Theft attempt /aka/************!!!!!!
10-11-2003, 01:03 PM
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Theft attempt /aka/************!!!!!!
Lookie what I found last night when I got back to work. Keyless entry and ignition, just need a screwdriver.
Anyway, a while back the topic of how hard our cars are to steal came up and the consensus was that our ignitions can't be broken to start the car, well that's not the case.
Had I not removed the DME relay all I would have found would have been an oil spot. Also the new trend with car thieves is to pop the locks out of the door handles too.
So if the pics load, do I need an entire steering column or is the ignition hard to replace?
I took the pics with my phone I'll expand them in a bit.
[IMG] 
Anyway, a while back the topic of how hard our cars are to steal came up and the consensus was that our ignitions can't be broken to start the car, well that's not the case.
Had I not removed the DME relay all I would have found would have been an oil spot. Also the new trend with car thieves is to pop the locks out of the door handles too.
So if the pics load, do I need an entire steering column or is the ignition hard to replace?
I took the pics with my phone I'll expand them in a bit.
[IMG]
Last edited by triscadek; 10-11-2003 at 01:19 PM.
10-11-2003, 01:07 PM
#3
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Re: Theft attempt /aka/************!!!!!!
Originally posted by triscadek
Had I not removed the DME relay all I would have found would have been an oil spot.
Had I not removed the DME relay all I would have found would have been an oil spot.
Lucky!
10-11-2003, 01:10 PM
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Jeez. I had the same thing though last year. The ignition is easy enough to replace if they haven't damaged the alloy of the steering column. The lock is easy enough to do also. They didn't damage the door as 'nicely' as they have done yours too!
My insurance company almost wrote mine off though as the gits who did it also stuck a screwdriver though the dash, which then needed replacing.
My insurance company almost wrote mine off though as the gits who did it also stuck a screwdriver though the dash, which then needed replacing.
10-11-2003, 01:15 PM
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Yikes! Did they take anything? Looks like the radio is still there. All this talk of theft makes me want to install a hidden kill switch as a precaution.
10-11-2003, 01:17 PM
#6
That's tough that your steering column was butchered. On my car they bent out the top of the door, then used a clothes hanger to pull up the door lock plunger.
The dme relay is tough to pull on a early dash car.
Would pulling the fuel pump fuse (or swapping in a blown glass-type fuse, which is less obvious) accomplish the same thing? I know that if the dme relay was gone, they are truly SOL unless they have jumper wires, but I would think that unless a thief had a multimeter, leaving a blown fuse in the fuel pump fuse holder would work too. That fuse is much easier to access in an early dash car.
Kevin
The dme relay is tough to pull on a early dash car.
Would pulling the fuel pump fuse (or swapping in a blown glass-type fuse, which is less obvious) accomplish the same thing? I know that if the dme relay was gone, they are truly SOL unless they have jumper wires, but I would think that unless a thief had a multimeter, leaving a blown fuse in the fuel pump fuse holder would work too. That fuse is much easier to access in an early dash car.
Kevin
10-11-2003, 01:27 PM
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I drive a truck and am gone 1 to 5 days at a time and have been having a feeling lately and always pull the relay as I park in a somewhat trashy neighbor hood.
Pulling/replacing a fuel pump fuse would accomplish the same thing but it may try to start with a little pressurized fuel in the rail.
All that was stolen was a small maglite that I leave for car burglars and some tools in the glovebox for them to work with.
The lesson here is that our cars can be stolen in less than 5 minutes without an alarm or don't start system, they cranked it until the battery died.
Pulling/replacing a fuel pump fuse would accomplish the same thing but it may try to start with a little pressurized fuel in the rail.
All that was stolen was a small maglite that I leave for car burglars and some tools in the glovebox for them to work with.
The lesson here is that our cars can be stolen in less than 5 minutes without an alarm or don't start system, they cranked it until the battery died.
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10-11-2003, 01:47 PM
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The DME is rough on the early dash... Right o Kev.
I keep a breaker bar and a 23MM socket in my car. I take my steering wheel with me if I'm gonna be a while or it's out of sight.. (Like a movie.)
seems weird, but it works.
I keep a breaker bar and a 23MM socket in my car. I take my steering wheel with me if I'm gonna be a while or it's out of sight.. (Like a movie.)
seems weird, but it works.
10-11-2003, 01:49 PM
#9
I've got an alarm with ignition cutoff, they are actually quite easy to install. But since I have been disconnecting/connecting the battery late at night while working on the car, I've disconnected the alarm temporarily to avoid waking up the neighbors.
Kevin
Kevin
10-11-2003, 01:52 PM
#10
Originally posted by Chris_924s
The DME is rough on the early dash... Right o Kev.
The DME is rough on the early dash... Right o Kev.
Originally posted by Chris_924s
I keep a breaker bar and a 23MM socket in my car. I take my steering wheel with me if I'm gonna be a while or it's out of sight.. (Like a movie.)
seems weird, but it works.
I keep a breaker bar and a 23MM socket in my car. I take my steering wheel with me if I'm gonna be a while or it's out of sight.. (Like a movie.)
seems weird, but it works.
Maybe we need a similar bag to carry a steering wheel around! We may be onto a product idea here! Call Travis!!!
Kevin
10-11-2003, 03:22 PM
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Semi OT--With all this talk of almost-stolen cars, I really wanna know what my factory alarm does. The manual doesn't say squat.
I have the alarm with the blinking LED's in the door lock buttons...anyone know if there's an ignition kill, or what??
Thanks.
I have the alarm with the blinking LED's in the door lock buttons...anyone know if there's an ignition kill, or what??
Thanks.
10-11-2003, 03:44 PM
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Smart move to remove the relay on a daily basis, but it can harm the socket over time.
Without giving away all my security secrets, I'll toss a few tips your way.
1. If you have a factory alarm, use it, every time. If it is not functional, fix it. Open the alarm box and check solder connections, since that is a common failure point. (Mine was as well) If the factory alarm is activated, such as the door opening, it will not allow power to the DME. Plus... the horn for it is pretty damn loud.
2. Kill Switch. Very easy, very effective. If you splice in to the coil ground from the DME with a switch, it will not run. Period. The coil will not get signal to fire. A well placed switch, such as a factory mirror swith installed into a blank on the dash or console, makes it blend in like stock. A thief has a lot of buttons to push before he can find it.
It takes quite an effort to steal our cars. With all the methods combind, nearly impossible. (Until Guido rolls it out on a flat bed, but that's why you have good insurance.)
Hope this helps. Sorry about the car, you should be able to repair it with minimal trouble.
Without giving away all my security secrets, I'll toss a few tips your way.
1. If you have a factory alarm, use it, every time. If it is not functional, fix it. Open the alarm box and check solder connections, since that is a common failure point. (Mine was as well) If the factory alarm is activated, such as the door opening, it will not allow power to the DME. Plus... the horn for it is pretty damn loud.
2. Kill Switch. Very easy, very effective. If you splice in to the coil ground from the DME with a switch, it will not run. Period. The coil will not get signal to fire. A well placed switch, such as a factory mirror swith installed into a blank on the dash or console, makes it blend in like stock. A thief has a lot of buttons to push before he can find it.
It takes quite an effort to steal our cars. With all the methods combind, nearly impossible. (Until Guido rolls it out on a flat bed, but that's why you have good insurance.)
Hope this helps. Sorry about the car, you should be able to repair it with minimal trouble.
10-11-2003, 08:17 PM
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This may be a bit Hollywood, I was watching The Transporter the other day. He had a digital key pad that unlocked the ignition ability of the car. This would tie in nicely with a kill switch relay tied into the dme coil ground. Is this just a Hollywood thing or does this actually exist? How hard would this be to actually make?..
10-11-2003, 08:26 PM
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Originally posted by billybones
This may be a bit Hollywood, I was watching The Transporter the other day. He had a digital key pad that unlocked the ignition ability of the car. This would tie in nicely with a kill switch relay tied into the dme coil ground. Is this just a Hollywood thing or does this actually exist? How hard would this be to actually make?..
This may be a bit Hollywood, I was watching The Transporter the other day. He had a digital key pad that unlocked the ignition ability of the car. This would tie in nicely with a kill switch relay tied into the dme coil ground. Is this just a Hollywood thing or does this actually exist? How hard would this be to actually make?..