Understanding Factory Auto Theft Systems
West Grand Neighborhood Organization
By Esteban Moreno, ATPA VIN Technician
All vehicles purchased after 1996 have some sort of factory installed anti theft system. Originally they were in the form of resistors in the keys. Anything else more complex was installed privately to include glass break and elevation. As the thieves increased their knowledge on how to defeat these systems the auto makers reacted to it.
Now in the newer age and designs of vehicles, theft systems are state of the art. Now we have fobs that send a signal to the on-board computers and the vehicle has to recognize it before allowing entry. Each signal varies with every use and no signal is supposedly ever repeats itself. Transponders are built into the ignition system and computer allowing it to start once the signal is verified. That being said it is never guaranteed that they cannot be defeated it just takes more to do it.
The simplest devices like the club or a wheel lock are still very effective. There are added anti theft systems that can be purchased and installed. Now there are fingerprint recognition and retina scan devices that are too costly to put in every vehicle. Technology gets smaller and less costly in materials. There will come a day when vehicles will be linked to the owner by way of voice recognition. There are several ways to get a better understanding of your anti theft system. One is by reading the owner's manual and the other is by going online and Googling or You Tubing it.
For any further questions regarding vehicle theft prevention call West Grand Neighborhood Organization at 616-451-0150 or e-mail the West Grand Neighborhood Organization ATPA VIN Technicians at ATPA@westgrand.org another great way to protect your vehicle from Auto Theft is getting your car VIN Etched. Appointments for VIN Etching can be made for weekdays between 8:30 AM-10 AM FREE by going to the following link: Make an Appointment Now!
Funds for this program are provided by the Michigan Auto Theft Prevention Authority.