How do they get stolen?

Its inline with being over the gas pedal but tucked up under the dash real snug. so you can't see it when in normal use. I'm also tall and need leg room and it doesn't even come close. I had a small carbine on it but took it off so I do it by feel now.

Yeah just everything about Chuck is a total professional, they way he lays out his tools, the way he goes about the install, his mindset, and is vast knowledge of the theivery and situations that I wouldn't even have thought of and how to go about using the Revelco. Yeah I know I sound like a commercial or paid promo, but I'm not. He really is that good. He does some incredibly high end car collections, he does fleets of trucks.
 
Just a bit more added security to the spare tire. 7 feet cable and lock bought from Harbor Freight for my bikes. I figured they can stay on the Jeep whenever I need them. Not angle grinder proof for sure but still added protection.
 

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We live right down the street from Vincent Raviele who invented and brought the Ravelco to the market in in 1976. He and his son Jimmy came to my home this morning and installed one of their systems on my 392. They were both great guys and based on their long hair, beat up F250, and their faded t-shirts and shorts, you would never know they had Ferraris and other exotic vehicles parked in their driveway. Very down to earth guys.
 
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The tazer has a function that will set the alarm off if hood is opened.....this would be somewhat of a deterrent. Putting a GPS tracker on it might help. The built in app from mopar on the uconnect lets me track the jeep from my phone. If they didn't turn this off would be easy to track it down. I'm sure unhooking battery defeats this. A hidden kill switch can be effective and is not very expensive, but like The Judge said no 100% way to prevent it. It doesn't hurt to make it more difficult. I have considered a hidden kill switch, but right now just relying on the Tazer and not parking in high risk parking lots for extended periods of time.
Disconnect the battery, tracking via Jeep app is dead.
 
If a person wants a car, they’ll take it.
Flat bed or a set of wheel dollies, and it’s gone.

There was a guy who posted a video of how quickly any vehicle can be stolen.
Less than 90 seconds
He had a 2500 Dodge Ram with a hoist mounted in the bed. He listed the front of the vehicle, set the wheel dollies, moved to the rear, hooked up and drive off.
In the time it takes to realize your vehicle is gone, it’s down the road, either sold for cash or parted out.
Disconnect the battery/batteries and it’s not traceable.
 
Statistically, by a huge percentage, your vehicle is more likely to be driven away when stolen.
 
Where’s the data?
I'd also love to see a breakdown of how vehicles get stolen if there's good data on that, just out of curiosity.

Best I could find is this, but doesn't mention theft methods. Note that the (700k-800k per year) numbers include all types of vehicles.
From the article: "...the FBI includes several types of vehicles and not only cars. Motor vehicle theft statistics include automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, scooters, snowmobiles and others."

I'd bet lots of the smaller stuff gets thrown in the back of a truck.

That said, when it comes to stolen cars+trucks+jeeps as a whole, given the sheer numbers and the profile of a typical/common car thief, it's safe to venture that a vast majority of them are simply driven away. I'd be fascinated to hear the reasoning of someone betting the opposite!
 
Here is a pic of @DavyBoy install from Ravelco. You can see the metal clad wire housing leading to the socket. It will defiantly take some time (something a car thief doesn’t waste) to figure out the Ravelco wiring and bypass the unit.
View attachment 4990
Does remote start work on the key fob with the plug/key out?
 
I have been using Ravelco for about 9 months. No problems. Gives me peace of mind. I also use a faraday cage bag for the key fob, and I have locking hood latches. The only way to steal this is to tow it, and it will still be a very difficult task to undo the kill switch even in a shop. The wiring is matched to the factory wiring and inside the various wiring harnesses, so many hours to undo. It is a little bit of a hassel to use, but when I think about walking out someday to a stolen 392, it is worth the hassel to me. Actually the biggest negative is not being able to use remote start in the winter or summer.
I love the remote start and use it alot. Bummer.
 
Others have mentioned similar solutions, but once upon a time I had a manual sportscar with what I thought was a pretty clever solution. Now that I no longer own the car, am happy to share its secret 😅

I wired a relay that interrupted power to the fuel pump. The relay was a small rocker switch that was mounted inside of the leather gear shifter boot. It was not visible to the eye, but you could feel it with your fingers... if you knew where to place them. It was also wired to an LED that I mounted in the dash; it would flash red when activated. Wish had I taken some pictures now. Worked very well. The car would start and run for maybe 10 seconds before running out of fuel. So, you might come out in the morning and find your Jeep a few yards down the street... 🤷‍♂️
 
I had the EVTS from Mopar installed in mine. Tracking device with battery backup. You can create a
geo fence around it which is what I want when it's leaving a parking lot and I'm not driving it.
According to the person I talked when I registered the EVTS, she said thieves are towing vehicles away now. They are getting more clever.
 
If a person wants a car, they’ll take it.
Flat bed or a set of wheel dollies, and it’s gone.

There was a guy who posted a video of how quickly any vehicle can be stolen.
Less than 90 seconds
He had a 2500 Dodge Ram with a hoist mounted in the bed. He listed the front of the vehicle, set the wheel dollies, moved to the rear, hooked up and drive off.
In the time it takes to realize your vehicle is gone, it’s down the road, either sold for cash or parted out.
Disconnect the battery/batteries and it’s not traceable.
I agree, professional thieves will succeed no matter what you do. My basic security efforts (locking hood latches, locking gas cap, locking lug nuts) are designed to thwart the common opportunistic thief -- make it difficult so he walks away. I think a kill switch is a great idea but I am apprehensive about interfering with the Jeep’s electrical system. And, of course, I never walk away from my Jeep with the engine running or the doors unlocked -- again, don’t make it easy for thieves.
 
I’ll say this.
If a person wants it, they’ll take it.
Sure, we can put in place measures that make it more difficult.

All a person needs is the want + the will and they’ll succeed.

I know if I were a car thief, I don’t need to go far to cash in on it. I think many of us know exactly who we would go to, to move a “product”.
Maybe it’s just me? But I don’t think so.
That’s the scary part. Many people who are living an honest life, still know someone, or a few, who would work with a thief. Additionally, imagine the scale when being a thief is your lifestyle. Lots of resources to accomplish the goal.

I believe that’s what most honest people forget to think about.
Think of your career. You have resources to get things done.
A career criminal, also has resources to get things done, along with lacking the empathy or morals that keeps us working people in check.
 
Kill switch does not totally disconnect battery. Just cuts power to something vital like the fuel pump or ignition. Everything else is unaffected.

This video might provide some food for thought

I would use a cooler looking switch I think but never know.

The switch is very cool in its retro-ness. I would label that bad boy "Smoke Bomb" or "Oil Slick" and put it on the a frame!
 
I'm just really cold and I forgot my keys, I swear!...

1659544935905.png
 
I agree, professional thieves will succeed no matter what you do. My basic security efforts (locking hood latches, locking gas cap, locking lug nuts) are designed to thwart the common opportunistic thief -- make it difficult so he walks away. I think a kill switch is a great idea but I am apprehensive about interfering with the Jeep’s electrical system. And, of course, I never walk away from my Jeep with the engine running or the doors unlocked -- again, don’t make it easy for thieves.
I'm with you @CBH. I have shared this before, but my 2003 Rubicon had a "great" Viper alarm system and a $15 - $20 magnetic kill switch i put together myself. The alarm was bypassed without a sweat. My kill switch was not. Sure, the thieves could have gone grab a tow truck and still take my Jeep. However, if anyone is taking my Jeep, I won't make it easy for them.

I still have that Jeep with that kill switch. I also put a club (with keyhole facing away towards the foot well) accross the clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals instead of my steering wheel if I park in shady areas now. Yes, a thief can break my window, but the moment they see a club at the foot pedals, they may just not bother, or again...have to go get a tow truck.

I didn't want to mess with the 392's electrical system so I decided to go the locking hood and Ravelco way. Just a little more peace of mind. If it gets stolen, they really, really wanted it.
 
Its inline with being over the gas pedal but tucked up under the dash real snug. so you can't see it when in normal use. I'm also tall and need leg room and it doesn't even come close. I had a small carbine on it but took it off so I do it by feel now.

Yeah just everything about Chuck is a total professional, they way he lays out his tools, the way he goes about the install, his mindset, and is vast knowledge of the theivery and situations that I wouldn't even have thought of and how to go about using the Revelco. Yeah I know I sound like a commercial or paid promo, but I'm not. He really is that good. He does some incredibly high end car collections, he does fleets of trucks.


Chuck and his wife installed a Ravelco in my 392 today. Couldn’t agree more about all the comments and praise for Chuck and his level of service and professionalism. They did a great job and are actually still here installing one on my Ram 1500 Limited right now. Very clean and well crafted install. Works great. They are a mobile business covering the Mid-Atlantic. Came to my home in Western New York. Easy-peasy and as I said, GREAT customer service!
 
With another 392 got stolen https://www.jeep392.com/threads/392-stolen-and-recovered-but.1728/ I seriously reconsider installed the Ravelco.
Looking at the two pics showing the different installation locations, one from @DavyBoy and the other from @StuM. One has the Metal-Clad cable hosing expose a bit and it seems there's a metal bracket used as well. But the other is flush to the panel. Is this just the installer's decision?
 

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With another 392 got stolen https://www.jeep392.com/threads/392-stolen-and-recovered-but.1728/ I seriously reconsider installed the Ravelco.
Looking at the two pics showing the different installation locations, one from @DavyBoy and the other from @StuM. One has the Metal-Clad cable hosing expose a bit and it seems there's a metal bracket used as well. But the other is flush to the panel. Is this just the installer's decision?
Not sure about the “over the gas peddle” location, re leg interference. My TRX plug is mounted a bit like that, but over on the left side, so not an issue. Having both (on my 392 and TRX) I personally prefer the 392 flush mounting, just for esthetic reasons. I asked my installer on the Jeep and he said he could do it either way, but all over on the left side. I opt’ed for the flush mount and it’s been flawless in every respect.
 
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