Avoiding theft

G2G3Iconic said:

I would be interested to hear if anyone has ever had a Ravelco beaten. I like to read through these theft prevention threads, and I have never heard anyone claim they had a car stolen that had a ravelco installed. Many tales of break ins but not stolen with ravelco.

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Yes, just a couple weeks ago on the trx forum one was bypassed and driven away on camera. Happens all the time and has been for years. Myself and the one in the video bypassing it using one method are the ones that outed that company publicly for their lies and deception to countless people.
There is actually a much faster method to bypass it, takes 5-15 seconds total

Y’all are overthinking anti theft systems. Every time I finish driving I set a bear trap on the drivers seat.

vill said:

Y’all are overthinking anti theft systems. Every time I finish driving I set a bear trap on the drivers seat.

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And if ya forget its there, it'll remove any hemorrhoids ya might have....
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Aird_outSRT said:

Yes, just a couple weeks ago on the trx forum one was bypassed and driven away on camera. Happens all the time and has been for years. Myself and the one in the video bypassing it using one method are the ones that outed that company publicly for their lies and deception to countless people.
There is actually a much faster method to bypass it, takes 5-15 seconds total

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While I do have faith that a good thief can beat any security system (Oceans 11?).

From the website:
The circuits interrupted by the RAVELCO may vary from application to application. Typically, they would include the electronic fuel or injector pump, the ignition circuit, the starter circuit or even the computer.

Since different vehicles vary how many components are connected, I think it might be slightly more difficult than you see on those videos from the internet, which is a competition kill switch company. It could require 2, 3 or 4 of those jumper wires to be hooked into the correct pins and would certainly slow someone down and make them think again on the spot. Stop them? I don't think that's ever possible. It would certainly take a bit more time than just capturing a key FOB signal and getting into the truck and driving off.

I watched most of the installation and was the customer that asked a lot of questions. Mine is wired to 3 of those components listed. The installation wires are extremely difficult to trace and there is no color code to them. The installer said a lot of their business is actually removing the devices for dealerships and car sale companies after customers trade in or sell a vehicle. He told me that each vehicle is wired differently and that depending on whom the installer is can be wired differently also. It can take him up to 4 hours to remove a system from a vehicle completely, again depending on the installer. My installer was extremely knowledgeable, former military electronics.

I like that this isn't something that can be an override with a computer. A physical kill switch is certainly a great way of just adding in a second level of protection. I guess you could also do a 3rd level and the steering wheel club or brake pedal device. I always thought a fun way to add a 4th level of protection would be interrupting the folding transmission shifter. Put the shifter down and put the table down, and then a switch that disconnects the folding shifter from coming back up. I'd love to see a thief's face with that one once they got the truck started. 5th level of protection is an Air Tag.

I enjoy the discussions on theft protection, since this is a reality for many of us right now. Whichever kill switch or security device you go with, tell everyone on the forum about it. There really is nothing worse than the time we spend finding, modding and maintaining these trucks only to have some **** come along and steal your hard work, costing you thousands. My Ravelco might be an overpriced kill switch, but my living situation needs something more than the factory alarm. Since I often drive into remote areas, I really needed to be confident that the device will work and never leave me stranded. I got quotes on kill switches at alarm shops for about $400. The ravelco was double the price, but I do like the quality installation that was done on my truck. I do mostly all my own work, tapping into electronics on a brand-new truck wasn't something I was willing to start learning and practicing on.

ford service manager said the most expensive part of the truck is the wiring harness. Not sure how true that is but he did say they don’t like cutting into them. So I’m always wary of adding none oem electronics.

Azurebeast said:

ford service manager said the most expensive part of the truck is the wiring harness. Not sure how true that is but he did say they don’t like cutting into them. So I’m always wary of adding none oem electronics.

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probably meant in terms of labor. the harness is put in first when there is no motor, trans, bed, or interior. replacing the main harness is a major project that requires disassembly of most of the truck. i have had to do it couple times over the years on customers vehicles. their insurance didnt like that bill.

SurfRaptor said:

While I do have faith that a good thief can beat any security system (Oceans 11?).

From the website:
The circuits interrupted by the RAVELCO may vary from application to application. Typically, they would include the electronic fuel or injector pump, the ignition circuit, the starter circuit or even the computer.

Since different vehicles vary how many components are connected, I think it might be slightly more difficult than you see on those videos from the internet, which is a competition kill switch company. It could require 2, 3 or 4 of those jumper wires to be hooked into the correct pins and would certainly slow someone down and make them think again on the spot. Stop them? I don't think that's ever possible. It would certainly take a bit more time than just capturing a key FOB signal and getting into the truck and driving off.

I watched most of the installation and was the customer that asked a lot of questions. Mine is wired to 3 of those components listed. The installation wires are extremely difficult to trace and there is no color code to them. The installer said a lot of their business is actually removing the devices for dealerships and car sale companies after customers trade in or sell a vehicle. He told me that each vehicle is wired differently and that depending on whom the installer is can be wired differently also. It can take him up to 4 hours to remove a system from a vehicle completely, again depending on the installer. My installer was extremely knowledgeable, former military electronics.

I like that this isn't something that can be an override with a computer. A physical kill switch is certainly a great way of just adding in a second level of protection. I guess you could also do a 3rd level and the steering wheel club or brake pedal device. I always thought a fun way to add a 4th level of protection would be interrupting the folding transmission shifter. Put the shifter down and put the table down, and then a switch that disconnects the folding shifter from coming back up. I'd love to see a thief's face with that one once they got the truck started. 5th level of protection is an Air Tag.

I enjoy the discussions on theft protection, since this is a reality for many of us right now. Whichever kill switch or security device you go with, tell everyone on the forum about it. There really is nothing worse than the time we spend finding, modding and maintaining these trucks only to have some **** come along and steal your hard work, costing you thousands. My Ravelco might be an overpriced kill switch, but my living situation needs something more than the factory alarm. Since I often drive into remote areas, I really needed to be confident that the device will work and never leave me stranded. I got quotes on kill switches at alarm shops for about $400. The ravelco was double the price, but I do like the quality installation that was done on my truck. I do mostly all my own work, tapping into electronics on a brand-new truck wasn't something I was willing to start learning and practicing on.

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Sorry, didn’t read it all, stopped after paragraph 2 so I can explain it better.

There are 5 wires. There are 2 circuits interrupted using 4 of them. 5th is a ground. The plug and cap are split in 2. Top half of the rivets and the bottom half. It doesn’t matter what circuit each are going to. You simply find that ground (can do it with a simple length of wire hooked to your positive on the battery or obd and a 3 amp fuse inline) once that ground is ground you simply omit it.

Then take a jumper with 7 ends and connect the ones left on that half. Then an 8 pin jumper and connect the other half.

You just bypassed ravelco in around 10 seconds.

Oh, we made those videos. Thats just one of a few different methods to bypass at the plug.

Aird_outSRT said:

Sorry, didn’t read it all, stopped after paragraph 2 so I can explain it better.

There are 5 wires. There are 2 circuits interrupted using 4 of them. 5th is a ground. The plug and cap are split in 2. Top half of the rivets and the bottom half. It doesn’t matter what circuit each are going to. You simply find that ground (can do it with a simple length of wire hooked to your positive on the battery or obd and a 3 amp fuse inline) once that ground is ground you simply omit it.

Then take a jumper with 7 ends and connect the ones left on that half. Then an 8 pin jumper and connect the other half.

You just bypassed ravelco in around 10 seconds.

Oh, we made those videos. Thats just one of a few different methods to bypass at the plug.

Click to expand...

So if I take some spare wire and make that same exact setup and omit the ground, mine should start right up? I'm not an electronics specialist, but I know my basics.

I guess something like this could always be kept in a tool box should it be needed but I'm still thinking if the common thief comes across a kill switch such as this one, they move onto the next truck thats easier. Or maybe they are good enough and they want it and will get it.

SurfRaptor said:

So if I take some spare wire and make that same exact setup and omit the ground, mine should start right up? I'm not an electronics specialist, but I know my basics.

I guess something like this could always be kept in a tool box should it be needed but I'm still thinking if the common thief comes across a kill switch such as this one, they move onto the next truck thats easier. Or maybe they are good enough and they want it and will get it.

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With vehicles getting harder to get they are not going to the next one, especially hellcat powered vehicles and those others not being produced anymore. Add to that the ones getting actual anti theft like IGLA and then layering compustar on top, they can’t get them and will actually try on the ones they find.

Aird_outSRT said:

There are 5 wires. There are 2 circuits interrupted using 4 of them. 5th is a ground. The plug and cap are split in 2. Top half of the rivets and the bottom half. It doesn’t matter what circuit each are going to. You simply find that ground (can do it with a simple length of wire hooked to your positive on the battery or obd and a 3 amp fuse inline) once that ground is ground you simply omit it.

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I seem to remember the wires behind the cap are (were?) inside armored cable? How can you test for a ground wire when all the wires are bundled together? Does the armored cable end before it goes through the firewall? Would you need to open the hood to locate the wires?