Stolen Land Cruisers -- Common Factors

[DivByZero]

When I was a teenager, I had a good friend who grew up in a rougher area. I was pretty alarmed when he showed me once that he could take his car key, stick it in my door lock, jiggle it around and back and forth the right way for a few seconds, and promptly unlock the door to my vehicle. These barrels wear over time and get less and less fussy over what key is actually inserted.

I've gotta say, I'm reconsidering my anti-theft measures on my 80. There were two cases I saw here in the last week or two with people having their ignition barrels ruined by thieves trying to steal the vehicle. While I'm quite confident in the ability of my mods to prevent theft and aid in recovery, I now think I should add a basic alarm system to go off when the door is "forced". I've got keyless entry to my 80, so I should be able to fit something to make a lot of noise if someone opens the door without using the remote. Might save my ignition barrel and avoid a lot of headaches. I doubt any theif is going to stick around once a loud alarm starts blaring.

 

[eastoak]

I just recovered my FJ62 today - it was gone 48 hours (ish) and i'm super fried out tired from an incredibly long intense tiresome day - so please forgive me if this has already been posted ... i readily confess that i have not read 8 pages of posts!

my 88 FJ62 was taken from right out in front of my house by these methods

my truck that i recovered - clearly locked:
View attachment 2770949


this little nugget the thieves left behind:
View attachment 2770950

goes right into the drivers side door like butter:
View attachment 2770951

and promptly unlocks the door.
View attachment 2770952


i stuck this filed down "master key" into the ignition and i could get the "beep beep beep" to come on so it knew a key was in the ignition -but i couldnt force it to turn on the engine.

a tweaker with zero fuuuucks to give would easily force it to turn - or have a handful of toyota keys on a ring and one would finally work. I got my truck back and the ignition is intact as well as the door locks..they didnt have to injure anything to take my truck from my possession. it was incredibly easy for them.

now i have it disabled...and blocked in by our subaru.

How was your truck recovered, did the crooks just dump it?

 

[MickeyB]

I put on a Viper Smart start on my FZJ80. Really great system paid around $900 installed. Can lock\unlock and start truck with smart phone app and key fob. The other big selling point point was vehicle location tracking with gps\LTE.

Overall functionality has been really good and gives you some reassurance against a theft. I am well aware this would not stop a thief, but at least it will act as a deterrent and I could have a way to track it. I’m also going to hide an air tag it it as a secondary measure.

I think this forum is great and has provided some good solutions on the topic. It even motivated me to put in the viper system.

 

[Paul DiNapoli]

How was your truck recovered, did the crooks just dump it?

yeah. they dumped it on a street corner not too far from my house. it was locked up and neatly parked. i spotted it on way to grocery store.

we have a feeling they put it in a convenient spot just a couple blocks from their homeless camp so they could return and keep using it. they left behind some pills and decent sized nugget of heroin. seems unlikely a junkie would just abandon that which makes me think they didn’t expect it was not theirs to return to.

it was roughed up - things stolen - but generally ok.

i was able to drive it home after police cleared it.

 

[richmondbob]

Y'know who's stealing Landcruisers?

 

[Quatervois]

Will the police in your area respond to your phone call if you tell them that you have found the location of your stolen car? I had a vehilce stolen while I was at the movies on xmas eve years ago. The car was found by the police a mile away before the movie was over. They did not inform me that it was found until two days later after being towed ($200) and stored in the impound ($50/day) for being improperly parked.

"They did not inform me that it was found until two days later after being towed ($200) and stored in the impound ($50/day) for being improperly parked."

Gotta pay those municipal salaries and pensions somehow.

 

[zapatius]

"They did not inform me that it was found until two days later after being towed ($200) and stored in the impound ($50/day) for being improperly parked."

Gotta pay those municipal salaries and pensions somehow.

Maybe that's how they do it where you live. Here, it's through property taxes. Tow fees are set and retained by the tow companies. Same kind of thinking that fines for state infraction citations go to the department. That all goes to the state general fund.

It sucks, but auto theft isn't a violent crime. The MAXIMUM penalty here is 6 months in jail, by law. It's basically shoplifting from Walmart.

 

[A2ShedsJackson]

What gets your local police force to respond to a stolen vehicle? If your alarm system notifies you that a theft is in progress does a call to 911 get them to come to the scene?

What if your vehicles alarm system doesn't alert the thief that it has been triggered. What if the vehicle is just made to run very poorly when triggered? It starts but stalls when placed in any gear or starts to misfire that it can't get over 5mph? Some of the experiences here have noted that the thief did some investigating into why a vehicle did not start, pulling off the fuse box covers or kick panel. What if the alarm just wastes the thief's time giving the police some time to respond.

 

[ppc]

The police are only going to respond to an alarm if the vehicle is located in the parking lot of a donut shop.

 

[jaymar]

What gets your local police force to respond to a stolen vehicle? If your alarm system notifies you that a theft is in progress does a call to 911 get them to come to the scene?

What if your vehicles alarm system doesn't alert the thief that it has been triggered. What if the vehicle is just made to run very poorly when triggered? It starts but stalls when placed in any gear or starts to misfire that it can't get over 5mph? Some of the experiences here have noted that the thief did some investigating into why a vehicle did not start, pulling off the fuse box covers or kick panel. What if the alarm just wastes the thief's time giving the police some time to respond.

I have seen recent headlines with police departments saying that they will no longer respond to non-emergency calls. Vehicle that will not start also wastes thief’s time. And one that has a screaming alarm makes him not have time to waste...

 

[LandLocked93]

And one that has a screaming alarm makes him not have time to waste...

And one with 2 screaming alarms, one of which is inside the truck adds to the urgency to vacate. (or is it vacuate? or is it both?)
Sometimes I dream of catching them in the act ...

 

[jaymar]

And one with 2 screaming alarms, one of which is inside the truck adds to the urgency to vacate. (or is it vacuate? or is it both?)
Sometimes I dream of catching them in the act ...

I’m happy if they just piss off. I recommend a caged siren with steel-sheathed or conduit-covered wires to a dedicated battery in the same cage, and waterproof connections. No way to shut it up in a hurry. They’ll piss off in search of something easier.

 

[BILT4ME]

I’m happy if they just piss off. I recommend a caged siren with steel-sheathed or conduit-covered wires to a dedicated battery in the same cage, and waterproof connections. No way to shut it up in a hurry. They’ll piss off in search of something easier.

And when was the last time you saw ANYONE show concern for a car alarm going off?

I had it happen to mine with me trying to get in it and everyone ignored me and the truck.

What used to draw attention is primarily ignored these days.

 

[jaymar]

And when was the last time you saw ANYONE show concern for a car alarm going off?

I had it happen to mine with me trying to get in it and everyone ignored me and the truck.

What used to draw attention is primarily ignored these days.

"I had it happen to mine with me trying to get in it and everyone ignored me and the truck."

Right. Well, ultimately, the alarm is for the owner and the thief, not (usually) passersby. And you weren't worried about a possibly armed owner showing up, were you? A possibility that skyrockets when the rig is parked in someone's driveway, or in the sticks. So there's that.

Also, how many of these guys have outstanding warrants? Sure, the cops may not have the resources to track them all down--but when they fall into a cop's lap ("Pardon me, sir, but is that your vehicle?"), they don't have to. You didn't have that concern either. (Guessing here .) So there's that on top.

Plus, it seems half the country thinks the nearest cop can't wait to empty a clip into the nearest guy or gal who steps out of line, or looks hinky, or fails to say anything but "Yes sir, thank you sir. May I have another beating, sir?" So there's that, too.

When you add it all up--okay, when "I" add it all up--it says (to me): Get an alarm.

YMMV.

 

[BILT4ME]

"I had it happen to mine with me trying to get in it and everyone ignored me and the truck."

Right. Well, ultimately, the alarm is for the owner and the thief, not (usually) passersby. And you weren't worried about a possibly armed owner showing up, were you? A possibility that skyrockets when the rig is parked in someone's driveway, or in the sticks. So there's that.

Also, how many of these guys have outstanding warrants? Sure, the cops may not have the resources to track them all down--but when they fall into a cop's lap ("Pardon me, sir, but is that your vehicle?"), they don't have to. You didn't have that concern either. (Guessing here .) So there's that on top.

Plus, it seems half the country thinks the nearest cop can't wait to empty a clip into the nearest guy or gal who steps out of line, or looks hinky, or fails to say anything but "Yes sir, thank you sir. May I have another beating, sir?" So there's that, too.

When you add it all up--okay, when "I" add it all up--it says: Get an alarm.

YMMV.

I can't disagree. It took me another 10 minutes to disable the alarm and get into my truck because it would not start.

So, yes it would have taken longer and possibly forced a thief to run away.

If the thief had balls enough to stand there and do as I did, they still would have taken it.

If they want it bad enough, they will get it. The plan is to slow them down to give more opportunity to catch them or run them off.

 

[jaymar]

I can't disagree. It took me another 10 minutes to disable the alarm and get into my truck because it would not start.

So, yes it would have taken longer and possibly forced a thief to run away.

If the thief had balls enough to stand there and do as I did, they still would have taken it.

If they want it bad enough, they will get it. The plan is to slow them down to give more opportunity to catch them or run them off.

IMO, the amateurs will piss off at the first sign of trouble, maybe grab the head unit if he can, take a blade to the upholstery because you've upset him. Also IMO, most of the pros are going to piss off when it becomes clear this is going to take a while, attract attention etc.--likely with no damage because they don't want you looking up security footage, and because they don't want to tip you off in case they decide to come back later. You could argue that categories 1 & 2 didn't want it bad enough. Or, you could argue that they're just not equipped to handle an uncooperative vehicle in the perceived time available.

Now, a pro with a slide bed who's coming just for your specific, ungaraged vehicle, yeah, it's most likely gone. But there's f*ckall he can do about an alarm that alerts you when the vehicle moves. And that means (assuming you're set up for this) you can start tracking the vehicle immediately. So, they can get it, but (absent extraordinarily unlikely measures, or cops who aren't interested in catching fish in a barrel once you point them out), they can't keep it.

Or so goes my thinking, anyway.

There are multiple Cruisers out there worth hundreds of thousands of dollars empty. Most of them are rebuilt 40s, but a few 80s are up there, too. Gotta wonder what their security measures are...

 

[bicycleagent003]

Kill switch and leave the transfer case lever in neutral.

 

[Paul DiNapoli]

Kill switch and leave the transfer case lever in neutral.

agreed...this is now my SOP

park it way up into the driveway whenever I can...block it in with our subaru.

for when i'm out and about:

neutral safety switch tied into a push button switch.
switch open - no starter motor (acts like dead battery)
switch closed - engine turns over.
switch is pretty well hidden that a junkie isn't likely to find it - but not so onerous that it makes daily use a PITA.

t-case in neutral (mostly just to confound someone - should they find the kill switch)

 

[80t0ylc]

Kill switch and leave the transfer case lever in neutral.

Your e-brake better be in excellent condition because that is the only thing that will hold your rig in place. This might also give thieves an idea to tow your rig away silently.

 

[bicycleagent003]

Your e-brake better be in excellent condition because that is the only thing that will hold your rig in place. This might also give thieves an idea to tow your rig away silently.

Yeah, that's a fair point. I actually always set the parking brake and rest the weight of the car (any car I am parking) on the parking brake with the car in neutral, then shift it into park. My thinking is that keeps the weight of the vehicle on the parking brake rather than the trans. But your point is well taken.

If the trans is in park, though, and the transfer case is in neutral, doesn't the neutral safety switch still prevent shifting the trans out of park without the key? And you can't remove the key with the trans in neutral, can you? I could be wrong about all that.