Can our trucks be hot wired?

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peter cain

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Well having been a repo man for a few years I will say that a tow truck can get in and out rather quickly with a vehicle but since it was backed in then more than likely that was not used becauseorher equipmentwould'vebeen needed to roll the truck out of the driveway. There are pretty sophisticated but very expensive computers that can clone the fobs but that would require your fobs in hand in order to clone them. We have a mobile key guy that makes keys and programs fobs for us at work that has the equipment. Is it possible that the keys are hung up somewhere in the house or garage that's within range of the truck to be able to start it?
No, the keys were in the house. Still are. It’s possible I forgot to lock the doors when I parked it, but I don’t have anything like a hide-a-key anywhere.
 
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peter cain

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Here’s my story. The truck was stolen on Wednesday. That morning, I went to the shop to do some work and get my mind off of this. I’m a mechanic and have my own business. Anyway, about 10:30, my bank calls and asks me if I wrote a check to a guy for “equipment reimbursement”. I said that doesn’t sound likely, can you send me a picture of the check. She did, and it was a check from my checkbook, but it was not me who wrote it. Not my handwriting, not my signature. So I had left my company checkbook in the center console! I told the bank to please seal off that account RIGHT NOW, and I’ll come open a new one asap. So I stopped what I was doing and ran to the bank, and got all that straightened out. Then I noticed they have security cameras everywhere. I asked if there was any good footage of the guy. The teller said she didn’t know, and called the manager over. The manager told me the request for that footage has to come from law enforcement. So ok, I called my guy, and told him all this, and sent the pic of the check. A few hours later he calls me back and said the name on the check was the name of a guy who just had his car broken into a few days prior, and it’s likely the “suspect” in that case is the same guy just going out perpetrating. He said “suspect”. I’m trying not to read too much into that. I haven’t heard anything about the video yet. Anyway, I thought you’d like to hear my story :)
 

RamDiver

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That sounds like it could be a solid lead.

My fingers are crossed and hoping this could help you get your truck back.

And thanks for the update. I'm certain many people here will be pleased to hear this. :cool:
 

RamDiver

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So backed into a locked garage is my best defense?

As you can see in my avatar, that's where mine lives, mostly.
And there isn't any extra room inside that tiny barn to configure anything for extraction.

I do occasionally leave it out in the woods in the middle of nowhere or in some deserted dive site locations in North Florida. That's when I wish I had a kill switch. :-/
 

Travelin Ram

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Seems to be far too many reports of this lately. If I had to park exposed I’d probably go with 2 deterrents:

1- a kill switch so it can’t be started.
2- aftermarket alarm to make a lot of noise if they open a door or start lifting it with a tow truck. Based on the theory they will anticipate the OEM alarm but not something non-standard.

Motion lights, cameras and so forth are good deterrents also. Living in a more rural setting I run a home automation network that watches my entire property and outbuildings and communicates with my alarm system. If I’m away I’ll get a message if a person is seen by the cameras. At night a human trespassing will turn on all the exterior lights (it discriminates objects such as people, pets, vehicles etc.).
 

RamDiver

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Seems to be far too many reports of this lately. If I had to park exposed I’d probably go with 2 deterrents:

1- a kill switch so it can’t be started.
2- aftermarket alarm to make a lot of noise if they open a door or start lifting it with a tow truck. Based on the theory they will anticipate the OEM alarm but not something non-standard.

Motion lights, cameras and so forth are good deterrents also. Living in a more rural setting I run a home automation network that watches my entire property and outbuildings and communicates with my alarm system. If I’m away I’ll get a message if a person is seen by the cameras. At night a human trespassing will turn on all the exterior lights (it discriminates objects such as people, pets, vehicles etc.).

Adding the house garage & barn to the security system has been on my list for too long. My barn isn't locked and I haven't yet repaired the backdoor lockset for the garage.

I live in a rural area too and rarely see anyone but neighbors and contractors.
 
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peter cain

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I just talked to a friend of mine who is in law enforcement. I asked him if I should start on getting another truck or should I wait. Just assuming mine is long gone. He said to wait. He said newer fancier trucks get chopped for parts, but older trucks like mine usually get used in the commission of a crime like pulling open doors or pulling out ATMs. Then they’ll drive it 100 miles away and dump it. Then it eventually gets found and recovered by state patrol. So, the good news is, that there is a good chance it’ll come back. The bad news is, not only do we not know what condition it’ll be in (who knows what they’ll do), but I’m also on the hook to pay for the recovery. So I’m not done getting screwed here. I think that made this into a worse situation than I originally thought.
 

Docwagon1776

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I just talked to a friend of mine who is in law enforcement. I asked him if I should start on getting another truck or should I wait. Just assuming mine is long gone. He said to wait. He said newer fancier trucks get chopped for parts, but older trucks like mine usually get used in the commission of a crime like pulling open doors or pulling out ATMs. Then they’ll drive it 100 miles away and dump it. Then it eventually gets found and recovered by state patrol. So, the good news is, that there is a good chance it’ll come back. The bad news is, not only do we not know what condition it’ll be in (who knows what they’ll do), but I’m also on the hook to pay for the recovery. So I’m not done getting screwed here. I think that made this into a worse situation than I originally thought.


No insurance on the truck?

Your friend's experience is pretty spot on here as well, doubt your truck is making a run for the border from CO and will likely be recovered in a couple of days or so. Once you start getting to a week or more, chances of a recovery decline pretty rapidly, especially in a drivable condition.
 
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peter cain

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No insurance on the truck?

Your friend's experience is pretty spot on here as well, doubt your truck is making a run for the border from CO and will likely be recovered in a couple of days or so. Once you start getting to a week or more, chances of a recovery decline pretty rapidly, especially in a drivable condition.
I only have (had) liability and medical. That thing was go ugly I never thought it would get stolen. I thought I was safe. I was obviously naive. I have theft on my other cars, just not that one.
 

Wild one

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I have a kill switch installed on my FCA products,about all i hope it'll do is slow down the joy rider,as i know it won't stop the dedicated thief.Video is for the cars,but the trucks use the same wiring on the ignition switch.

 

turkeybird56

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My 2011 5.7 was just stolen the other day, right out of my driveway. I live right on a busy street, and car thefts are on the rise. The Sheriff deputy I’m working with says thrives are getting more and more bold, and I’m just the latest victim. Anyhow, on to my question. Can these trucks be hot wired and the door slim-jimmied? There was no sign of break in, and the guy was quiet and quick enough I didn’t even hear him. I thought that the smart keys and whatnot made it impossible to start without the key. How are these scumbags doing it these days? Can they spoof the key so it’ll start? I know I’m never going to see my truck again, it’s probably already a pile of parts. I’d just like to know how he did it so easily? Thanks!
IF they really want to get your ride, yes they can. Look at all the electronic stuff they do and rip off brand new Chargers and Demons and such right from the plants. Just depends.
 

Freakydude

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So, with a slim Jim and a laptop these guys can just drive off? Nice. That’s what I wanted to know. Thanks!
All it takes is a radio device ie a cell phone lol you don't need the slim jim if there are remote doors.
People that lock their car doors before going to bed are the worst, by activating the lock they send a radio signal out that gets copied by a guy in a car 30-50 feet down the road.
 

Fishinguy

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Cover your vin on your dash. They will take a picture of the vin with a phone quickly walking by, and then they can make a copy of the fob through various means.
 

Rzrbrn

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I don't mean to hijack this thread, however, my son recently had his catalytic converter stolen. He lives in a city and has to park on the street. I have never had a car stolen. This is what happens when you defund the police or reduce their budget. Some years ago I was driving to work in Nashville, TN. Medium traffic, passed a guy driving, ON THE INTERSTATE, with "The Club" steering wheel locked in place. This was before cell phones were available.
 

DickLowman

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This may not apply to older trucks but might apply to those with the new fobs. That got me to wondering. For those vehicles equipped with upfitter switches, could a key ignition circuit be tied to one of those switches? For example, could the ignition be disabled unless and until, say, switch 5 is activated? Most thieves would not likely know to play with the upfitter switches while trying to steal a car, even if they had a fob or some way to override it. Based on the advice of another person posting, I now carry the big bulky fob on a carabiner, but that is inconvenient carrying that around for days on end when not driving the truck. I would like to leave the fob in the truck when parked in the shop, but that is a risk if someone should break into the shop. And running back and forth between the shop and the house to retrieve the fob is a nuisance when shop and house are at a distance. Yes there are other ways to deal with this problem, but would tying the ignition to a switch solve the big fob problem while offering additional protection against hot wiring?
 

Docwagon1776

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Cover your vin on your dash. They will take a picture of the vin with a phone quickly walking by, and then they can make a copy of the fob through various means.

Unlikely to be an issue, but illegal in many states and often grounds for a tow and impound to verify ownership. Search "obstructed VIN" or "concealed VIN" in your state's codes.
 

Jordyrx

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I have salvaged dozens of the 2009 to 2022 ram trucks and most don’t come with keys as people tend to retain their keys in the event of an accident , so I simply assign a new key fob to them in order to run engines and preform function tests of vehicles systems and components before dismantling or repairing them .
New proximity key fobs or Fobik keys are around $20 ea online and programming them to these trucks and all mopars of these years literally only takes seconds with very minimal technical ability and extremely cheap software that’s readily available online, so I am actually very surprised to see people on this forum not understanding how easy these trucks would be to steal if one was interested in doing so .
Hell I’ve just programmed a new fobik to my own truck rather than searching for my existing keys when I’ve misplaced them as it’s quicker than tearing the house apart searching all over for my lost keys :)
 

Wild one

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This may not apply to older trucks but might apply to those with the new fobs. That got me to wondering. For those vehicles equipped with upfitter switches, could a key ignition circuit be tied to one of those switches? For example, could the ignition be disabled unless and until, say, switch 5 is activated? Most thieves would not likely know to play with the upfitter switches while trying to steal a car, even if they had a fob or some way to override it. Based on the advice of another person posting, I now carry the big bulky fob on a carabiner, but that is inconvenient carrying that around for days on end when not driving the truck. I would like to leave the fob in the truck when parked in the shop, but that is a risk if someone should break into the shop. And running back and forth between the shop and the house to retrieve the fob is a nuisance when shop and house are at a distance. Yes there are other ways to deal with this problem, but would tying the ignition to a switch solve the big fob problem while offering additional protection against hot wiring?
Already posted this farther up.Same idea would apply to an upfitter switch,and the same wire could be used

 
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