i said it in a few other posts but as an ex repo man i can tow our trucks away in under 15 seconds, on some brands u can get a base model ecm that does not have the chip in the key plug that ecm in and have a unchipped key start the car. idk if that works on a ford. As for breaking into the truck we used a tool called a bigeasy you can google it i can be in my 2011 f350 in about 15 seconds. And thats if i dont have a slimjim. As for the Jimmi Jammers even if that stops the low lifes trying 2 punch our locks they can still break the window. A a friend of mine had his power back window pushed in and truck empty in his own yard, when he found the truck the windown was fine just on his back seat. Bottom line is guys if its made by man it can and will be defeated by man. take your lifes back stop worrying about your truck, insurance will pay to replace them but they don't give you a dime for your worrying. Pay your insurance and enjoy you trucks.

 

Yes insurance will pay for your truck.....less mods pretty much. What you can't get back is the time and effort you spent on your truck, making it your own. Technically, your truck is like in the old days a horse....and what happened to horse thieves? (Dang I wish I had a noose icon) We take this too lightly in this country. Thats why these sub-human thieves are allowed to run rampant. I like the James Bond movie that had the car that on the window was printed "theft proof", and the car exploded when the thief opened the door. Or check this youtube video out: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nRqbQr7VGk" These have made me feel better, hope it works for you.

 

i am 100% with you on that, in fact my motorcycle was stolen last Easter Sunday from in front of my house and i will say first hand it was ONE OF THE WORST FEELING IV FELT IN MY 28 YEARS ALIVE the b@lls they have 2 come and take it on Easter with all my family around. It made me and my family and whole small neighbohood feel uneasy for months.

With all that said my comments before where from someone that use to back into driveways sometimes 10 a night and 99% of the time the owners have no clue we have their car till we call them. and this is why i say insurance is all u can do because worrying and being parnoied will get you NO WHERE.
<cite></cite>

 

I can see the points of view of fatheadon and ketchup. We ultimately pay for it through the cost of insurance and also for the additional security hardware the OEM adds like PATS. Our society has accepted this and that is where I think ketchup's point is valid. Hang a few car thieves and it will have an impact. I have been to countries where theft is considered a significant crime and you pay for it, in some cases with body parts.

 

I installed this unit on my truck last week, it's a real time gps tracker for those interrested in recovering a stolen vehicle and busting the bad guys: Real-Time GPS Tracking SilverCloud by LandAirSea Inc.
I love it, works like a charm

 

I have spent a lot of time studying the 2011-2014 F150's 80 bit PATS system. I do not see anyway that someone can quickly bypass it.

You can not just change the PCM to bypass PATS. First, no one can turn PATS off within the PCM, not SCT or any of the other software tool suppliers. But, even if someone does figure out how to turn off PATS within the PCM, the truck still will not start. The PATS key code is wired to the BCM (Body Control Module). The BCM used a micro to control FETs that switch grounds for two key relays as well as supplying power for a fused signal to the PCM that is not PATS related but still dependent on the micro in the BCM getting correct PATS code from key.

So swap the PCM with a "special non-PATS" PCM, ground two relays under the hood, and hot wire one circuit going to the PCM. That is not a 60-second process even if you find the truck unlocked!

Now, if you have a Ford VCM programming tool, there is another way. You remove the steering column cover, disconnect the PATS key sensor and plug in your own, disconnect the ignition switch and plug in your own that has an 80-bit PATS key. Now you connect the VCM to the diagnostic port and to your WiFi laptop computer, and then go through the procedure for re-programming the PATS for the new key. This process has two 30-second time-outs and takes about 5 mins total for a trained tech. But, you can then drive-off in your stolen 2011-2014 F150.

 

No one looks twice or questions when a tow truck hooks up to a vehicle. Most tow drivers look like they just got out of prison again and likely have a few friends with matching tattoos in the 'distribution' business. I had a REALLY LOUD mustang stolen out of my driveway, it was never started, likely a tow job. PATS wont help in this case. Even if the alarm is going off no one cares.

 

The city I live in has a lot of crime, and a lot of cars get stolen.
I use a club on the steering of my car and truck, and never had anything stolen yet......Maybe I would not have even without it, but the peace of mind is nice for me, as I am a worrier.

 

Smoky,

You are correct on the tow truck as the best means of stealing a car or truck. No one bats an eye when you see one hooking up to a vehicle. A year or so ago my friend had his new Dodge Charger stolen from movie parking lot. People saw the tow truck, but no one tried to stop or reported it. They never found it. Likely in parts or shipped out of country.

I am sure PATS prevents kids from stealing F150s without the keys, but nothing stops a tow truck.

 

Club is easy to defeat. Car thieves in Miami used to leave the club in two pieces in the parking spot where the car was parked. Basically they freeze the lock and it shatters...

However, making it take the thief a longer than normal time to figure things out will deter them from your vehicle. Jimmi Jammer is great if the theif wants to go that route and no break out a window. (Had both happen to my 2011, they jammed/broke the lock and I fixed it but didn't hook the lock back up so the next time they broke the window out). All they wanted was to steal stuff inside the truck. PATS prevented it from being stolen. Yes, insurance took care of it, but the truck was never the same. The door panel never went back on 100% right.

The tow truck is hardest to defeat. Only method I know is physical violence.

BTW - GPS trackers are great, but a pro has a way to make that useless. And they don't even have to find the actual GPS device.

 

It's harder to bypass PATS than any Ravelco or other anti-theft device. Also, just because someone "heard" that a new Ford with PATS was hot-wired in 60 seconds, doesn't make it true.... unless we're talking about an older vehicle without PATS. Then all bets are off.

Even with sophisticated equipment, it still takes a professional car thief a lot of time to bypass PATS.

Which comes to the real point: what's the best way to protect your vehicle? Layered protection.

Layer 1 - common sense. Don't leave your keys in your vehicle, watch where you park, don't leave valuables laying around, etc. Also hidden keys are a bad idea.

Layer 2 - visual/audible theft deterrent device. Alarms with a flashing LED are recommended here. Some say that things like window etching, VIN stamping, etc are also helpful, but most thieves just ignore that stuff. Someone buying parts on the black market doesn't give a damn about etching, and they certainly aren't looking for etching when they are breaking into the vehicle in the first place. An actual alarm and flashing light tells most thieves to find an easier target elsewhere.

Layer 3 - vehicle immobilization device. This is where PATS comes into play. There are other devices like The Club, kill switches and plugs, etc. But it's been proven time and time again that these systems can be defeated very quickly. Although they can be a visual theft deterrent, they MUST rely on the vehicle owner to remember to use them properly. Something like PATS now takes away all but the most professional thieves... and tow trucks.

Layer 4 - vehicle tracking device. This is where you see the likes of Lo-Jack and others. These systems do work, provided that you report the vehicle stolen quickly after it's gone and activate tracking before there is a chance for them to disable it. Problem is there's a cost and ongoing subscription charge, but the flip side is that these companies often have a secondary insurance policy to cover additional loss that your insurance company won't cover.


That's pretty much all anyone can really do. Anything else relies on your insurance policy to handle the rest in the event that your vehicle is actually stolen. The thing is, someone can take your truck, and it can be replaced. What's becoming far more prevalent is personal content theft (phones, laptops, tablets, etc), and identity theft. Thieves are now stealing your contents of your vehicle, along with your registration information, and then using that along with the data on your phone and laptop to steal your identity and banking information. So really it's far more important to secure your personal belongings than your vehicle, as identity theft has far more reaching consequences and headaches for you down the road than going to a dealer with an insurance check and buying a new truck.

 

Sorry, but I don't beleve this... Freezing metal (even cryogenic freezing) will not make it any more brittle and capable of being shattered with normal means...
Look around on YouTube and other video hosts that would have TONS of videos on how to defeat the Club and other steering wheel locking devices..
Yes, there are some very cheaply made devices that could possibly be cut with a large bolt cutter, but you won't be snapping through The Club that easily...

One of the key points of The Club is - make the other guy's vehicle look more inviting than your own.

Back when I lived and worked in high crime areas, I put the club on my cars even though they had PATS. Why? Because car theives are generally idiots and many think that all they have to do is punch the lock and their off driving. Of course once they damage the crap out of your ride, punch the lock, etc - THEN they find out that the PATS system exists and the car does not run...
If they see that they not only have to defeat your club, then pinch the lock - well - maybe the idiot will pick the next guy's ride to steal...

 

Just to clarify, my truck that was stolen was an '06. It was parked in my work parking lot, in front of the building and visible through two stories of windowed offices; they stole it about 3:30 in the afternoon, under surveillance cameras and with a guard supposedly on watch. It was stripped and went to Mexico, brought a load of illegals back and was wrecked (totaled) when the SO started chasing them through south Texas cow pastures.

The cops were very, "Oh yeah, it's a typical<blah blah> (they had an actual nickname for those types of robberies), it's probably in Mexico by now." when I discovered it gone and reported it later that day.

Not sure what I could have done to prevent that. My impression is that if they want it bad enough, they'll take it - regardless of situation or circumstance.

 

I am kind of surprised that no one mentioned Fords secondary anti-theft device. It is almost undefeatable once it activates, it enables the truck by causing it to go into a limp mode that allows the truck to be moved to the side of the road where it must sit until the exhaust cools enough to reset the PCM.


Yeap, I am speaking of the Exhaust Temp Sensors. Problem is that it does not seem to activate on all trucks nor at the proper time to only stop truck theft. But, have no fear as I hear there will be an computer update soon to correct the issues.


Yes, I jest. Point is that if a thief wants your truck, he is going to take it. Ford has a pretty good system in place, but it ain't perfect....though close.


As for the EGT sensors, yes that was sarcasm, the sensor problem is a known issue with so far no fix in the system that we know of. I just get tired of reading the often posted problem as if it is something new that just occurred. So I figured I would just make light of the problem.


I did just yesterday read an article that said that the most stolen vehicle in Texas is the F-Series truck. I guess if having your Ford Superduty taken from you is keeping you up at night, you may want to look into buying a GM or Dodge.......LOL, yes, yet another very weak stab at humor!!!!

 

LOL Jon....

Sort of like the back-up braking system in the 1982 Ford Escort.. It was controlled by a button on the dash labeled AC...