Preventing Theft - kill switch

[Nailz]

Lots of Rams getting stolen here in Ontario Canada and now my insurance rate has gone up because the Ram is now on their "top 3 stolen list" .... and our beloved manufacturer is doing F.A. about it.

Anyways, been reading about kill switchs for our push button start and see some people have made their own. I came across this simple plug and play unit that comes a complete kit for $200 US.

Just wondering if anyone out there has any experience or thoughts on it....

Plug & Play Killswitch for Dodge Jeep Ram Chrysler

⚠️ CHECK YOUR YEAR/MAKE/MODEL BELOW BEFORE ORDERING ⚠️ Add another level of protection to your investment by installing a plug & play kill switch kit! This kit will come with 5 feet of cable to remotely install a discreet push button that you can hide in your own personal location that will...

www.shopboosted.com

Google "shop boosted kill switch" if the link doesn't work.
Thanks

 

[Eighty]

Any thief with half a brain will find the kill switch in a matter of seconds. Especially if it's the plug-and-play kind that is added behind your push-to-start button. They don't need to find the switch - they can just unplug the harness and plug the original harness back in.

 

[Nailz]

I'm sure the switch can be hidden well, but that might become a pain in a$$ too every time you start the car, so maybe.

But do you think these guys are actually removing the push button or reaching up there to mess around with it? There's gotta be some time involved in this. I would hope they would move on to the next truck before trying to mess around with the harness from the back ....

So you use anything to protect your truck?
Thanks

 

[LaxDfns15]

Isn't the simplest way just putting your keys in a Faraday bag/box? Blocks the signal that they hijack from the fob to remote start/unlock the truck?

 

[Eighty]

I'm sure the switch can be hidden well, but that might become a pain in a$$ too every time you start the car, so maybe.

But do you think these guys are actually removing the push button or reaching up there to mess around with it? There's gotta be some time involved in this. I would hope they would move on to the next truck before trying to mess around with the harness from the back ....

So you use anything to protect your truck?
Thanks

I have Ravelco, which is a sort of kill switch. It interrupts the fuel pump as well as the ignition. The difference is that the interrupts are installed deep in the wiring harnesses - you'd have to spend hours digging around until you find where the wires are cut.
And the "switch" is an encoded plug with multiple prongs. It would also take a good amount of time to figure out which prongs connect to the correct circuits. Jump the wrong prongs, and fuses blow.
So it's not "foolproof", but it would take enough time that a thief can't reasonably get it done unless he camps there for half a day or more.

 

[Eighty]

Isn't the simplest way just putting your keys in a Faraday bag/box? Blocks the signal that they hijack from the fob to remote start/unlock the truck?

Cloning your fob signal is only one method that thieves use. If they can get into the truck, then can also program a NEW key and drive away.

 

[Eighty]

TRX's are stolen a LOT more than regular Ram trucks, and the consensus in the TRX community is that IGLA is the most secure. Ravelco is a second place option.

IGLA is an electronic defeat device (not a physical one, like the Ravelco). IGLA is also buried somewhere in the CAN network, and stops both methods (fob cloning as well as programming a new key). IGLA is pricy - $1200 - but appears to be the best.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Cloning your fob signal is only one method that thieves use. If they can get into the truck, then can also program a NEW key and drive away.

Yeah I figured there were more, but it's the common one as it's the easy, fast, and quiet (unless you start my truck). We don't have a lot of thefts in my area, but we do have break ins that are more of a "The car is parked on a dark street, let's smash the windows and check what's inside." We've got my truck parked in my driveway, one neighbor across the street has a TRX and Rubicon in his driveway, and another with a Limited. Luckily we're a bit off the beaten path outside of Memphis.

 

[Nailz]

I've read up on Ravelco, seems like a great product....as long as you don't lose the cap. I guess I was looking for something simpler and less expensive.

About the actual theft, yes you can hide ur keys in a box (which I do), but I also thought that they can physically break in and then hook something up thru the ODR port ... no idea if this allows them to start the truck or make a new key, or what .... Any knowledge on this?

 

[Eighty]

I've read up on Ravelco, seems like a great product....as long as you don't lose the cap. I guess I was looking for something simpler and less expensive.

About the actual theft, yes you can hide ur keys in a box (which I do), but I also thought that they can physically break in and then hook something up thru the ODR port ... no idea if this allows them to start the truck or make a new key, or what .... Any knowledge on this?

They don't hook up to the OBD port, they hook a laptop straight into the CAN. Then they wipe out the existing key fobs and program a new key.

Ravelco (or a kill switch) will not stop them from programming a new key. But it will prevent them from starting the engine. Ravelco is around $600, primarily from the labor that is required to bury it in your wiring harnesses.

And FWIW, they give you two caps when it's installed. And you can buy a replacement later on if you lose one (but you have to have your original receipt and the cap code).

 

[Nailz]

Thank you, I was told that it was ODB and even started researching OBD port locks, which seems a bit comical. Never knew about this CAN hook up. Where exactly is that and what does it look like? So they can hook a laptop directly into that?

In the meantime, I'll revisit the Ravelco idea. I'm assuming this is a bit complicated of an install and probably can't DYI.

 

[Eighty]

Thank you, I was told that it was ODB and even started researching OBD port locks, which seems a bit comical. Never knew about this CAN hook up. Where exactly is that and what does it look like? So they can hook a laptop directly into that?

In the meantime, I'll revisit the Ravelco idea. I'm assuming this is a bit complicated of an install and probably can't DYI.

No, you can't DIY the Ravelco. They won't even sell it to you unless it's with installation (same with IGLA).

The CAN bus is behind your headlight switch. Thieves usually yank out the headlight switch panel, and tap in through the hole. Some of the smarter security installations include a plate that blocks that opening. It's not foolproof, but it would disrupt the script that many thieves operate from.

 

[Nailz]

Is that the CAN bus port ...in green? (Google image, not me lol)....thanks for the info

 

[Eighty]

Yes, that's the CAN bus (there are two strips).

 

[DEG]

I mitigate the risk of theft with monthly payments to my insurance company and a contact for them in my phone. They will give me a rental until they cut a check or return my truck as it was.

 

[Eighty]

I mitigate the risk of theft with monthly payments to my insurance company and a contact for them in my phone. They will give me a rental until they cut a check or return my truck as it was.

That's a cute, funny thing to say. But it's pretty irresponsible to the rest of society. We all collectively pay insurance to cover the average loss rates. So the concept of, "let them steal it, that's why I have insurance" costs us all money.

 

[DEG]

That's a cute, funny thing to say. But it's pretty irresponsible to the rest of society. We all collectively pay insurance to cover the average loss rates. So the concept of, "let them steal it, that's why I have insurance" costs us all money.

NONSENSE. Nothing in the slightest irresponsible about locking my doors but using insurance I pay for to cover someone breaking in and stealing my truck. Based on your irrational logic nearly every single vehicle owner is being irresponsible to the rest of society if they don't add some hidden kill switch.

 

[Eighty]

NONSENSE. Nothing in the slightest irresponsible about locking my doors but using insurance I pay for to cover someone breaking in and stealing my truck. Based on your irrational logic nearly every single vehicle owner is being irresponsible to the rest of society if they don't add some hidden kill switch.

Well why lock your doors then? Why take the key out of your truck? You pay insurance, so if it gets stolen then it's someone else's problem. Right?

The reason insurance has gone insanely high is because of this kind of thinking.

 

[DEG]

Well why lock your doors then? Why take the key out of your truck? You pay insurance, so if it gets stolen then it's someone else's problem. Right?

The reason insurance has gone insanely high is because of this kind of thinking.

You have completely fabricated my thinking.

The reason insurance has gone insanely high is because there is no real deterrent to vehicle theft or shoplifting or most other petty crimes.

 

[RebelliousGt]

Thank you, I was told that it was ODB and even started researching OBD port locks, which seems a bit comical. Never knew about this CAN hook up. Where exactly is that and what does it look like? So they can hook a laptop directly into that?

In the meantime, I'll revisit the Ravelco idea. I'm assuming this is a bit complicated of an install and probably can't DYI.

Ghost II immobilizer, can’t start or by pass or reprogram a new key, you need to press a sequence of buttons on your steering wheel to start the vehicle. It can still remotely start if you chose too but before driving off you need to enter the code. Also has hijack mode, this is great!!! If you’re at the lights and someone hijacks you, once your drivers door is opened and closed, your vehicle will shut down in about a blocks distance if the code isn’t initiated.