How do thieves circumvent the passlock theft deterrent?

[briand069]

Hello

Yesterday I watched a video of someone stealing an 03-07 Silverado in under a minute. The thief pops the driver door then appears to do something around the column, I assume rip the covers off, and then starts the truck and drives away. I have a 03 Suburban so I want to try to protect it the best I can. Obviously towing it is still a possibility. Does anyone know how they bypass the ignition key passlock system? I've seen many trucks and SUV this style on insurance auction sites that are theft recoveries, and they always have the steering column covers broken open, so I know it happens/starts there. I'm not looking for specific instructions obviously, but in general. Do they just force the lock, and it starts due to a flaw in the system or is it more sophisticated? I've been searching the forums but nothing comes up. It does not appear the in the truck in video I watched has onstar because I don't see the antenna on top, so I don't think it's through that.

Brian

 

[MassHoe04]

My 04 Z71 originally came with factory-installed Onstar system.

When I looked up Onstar activation for my 04, out of curiosity, Onstar's website basically said it was not an option. The Onstar that mine had was based on one type of communication technology and Onstar has since moved on to different satellite communications. Whatever we had was being ditched and will no longer be supported.
At this point, unless you find a new system... Onstar using a factory system from 03 will not be an option to protect your truck.

You may want to look into something like a Viper system and add the Viper SmartStart GPS module. It allows location and speed tracking.

VIPER VSM250 SmartStart GPS Module

You can add a VIPER SmartStart module to any compatible VIPER system to make your system SmartStart ready.

www.viper.com

 

[tRidiot]

I've got the Python system in all my vehicles (four of them). I just put it in my wife's 2018 RAV4 we just bought a couple weeks ago. It cost me a grand, covers everything and has a mile+ range with the 2-way LCD remote, remote start, etc., plus the Viper SmartStart. Can start the vehicle from about anywhere on the planet, let it run for a specified time and shut itself off or do it manually. Also GPS tracking, status, speed, etc., as mentioned above.

It isn't cheap, but the one in my Tahoe and my Z have been in place for 10 and 8y respectively. It's about time to replace the Tahoe one, it's been messing up. But the peace of mind, the ability to start my truck to warm up from when my plane lands, or even from vacationing thousands of miles away to keep the battery charged is super nice. Can even set it to start up and run if it notes the battery draining, or below certain temps - say if it's -20ºF outside? You can have your vehicle automatically start and run every 3 hours or so to warm itself up and keep things from freezing/locking up, keep the battery good, cab warm, etc.

I've said for years, every vehicle I have will have this two-way paging alarm with remote start on it.

Now that I think about, though, I don't know that I'll go to that extent with the '76 International Scout I picked up. lol. Gotta start working on that this spring, too.

 

[MassHoe04]

I don't think my truck would be worth dropping a thousand bucks on an alarm. Even with the recent frigid temperatures, I am having a hard enough time convincing myself a remote starter for $270 is worth the expense...
For folks with super nice rigs with lots of upgrades, I totally see the value.

I think mine might be a little further below the radar, if potential thieves are scouting the neighborhood. The neighbor's Audi A6 or my 04 Tahoe with no rocker panels..?
Hmmmm... Maybe my hideous rockers are actually a good theft deterrent! If I fix them, it will probably get boosted!

 

[Doubeleive]

Hello

Yesterday I watched a video of someone stealing an 03-07 Silverado in under a minute. The thief pops the driver door then appears to do something around the column, I assume rip the covers off, and then starts the truck and drives away. I have a 03 Suburban so I want to try to protect it the best I can. Obviously towing it is still a possibility. Does anyone know how they bypass the ignition key passlock system? I've seen many trucks and SUV this style on insurance auction sites that are theft recoveries, and they always have the steering column covers broken open, so I know it happens/starts there. I'm not looking for specific instructions obviously, but in general. Do they just force the lock, and it starts due to a flaw in the system or is it more sophisticated? I've been searching the forums but nothing comes up. It does not appear the in the truck in video I watched has onstar because I don't see the antenna on top, so I don't think it's through that.

Brian

must have had a dent puller and replacement ignition switch, it's not as simple as twisting 2 wires together like in the movies......

 

[Bill 1960]

I don’t know the answer to your question, but if you’re looking for a simple inexpensive theft prevention measure just install a hidden switch to kill power to the fuel pump or ignition coil circuit. They can crank until hell freezes over and it’ll never start.

 

[fiatdale]

I couldnt tell you how they do it, but I can tell you at the Body Shop wed get thefts recoveries all the time in those years with the cylinder torn out, and wed literally stick a flathead screwdriver in and it would start and run so we could pull them into the bays.

 

[TJ Baker]

I don’t know the answer to your question, but if you’re looking for a simple inexpensive theft prevention measure just install a hidden switch to kill power to the fuel pump or ignition coil circuit. They can crank until hell freezes over and it’ll never start.

Better yet use a timed-off system that allows the fuel pump to run for like 2 or 3 minutes. Let them get out on the road then kill it. Their less likely to hang around trying to get it going again when they're dead in the middle of the road attracting attention!!

 

[briand069]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Without actually testing it, it appears your able to start the vehicle by forcing the ignition lock without a key. Probably the only way to protect against that method would be to have some sort of clamp around the column that isn't easily broken off. Probably not practical. I know there are other ways to prevent theft short of towing. I was just trying to see if there was maybe a simpler way to interrupt a thief's normal mode of operation.

Brian

 

[SnowDrifter]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Without actually testing it, it appears your able to start the vehicle by forcing the ignition lock without a key. Probably the only way to protect against that method would be to have some sort of clamp around the column that isn't easily broken off. Probably not practical. I know there are other ways to prevent theft short of towing. I was just trying to see if there was maybe a simpler way to interrupt a thief's normal mode of operation.

Brian

Nah

security through obscurity

Make a 2 step starter lockout. Some fun triggers to be held at the same time as the starter:

- Turn signal
- High beams
- Power seat switch
- Stomp bag like police cars have (mash your foot into a specific part of the carpet)

You won't be able to feasibly keep them out of the steering column unless you 3d printed some metal pieces or something.

 

[Doubeleive]

Better yet use a timed-off system that allows the fuel pump to run for like 2 or 3 minutes. Let them get out on the road then kill it. Their less likely to hang around trying to get it going again when they're dead in the middle of the road attracting attention!!

pfft 2-3 minutes I could be miles away

 

[RST Dana]

Unless you keep it parked in 4wd. Wreckers now days can snag up the rear and and be gone before you can open your bedroom window and get radar lock. Keep it insured, get a tracking alarm, and park it in a “safe” location. Remember, chances are, yours is not a unicorn, and if all fails, then you can get another ride…

 

[TJ Baker]

pfft 2-3 minutes I could be miles away

In that case I could set it to die in say .25 miles. Or once it reached a speed of my choosing. Maybe just cut the fuel if the rpm went above 1200. I can do any of this with my 05 Yukon if I choose to.

 

[Doubeleive]

In that case I could set it to die in say .25 miles. Or once it reached a speed of my choosing. Maybe just cut the fuel if the rpm went above 1200. I can do any of this with my 05 Yukon if I choose to.

why even let it be started to begin with? a secret cut off switch solves the entire issue

 

[TJ Baker]

why even let it be started to begin with? a secret cut off switch solves the entire issue

On a nice quiet street a thief could spend a half hour or more checking things out. Just might find your switch since it logically would be within a drivers reach. But if the truck dies in the middle of the road it's far more likely to draw attention to the thief as they try to get it restarted. More likely to just bail.

Where I am theft is not a real concern anyway. Hell, the house and cars are generally left unlocked.

 

[TJ Baker]

Getting back on topic, just in case anyone is interested.

Circled here is the actual resistor on an actual passlock sensor circuit board that varies from vehicle to vehicle and produces the variable voltage drop that the BCM sees and evaluates.

The component with the blue dot is the passlock sensor that the small magnet in the rotating lock cylinder triggers. There is a second one beneath that one that is the tamper sensor. If the magnetic field isn't just right (too strong) that second sensor triggers and switches in another resistor of lower value and that drops the signal voltage very low and the BCM then knows to lock out the engine.

 

[DougAMiller]

Hello

Yesterday I watched a video of someone stealing an 03-07 Silverado in under a minute. The thief pops the driver door then appears to do something around the column, I assume rip the covers off, and then starts the truck and drives away. I have a 03 Suburban so I want to try to protect it the best I can. Obviously towing it is still a possibility. Does anyone know how they bypass the ignition key passlock system? I've seen many trucks and SUV this style on insurance auction sites that are theft recoveries, and they always have the steering column covers broken open, so I know it happens/starts there. I'm not looking for specific instructions obviously, but in general. Do they just force the lock, and it starts due to a flaw in the system or is it more sophisticated? I've been searching the forums but nothing comes up. It does not appear the in the truck in video I watched has onstar because I don't see the antenna on top, so I don't think it's through that.

Brian

They tried to steal mine this way a couple of years ago, so I can explain the procedure. First they punch the lock cylinder in the driver's door. The door handle and base are plastic and hitting the cylinder hard will break the plastic ears that hold the cylinder in. Then it is a simple matter of turning the entire lock cylinder to unlock the truck, which also turns off the factory alarm.

The ignition cylinder is forced by ripping away the column cover to expose the protruding end of the cylinder and using vise grip or channel lock pliers to force it to rotate. There is a steel pin that prevents this, but the cylinder housing is aluminum, so they are trying to break that. The Passlock is entirely contained in the ignition lock cylinder and housing, the key has nothing to do with it, so if you can turn the cylinder the Passlock system is happy and lets it start. Getting the locking pin housing to break is a 50/50 proposition and depends partly on how good of a grip they get with the pliers. In my case they twisted off the end of lock cylinder instead and couldn't get another good bite on it with the pliers, so they gave up at that point. Sometimes, instead of pliers, they drive a screwdriver into the ignition lock cylinder and try to force it by using some kind of lever to rotate the screwdriver, but again, sometimes the soft metal of the lock cylinder gives first.

There are products out there that try to interrupt this method, like the Club or Jimmi Jammers, but from my research I don't think any of them are more effective than a good aftermarket alarm or a hidden kill switch, as others have been suggesting. Back when mine was broken into I had modelled the door handle base in CAD and was planning to have it machined from aluminum or steel so that they couldn't punch out the door lock, but before I got finished with that project I got a new Escalade, so never did get any made.

 

[Doubeleive]

On a nice quiet street a thief could spend a half hour or more checking things out. Just might find your switch since it logically would be within a drivers reach. But if the truck dies in the middle of the road it's far more likely to draw attention to the thief as they try to get it restarted. More likely to just bail.

Where I am theft is not a real concern anyway. Hell, the house and cars are generally left unlocked.

apparently the hidden switch is not well thought out on your end there are a million ways it could be done, a simple relay can be wired to just about anything including a magnetic switch. placing a magnet (on your keychain) against the switch (hidden practically anywhere) could trigger the relay on/off, including inside a door panel.
and I think you are giving the common thief a bit more credit than they deserve, most are about as bright as a box of rocks

 

[TJ Baker]

apparently the hidden switch is not well thought out on your end there are a million ways it could be done, a simple relay can be wired to just about anything including a magnetic switch. placing a magnet (on your keychain) against the switch (hidden practically anywhere) could trigger the relay on/off, including inside a door panel.
and I think you are giving the common thief a bit more credit than they deserve, most are about as bright as a box of rocks

I agree, I don't spend a lot of time on the grade school level relays and switches these days.

My current project is an Arduino that reads all messages on the serial data bus and I can choose any given message to trigger any given action that a Tech 2 could do in response, short of reprogramming of course.

 

[briand069]

They tried to steal mine this way a couple of years ago, so I can explain the procedure. First they punch the lock cylinder in the driver's door. The door handle and base are plastic and hitting the cylinder hard will break the plastic ears that hold the cylinder in. Then it is a simple matter of turning the entire lock cylinder to unlock the truck, which also turns off the factory alarm.

The ignition cylinder is forced by ripping away the column cover to expose the protruding end of the cylinder and using vise grip or channel lock pliers to force it to rotate. There is a steel pin that prevents this, but the cylinder housing is aluminum, so they are trying to break that. The Passlock is entirely contained in the ignition lock cylinder and housing, the key has nothing to do with it, so if you can turn the cylinder the Passlock system is happy and lets it start. Getting the locking pin housing to break is a 50/50 proposition and depends partly on how good of a grip they get with the pliers. In my case they twisted off the end of lock cylinder instead and couldn't get another good bite on it with the pliers, so they gave up at that point. Sometimes, instead of pliers, they drive a screwdriver into the ignition lock cylinder and try to force it by using some kind of lever to rotate the screwdriver, but again, sometimes the soft metal of the lock cylinder gives first.

There are products out there that try to interrupt this method, like the Club or Jimmi Jammers, but from my research I don't think any of them are more effective than a good aftermarket alarm or a hidden kill switch, as others have been suggesting. Back when mine was broken into I had modelled the door handle base in CAD and was planning to have it machined from aluminum or steel so that they couldn't punch out the door lock, but before I got finished with that project I got a new Escalade, so never did get any made.

Thanks for this information. This confirms what I was thinking and lines up with what is seen on the video I watched of the truck being stolen. The guy appears to push something into the driver's door, once inside the truck, it is started in less than 30 seconds and is gone. I knew about the factory alarm being bypassed by punching the lock, so the logical choice would be to install a standalone alarm system with a starter disable to not make it so easy. And maybe something else that would be a deterrent for someone looking for a fast easy steal. I suppose if you could disconnect the factory alarm from the door lock so it isn't easily defeated could also help. I realize someone determined to steal something will do whatever it takes, but considering how easy it easy to steal this era truck/SUV it's not surprising it happens so often.

Brian