• We are conducting our first ever Lotus Emira of the Month for May 2024. This will be a monthly contest and will be submissions from users, voted for by the membership. Please take a moment to check out thread here: 🏆 May 2024 - Emira of the Month starts now! (You can dismiss this message by clicking the X in the top right hand corner of this notice.)

Incredible how rampant car theft is in Canadian larger cities.

Maverick1

Emira Fanatic
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
Messages
309
Reaction score
421
Location
Canada
After watching this program, I never realized how easy it is for someone to steal modern cars.
Pick the door lock in 20 seconds, plug in a scan tool into OBD2 port and a few minutes later starts up the car and they're gone.
I know you gents across the pond are quite familiar with car theft.
I thought I'd be OK by just using a Faraday bag for my key fob, but apparently not.
I don't think a tracking system is the answer, because that does not prevent your car from being stolen, and the thiefs can either strip out the car, or joyride in it doing great damage before the authorities locate it, so tracking is really not the answer, you want to make your car very difficult to steal in the first place.
One solution I found, which looks to be quite simple yet effective is to install a hidden "kill switch" for the ignition, fuel pump etc.
So even if the thief picks the door lock, and unlocks the ignition, they won't be able to start the car without flipping on the kill switch.
I will also probably get a wheel lock boot.
A real pain but unfortunately I'll be parking my car outside on my driveway.
I could not believe that thieves will steal cars right out of shopping center parking lots, that's where a hidden kill switch would come in handy.
Any of you gents planning on addressing this issue with your Emira's?
If you're going on vacation of a while, one thing you could do is pull out the ignition or fuel pump relay from the fuse box.
 
Last edited:

Eagle7

Emira Aficionado
Joined
Nov 20, 2021
Messages
2,858
Reaction score
5,938
Location
United States
Emira Status
Emira Owner
Just buy insurance instead and make theft the insurance companies problem.
Except that it isn't the insurance company's problem. It becomes our problem because they pass the costs onto us in the form of higher rates.

So your Emira has just been stolen, the insurance company doesn't pay you for the full value because you've used it, so they take depreciation from your settlement, and it takes 2 years before you can get another one. No thank you.

A kill switch is a great idea, and one I'll be considering. Just put it in a place where if you're being observed, they can't tell you have one because they don't see you reaching to use it.
 
OP
M

Maverick1

Emira Fanatic
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
Messages
309
Reaction score
421
Location
Canada
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
Just buy insurance instead and make theft the insurance companies problem.
Great idea after waiting 1 or 2 years for the Emira, someone steals it and get compensated by your insurance company.
You're still out your car you waited so long for.
I plan on doing my best to make my car very difficult to steal.
 
OP
M

Maverick1

Emira Fanatic
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
Messages
309
Reaction score
421
Location
Canada
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
Cars with keyless entry and push button start have made car theft much easier.
Best system was the key with a unique chip in it.
Car companies have actually gone backward with these new systems.
Maybe it was intentional because the more cars stolen the more cars that have to be purchased as replacements.
 

Rudolph

Emira Fan
Joined
Feb 15, 2022
Messages
192
Reaction score
344
Location
Utrecht Netherlands
* * * * *
The Evora GT 410 Sport is in my garage........I bought a 1st class (Autobild tested) wheel clamp for some extra safety (for what it's worth).

IMG-20220324-161130.jpg


Furthermore, I have constructed a "pedal lock" myself for fixing the pedal of the automatic transmission......e.e.a. "locked" with an ABUS disc brake lock, which can be slid just over the (both lying against each other) pedal lock bar and automatic/brake pedal arm.
The whole is very robust; can of course always be cut with a power cutter, but the space on site is very limited...I'm very pleased with it.
I can make good use of this theft device if I, for example, abroad / e.g. Germany am at the hotel for the night.

IMG-20220401-182447.jpg


IMG-20220401-182559.jpg


IMG-20220401-182909.jpg


IMG-20220401-183020.jpg
 
Last edited:

Johnson

Emira Fanatic
Joined
Nov 19, 2021
Messages
447
Reaction score
672
Location
Tasmania, Australia
Emira Status
Emira Owner
That’s quite remarkable… I’d thought modern cars were fairly difficult to steal. Thanks for posting this.
 
OP
M

Maverick1

Emira Fanatic
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
Messages
309
Reaction score
421
Location
Canada
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #9
That’s quite remarkable… I’d thought modern cars were fairly difficult to steal. Thanks for posting this.
My friend modern cars have never been easier to steal.
I've read it's almost at epidemic levels in Britain.
I plan to put a kill switch in my car, and a wheel clamp looks like a great deterrent.
 

DerTheDer

Emira Maniac
Joined
Feb 12, 2022
Messages
1,166
Reaction score
1,261
Location
USA
Emira Status
Emira Owner
My friend modern cars have never been easier to steal.
I've read it's almost at epidemic levels in Britain.
I plan to put a kill switch in my car, and a wheel clamp looks like a great deterrent.
Ding ding ding, installing a kill switch is the best thing to do, in addition to a hidden battery cut off.
 

Johnson

Emira Fanatic
Joined
Nov 19, 2021
Messages
447
Reaction score
672
Location
Tasmania, Australia
Emira Status
Emira Owner
Ding ding ding, installing a kill switch is the best thing to do, in addition to a hidden battery cut off.

A battery cutoff seems ideal. As the battery’s in the boot, a simple toggle switch could sit on the enclosure. Does it need a particular amperage?
 

dgrace

Emira Fiend
Joined
Oct 10, 2021
Messages
800
Reaction score
1,635
Location
WA, USA
Emira Status
Emira Owner
This seems like it could be fixed by software. Allow users to specify a 4 digit PIN to enter on the touchscreen in order to start the car. 3 wrong entries locks you out for an hour and honks the horn / flashes lights for 15 seconds.
 

eriegz

Emira Maniac
Joined
Jan 29, 2022
Messages
1,176
Reaction score
2,938
Location
Canada
Emira Status
Emira on order
This seems like it could be fixed by software. Allow users to specify a 4 digit PIN to enter on the touchscreen in order to start the car. 3 wrong entries locks you out for an hour and honks the horn / flashes lights for 15 seconds.
Why isn't this a thing?? 🤯
 

Eagle7

Emira Aficionado
Joined
Nov 20, 2021
Messages
2,858
Reaction score
5,938
Location
United States
Emira Status
Emira Owner
If you kill the power from the battery before you leave the car, will you be able to lock the doors, and unlock them when you return?
 

NicolasB

Emira Maniac
Joined
Dec 17, 2021
Messages
1,230
Reaction score
2,015
Location
Ogdensburg NY
You don't want a battery killswitch, bad idea and would require large wire/switch. Just something simple like fuel pump relay or main ignition circuit.
 

4GIV8M3

Emira Fan
Joined
Jan 9, 2022
Messages
143
Reaction score
125
Location
USA
I know statistics show otherwise but I've never met anyone that has had their car stolen. It's not even something that crosses my mind, thankfully. Very interesting to see all the pedal locks and other things
 

Porter

tap tap... is this thing on?
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
2,649
Reaction score
4,747
Location
DC/Virginia, USA
Emira Status
Emira Owner
You don't want a battery killswitch, bad idea and would require large wire/switch. Just something simple like fuel pump relay or main ignition circuit.
You would do it with a large relay at the battery, and the remote switch on a normal 18ga wire. There are purpose-built systems for this, centered around very large current draw car audio systems.
 

Similar threads

Top