Antitheft measures?

Only realized recently how common theft of Tacomas, 4Runners, Highlanders and Lexus SUVs are. Have been turning off my key fob every night to protect against relay attacks but thinking that I need an extra layer of protection for the OBD2 port and/or the steering wheel or brakes.

Any suggestions or experiences with the above? Not a fan of kill switches or anything that requires rewiring or GPS trackers that only really help with recovery. Going for a maximum deterrence approach short of installing a car boot.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/so-you-dont-want-your-truck-stolen.655197/

 

Seems like a major pain to rewire and solder. Couldn't you just pull the fuse if you wanted to kill ignition?

 

Take the keys out of it. Insure it.

is auto theft the big in Canada?

 

Only for Toyotas and Lexus, unfortunately for me;

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-toyota-lexus-thefts-1.5919112

Obviously it's insured but problem is with the waiting list for new 4Runners and Tacomas being months I'd either be forced to buy something else or have to wait months without a vehicle and then only to be likely targeted again once I have it. The thieves have the gall to repeatedly target the same homes.

 

Cameras or even mock cameras are a pretty good deterrent. Any security should include overlapping layers so locked truck, plus cameras, maybe an alert dog (mine will somehow wake up from dead sleep if someone walks by the house). Could also build a mote lol.

 

Would this work? I have this all for free now for 1st year, but what about the guest driver settings on the app? Set the speed limit at 5 MPH, miles set to 2, set the area limit, and enable it when it’s parked.

 

these guys usually cover their faces so not sure if camera will make them care. will definitely get a club as it seems practically none of the stolen vehicles in these reports had steering wheel locks, but I want one more layer to make things extra difficult. Maybe two, one for the wheel and another for wheel and pedal for redundancy?

 

some things you can do to prevent theft:

• turn off fob
• park in a well lit area
• obvious deterrents like cameras, lights, motion detectors, proximity to where you live
• pull a fuse that will prevent startup (fuel pump, ecu, ign, etc.)
• install a kill switch that will prevent startup (same options as above)
• install anti theft alarm on your car (kind of bleh nowadays)
• steering wheel lock (although can be easily defeated with hacksaw)
• pedal lock (find one that only locks only the pedal, if it ties onto the steering wheel it can be defeated just as easily as steering wheel lock)
• throw a on drivers footwell that sends a chime to a receiver you have indoors. Or battery powered motion security light on the drivers side floor
• install a ground anchor where you usually park with a chain. Throw a lock quickly on the tow loop on the front end at night
• an honest to god car boot. It's what we ended up having to do for my Dad's old Honda and is the only thing that actually worked as stopping people from trying to steal it (besides moving to another state).

Best advice is start doing stuff to prevent theft now, like by the end of today have a crappy steering wheel or pedal lock ordered and on its way to you ($40-60 CAD). Or disconnect the negative battery terminal every time you park at night (leave the 10mm wrench on your keychain loop) or pull a fuse. Start today/tonight. Have had too many friends and family debate about what option to go with because of efficacy vs. price/hassle and their vehicle ends up getting stolen before they ever make up their mind. Start doing crappy lame interventions now even if they are a hassle and don't let complacency prevail. If you go with a brake pedal lock, use it every single time you shut the truck off. Thieves don't wait for you to make up your mind or for you to be prepared; in fact, they encourage complacency and aboulomania.

 

• turn off fob - Check
• park in a well lit area -Semi check? Shared parking lot with 20-30 balconies with a view on the lot. Not especially well lit but not exactly inviting either.
• obvious deterrents like cameras, lights, motion detectors, proximity to where you live - thinking about doing a motion tracking light but again given these guys are brazen and wear masks I'm not sure what good this would do.
• pull a fuse that will prevent startup (fuel pump, ecu, ign, etc.) - any idea if I can pull a fuse in the cabin versus under the hood?
• install a kill switch that will prevent startup (same options as above) - This is a bit messy/ghetto feeling for a relatively new truck.
• install anti theft alarm on your car (kind of bleh nowadays) - No one usually cares about alarms during the day but I'm trying to protect against overnight theft so an alarm I imagine would either scatter these guys or at least alert me or a neighbor.
• steering wheel lock (although can be easily defeated with hacksaw) - have yet to hear of any of these high end Lexus or Toyota vehicles stolen with a wheel lock. The guys who steel these are not waiting around with physical tools, they have some electronic transmitters, an OBD scanner at most.
• pedal lock (find one that only locks the pedal, if it ties onto the steering wheel it can be defeated just as easily as steering wheel lock)- yeah, but the pedal locks are a much bigger pain for daily use. https://www.amazon.ca/YaeTek-Securi...ywords=brake+pedal+lock&qid=1618179579&sr=8-7
• throw a on drivers footwell that sends a chime to a receiver you have indoors. Or battery powered motion security light on the drivers side floor - interesting, can these actually wake you up?
• install a ground anchor where you usually park with a chain. Throw a lock quickly on the tow loop on the front end at night -interesting as well. the anchor can't possibly stop the truck but the thieves would ever have to deal with it or drag it around until they get somewhere secluded. Is that the idea?
• an honest to god car boot. It's what we ended up having to do for my Dad's old Honda and is the only thing that actually worked as stopping people from trying to steal it (besides moving to another state). -Car boot seems like a one and done solution but how much of a pain is this to install and remove?

 

+1 for the above post. I always leave my Miata's doors unlocked. If I park in a bad neighborhood for an extended period of time, I'll pull the fuel injector fuse. Some install hidden kill switches that are wired to similar components as well.

The issue with preventative controls is that if someone knows what they are doing, or are motivated enough, they will find a way to get it. The best you can hope to accomplish is to slow them down or unmotivate them, however, this can also be a double-edged sword. One of my buddies had a similar set-up with a kill switch in his gen-1 bronco, which unfortunately pissed off the would-be car thief. His interior was slashed to bits, his radio was smashed, wiring pulled and cut, exterior lock/handle ripped out with a flathead, etc. It was a beautiful truck

The best practice is to be smart and pay attention to the area where you park.

 

Mostly concerned about overnight theft at my home, which is sadly a thing in Canada these days. Usually it's organized crime scouting out vehicles ahead of time and coming back after hours to get in and reprogram their own key and drive off. I mostly want them to look at my vehicle and "move on".

I'm not concerned with pissing off a thief as a) it's still insured and b) the thief won't risk getting caught with all that noise breaking stuff in the middle of the night. These guys will need to move on to another truck as their boss probably expects them to come back with something stolen that night. "couldnt jack it but don't worry I messed up their truck pretty good" probably won't fly with a Tony Soprano.

This seems like a fairly easy boot to remove and install that should get the job done;

 

Get one of these .best security from thieves .

 

Dog

 

maybe from teenagers looking for a joy ride.
professional thieves all know how to drive stickshift

 

Bolt cutters. Two or three seconds at most.

 

It doesn't make much noise to smash in a window or vandalize a car, you'd be surprised. If they know what they are doing (i.e. programming Toyota keys), there's not much you can do. IMO your best bet is to pull a relay, as those can be vehicle/brand specific, however, they could always tow the truck out. If you can, blocking the truck in at night would also help. Battery locks are popular as well, but also only serve to slow down the thief.
https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Buyers-Products/3376391005.html

 

Fact is: if they want it, they'll get it. Luckily I live in an area where the easy targets are what they are after. I.e. unlocked with the keys in it. And yes, those people still exist.

 

Tacomas and 4Runners are not exactly rare vehicles though or one-of-a-kind. It's not a 1960s muscle car, not sure why any thief would bother with bolt cutters or drills when then are 3 other Tacomas down the street with no additional measures. The game is deterrence and of all camera footage of stolen vehicles I have only found one where a club was defeated and that was in a Detriot neighborhood.

 

I don't know about three seconds. Also doubt most of these thieves have $200 bolt cutters. I could be wrong but this doesn't seem to be the trend.