to look for more than what they know how to quickly look for. If it's taking too long and they want your vehicle, they'll just tow it.

The claims of not one car stolen with that system is disingenuous. I'm sure a thief didn't bypass the system and steal the car in a few minutes. It's highly unlikely.

But I bet more then one car with that system has been stolen by being towed away. Stolen=stolen, regardless of how they went about it.

I had a van stolen as well. They were able to drive it away.

Both of my stolen cars were stolen. It doesn't make much difference to me how they did it. Both are gone.

 

[user 36441]

Recently had a vehicle stolen. They towed it a mile away and took out the catalytic converters. If it were a chop shop, they aren't really interested in sitting there trying to bypass BS. They have known ways to deal with standard security and aftermarket alarms.

What they don't have is time. Time to look for more than what they know how to quickly look for. If it's taking too long and they want your vehicle, they'll just tow it.

The claims of not one car stolen with that system is disingenuous. I'm sure a thief didn't bypass the system and steal the car in a few minutes. It's highly unlikely.

But I bet more then one car with that system has been stolen by being towed away. Stolen=stolen, regardless of how they went about it.

I had a van stolen as well. They were able to drive it away.

Both of my stolen cars were stolen. It doesn't make much difference to me how they did it. Both are gone.

Recently had a vehicle stolen. They towed it a mile away and took out the catalytic converters. If it were a chop shop, they aren't really interested in sitting there trying to bypass BS. They have known ways to deal with standard security and aftermarket alarms.

What they don't have is time. Time to look for more than what they know how to quickly look for. If it's taking too long and they want your vehicle, they'll just tow it.

The claims of not one car stolen with that system is disingenuous. I'm sure a thief didn't bypass the system and steal the car in a few minutes. It's highly unlikely.

But I bet more then one car with that system has been stolen by being towed away. Stolen=stolen, regardless of how they went about it.

I had a van stolen as well. They were able to drive it away.

Both of my stolen cars were stolen. It doesn't make much difference to me how they did it. Both are gone.

I agree with Spaceman: "Your best protection is good theft insurance."
Meanwhile, anybody got any ideas on how to keep a car from getting towed?

 

[Overland One]

Recently had a vehicle stolen. They towed it a mile away and took out the catalytic converters. If it were a chop shop, they aren't really interested in sitting there trying to bypass BS. They have known ways to deal with standard security and aftermarket alarms.

What they don't have is time. Time to look for more than what they know how to quickly look for. If it's taking too long and they want your vehicle, they'll just tow it.

The claims of not one car stolen with that system is disingenuous. I'm sure a thief didn't bypass the system and steal the car in a few minutes. It's highly unlikely.

But I bet more then one car with that system has been stolen by being towed away. Stolen=stolen, regardless of how they went about it.

I had a van stolen as well. They were able to drive it away.

Both of my stolen cars were stolen. It doesn't make much difference to me how they did it. Both are gone.

I agree with what everyone is saying here and it does come down to what someone wants to do to feel "safe" or "safer". An old PI buddy of mine I used to work with at a larger PI firm now does repos on his own and his pick-up truck is equipped with this new fangled device (there are plenty of videos on YT showing this kind of thing in use) where he locates the vehicle, pulls up to it front front, rear, or side, and extends a hydraulic arm that goes under the vehicle and this articulating "T" bar pushes against both tires. Then with the push of a button, 2 more arms swing out from the "T" and go around the other side of the tires. (I am explaining this very poorly so check out the YT videos) He can arrive, back toward the vehicle, and have it towing down the road in less than 30 seconds without leaving the safety of his truck. He will tow it a few blocks away, stop, then secure straps over the top of the tires to make sure it stays on those "T" rails holding the tires. It is an awesome invention and, since he ordered one for himself, my 1st thought was that I bet many car thieves use these too and I was correct. This device is very low profile and unless one looks closely at the back of his truck, you do not see very much so it is not obvious like a wrecker or roll back, just another pick-up truck. I had to see this work in person to understand how the other bars went around to the other side of the tires as it was not intuitive, at least not for me.

 

[Happy Camper]

I agree with Spaceman: "Your best protection is good theft insurance."
Meanwhile, anybody got any ideas on how to keep a car from getting towed?

There isn't a way to prevent towing. Even if you immobilize all four tires, tow drivers use rolling wheel lifts when needed.

You can't prevent every bad thing. If you want to try, you'll always be frustrated and scared.

Do your best to take reasonable measures and precautions, then live with the results.

 

[Overland One]

I don't have to run a wire from the battery to the starter when I start my van. I just turn the key. Did I say it wrong? I was thinking if the thief manages to get the engine to turn over, however that's done. I guess I've seen too many movies where the thief gets in, shorts a couple of wires, and drives off.

Your method sounds like it would work fine. If a person is willing to get under a car and do the work, more power to him/her. I guess I'm very lucky that I can afford the $700. It's going to hurt, sure, and I'll have to eat beans for a while, but my van is all I've got in the world and I'm willing to spend it.

The only other scenario I can think of is if you were out in the boonies and went for a long hike, and there were two thieves, one to get under the van and the other to watch for your return. But that's pretty unlikely.

As for the rollback or wrecker, I'm glad you mentioned that, because it makes me wonder if maybe I should get an AirTag too.

Well, there are several ways to do this and the term "hot wire" usually means running a separate wire from the battery to the ignition system, then touching another wire from the battery to the starter motor wire to crank it up. I am not sure if both of these tasks can still be performed by popping the ignition key /steering wheel lock with a slide hammer like they used to do years ago. (A quick google search tells me that modern cars can not be hotwired any more but I have no idea if true or not.) IF that the method of yanking out the key lock still works, then yes you are correct that they can join the wires to make the ignition hot right there, and, they can also touch or jump 2 wires to crank the starter. (Or it can all be done under the hood) My newest vehicle is a 1999 and my van is a 1998 so I know nothing of the newer cars. I just know that I have broken into at least 25 vehicles during my time as the head armed Security Guard for a multi billion dollar company as their employees were always managing to lock their keys in the cars, several of which were still running at the time. Some were fast and I was in under 1 minute, others were harder and took a bit longer. One guy told me that he called 3 locksmith's already and they said no one can get into that car (BMW I think it was?) and he was screwed. I told him to time me and was in in less than 3 minutes. Everyone always asked me after I opened their door how I learned to do this and I would answer "I was born in Jersey" and they would nod their heads like that explained everything, ha ha. The moral is if a thief wants to break into your car, he will. (A rock though the side window works in 1 second.) If a thief wants to steal your car, he will. (Towing) Car jacking is so popular now because any thug can take your vehicle with no technical knowledge or expertise. Stick a gun or knife in your face at a red light, orders you out of the car, and drives away as it is already running and security has been disarmed. They can do this anywhere, gas stations, intersections, grocery store parking lots, and any place you get into your car and start the engine.

 

[user 36441]

There isn't a way to prevent towing. Even if you immobilize all four tires, tow drivers use rolling wheel lifts when needed.

You can't prevent every bad thing. If you want to try, you'll always be frustrated and scared.

Do your best to take reasonable measures and precautions, then live with the results.

I could put a mercury tilt switch or a motion detector on the van. When tilted, it could set off an extremely loud alarm, along with a digitally created announcement: "This vehicle is being stolen. Please get license number of tow truck driver and call police."
And my dash cam could record it all.

I'm just kidding. I doubt that I'll ever go to those lengths.

 

[Happy Camper]

It'll make noise, but it's still being towed.

Knowing where they tow it doesn't stop it from happening.

 

[user 36441]

It'll make noise, but it's still being towed.

Knowing where they tow it doesn't stop it from happening.

You're right. So I'll get the tilt switch to also automatically connect to LoJack, who will send the cops to the coordinates.
Actually, LoJack won't do that. You have to file a report online first. But they say the recovery rate is 98% and is accomplished within 40 minutes.

 

[jacqueg]

Some observations:

Professional car thieves are not interested in the junk most of us drive. They are interested in high return vehicles, not standard vans with DIY interiors.

1. Professionals are very tech savvy.
2. As Overland One said: "many modern car thieves just pull up with a roll back or a wrecker, hook up". Gives them legal cover.
3. Unless a thief knows (s)he is going to be undisturbed for a while they won't waste time looking for hidden switches, etc. If it's not 'gone in 60 seconds' they grab what they can and move on to the next target.
4. Airtag may or may not protect you. Airtags can be easily found by anyone with a smart phone. It may scare them off or indicate you have something valuable to steal.
5. Most thefts are cars that were left unlocked with key in. Most smash and grabs have valuables in plain sight.

All I can tell you is what the cop told me - many thieves PREFER older vehicles because they are easier to get into and get started. The thief who stole mine used a small pry bar to open the passenger door and a battery-operated saw of some kind to cut off the ignition housing. Probably took a whole 2 minutes from break-in to driving it away. If that.

My (then) 20-yo somewhat dinged up van was locked up. My "interior" mainly consists of three non-matching thrift store chests that are held in place by ratchet straps. There were many other newer cars, including a couple of Transit-type vans, parked near me. (Van was stolen from a full motel parking lot.)

Fun fact - the thieves took my old-lady underwear but left my InstantPot.

 

[user 36441]

I've just been informed that less than 4% of auto theft occurs with towing. Just passing it on.

 

[RonDean]

Some observations:

1. You need to do what it takes to feel safe. If that makes you safe or not is different (and lengthy) discussion.
2. As with any defense you must define who is attacking and their methods of attack.
3. Your best protection is good theft insurance.
4. Professional car thieves are not interested in the junk most of us drive. They are interested in high return vehicles, not standard vans with DIY interiors.
5. Professionals are very tech savvy.
6. As Overland One said: "many modern car thieves just pull up with a roll back or a wrecker, hook up". Gives them legal cover.
7. Unless a thief knows (s)he is going to be undisturbed for a while they won't waste time looking for hidden switches, etc. If it's not 'gone in 60 seconds' they grab what they can and move on to the next target.
8. Airtag may or may not protect you. Airtags can be easily found by anyone with a smart phone. It may scare them off or indicate you have something valuable to steal.
9. Most thefts are cars that were left unlocked with key in. Most smash and grabs have valuables in plain sight.

I agree with Spiff on every point. However... I have installed an alarm and a cutoff switch for my own piece of mind and to discourage your gone in 60 sec common thief. And I did it for way less than $700. I also have insurance. I may also add an airtag. For $15 to $30, that seems like a reasonable added deterrent.

 

[user 36441]

I've been communicating with the owner of Ravelco and he writes:

"That van (2012 Ford E250) is extremely easy to start and drive off with. The people targeting your vehicle will not be using a tow truck. Tow trucks are typically used on exotics because they don't want to damage them in the process of stealing them. Even if it's a Sportsmobile, if they can't get yours started, they will just leave and go after another one on their list.
Thieves with tow trucks are in need of specific vehicles they can't drive away with. Tow trucks cost over $100,000 and they won't risk their investment on a van they don't need it for."

 

[jacqueg]

I agree with Spiff on every point. However... I have installed an alarm and a cutoff switch for my own piece of mind and to discourage your gone in 60 sec common thief. And I did it for way less than $700. I also have insurance. I may also add an airtag. For $15 to $30, that seems like a reasonable added deterrent.

I've considered air tags too. Where would you put one that a half-way knowledgeable thief wouldn't look, either when they were taking the car or when they get it to their (chop) shop? Maybe use three air tags?

 

[user 36441]

I've considered air tags too. Where would you put one that a half-way knowledgeable thief wouldn't look, either when they were taking the car or when they get it to their (chop) shop? Maybe use three air tags?

That's a good question. Is the signal hampered by metal? Can I hide it inside the van, which is basically a metal box?

 

[Overland One]

I've been communicating with the owner of Ravelco and he writes:

"That van (2012 Ford E250) is extremely easy to start and drive off with. The people targeting your vehicle will not be using a tow truck. Tow trucks are typically used on exotics because they don't want to damage them in the process of stealing them. Even if it's a Sportsmobile, if they can't get yours started, they will just leave and go after another one on their list.
Thieves with tow trucks are in need of specific vehicles they can't drive away with. Tow trucks cost over $100,000 and they won't risk their investment on a van they don't need it for."

Well, of course this guy is trying to sell his device but, the unit my repo friend has I told you about that will tow any vehicle no matter how parked in 30 seconds, paid under $1,000 for his unit, not $100,000 like this guy claims. Just FYI. It can be installed on any truck easily. Yes, they need a truck to install it on but hey, they are vehicle thieves, so no big deal to steal one right? Or they can use a cheap, used older truck.

 

[Overland One]

I've just been informed that less than 4% of auto theft occurs with towing. Just passing it on.

I am sure that varies with jurisdictions because, around here I know that percentage is much higher. Of course, I live in "Vette City" and those are still one of the most stolen cars in the US so maybe that is why? Towing is used on mostly high end vehicles but, since the crooks already own the equipment, it is now used on anything they think they can make money from stealing. Fun fact, most stolen vehicles are sold out of the US, like Vettes, or chopped for parts.