Sue the USB cable manufacturers for selling burglary tools.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

Get a piece of insulated wire with alligator clips at both ends. It has to be long enough to go from the + terminal of the battery to the + terminal of your distributor.

Then short the starter solenoid to ground to crank over the starter.

Done

Hmm.. when was the last time you tried this? I guess it's been a while.

Of course it was a long time ago. Did it on a regular basis for a friend who always lost his keys to his car and we had to get it to a locksmith.

Probably the last time I did it was around 1966 or so. It won't work on modern cars.

I hope this suit gets laughed out of court, but I suspect that there will be a settlement, because that will be cheaper than fighting it (and the city attorney knows this too).

How about this, Kia/Hyundai will be required to include "The Club" with every sale? I have one of these accumulating rust in my shed that I will gladly gift to any Kia/Hundai owner who contacts me at the e-mail in my profile.

I'm not sure, but I think I remember seeing The Club still being used in Korea when I travel there.

Ah, the good old days. Good times....

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
I hope this suit gets laughed out of court, but I suspect that there will be a settlement, because that will be cheaper than fighting it (and the city attorney knows this too).

How about this, Kia/Hyundai will be required to include "The Club" with every sale? I have one of these accumulating rust in my shed that I will gladly gift to any Kia/Hundai owner who contacts me at the e-mail in my profile.

Here in St. Louis the thieves are just cutting the steering wheel to get the Clubs off. Talked with a tow operator who said in just one morning he had towed 6 recovered Kias and Hyundais with the steering wheels cut.

Thieves are already carrying around saws to cut and steal catalytic converters, so just cutting the steering wheel takes seconds. The new ways to keep a Kia or Hyundai safe is boot it or "kill switch" it (easiest ways are remove fuses or disconnect battery).

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
How about this, Kia/Hyundai will be required to include "The Club" with every sale? I have one of these accumulating rust in my shed that I will gladly gift to any Kia/Hundai owner who contacts me at the e-mail in my profile.

When I was still a LEO and working as an auto-theft investigator, I'd see stacks of these piled up in chop-shops. I won't perpetuate the problem here, but let me tell you these things were easily defeated and certainly not worth the money paid for them by victims.

In my younger days there were times when I had to park in riskier areas. So, I got the Chilton's manual with wiring diagram so that I could cut into the wire to the fuel pump and install a hidden kill switch. Pretty easy.

quote:

Originally posted by yanici:
In my younger days there were times when I had to park in riskier areas. So, I got the Chilton's manual with wiring diagram so that I could cut into the wire to the fuel pump and install a hidden kill switch. Pretty easy.

Me too. I cut a wire to the distributor for my kill switch.

You can get The Club 3000 at Auto Zone for $40. The south part of metro Seattle (Renton, Tukwila etc.) is experiencing rash (like a big rash) of auto thefts. Most are Kia and Hyundai's and probably a smattering for Ford F series trucks. I can imagine sales of the Club are good.

Wait until the criminals and tictok find out my wallet is just sitting in this little denim pocket attached to my pants. Hell, the top side it not even sewn shut. My attorney is ready to pounce on Wrangler with this major design flaw.

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Originally posted by gpbst3:
Wait until the criminals and tictok find out my wallet is just sitting in this little denim pocket attached to my pants. Hell, the top side it not even sewn shut. My attorney is ready to pounce on Wrangler with this major design flaw.

Of course. They need to make zippered pockets. With locks.

^^^ for sure; I have a race clutch (GT3 RS) in my daily driver … no stinking way lol

Link

Major insurers plan to drop two car models’ coverage due to thefts
Story by Fox News • 9h ago

At east two major automotive insurers are refusing to protect certain Kia and Hyundai models because they lack anti-theft common in today’s cars, according to reports.

Both State Farm and Progressive confirmed with CNN that they no longer write policies for some Kia and Hyundai models manufactured between 2015-2019.

In September 2022, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IHHS, and Highway Loss Data Institute reported that vehicle theft claims for 2015-19 Hyundai and Kia vehicles were nearly twice as common as the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.

“Car theft spiked during the pandemic,” HLDI Senior Vice President Matt Moore said in the report. “These numbers tell us that some vehicles may be targeted because they’re fast or worth a lot of money, and others because they’re easy to steal.”

The report also noted that the Hyundai and Kia vehicles being stolen lack electronic mobilizers that can hinder a thief’s ability to steal a car from just breaking into the car and bypassing the ignition. Once immobilizers were added to the cars, Moore said, vehicle thefts of Kias and Hyundais “plunged.”


Cities like Minneapolis have seen a decline in violent crime, but a rise in auto theft over the last year, something police say is directly correlated to this social media challenge. Fox News

The report also notes that immobilizers were standard in 26 percent of Kia and Hyundai vehicle models in 2015, but standard in 96 percent of all other manufacturers.

In a statement to CNN, State Farm confirmed the temporary halting of writing insurance policies in some states for some Kia and Hyundai model years and trim levels.

Progressive also confirmed with CNN that they were making changes. In some areas, Progressive is increasing rates and limiting the sale of new insurance policies for those who have Kias and Hyundais that fit within the slot of vehicles that are at substantial risk.

Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts are up as much as 300% over the past two years in some cities.

Videos posted on social media show people how to start the vehicles without keys, but instead with the tip of a phone charger or USB cable, and the trend has prompted juveniles across the U.S. to try and steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles to go for a joyride.

The manufacturers are working through the thefts, with Hyundai offering steering wheel locks through municipalities like Clearwater, Florida.

Another fix making the rounds was created by the Suntrup Automotive Group in St. Louis, Missouri, involving a redesigned off-the-shelf Bluetooth switch that could be hardwired to the car to immobilize the ignition.

This past weekend at a Mardi Grad parade NOPD was handing out steering wheel locks/ clubs that have been supplied by Hyundai/Kia for owners