Jump to content

Let's discuss car theft

Haufski762
 Share

Recommended Posts

Haufski762 Enthusiast

Haufski762

Posted
Posted

On another forum and it talked about a member who had their newer silverado stolen. Onstar was unable to help as the thief's can block it or disable it almost instantly. How is this? Are they easily cutting wires for it? Is there a way to protect against this?

64BAwagon Senior Enthusiast

64BAwagon

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have heard first hand stories recently of Onstar being disabled after a theft. Its pretty easy but I wont say how its done. The thieves have cracked other anti theft tech. Money brings innovation, even to criminals. 

 

Edited by 64BAwagon
GETGONE Enthusiast

GETGONE

Posted
Posted

As for Onstar, the antenna wires are in the driver's side A pillar. 2 10mm bolts and you can pop the cover off and snip or disconnect the wires easily. I ran across a product called CrocLoc https://croclocecm.com/

I picked one up on ebay as they had a low starting price and no one bid on it so I got it a couple hundred cheaper than their website price. Since the truck has a felt inner fender liner and you can just pop the connectors off easily, thieves are using their own ECU with keys programmed to it to get in the truck and drive away. The CrocLoc puts the ECU in a locked metal box so they can't unplug the wires. The only complaints I have about it are that the ECU has to be mounted via double sided tape inside the box, and the TCU mounts on top and outside the box via double side tape. I used WAY better 3M exterior double side tape to hold both in place. They provide a single use lock that requires removal via bolt cutters. I didn't like that idea so I found a padlock that fits so I can unlock it and remove the cover. I swapped out the 4 phillips head screws that held the cover in place with a mix of allen and security allen head bolts.

I'm also going to be picking up a catalytic convertor anti-theft shield soon from these guys:

https://www.fsperformanceengineering.com/collections/catalytic-converter-guards/products/chevrolet-silverado-gmc-sierra-1500-catalytic-converter-guard-2019-2023-version-2?variant=40268602179630

 

This is an updated version that has more coverage and looks to also act as a skid plate for stuff vs the original version they still sell that is cheaper.

TexasKeith Enthusiast

TexasKeith

Posted
Posted

I had my 2020 GMC Sierra stolen in May from a hotel parking garage. I got an email from Onstar about a broken glass alert…I saw the email 9 minutes after it happened. The truck was already gone by then. Called Onstar… this was within 15 minutes of the glass break, but they could never locate the truck. According to the police officer that responded to my call, thieves typically first cut the horn wire through the grill or from under the truck. On mine, they broke the driver’s side window to get in, and were able to drive off, apparently by hacking the computer system. They pulled the Onstar antenna wire, so Onstar was worthless (15 minutes after the glass was broken they were not able to locate the truck). The truck was stopped at the border going in to Mexico the next morning. I wish I hadn’t know it was gone until the next morning. Took 2 months of ridiculous that I won’t go into with the insurance company before it was totaled.
 

Now I have a new 2024 Sierra. Love the updates and the new truck, but not loving the Google info system mess. I’m also incredibly paranoid now about this truck being stolen. I have spent way too much time on YouTube looking for preventative measures only to come away with the idea that I really just need to be lucky. That is not the best feeling. 
 

I don’t know enough to understand how the CrocLoc will help to prevent thefts, but I am always open to ideas that might help!

2016 Sierra Owner Senior Enthusiast

2016 Sierra Owner

Posted
Posted

I would think a small lead cover like what they use at the dentist office for X rays or a metal plate of some sort. Put it over the Onstar antenna to block the signal. Onstar has a tough time getting a signal in a parking garage so I doubt it would take much. Plus if you don't have an active Onstar account they can't do anything for you in terms of tracking the vehicle.

64BAwagon Senior Enthusiast

64BAwagon

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, 2016 Sierra Owner said:

I would think a small lead cover like what they use at the dentist office for X rays or a metal plate of some sort. Put it over the Onstar antenna to block the signal. Onstar has a tough time getting a signal in a parking garage so I doubt it would take much. Plus if you don't have an active Onstar account they can't do anything for you in terms of tracking the vehicle.

They can, they just wont unless you have a subscription. Just because the Onstar isnt active doesnt mean GM cant pull data on the vehicle. 

  • 4 weeks later...
SierraStorm21 Enthusiast

SierraStorm21

Posted
Posted
On 9/2/2024 at 4:34 PM, TexasKeith said:

I had my 2020 GMC Sierra stolen in May from a hotel parking garage. I got an email from Onstar about a broken glass alert…I saw the email 9 minutes after it happened. The truck was already gone by then. Called Onstar… this was within 15 minutes of the glass break, but they could never locate the truck. According to the police officer that responded to my call, thieves typically first cut the horn wire through the grill or from under the truck. On mine, they broke the driver’s side window to get in, and were able to drive off, apparently by hacking the computer system. They pulled the Onstar antenna wire, so Onstar was worthless (15 minutes after the glass was broken they were not able to locate the truck). The truck was stopped at the border going in to Mexico the next morning. I wish I hadn’t know it was gone until the next morning. Took 2 months of ridiculous that I won’t go into with the insurance company before it was totaled.
 

Now I have a new 2024 Sierra. Love the updates and the new truck, but not loving the Google info system mess. I’m also incredibly paranoid now about this truck being stolen. I have spent way too much time on YouTube looking for preventative measures only to come away with the idea that I really just need to be lucky. That is not the best feeling. 
 

I don’t know enough to understand how the CrocLoc will help to prevent thefts, but I am always open to ideas that might help!

With all the updates/mods I've done to mine, I too have spent a considerable amount of time looking and reading. The local car accessories shop installers don't seem to think I need anything over what the truck is outfitted with, immobilizer/fob, however I've watched and read about how easily those are defeated too. So I disagree with their assessment and have been looking at this item that installs an E-Lock relay kill switch, among other items. With the price of kit and installation being around $900 total, it's not for the faint of heart, but does provide real time monitoring. Course it's a subscription model to get that real time monitoring, which I'm not a fan of, so that's a negative. 
 

I'm a firm believer of 'if there's a will, there's a way' and if they want it bad enough, they are going to take it. However making it harder and more risky is the key so that they look elsewhere and I think this kit does that.

TheRiver Enthusiast

TheRiver

Posted
Posted
On 9/4/2024 at 9:04 AM, 64BAwagon said:

They can, they just wont unless you have a subscription. Just because the Onstar isnt active doesnt mean GM cant pull data on the vehicle. 

 

I pulled the OnStar module out of my 2016.  Hated GM knowing where, what, how and when I drive.  Wouldn't surprise me if they sell that all that info to auto insurance companies.  Only thing I don't have since the module removal, other than no OnStar, is I don't have the "compass" feature in the DIC. 

  • Like 1
GETGONE Enthusiast

GETGONE

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, SierraStorm21 said:

With all the updates/mods I've done to mine, I too have spent a considerable amount of time looking and reading. The local car accessories shop installers don't seem to think I need anything over what the truck is outfitted with, immobilizer/fob, however I've watched and read about how easily those are defeated too. So I disagree with their assessment and have been looking at this item that installs an E-Lock relay kill switch, among other items. With the price of kit and installation being around $900 total, it's not for the faint of heart, but does provide real time monitoring. Course it's a subscription model to get that real time monitoring, which I'm not a fan of, so that's a negative. 
 

I'm a firm believer of 'if there's a will, there's a way' and if they want it bad enough, they are going to take it. However making it harder and more risky is the key so that they look elsewhere and I think this kit does that.

I tried to add an aftermarket remote start with extended range on my 21 Custom with a plug and play CANBUS harness and it DID NOT like it AT ALL! I ended up puling it out. Even after I had it out I had to take the truck to the dealer for something almost a year later and they said it had all kinds of weird wiring codes stored. I've installed the same remote start in several other older CANBUS vehicles with zero issues.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • DaleB
      No Software Updates - Old Build

      By DaleB · Posted

      Hi all - my current truck is a 2022.5 1500 High Country 3.0. I bought the truck used last year. After doing some digging, I noticed that my truck's software is stuck on the original build from 2022. I have no available software updates. I talked to my dealer about this and they recommended not trying to force an update since the 36,000 mile warranty is expired. This is a big bummer since there have been many major releases since that have fixed small issues and improved speed/usability.   For reference, the current software build number is: full_gminfo37_gb-user 10 W158E-W164.4.2-QIH22B-563.3 158 release-keys Has anyone had a similar experience? Should I just forget about it and move on, or try a different dealer?
    • B07
      Needing this part.

      By B07 · Posted

      Sure. Buy it for me 🤣
    • B07
      Needing this part.

      By B07 · Posted

      Using zip ties but 2-3 they snap due to sharp edges. Just using a shoestring. Last longer. 🤣
    • Atlas
      Wow I'm in a pickle. (Broke down truck) and a story.

      By Atlas · Posted

      I ordered the Snap On...waiting for it to come in later this week or early next week.   New front cover, new crank seal and new balancer are on. Water pump, pulley, fan, hoses, and plastics reinstalled. I can move forward knowing all my timing marks are dead on and the front engine is hopefully sealed better than it was. Take 2 with the water pump...trying high temp thread sealer on the lower bolts.   Rebuilt injector and new-new regulator is in, it looks like new. Top intake reassembled and all the bits are reconnected and snugged down.   Thinking about knock sensors again, I located both of mine and, there's your problem, Francis... The driver's side one is broke, plastic is bashed in, part of the wire is bare, and it appears to have been damaged like that for a long time. I saw the wire but didn't think anything of it. The knock sensor might not be my pulled timing issue, but it sure looks suspect. It must still be conducting, otherwise I'd expect a CEL. But perhaps with its sacred crystal inside exposed, jilted and dirty, maybe it's sending mixed signals. So I'm waiting for one of those and a new pigtail to come in. Pass side sensor looks good, except for the spark plug wire resting on it (!). The plug wires are healthy so it shouldn't be causing an issue, but I separated them and added zip ties to nearby looms to keep everything well apart.   So, I'm down to installing a knock sensor AND, oh, replacing the exhaust and cat. I actually think that's going to be fairly easy, it's all bolt-together, all new stuff from Walker is laid out on the shop floor ready to go. Hopefully have this thing on the road again for the weekend.   My luck? It will still be leaking oil, coolant, pulled timing, intermittent CEL for running rich, or it probably won't run at all -- because that's how this project has gone.   I've never worked on a vehicle so ...hurt? ...cursed? in my life. Everything has been effed with SO HARD, but I think...knock on wood...I've managed to undo all the backyard stuff and we're almost reset back to "just" an 80k mile, 30 year old Blazer.
    • PunchT37
      Would this CV Shaft be bad?

      By PunchT37 · Posted

      Yes. You need to check out that thing, and the hub further.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...