tomekz

What are some good ideas for a kills switch for the 981? I am considering one but don't want to simply disconnect the battery.

And by kill switch I mean a device to make it harder to steal the car.

Schwinn

In the old days, I would see people put switches on various sub systems of the car. For example, put one on the starter, fuel pump, or the ignition coil power, etc. I liked the latter, as it gave the impression that the car would start, but without ignition or fuel, the car would never actually start. I imagine you could do the same on these cars, but I would be a little worried about the ECU getting pissed off... I imagine it would recover, as not a lot of sensorization happens during startup with these components (ie, the ECU doesn't really KNOW if the coils are firing, etc... it may know if the fuel pump isn't running if the pressure stays low.

I might suggest the fuel-pump method, because pouring fuel into these cars without ignition may wash-down the cylinders, which is a theorized source of bore-scoring, I believe? On the other hand, will injectors (or an HPFP) get upset if the fuel flow is stopped? I don't know. Then again, it's not like these would happen every day... so maybe I'm overthinking it.

ICNU

The Sprint Booster device has a valet mode on it where the car wont move more than a couple MPH when activated, and requires a code to unlock and go back to normal operation. You then also have the added benefit of being able to set the throttle response to your liking which really wakes the car up and improves the driving experience, which is what the SB is made for in the first place. You will be all in for about $300, and it installs in about 15 minutes plug and play

jeffm

I would ask, how hard are these cars to steal without a key? Are you worried they’ll be able to clone your key and just drive off? Do you frequently park in valet where you physically had the key over to someone you don’t know?

suzuka_joe

Cobb accessport, just put the dead map on it. I used to do that with my Evo and my WRX when I parked them at the mall lol. then I put the accessport in my pocket like a cell phone.

nb1234

Wiring one into the fuel pump relay located under the carpet lining in the frunk is pretty easy and effective. No systems complain, it just won't start (though sometimes it'll fire for a few seconds if there is enough residual pressure in the fuel rail.)

MrMoose

There's already a transponder in the 981 key though, right? My 987 has one and I don't believe it will start without it.

Titanium5150

Is something like this really necessary?

MrMoose

Well, that's my point. If there's a transponder key then I'd say "no".

tomekz

Are you saying that cars that have transponder keys can't be ever started without the transponder in the car?

MrMoose

My 987 does, yes. And not just in the car, it needs to be near the ignition switch. I know this because I recently got the Arid 987 Key body from Arid innovation and you need to physically move the transponder chip from the old key to the new key for it to start the car.

But like I said, that's the 987 that uses a physical key with a coded chip. I don't have a 981, sorry, I just lurk in this forum because the 981 engine is the same and sometimes I learn things. Hard to believe it would be easier to hot-wire than the older 987 cars, though.

tomekz

Not sure if the 981 can be started this way, but other $250k cars can.

https://www.carscoops.com/2021/10/br...rs-in-seconds/

Kevin CS

That article was about guys who stole 5 Mitsubishi Outlanders. The most expensive Outlander I could find was $42K. The number quoted in the article subhead (£180,000) must have been for all 5.

tomekz

In this example, correct it was just an outlander. but from what I have read these things can have codes to steal pretty much anything.

Kevin CS

That may be true; I don't know anything about these devices (although I think you'd have to be a special kind of stupid to spend $27,000 on a device programmed to steal a $40,000 car). I was mainly responding to where you said "other $250k cars can" get stolen with these things; I didn't see anything in that article to support that statement, and I thought the article's subhead confused the issue with that £180,000 number. If these guys had stolen a high-end Range Rover or a Bentayga, that number would have made more sense. No offense intended.