So a friend just had his wrangler stolen Friday night. I had mine stolen years ago but it was recovered within 48 hours with minimal damage other than the missing parts. And I had someone recently cut a hole in the back side of my Barn to gain access and made off with some tools. Thankfuly not the ATV, SxS, dirt bike or Jeep. I’m heartbroken for him as he had a lot of time and money in his build. Unfortunately he had made it relatively easy for them as it was just a trail toy for him and had made it a push button start. No key required. And it was stored along side his home. Visible from the road. He asked me what I had done to secure mine as he knew I had done something. Or to help anyway. I figured I’d share. Unfortunately there are crooks in this world. And if determined enough or if they have the resources they will get it if they want it bad enough. Fist of all I’ve got my Jeep insured pretty well with a declared value rider on it. But I also have a stand alone GPS tracker with a remote ignition kill. An Alarm system with ignition disable, both have battery back up or there own batteries if the main is disconnected so they last a little while. And then I have a hidden magnetic switch for the ADE-ii system. I know this won’t stop it but it might at least give me a heads up. We all have too much invested time wise and money wise in our toys. I know I can’t stand a dishonest thief. Along with all that I usually have it in a locked barn now with video surveillance and lit up like Fort Knox. Or if parked outside I tend to have a truck parked behind it. I have the luxury of it being a toy and not a daily however I like to drive it anyway. On trips if staying in a hotel. I try to park the trailer in a way that it can’t be taken off the back of the trailer wether that’s a wall or light pole etc. and I Disable the truck. I plan on adding a removable steering wheel in the future as well so that will aid in it also. What kind of things have you all come up with to aid in either theft protection or theft deterrent? I actually have another friend that because of where he live re removes one wheel and leaves it on a stand, stores the wheel inside the shed. He figures if it looks broken or the fact it’s undeliverable no one would bother it. I think it’s smart. And it’s an LS swapped TJ on Tons and ORI’s.
Security / Theft Protection
- Thread starter Rescue6
- Start date
Put the transfer in neutral. Modern thieves are unlikely to know how to operate a manual transmission, and even less likely to work a transfer case. The last decade everything is either automatic or push button.
ejay
TJ Addict
Thieving MFers. My first Jeep (92 Laredo) was stolen. I never got it back.
I won't go into too much detail into my setup but it's certainly not as extensive as yours. I do have a backlit numerical keypad with an ignition cutoff that alarms if the wrong code is entered or the key is turned without the right code. When I park it at trailheads I always pull relays. I've considered a GPS tracker but don't want it tracking me when it's not stolen. (In case I run over a hooker or something)
I've never really talked to my insurance about the add-ons in my Jeep. I always thought that they wouldn't care anyway and just give me blue book. I wonder if it would cost me considerably more to have them look it over for extra coverage or if they even would.
I won't go into too much detail into my setup but it's certainly not as extensive as yours. I do have a backlit numerical keypad with an ignition cutoff that alarms if the wrong code is entered or the key is turned without the right code. When I park it at trailheads I always pull relays. I've considered a GPS tracker but don't want it tracking me when it's not stolen. (In case I run over a hooker or something)
I've never really talked to my insurance about the add-ons in my Jeep. I always thought that they wouldn't care anyway and just give me blue book. I wonder if it would cost me considerably more to have them look it over for extra coverage or if they even would.
alittleoff
TJ Addict
I installed a common switch in plain site that opens the ground on the fuel pump relay and to back that up, a hidden switch too. It will cough and sputter until it dies. For longer term, a short chain & lock around the clutch and brake pedal arms. For a visual deterrent, "The Club". jaja
TJ2
TJ Expert
I have a manual kill-switch to all my rigs.
They have to haul it in a tow truck to steal it in which I cannot stop them from doing it.
They have to haul it in a tow truck to steal it in which I cannot stop them from doing it.
I hate F'ing thieves! Unfortunately there are no consequences for property theft anymore. I had 2 attempts made on my Jeep when I lived in AZ before I just gave up and stopped driving it. The first time I caught the bastard and considered caving in his skull with the breaker bar I chased him off with. After that I installed a very good steering wheel lock that unfortunately is not produced anymore due to the expense of manufacturing it. It stopped the 2nd thief at the expense of another door lock. After that I installed electric locks and replaced the lock cylinders with chome bolts. I watched the 1st thief break in and was amazed at how fast it was done. Had I been walking by a Jeep that wasn't mine I really would have assumed he had a key. I figured without the locks it would give a theif pause and they would realize it was not going to be an easy steal. Amazingly when my house was broken in to a short time later the Jeep was parked in the garage and the keys were on the counter. They took all the electronics and left the Jeep.
Should still string them up like horse thieves. I had to work too damn hard for someone else to get to use my Mr. Coffee!
Steal my ride and I lose my job, then everything else. Seriously. The f.ers should not get away with all their fingers. You come to my place hopefully you don't leave. I've got a backhoe and a bag of quicklime.
Steal my ride and I lose my job, then everything else. Seriously. The f.ers should not get away with all their fingers. You come to my place hopefully you don't leave. I've got a backhoe and a bag of quicklime.
Secure in a garage and cameras. I've lost count the number of times mine has been broken into before I bought a house. I dont keep anything in it anymore aside from spare change and a pair of leather gloves. I've thought about adding a kill switch, just havent looked into how I would do it. If I have to drive somewhere for work that requires an overnight stay, I rent a vehicle or take the company vehicle.
My brothers jeep was stolen a year or so ago. Thieves broke into his house and made off with a handful of weapons, credit cards, jewelery, etc...found the keys hanging on the wall and decided to take the jeep while they were at it. They recovered it a week or so later in a seedy motel parking lot. Apparently the interior of it was absolutely trashed and had drug paraphernalia throughout.
My brothers jeep was stolen a year or so ago. Thieves broke into his house and made off with a handful of weapons, credit cards, jewelery, etc...found the keys hanging on the wall and decided to take the jeep while they were at it. They recovered it a week or so later in a seedy motel parking lot. Apparently the interior of it was absolutely trashed and had drug paraphernalia throughout.
Can you share what relays to pull? I have yet to take it to a trailhead (I will this summer), but I'd appreciate knowing what has worked for you. Thank you.
I leave my Jeep for days at a time camping and backpacking. I am not worried about people stealing it. I don't leave anything out in the open but nobody has even gone into the glove box or center console. It's open, I never have a top on it. In the suburbs kids go through it all the time but I've never had problems in the back country. All the years I've been camping in California I've never had a single thing stolen except for the things chipmunks and coyotes grab.
Yeah, maybe I'm being a bit paranoid about it. I frequently go up into Desolation Wilderness and don't really see too many people up there, but I've also never taken the Wrangler so I wanted to make sure it's still there when I return from a 3-4 day hike.
Declared value insurance policy is a must. With all the things we do to prevent theft, a thief will find a way. Call your agent and get a quote to insure your jeep for what you think its worth. If you don't, they will only pay what they think its worth. I bet those number will be many thousands apart.
TheGanzman
TJ Enthusiast
Does your TJ have the (factory optional) SKIM key system? I upgraded my '04 to same; at least I FEEL more secure about it now...
I pull the fuel pump relay and plug it into the spot right next to it. It would take a pretty smart thief to figure it out.
For long term stays, yank the fuel pump or starter relay. If someone somehow gets the keys, it isn't going anywhere. I keep nothing of value in my Jeep so I'm not awfully worried about whatever is in it. Getting your Jeep yanked by a tow truck like @Jerry Bransford 's was years ago is another possibility, but that is somewhat hard to protect against in a reasonable manner.
If you haven't introduced yourself to the Norcal group you should. I think they'd have really good info about safety in that area.
Norcal Jeep Adventures
I agree. Mines insured for $30k. And I have receipts for everything since new in 1999. But I also had a friend at a local 4x4 shop put together an estimate to replace everything and he came up with $45k with parts and labor, starting with a bone stock replacement TJ costing us about $8k. So I should probably bump up my policy a bit more. I’d be happy with thirty. It would buy me a buggy. It isn’t a super cheap policy but if anything happens it will pay for itself and be worthwhile. Mines had a shit time done though and I’ve never really thought about how damn much I have in it over the years. Scary when you think about it. With that much you would think it would look a whole lot better. But it’s an off roader almost exclusively so I beat it up regularly it’s got a crap ton of money in parts. I was supposed to paint it a few CB months back. It got put off because of another spinal surgery. Hopefully this fall. When I get the 18” ORI’s all around it.
Wish I could say the same. If you broke down on one of the popular trails near Denver or Colorado Springs in Colorado and didn’t leave someone with it chances are it would be stripped of a bunch of parts when you came back for it. Or have bullet holes in it. Sad but true these days. I’ve seen it unfortunately. So if I break and can’t get off a trail you can bet I’m camping out and a busy will go for the parts. And I’d go for them if they broke.
Fixer6
TJ Enthusiast
Most people kinda giggle at the little clay like animals and figurines with wires hanging out of them when they ride with me. If they only knew what they really were, they wouldn’t get near my Jeep. All together they add up up to about 1 1/2 pounds of c4. With a gps tracking system, and a remote detonator, it will most certainly be a bad day for everyone involved if they steal mine. I hate thieves with a passion!
I wish I could do this.
I wish I could do this.
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