How to TRY and prevent our trucks from being stolen

[HKP7PSP]

So i’ve been reading all the replies to my original post and thanks to everyone you chimed in. Lots of good suggestions. I am leaning towards the IGLA anti-theft device, though A) I’m not sure when I’d be able to get one since they’re coming from Russia and B) they’re Russian made so not exactly sure I trust them….

But anyways, I wanted to let everyone on the forum know that thieves (aka a$$holes) tried to steal my 2022 Limited on Friday. Yeah, Happy Canada day…. Emphasis on tried.

One of the things I researched after my 2021 Sport was stolen was how these a$$holes are stealing F150’s, Lexus’, Rams, and other vehicles. Some are using keyfob clones, or extenders so they pickup its signal from inside the house and relay it to another person at the vehicle.

I had my FOBs in a faraday box, so that didn’t work for them. They did punch/break the window and managed to pop the lock which tripped the anti-theft. Which made me wonder WHY the truck’s horn didn’t honk.

This is why….

[image]

They use a tool or coat hanger or something through the grill and yank out the pins from the connector. They do this first so … YOU HAVE NO HORN and it gives them time to mess with the truck silently.

So, they disabled the horn broke the window and got in the truck. They should have been able to steal the truck by plugging one of those tablet/computers into the OBD port. Except, I relocated it, and locked it up. They pulled out the connectors from the SGW and managed to do something to the truck because they wiped out my keyfobs, but maybe because they didn’t have access to the OBD, they weren’t able to program a new one.

According to my cameras they spent almost 10 minutes trying to steal the truck to no avail, so they left. And, unfortunately for one of my neighbours stole his 5th gen Sport. So clearly they had the tools to carry out the job, but the lack of an OBD port appears to have stopped them.

In the mean time, I’ve fabricated a new OBD lockbox and bracket out of 1/4” steel that completely blocks access to the SGW plugs and reinforced the horn wire with a cable so it’s virtually impossible to yank on it and pull out the pins.

Food for thought everyone if you want to … TRY and secure your Ram from being stolen. Still may look at the IGLA down the road.

Wow, I never considered they'd just rip out the cables to the horn. I guess one of the positives from the 4-note Cadillac horn I installed is that my crimping is a lot stronger than the press fit wiring of OEM, and the fourth horn is actually in the engine bay using its own power lead from a relay I put in.

 

[Aseras]

I'd make a USBKill type capacitive discharge on the +12v line of the ODB port. Have a hidden button to disable/discharge it.

Plug in something without hitting that button and poof goes the equipment.

 

[bigdodge]

So i’ve been reading all the replies to my original post and thanks to everyone you chimed in. Lots of good suggestions. I am leaning towards the IGLA anti-theft device, though A) I’m not sure when I’d be able to get one since they’re coming from Russia and B) they’re Russian made so not exactly sure I trust them….

But anyways, I wanted to let everyone on the forum know that thieves (aka a$$holes) tried to steal my 2022 Limited on Friday. Yeah, Happy Canada day…. Emphasis on tried.

One of the things I researched after my 2021 Sport was stolen was how these a$$holes are stealing F150’s, Lexus’, Rams, and other vehicles. Some are using keyfob clones, or extenders so they pickup its signal from inside the house and relay it to another person at the vehicle.

I had my FOBs in a faraday box, so that didn’t work for them. They did punch/break the window and managed to pop the lock which tripped the anti-theft. Which made me wonder WHY the truck’s horn didn’t honk.

This is why….

View attachment 133992

They use a tool or coat hanger or something through the grill and yank out the pins from the connector. They do this first so … YOU HAVE NO HORN and it gives them time to mess with the truck silently.

So, they disabled the horn broke the window and got in the truck. They should have been able to steal the truck by plugging one of those tablet/computers into the OBD port. Except, I relocated it, and locked it up. They pulled out the connectors from the SGW and managed to do something to the truck because they wiped out my keyfobs, but maybe because they didn’t have access to the OBD, they weren’t able to program a new one.

According to my cameras they spent almost 10 minutes trying to steal the truck to no avail, so they left. And, unfortunately for one of my neighbours stole his 5th gen Sport. So clearly they had the tools to carry out the job, but the lack of an OBD port appears to have stopped them.

In the mean time, I’ve fabricated a new OBD lockbox and bracket out of 1/4” steel that completely blocks access to the SGW plugs and reinforced the horn wire with a cable so it’s virtually impossible to yank on it and pull out the pins.

Food for thought everyone if you want to … TRY and secure your Ram from being stolen. Still may look at the IGLA down the road.

the ravelco would also prevent starting through the obd2 port

 

[Jay905]

I'd make a USBKill type capacitive discharge on the +12v line of the ODB port. Have a hidden button to disable/discharge it.

Plug in something without hitting that button and poof goes the equipment.

That’s a good suggestion! I was thinking of wiring in a dummy OBD port in the original location and putting 12v on all 3 pairs of data lines (J1850, ISO9141 and CANBUS) but would want something like you suggested, capacitive discharge to smoke their device.

 

[GeorgiaBoy]

I'd make a USBKill type capacitive discharge on the +12v line of the ODB port. Have a hidden button to disable/discharge it.

Plug in something without hitting that button and poof goes the equipment.

That's a great idea. I wish I knew enough about auto electronics to wire up something like this! I guess you just have to remember to hit the button before taking it in for service otherwise the dealer would be pissed!!

 

[Eighty]

If you're going to fry a thief's electronics, then he's gonna be pretty upset. He'll probably do as much damage to your vehicle as possible....unless you also rig up a really loud klaxon that goes off when the "frying event" happens, so that he leaves as soon as possible.

 

[Bpebler]

StackPath

Anyone try something like this yet? Been meaning to pick one up for my older Jeep that’s popular & easy to steal.

 

[Aseras]

StackPath

Anyone try something like this yet? Been meaning to pick one up for my older Jeep that’s popular & easy to steal.

Just put an airtag in it, or an old cellphone that you can track that's wired in for power.

 

[Aseras]

If you're going to fry a thief's electronics, then he's gonna be pretty upset. He'll probably do as much damage to your vehicle as possible....unless you also rig up a really loud klaxon that goes off when the "frying event" happens, so that he leaves as soon as possible.

Most of these devices, when they work, just instantly kill whatever they are plugged into. It's not hollywood with smoke and flames. Just suddenly dead. Screen shuts off or freezes and that's it. Won't turn back on. Just dead like a dead battery. There's no obvious this thing just fried my equipment, it just stops working at all.

 

[Jay905]

the ravelco would also prevent starting through the obd2 port

Not really thinking about the Ravelco since from what I’ve read it disables the remote start. On -20 and -30 days in the winter its sure nice to have. Was in Knoxville a couple of weeks ago when it approached 100 degrees, and again, really nice to remote start the truck with AC on max.

 

[Bpebler]

Not really thinking about the Ravelco since from what I’ve read it disables the remote start. On -20 and -30 days in the winter its sure nice to have. Was in Knoxville a couple of weeks ago when it approached 100 degrees, and again, really nice to remote start the truck with AC on max.

That’s why the link I posted from boostedtech is appealing to me also. Need the remote start for sure. Not sure what an “AirTag” is that aseras spoke of.

 

[Jay905]

That’s why the link I posted from boostedtech is appealing to me also. Need the remote start for sure. Not sure what an “AirTag” is that aseras spoke of.

There’s quite a few GPS trackers on the market and their monthly fees vary. $9 per month isn’t bad at all.

The AirTag is an Apple device you can attach just about to anything, including a dog’s collar. It has a small lithium battery in it and it communicates to other Apple devices which in turn update its location to their servers. From there you can see it’s location using Find My.

It’s a cheaper version of GPS tracking because you only pay for the tag (about $25 each) no monthly fees. So long as someone comes close to your lost item, you’ll get updates as to it’s location. Problem is, if your vehicle is stolen in the middle of the night there are fewer people on the road, and if it makes its way to a rail yard and loaded in a container, that little tag isn’t going to report back squat. Bluetooth doesn’t have the range given all the steel.

I have one in the truck now, but I hold little hope that it will actually do anything if it’s stolen. But for $25, what the hell…

 

[Brutal_HO]

There’s quite a few GPS trackers on the market and their monthly fees vary. $9 per month isn’t bad at all.

The AirTag is an Apple device you can attach just about to anything, including a dog’s collar. It has a small lithium battery in it and it communicates to other Apple devices which in turn update its location to their servers. From there you can see it’s location using Find My.

It’s a cheaper version of GPS tracking because you only pay for the tag (about $25 each) no monthly fees. So long as someone comes close to your lost item, you’ll get updates as to it’s location. Problem is, if your vehicle is stolen in the middle of the night there are fewer people on the road, and if it makes its way to a rail yard and loaded in a container, that little tag isn’t going to report back squat. Bluetooth doesn’t have the range given all the steel.

I have one in the truck now, but I hold little hope that it will actually do anything if it’s stolen. But for $25, what the hell…

Similar to Tile, which I have on all our key rings, but it's 90% useless at locating them AND it his to ping a Tile app on a device. I expect the apple "just works."

The ones I have eat CR2032 batteries too.

 

[Bpebler]

I like the idea of the AirTag. Maybe I’ll use that in conjunction with the other product. Hopefully we don’t find out which one works. I’ve been thinking of also getting a personalized license plate: UONCAM. Not sure if that’s much of a deterrent either.

 

[Jay905]

I like the idea of the AirTag. Maybe I’ll use that in conjunction with the other product. Hopefully we don’t find out which one works. I’ve been thinking of also getting a personalized license plate: UONCAM. Not sure if that’s much of a deterrent either.

If you go the AirTag route, you may want to consider putting 2 in the vehicle. Apparently some thieves scan for them on the vehicle, they might find one and assume its free, only to miss the other.

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

If you go the AirTag route, you may want to consider putting 2 in the vehicle. Apparently some thieves scan for them on the vehicle, they might find one and assume its free, only to miss the other.

I believe AirTags have been updated to prevent stalking. If they're away from your phone for more than 24 hours, they will begin to beep. They're still useful for luggage and misplaced keys, but they're not a good antitheft device for things that might sit for some time.

I personally use Invoxia trackers on all of my vehicles and trailers. They're pretty solid and accurate, easy to hide, and they can be hardwired if you use a 12V to USB adapter under your dash. Once installed, you really don't have to mess with it. All updates are done via bluetooth when you're nearby and the subscriptions are bought 1,2,3 years at a time.

 

[Mystic Rhythms]

If you're going to fry a thief's electronics, then he's gonna be pretty upset. He'll probably do as much damage to your vehicle as possible....unless you also rig up a really loud klaxon that goes off when the "frying event" happens, so that he leaves as soon as possible.

As long as we are talking about frying their electronics just up the charge. Send them about 20,000 volts.
Probably have to sweep the ash off your seat later.

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

Since dangerous traps are illegal, you'll want to make sure no one lives to tell the story

 

[jgc650i]

I just had a Ravelco Anti-Theft Device installed in my Ram last week. Works great, very simple and effective. Basically when the plug is in the truck functions/starts as normal. When the plug is removed all the electronics and accessories still work, but the starting components are disconnected. The only thing you really give up with the plug removed is remote start (obviously), but it's a necessary trade-off for this level of theft prevention. To unravel the wiring and bring power back to the starting components would take a would-be thief hours under the hood to figure out. Doesn't stop them from throwing the truck on a flat bed, but at least prevents (or makes incredibly difficult) drive-off theft. Had it done on both by Ram and my new Wrangler 392 by Chuck Whigham at Mid-Atlantic Ravelco. Can't speak highly enough about Chuck. He goes out of his way from the customer service perspective and is incredibly professional. Clean and pretty much surgical install on both vehicles. He runs it as a mobile business and will come to you within his service area. He did both my vehicles in my garage in Western New York. Very convenient and not kidding, I couldn't recommend him more highly. Five Stars+ for sure!

 

[jl13]

I just had a Ravelco Anti-Theft Device installed in my Ram last week. Works great, very simple and effective. Basically when the plug is in the truck functions/starts as normal. When the plug is removed all the electronics and accessories still work, but the starting components are disconnected. The only thing you really give up with the plug removed is remote start (obviously), but it's a necessary trade-off for this level of theft prevention. To unravel the wiring and bring power back to the starting components would take a would-be thief hours under the hood to figure out. Doesn't stop them from throwing the truck on a flat bed, but at least prevents (or makes incredibly difficult) drive-off theft. Had it done on both by Ram and my new Wrangler 392 by Chuck Whigham at Mid-Atlantic Ravelco. Can't speak highly enough about Chuck. He goes out of his way from the customer service perspective and is incredibly professional. Clean and pretty much surgical install on both vehicles. He runs it as a mobile business and will come to you within his service area. He did both my vehicles in my garage in Western New York. Very convenient and not kidding, I couldn't recommend him more highly. Five Stars+ for sure!

how much did it cost you