Freaked Out, Is it Really that Easy to Steal our Trucks?
 

I went for a run at a park then came back to my truck and there was a couple in a minivan parked beside me smoking cigarettes. I unlock my truck and proceed to get in when the guy says, "hey buddy can I tell you something? Do you know your driving the easiest vehicle in the world to steal?". I said that I had heard some things about that and he proceeded to go into great detail about how it's done, then told me not to ask him how he knows the info and to get Lojack and good insurance. Needless to say it freaked me out that he gave me all the specifics on how it is done. I wrote down a description of the vehicle and the tag number. Is it really so easy?? What is the best way to prevent damage and theft?

Well he's certainly right about how easy it is to get in them. There are many threads here that describe unwitting owners coming back to find their locks punched out and personal belongings gone. It supposedly takes less than 15 seconds to punch out the lock cylinder and get into the truck.

Many advocate the use of Jimmi Jammers to prevent the easy access to the truck.

I recommend a good insurance policy. The sad truth is that no matter what you do, a determined scumbag will ALWAYS be able to get into your truck. Even with products like Jimmi Jammers the thief will still cause damage to your door, which won't be cheap to fix. There is no good solution to this problem!

Now I believe the new 6.7L trucks with the transponder key are much harder to drive off with than the older models, so I'm not sure if your "friend" is correct about that.

Earlier Super Duty's did not have the microchip ignition key. Thieves could just punch the door lock ( still can) and smash the steering wheel ignition lock and start it with a screwdriver. Now that the truck has the embedded chip technology it is much more difficult for the average car thief to steal it...professionals will get it if they want it...even if they have to flatbed it...

There is a foolproof product out there that requires a special plug to start the truck. No plug...no start...but your remote start will not work either if the security plug is in your pocket.

My truck is insured and I do not worry much about it being stolen.

Tom said it first...no key...no easy way to steal it

Regards

The older Ford Trucks are much easier to steal than the 2011's. He is not correct about the new ones, but definately the older HD's are the easiest to steal. There are a number of members here who can atest to that fact.

I am one of the victims of the punched lock. I was in Houston at an Olive garden eating lunch on a sunday. Came out and noticed the lock dust shield looked funny. Looked closer and found the top of the door handle pulled out and the door was unlocked. Nothing was taken luckily. Cost $856 to repair the door and handle. I installed Jimmy Jammers once the door was fixed. I would rather slow the scumbag down and have to pay for the damage than to let said scumbag profit from me. Nothing is foolproof nor safe if someone wants in though.

My brother finally gave up locking his truck. He was tired of fixing his locks from being punched out so he cleans his truck out every night and leaves it unlocked. Was ticked the other night he accidently locked his truck and the next morning they were punched out again. Its a great world we live in sometimes!

Same thing happened to me on my last Silverado. I was able to fix that one myself. I suppose most anything with a keyhole in the door could be a victim.

I was thinking the same thing on the transponder key in this generation vs the last making it much more difficult.

I think the product referred to above is the Ravelco system. I had that in one car that I used to own. Has a round plug that you pull out and take with you. One concern I had with that is what if you lose the plug?

One other issue with the Ravelco. Without the plug installed, your remote start capabilities are useless. Unless you install bullet proof glass, anti armor piercing sheet metal and a scum bag detecting Gatling gun, you will always be vulnerable.

I have a LoJack system in my Vette with remote notification of theft -- what do I think I bought? A device to allow me to locate where some of my parts ended up :'(

Vehicle theft systems on today's vehicles are nothing more than a deterrent for an almost honest thief thinking about breaking into your vehicle. Those that want in, will get in. Those that want your truck, will get your truck...

The product you guys mention is supposed to be pretty good. Ravelco has sold a lot of these, and they supposedly make the truck nearly impossible to drive away with.

They work by rewiring various things under the dash and hood and routing them through an armored conduit to the plug. By removing the cap you break the circuit in a number of different systems which makes the truck impossible to start. This is the reason I would never get one of these. I'm sure their installers are pretty good, but if you ever had a wiring problem with the system, the dealer would be useless. I don't think a Ravelco install tech can troubleshoot a truck's wiring system, and likewise a Ford tech couldn't troubleshoot anything wired into the Ravelco.

If you're worried about someone taking your truck, this would be the ticket. I just pay my insurance premiums and choose not to worry! :D

My 2006 was stolen just a couple of months ago (as many of you know), in broad daylight at shift change, in my work parking lot that my window overlooks and under the watchful eyes of on-site security guards and video cameras. With signs posted at all entries attesting to such. The thieves didn't care. It took them less than 30 seconds to break in and drive off - I know all this because I'm in IT here and had to pull the video clips from the dvr to make copies for the cops. Nothing like watching someone steal your truck, over and over again, while you mark down time stamps.

They got away scot-free, btw. A suspected Mexican theft ring in this part of the state, as many similar trucks were targeted over a two-week period.

That being said, my new truck is now parked...... in the exact same spot in our parking lot. No extra security devices, no alarms, no kill switch - I figure if they want this one, they'll take it too and guess what? I'll just get another one. Geico might not like it too much, but they did me right on the last one and I have no doubt that they'll do the same should it happen again. I never have been one to keep a lot of stuff in my truck, so I really don't worry about losing much except hitches and remotes. Insurance covers those too, so no biggie.

Do I want them to steal this this truck? Of course not, but if they do it won't break my heart like it did with the first one. I don't have anything extra invested in it yet, except some window tinting, so it's just a stock truck. I guess I'd be a bit more protective if it was customized or had a high dollar stereo installed or something along those lines. As it is, it's just a truck. And an easily replaced one, at that.

Pam,

...well said by a gal with some experience...thanks for the testimonial

Regards

Thanks Ric. Although, I do have to say I'd be majorly pissed to come out and find my door lock punched!

My old neighbor is an Arizona DPS auto theft detective. He told me that it is impossible to make your vehicle theft proof. His best suggestion was Lojack. He said in the Phoenix area the thieves now steal the vehicles and drive them to a nearby large apartment complex. The reason for this is that they do not know if a vehicle they have stolen has Lojack or not. They leave it at the apartment complex for three or four days because no one at a large apartment complex thinks twice about a strange vehicle there. By that time the police will have found the vehicle if it is Lojack equipped and if not the thieves know it is safe to take it wherever they are going to strip it or whatever their plan for the vehicle was. He said the Lojack vehicles will have some damage but at least you get your vehicle back.

Lojack would have found mine in Mexico three hours after it was stolen. I'm sure the back seat and console were already gone by then. I'm surprised that in AZ they don't immediately hit the border as well.

In southern AZ they do. Phoenix however is a ways from the border with a lot of highway patrol and border patrol in between. Probably too risky. My neighbor said a lot of the F-350's stolen in the Phoenix metro area end up on the reservation south of town. He said they recover at least one a day there and that they have recovered up to four in a single day out there.