kokolyia

To protect our cars from theft couldn't you just remove the DME relay whenever you you park your car to ensure it isn't stolen (under its own power of course)? Just a thought that popped into my head. Is this possible?

simonstorey

I think your car should already have an immobilizer. Isn't it a component of the factory alarm?
Maybe someone else can confirm.

tfitch03

I actually put mine in storage recently and pulled the DME exactly for that purpose.

David A

I do that and fuse 26, it's for the fuel pump.

AllMine

My concern would be frequent use of a electrical terminal that is not designed for repeated connecting and disconnecting.
Curt

kokolyia

Does anyone remove the relay almost every day?

LM964

While kept in the garage out of the icey way for the moment, i only pull the relay when turning the engine over every other week in ensuring some oil pressure / distribution is there before plugging back in and firing up. If i were to leave for a long period of time out of sight then yes, i would remove and put somewhere in the cabin.

LM964

While kept in the garage out of the icey way for the moment, I only pull the relay when turning the engine over every other week ensuring some oil pressure / distribution before plugging back in and firing up. If I were to leave for a long period of time out of sight then yes, I do remove and put somewhere in the cabin.

FLYT993

unfortunately, i don't think the scumbags stealing these cars are driving them away. i believe they are pros, jacking the cars, putting them on skates and rolling them away.

ilko

And those who know what they are stealing are intimately familiar the DME relay. Perhaps they even experienced the Christmas Tree effect at some point

A spare relay is under $20 and install takes 30 seconds. Bottom line is, it won't stop a thief.

kokolyia

Thank you for all the responses.

My line of thought is that nothing will stop a thief if they want the car badly enough. However, for the rest of the lowlifes the DME relay may just be enough. Time is everything in a theft and those 30seconds +the time it takes to realize the issue may just be enough to prevent someone making off with your car. Besides, using the DME relay removal in conjunction with some other lines of defense should be effective, at least in my mind...

Mezger

If you want to do it right, swap the DME with a dummy unit! ��

robt964

I've posted the same on other threads, and I still feel the best thief deterrent is a removable steering wheel. I drive the car into the garage nose first, turn full lock, let the steering lock click in, then remove the wheel. No way the car is coming out of the garage unless dragged out and sustaining massive damage down the side.

C4inLA

Any "criminal minded" person contemplating such a theft, probably reads Pcar forums ...

LoJack & Smith/Wesson?