My F-250 was stolen last August (2011) from my work's parking lot in a busy area in the middle of the day!! When recovered I could see they punched the lock cylinder out of the passenger door. They also tried to pry the sheet metal back under the door handle.

A little research on here helped me understand why they tried to go under the door handle. It also helped me to realize that Ford made some WEAK-AZZ door locks for these trucks. Really? The base model XL costs $22k and the top-of-the-line Lariat is over $60,000!!!!

For that kind of money they can't put in a REAL door lock???!!!

Anyway, as part of my effort to make things more difficult the next time I installed Jimmi Jammer plates on the door handles. You can find more information here:

In door lock security plates to prevent vehicle theft

I don't know if a site sponsor sells them but if so, go there.

My wife also bought me a Compu-Star remote start and 2-way alarm for Christmas. Early this week, while at my desk, my key fob starts going crazy - beeping, vibrating across the desk...

I figured someone bumped it and there's no way some FOOL would try this twice so I didn't run to the lot. I wish I would have b/c I found the key lock cylinder punched!!!!

Yes, a SECOND attempt to steal it!! Now it looks better than before - all new parts that they stripped, new paint, etc. (they did damage to the truck, too).

I am 110% convinced that because of the Jimmi Jammers - first line of defense - and the car alarm - second line, my truck is still in my possession today!!!!!

The cylinder was only about 1/16" punched in and there was a tool mark where they tried to pry it up. It was obvious the Jimmi Jammers prevented the lock from being forced in far enough to open the door!!

Jimmi Jammers cost under $40 - and had I known about them before I would have had them installed long ago. The 99-up Superduty is, hands down, the hottest stolen vehicle right now. In my county, 50 have been stolen since the first of the year. F I F T Y!!!! I wonder how many unsuccessful attempts have also been made!!??

This is a Public Service Announcement!! BUY AND INSTALL Jimmi Jammers!! No - I have ZERO vested interested in this company or their products but it would be a damn shame if even ONE more Ford owner lost a Superduty because the didn't install them!!!

GET ER DONE!!!

This has been a Public Service Announcement by R U N V S!!

 

altho i do think they stopped the thief in your case, the way they got into my truck (didn't try to steal the truck, but my avic-d3 nav/dvd stereo grew a pair of legs) was to bend a flat blade screw driver at a 90 degree angle and insert it into the key hole and put enough downward pressure on the screwdriver to turn the whole lock assembly in the door handle. basically it was the same as if they had used a key, in fact all i had to do was turn the lock tumbler back into position and everything snapped back into place/nothing was broken. does anyone know how to prevent this in the future/beef up our plastic door handles? i do have an alarm on the way because i'm convinced that givin the time of day (around 2-4am) the thief wouldn't be sticking around all the noise to pry out a stereo.

 

i know it's out there already, but the less we publish this on the public internet the better.

 

ohio getting that bad? where at in ohio was this?

 

If you could legally kill car theifs this problem would quickly go away.

 

here ya go
South African Car Flamethrower - YouTube

 

If they can't pop your lock, they'll bust the window... I heard Ravelco is pretty much impossible to get past though.

 

That's what I have.

 

Obviously there is no completely theft-proof device - at least legal ones. My son asked me "what if we do all this stuff and they steal it anyway?"

I explained that someone could get a repo truck, back up with the stinger and drive away in 60-seconds without even touching the truck. Even with the alarm sounding, bystanders would think the vehicle was getting repo'd... If someone wants it bad enough, they'll get it!!

My intention is just, to the best of my ability, make it a frustrating process for these clowns. Time is the one thing they don't have. If they can't get into the truck in short order, they are gone... There are a dozen other similar vehicles in a half-mile radius that do NOT have the anti-theft devices and they'll go take one of them instead...

AUGUST 2011 (no Jimmi Jammers)



MARCH 2012 (with Jimmi Jammers)


I am thankful they didn't try to pry under the door handle or shatter the window!! They could have done that just for spite!

 

In some states, Texas is one IIRC (don't take this as gospel and someone correct me if I'm wrong), you can shoot to protect property. Great law for catching someone running out of your house or breaking into your car but way too easy to see someone shooting someone they just hated and then saying he/she had stolen something.

Anyway yes the best way to protect your vehicle is to always park it in a very visible spot, always in a lighted area and make it as frustrating as possible for a thief. Going the extra mile and installing strobes and a very unique/obnoxious alarm sound will help too. Finally, some sort of Lojack to get the vehicle back asap before it can be completely stripped/wrecked.

Oh, best BEST thing you can do yourself is a hidden fuel kill switch that only you know the location of.

 

Also if you have a sliding rear window, you can just take a bunch of pieces of packing tape, put then on the windows, and pry a bit till the plastic lock either brakes, or the trim just falls off. I've done this many times now, for people that lose their keys etc.

 

I have the ravelco as well. If they want it they will get in..but taking the truck is gonna be a different matter.

 

It's called the Castle Doctrine.... it can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/brauqyy

but may take some searching.....

 

If the GTA (Grand Theft Auto) or BFMV (Burglary from motor vehicle) susp comes at you with the screw driver or knife or something that could be used as a deadly threat, and he/she attempts to cause you grave bodily injury or death. You have the right to defend yourself with the use of deadly force. Or as the California penal code says The force that is reasonable or nesessary to over come the resistance. If you felt he/she was going to kill you and you can reasonably articulated the facts, it is justified.

 

They are nice, but not foolproof. I have those and my truck was broken into once. They tried prying under the handle and hit the Jimmi Jammer back up plate which stopped them in their tracks. Then they simply punched out the lock. Since there's really nothing but plastic in the assembly, you can't really expect the tiny hose clamp to secure the cylinder in place. Hit it hard enough and the clamp comes off and the plastic housing cracks and they still get in.

I like this one better Trunk Monkey Part 4 - High Quality - YouTube

But that only works if you actually catch them in the act. If you're like me, and in Texas, you walk outside and find the deed has already been done. With no one to shoot at, you're left just being upset that they got in and got some of your stuff.