Auto theft is a huge concern for all of us, but especially for 4×4 owners. The largest targets being modern Jeeps with their keyless-entry and push-button start systems. Car thieves armed with only an iPad, can steal a modern Jeep in less than 60 seconds. Literally. Off-Road vehicles are in huge demand in South America, and especially so in the Middle East.
Unfortunately, if a thief wants your vehicle badly enough…they are going to get it…even if it means taking it at gun point. But there are three main factors that are of huge importance to any thief and that is that the job has to be easy, fast, and low risk to the thief. Car Jackings do happen but they aren’t too common because it comes with risk. Car thieves would much rather steal a vehicle from someone’s driveway while the owners are sleeping. This practice is a very low risk option and it’s also very fast and very easy. It’s these two areas that we can do something about though. We can make it harder, and/or more time consuming.
Visual deterrents are a good start. If a thief looks are your Jeep and sees locking hood latches, that means it will be more difficult to deactivate the horn alarm. If they see a steering wheel club (even those cheap ones that are easy to defeat), it will be harder and more time consuming to remove it. Now they have to bring extra tools like bolt cutters. Although, some more expensive steering wheel locks are extremely difficult cut off, and could damage the vehicle to the point of it being undrivable or undesirable. Now they have to replace the entire steering wheel, or part of the dashboard, and that’s an added hassle that thieves would prefer to avoid. Some people are even installing wheel clamps (or “boots” like those used by police when vehicles park illegally). These are very obvious and effective deterrents, but there are always ways around those also.
These are all obvious clues that the vehicle will physically harder and more time consuming to steal, and this makes the vehicle less desirable to the opportunistic car thief. There are less protected vehicles to be found on some other street.
Any easy option is to always store your wireless key fob in a Faraday pouch, thus preventing a potential thief from copying it through your front door while you’re sleeping. This technique of scanning your fob from outside your door has become the most common technique for vehicle theft. It’s fast, easy, and comes with little to no risk. By the time you realize your vehicle is missing, it’s already tucked away in a shipping container.
You could also install GPS trackers in the vehicle, and although it may not stop the theft, it may increase the chances of recovering your vehicle. Although some of these devices can be easily found and removed shortly after being stolen. If the thief knows, or even suspects that there is a tracker, they know more time will be needed to to dealt with it. If it’s not easily found and removed within a few minutes, they may want to just abandon the vehicle and cut their losses. Removing a tracker could take seconds, or several minutes, but that’s time they may not want to spend and it increases the risk of getting caught if police are already homing in on them. Some insurance companies are now insisting on installing a GPS tracker. Even just a window sticker claiming that a GPS tracker is present, may be enough to keep a thief away. Once it’s inside a shipping container though…it’s too late. The container will block the signal, and when the signal is detected again, it’s on the other side of the world.
Another device to consider is some sort of immobilizer which prevents the vehicle from either being started, or somehow otherwise making the vehicle undrivable. These aren’t visual deterrents though. It’s something the thief realizes is there once they’ve started the theft attempt. By now though, your window has already been broken, and they are inside your vehicle trying to figure out how to bypass whatever device is hindering their successful escape with your vehicle. These are often successful but you’ll still have a broken window to repair, and perhaps some wiring to repair.
Some people even install custom switches (known only to them) that disables a key function (like the fuel pump) preventing the operation of the vehicle. This will certainly leave a thief scratching their head, and they will likely abandon their attempt. Once again though, some damage was already done by the time they abandon their attempt to steal the vehicle.
My best advice, especially if you own a modern Jeep, is to make use of multiple anti-theft options. Do some research and talk to your local 4×4 shop to discuss options, then combine some. Depending on where you live, these measures aren’t just things to consider…they are mandatory. Not doing so, and your beloved 4×4 could soon end up in a shipping container, taking a slow boat ride to some far off land.
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