Police 'Stumped' by New Car Theft Technology

[PNut12345]

Still can't understand why this stuff is so popular now. What's so tough about using a key in a lock?

I'd say my rusty '95 Civic with standard transmission and a door that requires a real key to open is about the most secure car in the country!

If you had any idea at all how easy that car is to steal you'd change your tune LOL

 

[Qinsp]

haha nice.

Should it work on a 2010 Cadillac CTS? I want to try it on mine.

It works on a 2010 Cobalt? I bought my daughter when she lost the original key.

However, the keyless ignition CTS's might be different.

 

[Qinsp]

If you had any idea at all how easy that car is to steal you'd change your tune LOL

Yup.

The new stuff needs at least 2 things:

A key

The correct signal coming from the key to activate the engine computer.

They tried to steal our 2002 Corvette by forcing the locks. No dice. The engine computer did not see the right signal, and it would not start. Bad news? $750 to fix the car.

 

[Dwango]

Just an FYI -- modern push to start wireless FOB models do NOT shut the car down if it happens to lose a signal with the FOB.

My 08 Z06 (sadly sold it to buy a house a few weeks ago) had the full wireless system. Walk up to the car, and it unlocks automatically because it sees the key. Push the button and it starts right up (again because it sees the key)

If for whatever reason I'd stop, get out, and not have the FOB with me (engine still running) you could drive 100 miles with no issue. OF course if you turned the car off you wouldn't be able to restart it but that's not the issue.

Hell in the z06 - if you didn't have the FOB, and tried to turn the engine off, it would even ask you on the dash "No fob detected, sure you want to shut the engine off?" and give you a chance to keep it running with no keys in sight.

Wow. That seems like a serious security oversight. I get that it's meant to keep the car from stranding you in the middle of nowhere should your fob battery conk out on your way through Death Valley but still. A friend of mine has a system on his Honda that checks for the key fob every so often and will warn the driver if it can't find it (with and incredibly annoying audio cue) but there is a "key" in the fob that you're supposed to use in the event that the battery were to die so the car is still drive-able as long as you have the fob.

 

[robble]

If you had any idea at all how easy that car is to steal you'd change your tune LOL

I think he just means that it's a POS that nobody would want.

 

[LOCO LAPTOP]

I can't understand why someone would spend 1k on video cards, and sli them together to play video games.

my crappy pentium 3 plays quake just fine and is the best game in the world!

I shaved the door handles from my blazer, removed the door linkage, welded metal plates in place, did the body work and painted over it. Can't open the door if there is no handle.. I use my after market alarm to pop my doors open. No one will ever defeat that..

oh wait.. *kicks dirt*

What happens when your battery dies?

 

[NLW]

Quite the bunch of replies. Let's see...

In 1995 it was the most stolen car in the US.

I'm sure it was. In each of the past 18 years, though, both the desire to steal a car like this and anyone's ability to drive it has decreased exponentially.

Ever heard of a slim-jim?

Again, see desire and ability arguments. Actually, before I moved about 2.5 years back, my car was broken into 3 times in a fairly short period of time. It never moved from where it was parked, though. Someone made off with a cheap stereo amp and a bunch of change...oh well. I can live with that, after living close to a shitty neighborhood for as long as I did.

I can't understand why someone would spend 1k on video cards, and sli them together to play video games.

my crappy pentium 3 plays quake just fine and is the best game in the world!

Oh, don't get me wrong, I have no illusions that my little Civic is going to get me anywhere with the ladies anytime soon, and I'd love to have an Aston Martin or some crazy car that would. I wasn't saying I don't know why people spend big $ on cars, I just don't understand the attraction of a fancy fob. It's bulky, and doesn't do anything that I can't already do with a regular key. I guess fancy gadgets don't do much for me.

Yup.

The new stuff needs at least 2 things:

A key

The correct signal coming from the key to activate the engine computer.

Finally a response that makes a bit of sense. Still, they're bulky and a pain to replace if lost. Meh.

 

[KENNYB]

Motherfuckers better not be messin with my 2001 Dodge Neon.

No way anyone would do that. They know better then to mess with a Neon!

Would it make it down the street?

 

[maddude]

Pretty simple way to not get your car stolen is to drive one that's not worth stealing. No one ever looks at my 95 VM, 89 Honda, and 84 Suburban, they run, they are paid for, they are inexpensive to insure. I will never ever in a million years understand why people buy new flashy cars. A car is a tool, like a hammer, it needs to work, that is its only functional requirement.

Your mistake is thinking that people are stealing cars to keep or sale. If they want a flashy car to strip and part they will just tow it. If they're taking a car it's for a reason, usually something that requires them to have a car that doesn't trace back to them, is easily taken, and doesn't stand out. All of your cars fit that description.

You can see from the video they are not driving the car, too difficult and not worth it, much easier to take what's not bolted down and move on, don't wait around for someone to notice you. You can do all you want to deter theft, but if someone really wants it, they're going to get it.

 

[Tudz]

Quite the bunch of replies. Let's see...



I'm sure it was. In each of the past 18 years, though, both the desire to steal a car like this and anyone's ability to drive it has decreased exponentially.



Again, see desire and ability arguments. Actually, before I moved about 2.5 years back, my car was broken into 3 times in a fairly short period of time. It never moved from where it was parked, though. Someone made off with a cheap stereo amp and a bunch of change...oh well. I can live with that, after living close to a shitty neighborhood for as long as I did.



Oh, don't get me wrong, I have no illusions that my little Civic is going to get me anywhere with the ladies anytime soon, and I'd love to have an Aston Martin or some crazy car that would. I wasn't saying I don't know why people spend big $ on cars, I just don't understand the attraction of a fancy fob. It's bulky, and doesn't do anything that I can't already do with a regular key. I guess fancy gadgets don't do much for me.



Finally a response that makes a bit of sense. Still, they're bulky and a pain to replace if lost. Meh.

I think you'll find mid-90s Hondas are still pretty high on the "most stolen" list even now. They're easy to steal, common, nondescript cars that can be easily sold for parts.

If you owned the Aston Martin, it'd actually be far less likely to be stolen than your Honda

For the most part I don't understand why people buy newer cars to commute all the time. Most my driving life I've spent in a 1979 Holden (Australian GM car) and it gets me from point A to point B just as well as any other car on the road and has cost me almost nothing to buy, maintain and run. It's actually worth more now than when I bought it.

Granted, I am in the market for a 1970-72 Corvette which will set me back $20-30k... however I don't consider that remotely comparable to spending 20-30k on a modern commuter car

 

[THRESHIN]

Motherfuckers better not be messin with my 2001 Dodge Neon.

even if they did steal it, they wouldn't get far before it breaks down.

 

[Qinsp]

...
Granted, I am in the market for a 1970-72 Corvette which will set me back $20-30k... however I don't consider that remotely comparable to spending 20-30k on a modern commuter car

DUDE!!! Total piece of shit.

The fast or most collectable models were not 1970-72.

Best bargain of any sportscar built? 1997-2004 Manual Trans Corvette. C6.

Look for FRC models or Z06 models. These had a unique body style.

For collecting and not driving, the Stingrays. 1963 Corvette Stingray Z06 with split rear window is the King.

 

[Qinsp]

DOH!!! Third line C5. Shit.

 

[kdh]

What happens when your battery dies?

I have wires that run to a completely random part of the truck, folded up into some factory wireloom. You'd need to find it, pull it down, then connect it to a 12v power souce.

It would be faster for them to just smash the window.

 

[RocketFast321]

So my 1993 Plymouth Acclaim is safe?

Nope, they are pretty easy too like the dodge caravan from that era.

 

[Tudz]

DUDE!!! Total piece of shit.

The fast or most collectable models were not 1970-72.

Best bargain of any sportscar built? 1997-2004 Manual Trans Corvette. C6.

Look for FRC models or Z06 models. These had a unique body style.

For collecting and not driving, the Stingrays. 1963 Corvette Stingray Z06 with split rear window is the King.

I think you mean C5. If I only wanted to go fast for cheap, I would buy a C5 Z06, however I wouldn't be able to ship it and drive it in Australia without converting it to RHD which significantly adds to the cost. Believe me, I have considered a C5 Z06 for daily driving and then a C3 with a crate big block for a weekender It's just not as practical in Australia as it is in the US to do that.

When it comes to buying a classic car, the goal isn't always to buy the most collectible one possible, especially if you're like me and will drive it regularly and also want to autocross it just for the hell of it. So I'm aiming for a 1970-72 LT-1 or big block and if I become unsatisfied with the power, will just drop a crate engine in it.