Anti-Theft questions

[punk'n]

Since when do you need a Tazer to set the hood alarm?
My 2021 works without any tinkering.

Kevin

Mine is a 2021- 8/21 build. All stock. No hood alarm
(I just went outside to test after reading your post).

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[PlayfulBird]

Don't read the threads about Jeeps being stolen. Insurance is what should allow you to sleep at night. There are many Jeeps on the road that haven't been stolen. I usually leave mine unlocked, or with the doors off to make it easier.

As insured as we can be, problem is... if it gets stolen good luck finding a Gladiator in Germany that won't need us to throw another 10-20k€ onto what insurance pays out. Not that they are treating us bad, it is just the prices on vehicles plus the import cost and the limited number plus inflation mean that the new trucks are selling for way more than what we paid at the beginning of the year. I could sell our used JTR for more than we bought it new for. Better make sure it won't be stolen

 

[ShadowsPapa]

HAHAHA - uh, there's almost a dozen threads on this very topic. I guess finding and reading them ain't as much fun as getting folks wound up again about how easy it is to steal something.

IF someone is interested, it might be fun to see how many things are suggested here that are already suggested or even debunked in all of the other "I'm afraid about my truck being stolen" threads.

There's a bottom line here - and that is -
If they want it, they will get it and there's not a damned thing you can do about it.

The fact of the matter is - these aren't stolen more than anything else - even if you compare numbers and break it down "per capita" these aren't on the top of the list.
The forums and internet magnify it because people keep posting about it! So it becomes a problem on the web.

I got hood locks first thing, I'm planning on making a post about likes/dislikes and a hood that any asshole walking by can just open is insane to me.? I had never heard of that Ravelco before that sounds perfect.

Reinventing the wheel - ok, maybe search not working?
There's several posts on that already. (more than "several" actually)

Maybe not create a NEW here we go again thread, but post in an existing "why did they do this" thread.
It's that way because the risk is low and MOST Jeep owners want it easy to open, leave the design alone.
If you don't like it you are free to modify it with locks and tricks you believe are going to work - but leave the rest of us alone. I don't want freakin' hood locks unless it's MY choice to put in the type I want personally. I bought a Jeep, not a BMW.


People read about a Jeep being stolen and suddenly paranoia.

circle back to - if they want it, they'll get it. If they want it bad enough but have trouble getting it, you're going to face some expenses repairing damage they did in their attempt.

Been curious. Can you use one of the auxiliary switches as a cut off for the ignition? Why not hide it in plain sight?

There are fuses and relays. For long-term parking some place you can pull a relay, maybe put a fake in place of that one. OR, pull up the PDC and put a cutoff in place where it can't be seen then a simple toggle switch some place. It's soooo easy to prevent these from starting, I'm surprised that the simple methods aren't ever used.
Pick a critical relay, dig into the PDC, find the leads for the primary coil of that relay and put a switch in line with it. There are over half a dozen things that someone who is even only half-handy with wiring or electric could do - instead, it's onto the complex stuff.

Isn't anyone here really creative electrically? You have a lot of relays and fuses that are necessary. The PDC comes apart not TOO terribly hard, you can access the wires to the relays from the bottom of the PDC. That way anyone opening the fuse panel on top of the PDC won't see a missing fuse or relay - all will look normal and yet it won't start. It would take them a very long time to figure out why.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Mine is a 2021- 8/21 build. All stock. No hood alarm
(I just went outside to test after reading your post).

Most are disabled when they arrive, it's odd that some aren't disabled, but then, not really, because of WHO these get sold to - the market. There's the ability, but most won't necessarily want it enabled by default. Odd that some, or at least one, was.

 

[AmosMoses]

Rule #1 Don't live in an area with high crime
Rule#2 Don't visit areas where high crime occurs

These two tips will mitigate some anxiety but shit will happen anywhere you are.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Get good car insurance that has replacement cost coverage. Done. Drive and enjoy it.

If you are paranoid, lock the hood, get and obd port lock and add a kill switch. Then put a fog canister in the car that goes off along with strobe lights and gosh awful disco music that is deafening from a locked compartment under the seat. Finally, install a permanently flashing sign on the rear that reads “I am stolen…stop me” which lights up if you dont enter a code.

Back to step 1….forget the above, get good insurance and enjoy the drive.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Rule #1 Don't live in an area with high crime
Rule#2 Don't visit areas where high crime occurs

These two tips will mitigate some anxiety but shit will happen anywhere you are.

Low crime rate where we live. 25 years ago several homes were broken into - and the thieves only took guns. But there's been nothing since we moved here. Maybe a deputy living around the corner helps? Doubtful - it's just that way around here. People watch out for each other and there's just been nothing going on.

Add to rule 1 and 2 - park where there's light, or park in a garage. Security cameras can give clues as to exact time and at least a little bit about the asses that took or damaged something.
You could also take along a heavy cable with loops on the ends and run it through a front and rear wheel and lock the cable.

Stuff is going to happen - a friend went out to his car that was in his garage and found the pistol was gone from his car. Nothing else taken.
Another had is 69 AMX stolen - it had massive upgrades - converted to EFI, a nicely built 390, it was show ready. The whole car - gone. Days later remains were found.
Both of these happened in CO.
No real way of predicting or knowing who, what, when or where. Those were both really weird - why the hell take a car you can't unload? It's not like there's AMXs all over Colorado or people you can sell parts to without that tiny community knowing where they came from.
And the gun? Really weird - break into a car and go right to a gun? (not in plain sight, either) Until he reported it stolen, none of us even knew he carried a gun in that car let alone knew where it was.

 

[kevman65]

Pretty much, if you're afraid to buy a new vehicle because it might get stolen, then you'll never buy a new vehicle because they all have a chance of getting stolen.

Easiest way to prevent ANY new vehicle from getting stolen is a hidden kill switch that you use EVERY time you exit the vehicle.

BUT, if they have the capability to tow, they don't care about the kill switch because they'll find it when they're stripping the vehicle down for parts.

 

[dcmdon]

Jeeps are the same as any other car, with 2 exceptions not in our favor.

1) Hood doesn't lock. So thief has access.
2) Steering wheel doesn't lock like most cars.

And one bonus point if you have a MT.
3) You can put the car in neutral and roll it while being able to steer it.

 

[dcmdon]

One other thing. Many of us tend to park in the far reaches of parking lots so we dont' get hit.

That is more likely to have you end up with it stolen because there are fewer people around. So you weigh the risks.

 

[Ottoparts]

Pretty much, if you're afraid to buy a new vehicle because it might get stolen, then you'll never buy a new vehicle because they all have a chance of getting stolen.

Easiest way to prevent ANY new vehicle from getting stolen is a hidden kill switch that you use EVERY time you exit the vehicle.

BUT, if they have the capability to tow, they don't care about the kill switch because they'll find it when they're stripping the vehicle down for parts.

Yeah the kill switch is what I'm going to do, and thanks to everyone for the helpful advice. Obviously I know if someone wants a certain vehicle bad enough nothing can be done. I'm not trying to stop a tractor trailer from loading it up, I don't expect that to happen. I just want to make it as difficult as possible on those rare occasions when I have to park in questionable areas of the city.

 

[ShastaJT6]

As insured as we can be, problem is... if it gets stolen good luck finding a Gladiator in Germany that won't need us to throw another 10-20k€ onto what insurance pays out. Not that they are treating us bad, it is just the prices on vehicles plus the import cost and the limited number plus inflation mean that the new trucks are selling for way more than what we paid at the beginning of the year. I could sell our used JTR for more than we bought it new for. Better make sure it won't be stolen

This right here. I maxed out the rider for additional coverage on my jeep through Farmers, and Id still be out of pocket probably 20 grand at LEAST after they paid out. No insurance company is going to ACTUALLY reimburse me in full for the vehicle, or anywhere close to it.

Not to mention, at this point I have probably over 250 hours of labor into this thing, even if i actually got paid out enough to replace my truck as it sits, it would be weeks if not months to redo all the work on a new one.

Insurance is a stop loss, but thats about it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Jeeps are the same as any other car, with 2 exceptions not in our favor.

1) Hood doesn't lock. So thief has access.
2) Steering wheel doesn't lock like most cars.

And one bonus point if you have a MT.
3) You can put the car in neutral and roll it while being able to steer it.

Have you ever watched a pro? Takes seconds to bust that pin. I've watched my boss do it when he was impounding a crap car for the cops. It's supposed to be a hardened pin but there's ways around that.
A person can install their own hood locks. What's the problem?
I can also get around most cable operated "locks". If you can get into the vehicle, the hood cable release doesn't matter. If you can get under the vehicle with cutters, or a good wire hook, you can bypass other so-called "locks" because all they are is a release inside the car - not even a lock. Modern vehicles are tougher, the cable harder to get to, a lot more enclosed, but still - it's not a lock.

As far as bonus - the best thieves bring trailers or flatbed trucks.

No insurance company is going to ACTUALLY reimburse me in full for the vehicle, or anywhere close to it.

Yeah, some do. I had "full replacement coverage" on my chevy. I'd have lost nothing for the first 3 years (or maybe it was 3.5, that seems closer) If my truck had been totaled or stolen - they'd buy me another truck. My agent says "keep sending me pictures and keep all of your receipts".
Some companies have outs, or maybe don't even offer it, but ours will buy another vehicle, sales tax and all.
If we lose an appliance to house fire - we get new appliance.

Those who put the work and time into it - it's crazy to expect to be paid back for that. We don't do it for the added "value" of the truck in case of loss or to get more out of it when sold.
What you do to a vehicle as far as "work" is your thing and yours alone. You didn't HAVE TO.
If you spend 2 grand on a lift kit and then a day putting it in, that day is on you and it's only right that it is.

I am in my shop without quick access to my notes, etc. but a while back I made a short list of fuses and relays, that if "messed with" would make these inoperable and not throw a code that a thief would easily find the problem with.
And if you do it right, the mods are fully hidden. A person could even do a 2 tier sort of thing - prevent cranking and if they got around that, prevent either ignition or injectors from firing. There's so many places to hide tiny switches in these but still have them accessible. A micro switch would do in some cases because of the extreme low current involved, or a tiny micro-switch that runs a relay to kill power to the ignition or the injectors or any number of things. That switch could be hidden almost anywhere, even on top of the roll cage or under a seat - there's wires going there anyway so wouldn't look out of place.

Come on Jeep people - you can mod that beast to crawl up the side of the Eiffel tower but can't find a way to kill one of the NECESSARY circuits in these? There's some really sharp cookies in this place - I'm frankly surprised that no one has done a write-up!
The electrical knowledge in this place, the engineers, even automotive engineers here - many could blow away my best attempts at automotive wiring and systems, and this hasn't already been done?

 

[Gvsukids]

As I just replied on another post, my least favorite thing so far is the absolutely nuts hood situation. No lock of any kind and no alarm! Crazy. Does anyone know how hard it is to even set off the alarm? I've jumped on it, shook the hell out of it, I can't set it off.

Open the hood.

 

[PlayfulBird]

"full replacement coverage" on my chevy. I'd have lost nothing for the first 3 years

Same here for 3 years. We get the 70k€ back we paid, but the cheapest JTR 3.6 Imports are going for well over 80k and that in France, so at least another 3-5 until I have her here and then fun starts with registering the import with German paper pushers. After 3 I will have to make a special appraisal and assessment document (also a few thousand) on the worth of the vehicle with mods etc and reinsure it

Working on the go go gadgets. Plus dog, plus everyone knows us. If I can help it that truck has to airlifted outa here for them to steal it.

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