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chrisandrews

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In the early hours of Jan 3, my much-loved 2022 JT Rubicon Diesel was stolen from my driveway here in Ottawa. It was locked and alarmed (factory) and all that, but the perps very likely had cloned my key fob. I had no idea that this was a thing that, now having read all about it, is extremely common. In fact, a neighbour two streets over had their new Wrangler Unlimited stolen on the very same night.

Jeep Gladiator 2022 JTRD stolen from driveway (don't let it happen to you) IMG_2879


This was my best build yet, and because I had done it completely on my own, without any pro help, it was very personal. It was my fifth rig and I was getting it ready for a big overland trip this summer. I was very proud of it--Jeepers know how it feels when you put so much of your 'self' into your build.

The insurance adjuster is coming to my place today to go over my documentation and discuss the reimbursement they will offer. It'll be the lesser of:
  • Actual purchase price
  • Manufacturer's list price w/equipment at time of purchase
  • Price of a new similarly equipped replacement vehicle
Sadly it'll end up being the second one--prices were already above list when I got it back in February of 2022. And now, costs are way up, and interest rates are way higher. But that's not the worst of it; it is highly unlikely the thousands I put into it in mods will be covered.

So, here comes the cautionary part of the tale. Do this now if you have a keyless entry/push button start system on your Jeep and you want to KEEP your vehicle.
  1. Disable the keyless entry/proximity feature (in the vehicle settings on the infotainment system)
  2. Keep your key fobs in a Faraday box at home, away from doors and windows, and a Faraday pouch while in the vehicle or on your person walking about
  3. Get a kill-switch - if you go with a DIY or inexpensive one, you must hide that switch well; if you want peace of mind, get a Ghost II system (expensive, but I'll be doing it for my next one)
  4. Get a Club or other physical deterrent, like a brake pedal-to-steering wheel bar
The detective assigned to my case told me about 100 vehicles are stolen every single day in Ottawa; in a call he had had with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (or whatever they're called), they said in 2021 alone there were CAD $700M in vehicle thefts. These thieves are organized, and it's big business. They can get those key fob scanners on Amazon. Jeeps and other vehicles go straight to the Port of Montreal and end up overseas.

Don't be complacent like I was. Whatever the cost and inconvenience it may represent, it pales in comparison the pain of losing something you put your heart and soul into.

Chris
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Hootbro

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That sucks to hear.
 

wachuko

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Very sorry to read this... that sucks big time...
 

exfil offroad

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In the early hours of Jan 3, my much-loved 2022 JT Rubicon Diesel was stolen from my driveway here in Ottawa. It was locked and alarmed (factory) and all that, but the perps very likely had cloned my key fob. I had no idea that this was a thing that, now having read all about it, is extremely common. In fact, a neighbour two streets over had their new Wrangler Unlimited stolen on the very same night.

Jeep Gladiator 2022 JTRD stolen from driveway (don't let it happen to you) IMG_2879


This was my best build yet, and because I had done it completely on my own, without any pro help, it was very personal. It was my fifth rig and I was getting it ready for a big overland trip this summer. I was very proud of it--Jeepers know how it feels when you put so much of your 'self' into your build.

The insurance adjuster is coming to my place today to go over my documentation and discuss the reimbursement they will offer. It'll be the lesser of:
  • Actual purchase price
  • Manufacturer's list price w/equipment at time of purchase
  • Price of a new similarly equipped replacement vehicle
Sadly it'll end up being the second one--prices were already above list when I got it back in February of 2022. And now, costs are way up, and interest rates are way higher. But that's not the worst of it; it is highly unlikely the thousands I put into it in mods will be covered.

So, here comes the cautionary part of the tale. Do this now if you have a keyless entry/push button start system on your Jeep and you want to KEEP your vehicle.
  1. Disable the keyless entry/proximity feature (in the vehicle settings on the infotainment system)
  2. Keep your key fobs in a Faraday box at home, away from doors and windows, and a Faraday pouch while in the vehicle or on your person walking about
  3. Get a kill-switch - if you go with a DIY or inexpensive one, you must hide that switch well; if you want peace of mind, get a Ghost II system (expensive, but I'll be doing it for my next one)
  4. Get a Club or other physical deterrent, like a brake pedal-to-steering wheel bar
The detective assigned to my case told me about 100 vehicles are stolen every single day in Ottawa; in a call he had had with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (or whatever they're called), they said in 2021 alone there were CAD $700M in vehicle thefts. These thieves are organized, and it's big business. They can get those key fob scanners on Amazon. Jeeps and other vehicles go straight to the Port of Montreal and end up overseas.

Don't be complacent like I was. Whatever the cost and inconvenience it may represent, it pales in comparison the pain of losing something you put your heart and soul into.

Chris
Thats crap! Looks like that Tazer update will be getting done ASAP, new feature allows you to input a button code or the vehicle will not start.
 

ShadowsPapa

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The detective assigned to my case told me about 100 vehicles are stolen every single day in Ottawa; in a call he had had with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (or whatever they're called), they said in 2021 alone there were CAD $700M in vehicle thefts. These thieves are organized, and it's big business. They can get those key fob scanners on Amazon. Jeeps and other vehicles go straight to the Port of Montreal and end up overseas.
Sadly, I have heard that that area is sort of a hot spot........... and yeah, you/they are right, it's organized and big business.
The equipment and other means to steal vehicles are readily available. The type of stuff you can get out there is just crazy, I mean stuff far more capable than the stuff they use to steal vehicles.

If they can clone a fob, alarms won't matter because it will be shut off by the correct code the truck is expecting.
And if one looks or bothers looking (not aimed at the poor OP) there's a list of common vehicles stolen and it's sad how easily it's done. It's not just a Jeep thing. Ford and Chevy trucks are the most common trucks stolen in NA. There's a lot of vehicles far easier than Jeeps to steal.

Added suggestion -
If you park in a garage, I'd alarm that garage and use cameras. I note that the garage door opener I installed on my side will alert my phone any time that door is opened or closed and has the ability to integrate a video camera with it.
If it's outside, still, a camera system may not prevent the theft, but could make life harder for anyone identified in the theft.
For the fobs - no need to buy any fancy box or "faraday" device - anything simple will work. My wife makes card holders that are lined with a special fabric that blocks such signals. She got into that when she started traveling with friends and wanted to protect her credit cards from walk-by theft. When you hang the fob up by the door so it's handy to grab - that's a big problem. Heck, I can be in our church building and press a button and unlock our truck - through their brick walls and aluminum window and door frames.

That sucks. Sorry to hear what happened. Another thing you could add it hood locks of enable a hood alarm. They tend to go under the hood to disable sound alarm.
Yeah, there are so many ways cars and trucks get stolen - if they clone the fob or intercept fob signals (takes two people I believe) the alarm won't do squat as they'll simply send the correct signal to unlock the door - and drive away.
But for other types of theft, locks and alarms may work.
There's no one single answer because there's various means of stealing cars and trucks so it has to be a multi-faceted plan of prevention. Cover all bases. (as much as possible)
It goes back to - if they want it, they will most likely get it. So for those cases - insurance. And check YOUR policy to see what add-ons it may or may not cover. Some cover up to $xxx, some don't cover any, some require a rider.
Good time to review YOUR own policy for specifics.
 

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JRobes

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That sucks. Sorry to hear what happened. Another thing you could add is hood locks or enable a hood alarm. They tend to go under the hood before doing anything else to disable sound alarm.
The other thing I've heard of happening is disconnecting/cutting the horn power wires before opening the hood since they are conveniently located right behind the large grill openings.
 

ShadowsPapa

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Thats crap! Looks like that Tazer update will be getting done ASAP, new feature allows you to input a button code or the vehicle will not start.
Uh, can't they just pull the tazer? Once they are in, a bypass cable will let them do almost anything.
A smart thief would look there first - I would. If I was stealing a Jeep, first thing I'd do - look under the dash. Bypass the firewall.
Unless removing the tazer kills the whole truck, it's only going to stop a very casual thief.
Or does it have other cabilities?
 

ShadowsPapa

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The other thing I've heard of happening is disconnecting/cutting the horn power wires before opening the hood since they are conveniently located right behind the large grill openings.
That's one reason I've looked at relocating my horns or at least the wiring. If not that, another set, relay controlled, back further.
 

exfil offroad

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Uh, can't they just pull the tazer? Once they are in, a bypass cable will let them do almost anything.
A smart thief would look there first - I would. If I was stealing a Jeep, first thing I'd do - look under the dash. Bypass the firewall.
Unless removing the tazer kills the whole truck, it's only going to stop a very casual thief.
Or does it have other cabilities?
If someone is using a key copy why would they look for a bypass? Seems only people that know jeeps know what these are, they aren't plugged into anything obvious, and yes unplugging it would eliminate its effect, assuming you even know what it is. Smart or not I would think someone stealing a car would assume the equipment would work and want to get out of there if it didn't, not dissect the route cause. Or am I dense and these car thief's know everything?
 

gladtohave

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Very Sorry to hear of your stolen truck and hope there is some closure soon .
 

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PlayfulBird

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That sucks. Get quotes from some local shops for what your work and upgrades cost. Make sure you have as much paper to show the added value
 

charliez

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I would bet that it wasn't driven away. Probably picked up with a wrecker or repo type truck and rolled away. If you watch any real repo channels, (not the fake drama channels) you'll see that they don't play, they pick it up and are gone in seconds. There's nothing stopping bad people from doing the same. Do you have any cameras in the area?

I had a truck stolen years ago. It stinks dealing with insurance companies. In my case I had all the receipts from any add ons and it was all handled very well.
 

Snake Eyes

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Sadly, I have heard that that area is sort of a hot spot........... and yeah, you/they are right, it's organized and big business.
The equipment and other means to steal vehicles are readily available. The type of stuff you can get out there is just crazy, I mean stuff far more capable than the stuff they use to steal vehicles.

If they can clone a fob, alarms won't matter because it will be shut off by the correct code the truck is expecting.
And if one looks or bothers looking (not aimed at the poor OP) there's a list of common vehicles stolen and it's sad how easily it's done. It's not just a Jeep thing. Ford and Chevy trucks are the most common trucks stolen in NA. There's a lot of vehicles far easier than Jeeps to steal.

Added suggestion -
If you park in a garage, I'd alarm that garage and use cameras. I note that the garage door opener I installed on my side will alert my phone any time that door is opened or closed and has the ability to integrate a video camera with it.
If it's outside, still, a camera system may not prevent the theft, but could make life harder for anyone identified in the theft.
For the fobs - no need to buy any fancy box or "faraday" device - anything simple will work. My wife makes card holders that are lined with a special fabric that blocks such signals. She got into that when she started traveling with friends and wanted to protect her credit cards from walk-by theft. When you hang the fob up by the door so it's handy to grab - that's a big problem. Heck, I can be in our church building and press a button and unlock our truck - through their brick walls and aluminum window and door frames.



Yeah, there are so many ways cars and trucks get stolen - if they clone the fob or intercept fob signals (takes two people I believe) the alarm won't do squat as they'll simply send the correct signal to unlock the door - and drive away.
But for other types of theft, locks and alarms may work.
There's no one single answer because there's various means of stealing cars and trucks so it has to be a multi-faceted plan of prevention. Cover all bases. (as much as possible)
It goes back to - if they want it, they will most likely get it. So for those cases - insurance. And check YOUR policy to see what add-ons it may or may not cover. Some cover up to $xxx, some don't cover any, some require a rider.
Good time to review YOUR own policy for specifics.
Totally agree. We keep our garaged. Our garage has a button that locks out the ability to use a remote to open the garage so we just push that when it is in the garage. after that to get into the garage means going through the house as there is no other door or window to the garage. So that is nice. Other than that when it is out and about in town or other places we just rely on insurance. Ours we added to cover the cost of a replacement vehicle at current day prices. No expensive mods and nothing in it personal enough for worry so garage or insurance :) And..though this might be blasphemy….its still just a car and replaceable. With proper insurance coverage of course.
 

49Gramps

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If you have receipts for the build parts, the insurance company should reimburse for them.
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