[lacrosse]

Keep it in your garage if you have one.

[Ethan Allen]

Originally Posted by C_A_Braun

You are making payments on a 13 year old Nissan? Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

Needed credit. It worked. I have 2 other cars I paid cash for.

Originally Posted by Irish4evr

Those key transponders can be circumvented ...they provide a false sense of security...They are better than nothing but unfortunately if they want it bad enough...they will figure out a way !

It is ridiculously easy to steal a car. It's even easier to to break into them. Don't leave anything valuable in them. Those chips are a joke. All the security measures can be overcome by anyone with internet access.
This is why I have older cars people don't even want.

[C_A_Braun]

Originally Posted by Ethan Allen

Needed credit. It worked. I have 2 other cars I paid cash for.

Is one of them a BMW?

[Ethan Allen]

Originally Posted by C_A_Braun

Is one of them a BMW?

No. I loathe Bmw. I'm a Nissan and Toyota guy.

[AA702]

I have a Toyota Tacoma myself and I think someone tried to steal it twice but they gave up on it since I do not think they can drive a manual shift. The second time I had "the club" installed and they tried to drive it but only made it down the block and couldn't turn. Ruined the ignition so I ended up installing an aftermarket one that wont start unless you flip the hidden switch to the fuel pump relay.

[clutchcargo777]

I have a Nissan truck disguised as a Suzuki. Unless someone knew better, why would anyone steal a Suzuki anything (other then a bike).

[BBMW]

From what I've hesrd, no easily. The method I've heard requires replacing the ECU. Auto theft is way down nationally becauseof these type of systems.

Originally Posted by Irish4evr

Those key transponders can be circumvented ...they provide a false sense of security...They are better than nothing but unfortunately if they want it bad enough...they will figure out a way !

[vtvette]

Originally Posted by BBMW

From what I've hesrd, no easily. The method I've heard requires replacing the ECU. Auto theft is way down nationally becauseof these type of systems.

^^^ This.

I work extensively with automotive electronics. Thanks to can bus technology you're not going to defeat a modern (last 10+ year) anti-theft device even with "access to the internet". Modern anti-theft devices are extremely sophisticated.

Auto theft nationally is way down the past 20+ years thanks to modern anti-theft devices and much improved enforcement techniques (plate scanners, better dispatch/officer communication, etc).

Also, there was a huge nationwide crackdown years ago to prevent body shops from using stolen parts and prevent simple VIN switching. Today, every panel on a car has the VIN number and a bar code attached to the panel to dissuade the use of stolen parts in the repair of damaged vehicles. Also, if there is any hint that a VIN has been swapped the VIN is now in so many places on a modern car (body panels, etched into the glass, etc) that it's easy to determine if the car is stolen right on the side of the road.

Nationwide databases like NCIC have also slowed vehicle theft way, way down. It's no longer as easy as simply bringing the car to another city or state.

The peak for auto theft nationwide was the early 90's:

https://www.nicb.org/newsroom/news-r...ft-in-the-u-s-

Does auto theft still happen? Of course it does. These days it's generally older cars (10+ years or older), crimes of opportunity, or someone stole your keys. Also, the majority of major auto theft these days occurs in port cities as cars are being stolen, immediately put into containers, then shipped overseas. When not a crime of opportunity the majority of these cars (especially if they are modern cars) are simply taken away with a flatbed tow truck.

Due to port proximity California has 9 of the top 10 cities for auto theft in the US the past few years. Seattle WA was the only other city on the list.

[Ethan Allen]

Car Thieves Use Handheld Electronics to Steal Keyless Cars - IEEE Spectrum



Apparently, some BMWs have the valet key in the toolkit in the trunk which means if you get inside the car, you can easily steal it.

[boatpi]

This is my business. Older cars are the ones generally stolen due to old non pass key ignition systems. if you have one of these cars, get Lo Jack or GPS immediatley.

That said Metro PD needs a well funded auto theft taskforce like all of CA has. they use bait cars, informants, surveillance, etc. In CA counties add $1-$2 on all vehicle registrations to fully fund these taskforces, it works and insurance rates are in chaek.

My observations is folks in Nevada are so against ANY taxes, they at times are short sighted. this is the case here. Metro PD is way underfunded to deal with the ever increasing population and tourist crime. Law makers do not vote in new taxes as loud voices roar from some of the public.

My response, then just suffer with the crime rate. Metro even eliminated the gang unit. So do not blame Metro, get smart and add a minor tax or fee here and there to make life better.

I suggested adding a 50 cent per room night fee so it goes directly to metro. So no tax on locals but touists pay for added protection.