taikowaza

went down to the runner and see a hole drilled into my keyhole/handle. key does not work. thieves apparently did not get into the the cab, everything is still intact. driver's side cylinder, handle, trimpanel, recode lock, comes to 238.36. insurance will pay as I have great coverage but this is scary and I want to improve my security. i do not have a garage at this point so it has to be outside. I have THE Club SUV which I know is mere deterrent but MAY cause theives to lose interest.
Please advise me on kill switches and alarms if you feel so inclined. I know I can search but I appreciate the slack on this stressful day
thnx!
T

Localmotion

amatuers!

maybe someone was just messing with your truck? If you are worried about it, get an alarm with a proximity sensor, engine kill switch, and all the other goodies. Viper is a good company as is commando. Do a search on alarms and you will find plenty to read.

Sorry for your misfortune! Thank god for insurance companies

DirtCheap

I, install a fuel pump kill switch (one hour to install) and a Python alarm in every vehicle I, own. You can also pull the EFI fuse when parked.

4RunnerN00B

Can someone explain how to install a kill switch. I would love one of those. If anyone can what materials should i get . And how much is it to do this. Thanks

DirtCheap

Install an inline switch with the blue wire behind the right kick panel. Be sure to locate the switch in a remote location that only you will be able to find. I've asked my neighbor who is also a car buff to find the switch and he hasn't found it yet. When doing this do not use a fuse just run the wire to the contacts on the switch. I, also use a flat rocker switch so that it easier to hide. total cost was 4.00 for the switch and the wire I, already had (aprox 6ft).

good luck

neilan

well if it helps what i did on my 1st gen was to take of the saftey switch on the clutch pedal. This makes it so that u have to manualy press the clutch button on the dash to be able to start it. Then i put a hidded switch off of the clutch button. So far no one has been able to steal it....knock on wood.. but the only people that have tried which are friends dont even get as far as figuring out u have to press a button then try to crank it.

on my dads jeep what he does is he went and got a padlock with a big loop on it and it just is big enough to reach and both the clutch and brake pedals. This makes it pretty dam hard to drive if at all.

4RunnerN00B

Okay kool thanks for the info. Do you think the blue wire is standard for all 2nd gen 4runners. what year do you have? I have a 95 auto.

CoedNaked

While you may be American, The CAnadian Bureau of Insurance and the Underwriters Laboritiers of Canada devised a standard for auto theft deterrance. Currently only 5 aftermarket immobilizers meet this standard. They subject the immobilizer to rigourous tests to ensure it meets the criteria/standard before approving it. The brand of immobilizer I got in my truck meets the criteria. Cost me $430 to have it installed by a mobile installer at my house in Canada. The company I bought it from claims they have sold over 200,000 units without one reported successful theft. The operation is incredibly seemless. I don't know the immobilizer is even there. It is also passive so I get a discount on my insurance (which means you don't have to arm it manually, it auto arms when you turn off your truck). I like this option better than a kill switch.
There are also studies that clearly show the success rate of immobilizers that meet the standard being superior with lesser numbers of thefts than other immobilizers. Not all immobilizers are created equal.

The club is useless. The thief will probably drop it off a the metal recyling yard on the way out to steal other things with your rig considering the price of metal these days. I had my truck stolen last year and I had the club on it, and I KNOW I had it on there. I still use the club but only to make sure the thief is serious if he wants to have a try at stealing my truck now. Oh, and the guy got 12 monthes in jail when he got caught with my truck.

taikowaza

coednaked what is the approved immobilizer you have on your truck= website pls
thx

PS. just pulled the EFI fuse. Nice call everyone. 'runner will not start now.
also- have searched the forum for the consensus for the best alarm, people seem torn between python, commando and viper, I don't want to start a whole new thread on this, not the place, but if anyone has on opinion on which one is the best quality/price (with website) right now, please PM me. much appreciated. also is this something I want to buy new, or used

PPS. following up on coednaked's immobilizer question-
http://www.ibc.ca/vehinfo_theft_approveddeterrent.asp

Currently there are five IBC-approved after-market systems available for retrofit, including the Autowatch 329 Ti Immobilizer, the Autowatch 573 PPi Immobilizer, the Mastergard M6000 Immobilizer, the Mastergard TK Immobilizer and the Powerlock Canada Immobilizer. It is important that these and any other electronic security systems be installed in accordance with the Canadian standard related to installation effectiveness – ULC/ORD-275.1. To contact the manufacturers of the five IBC-approved after-market systems and/or to make arrangements for installation of one of these systems in your vehicle, click here (pdf).

coed- I take it you installed this one?:
MASTERGARD ANTI-THEFT VEHICLE IMMOBILIZERS

Mastergard M6000 – for cars, light duty trucks, SUV's and RV's. Arms and disarms automatically when you leave or return to you vehicle.
Mastergard M6000 LTL – for commercial light duty trucks (under 11, 500 lbs GVW) and luxury cars.
Mastergard TK – touch key system for cars, light duty trucks, SUV's and RV's.
ELECTRONICALLY SHUTS DOWN THREE VITAL SYSTEMS – one of which must be the fuel system. (Not an alarm).
To view the M6000 technical specifications in .PDF Click Here
INSURANCE BUREAU OF CANADA (IBC) TESTED AND APPROVED
MASTERGARD TRAINED INSTALLERS – MASTERGARD trains and certifies licensed mechanics at approved IBC installation facilities to ensure correct installation of MASTERGARD IMMOBILIZERS. To be eligible for insurance discounts the approved immobilizers must be installed according to the new Canadian Auto Theft Deterrent Standard. Contact us to find your nearest approved installation facility.


INSTALL A MASTERGARD IMMOBILIZER TODAY!
Over 200, 000 sold, not one reported successful vehicle theft.

ALSO AVAILABLE:
MASTERGARD M8000 – for motorcycles, marine, snowmobiles and other "toys".

Tacoma Dude

If someone wants your vehicle bad enough nothing will stop them. Kill switch, pressure alarm, proximity it all you want. There are professionals out there that are THAT good.

The point of the club is to make your vehicle less appealing than the one parked next to it. In our case though - a lot of people here have customized their trucks to be that much more desirable and a little more worth the risk.

All I can tell you is that for every single stolen car report I've ever seen, the only ones that were stolen with a club were when the club was on the floor and not on the steering wheel.

I wouldn't call it useless as it does it's job. The rest is really luck of the draw and/or how bad the thief wants it.

___________

just a side note - they may not have been after the vehicle itself but something inside. Did you have any valuables in sight or a nice stereo visible?

taikowaza

hi peter- good call on the valuables...
I always take my stereo faceplate off.
I have a suction mount that I leave on my windshield, it attaches to a GPS cradle. I always take the cradle off the mount and store it...but I DO leave the suction mount on the windshield.
maybe the fact that there is a suction mount visible is an incentive?
it's a pain in the ass to take off everytime...but maybe I should.
also I leave the lighter charger in place...maybe that is also a factor.

Tacoma Dude

By the way,
I have to agree with LocalMotion. Based on what little I know - you don't waste your time drilling into a door. There are far faster and more efficient methods of breaking into a car.

vmax84

Just once, it would be fun to catch someone doing something like this and pound the living dog#$%^ out of them. Just once.

vmax84

taikowaza

I agree with all of you guys, I have no idea why someone would have drilled in my door- maybe a prank? maybe an attempted theft by a total ignoramus/nimrod
either way, it's gotten me thinking about security, I did a lot of research yesterday, the Canadian government seems pretty serious about deterring theft and have only approved 4 immobilizers for insurance purposes.
The only one they sell in the states is the powerlock system. it comes in a touchkey version and a keyless transponder version. they don't seem too expensive and it looks good.
does anyone have one of these transponder immobilizers?
would you rather have a keyless transponder or a touchkey system?
www.powerlock.com

DirtCheap

I, have a 95 also and the blue wire is the one for the pump.
It's true that if someone really wants to steal a veh. they will, but I'll do my best to keep it from starting/moving. My alarm is set to activate as soon as the door is opened (no delay) and upon any contact that is sufficient to activate the shock-sensor. When the alarm is sounding they usually don't stick around very long. The Viper and Python are manufactured by DEI Inc, not sure about the Comando. I, prefer DEI.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I just had two alarms installed Tuesday.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f204/coreys-2007-fj-cruiser-build-up-thread-90962/

Engine kill, pager, and backup alarm if the battery cable are cut.

Spent more than I wanted too, but it is worth the extra piece of mind.

Sorry to hear what happened.
Make sure whatever alarm you get that is has a pager feature.

My old alarm on the 4Runner had a pager added in, and the pager itself was a separate hand carried unit.

My new one is built into the two way remote for the alarm.
Very hi tech.

You want a pager so you can catch them, and then show us pics of the masacre

mt_goat

Boy that sounds great! My luck I'd probably end up in prison if I caught someone in the act.

L33T35T 4Runner

if a thief wants your car, he'll find a way to take it.

now the question is, recovery. that's what lojack is for. they have a 90% recovery rate. and they pretty much always find the carjacker too

F0RSAKEN

Honestly, I would wager that they were just trying to do damage to your truck, maybe make it so you couldnt get in that easily. It IS NOT HARD to break into a vehicle without doing any damage. I am by no means a professional, and I have broken into 2 of my cars, my gf's car, and my step dads car all because of the keys being locked inside. I use a coat hanger, and it takes me about 3-5 minutes, and as Ive said, I AM NOT A PRO AT IT. Drilling the door cylinder is a retarded idea of you are trying to get into a vehicle, unless that person had NO IDEA what they were doing.

As for alarms and immobilizers...worthless if they really want your vehicle. Here where I live, people just tow cars away, or use a flat bed if they want it bad enough. I personally would just instal a LOW-JACK and a basic alarm and be done with it. The basic alarm gives you the blinking light, and the siren for amateurs, and the low-jack will (usually) get the pro's, and even better, it gets them IN POSESSION of the stolen vehicle, which will land them jail time.

Just IMO.

Epic Ed

The trick is layers of protection. A pro will get it if they really want it, but that doesn't mean that alarms, LoJack, clubs, kill switches, etc., are worthless. Far from it -- they simply act as a deterrent. Make it as difficult as possible to steal your vehicle and most thieves will move on to the next vehicle. The only type of vehicles that get stolen regardless of the layers you have are ones that have a very high value. Professional car thieves don't waste their time with your average 4Runner unless they are realy hurting for cash flow. Thieves who target 4x4s and trucks are usually run-of-the-mill thieves or junkies looking to make a quick buck.

I have several layers of protection on mine -- I won't say what or how many -- but there's a good chance a thief will get frustrated with the clock ticking and move on if he tries to jack my ride. Heck, at this point if I had full coverage insurance I'd just let them take it.

Ed