Edwin C.

Since my 2001 Suburban got stolen, I’ve been trying out a bunch of different anti-theft devices, but then my mechanic friend told me to simply: remove car fuse to prevent theft.

Now, I’m not a mechanic or know much about how a car works even though I change my own spark plugs and replace a part every once in a while (things like air filters, gaskets, alternators, etc.), I didn’t want to get too technical and overhaul my electronic system to help out my situation.

There were super cool things out there like installing a kill switch or even installing a way to cut off the fuel line, but I finally decided to give this a shot and now I want to share how I just unplug a fuse from my car whenever I have to leave it parked out on the street. It is definitely worth a shot.

Remove the Car Fuse to Prevent Thieves from Starting Your Car

Here’s what you have to do:

1. Open up your car hood
2. Take out the cover from your fuse box
3. Take out the ignition system or the fuel system relay fuses

This guy shows you how to do that with a quick video on an old car. This is what I watched when I wanted to protect my car.

Can this kill your battery?

According to my friend, if someone tries to steal your car and the fuel system relay is missing, then your battery might end up dying from the attempt. However, I would much rather have a dead battery than a missing car. I’m sure you have the same opinion.

But if you instead take out the starter ignition system relay from the box, your car simply will not start and the thief would have a hard time leaving with your car. Your battery will survive the attempt.

How do I get to this fuse? Does it damage the car?

From what I’ve heard and from my experience, it does not damage the car, but don’t take my word for it. There are some people out there that might break something while getting in there, but I have found it to be fairly safe. Here is a forum post that I found about the topic.

You can get to the ignition relay by opening up the lid to the box. For my car, it is on the driver’s side under the hood in a box that says “FUSE BOX”. You just have to open it, and look at the diagram that is on the lid itself.

You’ll see the ignition relay fuse labeled.

You find the fuse, pull it out, and take it with you. When you come back to your car and want to start it, just plug it back in, and your car will start normally.

Sure, it can be a bit of a hassle –especially if you can afford some other devices that can make it much easier for you every single time you leave your car, but this doesn’t cost you anything for now and it works like a charm.

Once you save up for a different method, I would install a kill switch or one of the more advanced methods to stop and deter thieves from getting to your car.

When my car was gone for a while, I had to learn how to report a stolen car to the DMV all on my own, since the insurance company basically said to “keep all my documentation and report it to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) after 30 days” and even that information was not specific enough.

I live in California, so this information was based on my research from here. It can apply to where ever you live as long as you find the appropriate forms.

Please note that the main reason why you are reporting your car stolen to the DMV is to waive registration fees and not accrue additional fees while you are not operating the vehicle.

If the alleged thief is caught driving your vehicle, the police typically would have already added the car to the registry via other means and it would be identified as such.

How to Report A Stolen Car to the DMV

1. Have your police report and documentation from your insurance company, dealer, or lienholder available
2. Look up the procedure for Stolen or Embezzled Vehicles in your state
3. Fill out the Miscellaneous Certifications form and attach supporting documentation
4. Submit the form in person at a field office or by mail at the appropriate address listed on the form

IMPORTANT: If your registration was already expired and you operated the vehicle before your car was stolen, you will owe those fees. Also, as soon as you recover your car you will start to owe the registration fees again.

You do not need to get a A Certificate of Non-Operation/Planned Non-Operation Certification nor do you have to get a Salvage Certificate.

Please verify the information for your state. Here is a link to California’s procedure manual that details what I listed above.

Here are the links to the Statement of Facts and the Miscellaneous Statements forms for the state of California.

Before Reporting to the DMV

Make sure that you file a police report as soon as you realize that your car has been stolen. Please make sure that it has actually been stolen and that someone in your family has not borrowed it or you simply forgot where you parked it.

It’s easy to lose your head in a moment of panic like that.

Notify your insurance company about the car theft soon after getting your police report. If you’re still making payments on your car or if the car is in someone else’s name, your insurance company is an excellent resource on what to do in these cases. They have likely seen cases like yours dozens of times.

What happens if someone steals your car registration?

If someone steals your car registration, you should make a police report before someone tries to use it. You can help the situation by keeping a copy of your car’s registration at home.

Since you are required to keep the registration document as proof in your vehicle at all times while you’re operating it, you will have to report it to the DMV and obtain a replacement. If your license plate or sticker were stolen, you will also have to request a new one. Since these things take a while, you may have to put a temporary plate so the police don’t give you trouble for it.

Should I report a stolen license plate?

You should report a stolen license plate to your local police department. A police report is a good record keeper and lets authorities know that it has been stolen. Here in California, you must then go to the DMV office (take the police report with you and your ID), and the plate that was left in your car.

Look up the form called REG 156 (if you’re in California) and take it to the DMV field office. Oh and pay the fees to receive your new set of plates, of course.

We can’t forget those darn fees.

How effective would a spy camera in car mirror be to prevent theft?

Alright guys, so hear me out. Have you ever seen tiny hidden cameras and whole issue with Airbnb? I recently watched a video of a car getting stolen from a parking lot. After nine minutes, I started Googling some stuff. Can I hide a camera from my windshield or find one with a secret one behind the mirror?

How could I get a hold of one? Do they even make it?

(Spoiler: No. But I thought of an alternative idea.)

So I did a little research and found a bunch of these cases where car thieves were identified via these cameras installed on their windshields. In this video, the guy doesn’t really get seen since the cam is facing the outside. But what if there was a camera that you could put on your windshield that you could face inward when you’re out of the car, and used as a dash cam while you’re driving?

Some potential issues with this that I can think of is how to power it. I’ve had other devices in the car that get overheated during the summer here in California, so I’d like to have something plugged in.

However, if a thief is trying to get into the car, can’t they just unplug it?

Some thieves don’t see it. Ideally, I’d like a camera to activate when it senses motion or movement through a sensor and begins recording and saving. This is the mirror dash cam that I was looking at on Amazon, priced around $100.

Who This is For

Even though a spy camera in car mirror sounds like something cool to have, a dash cam might be more useful if your drive takes a turn and you get into an accident. For theft? It might actually catch something but I just don’t see it working in the long term for that, although it can be extremely useful. If you can prove to your insurance agent or with a lawyer that you were not at fault because of the camera, this camera and the recordings could be worth thousands of dollars.

If your car is involved in an accident while you are parked, the camera can also begin recording right when it happens and it might catch something useful that you can use in your own defense. Besides, even though the camera may not catch the accident, it might catch that you were driving properly, it can catch the sound, and the impact.

If we stop being selfish for a minute, your camera can also catch someone stealing from another car or something similar to what happened to me at a rest area where a thief broke into the car that was parked next to mine. The girl asked around and may have gotten lucky thanks to one of the dash cams in the commercial trucks facing the incident. Dash cams also catch awesome footage for your Youtube channel.

Pros and cons of a dash camera

The cool thing about this is that once you buy it, you sort of forget about it. If you know me, you know that I cannot stand stuff that requires maintenance all the time. When my parents bought a Mercedes, all I saw was the ripoff maintenance costs associated with it. Also, just like GPS systems, can’t a thief just go straight for the dash cam knowing that they can be sold in the black market? Just the SD card inside would cost around $40 depending on the size.

Then again, I WISH I would’ve had a camera on board when my car got broken into the first time, since the car stayed there after my ignition shutoff thing went off. But it would have definitely not worked the second time my Suburban went missing since they even took the GPS system and my mirror thermometer and compass.

In conclusion, I think I’m going to go for it just as an added layer of security, but I definitely think that other anti-theft systems are much more effective. The club, engine shutoff, even a brake lock or wheel lock may end up being more effective than this thing at stopping my car from getting stolen.

But once the car is gone, I’m sure the camera would be taken off and sold right away. If it doesn’t and instead someone just breaks into my car, I might have a chance at catching the crook.

Best of luck out there, everyone! Let me know if you have a dash cam and if it has been a good investment for you.

On top of losing a car, you get piled on with stolen vehicle recovery charges.

After the blow of getting the news about my 2001 Chevrolet Suburban getting stolen, not having a second car to get to work, and feeling robbed (because I was), I got some great news: my car had been found and had been recovered!

Unfortunately, another wave of bad stuff was coming: the stolen vehicle recovery charges.

This isn’t my first time around the block regarding car theft. I was honestly just hoping for the best out of the bad situation. From experience, I know that I can divide this into the best case scenario, a medium, a worst-case scenario. In this particular case, here is a list of charges that I had to pay:

Stolen Vehicle Recovery Charges

1. Tow from the recovery site to the storage yard fees, $485.79
2. Storage fees, $115.00 (one day)
3. Inspection by a mechanic $119.25
4. Repairs $440
5. Miscellaneous items taken from inside the car ~$300

Now, there were some other fees associated with this, but please note that I didn’t add insurance fees on there because I didn’t have to pay a deductible on it since my insurance is on the lowest tier that doesn’t cover stolen vehicles. Also, I didn’t include some of the anti-theft devices that I purchased for my car to help prevent future thefts.

Side note: not everything has been fixed yet. The truck still has some issues with the engine (the thieves took some hoses from under the hood), and I cannot yet be certain if the theft had something to do with it.

Worst-Case Scenario: Car is Totaled, Towed, and Stored

I am not sure why there aren’t any laws about this that I’ve heard about, but this is definitely as bad as it can get. Your car gets stolen, driven into a ditch somewhere, the engine is totaled, the windows shattered, air bags deployed, and basically pointless to repair and then you have to pay for tow fees? What?

Fortunately for me, the car was still in running condition, even with some missing components from under the hood but other people have had way tougher luck.

Imagine finding out that your car is stored in a lot and the car was found in a different state and it costs you more to get it towed than the overall price of it? Fortunately there is a cap of how many days an impound lot can charge you for, but it still can rack up in the couple of thousand dollars.

What Happens When the Police Find Your Car?

Normally, the officers will contact you to go get it back. But there is a trick I’ve learned about this! There is a small window of time before the police calls a tow truck. If your insurance doesn’t cover this, you want to get there as soon as you can in order to avoid the costly tow and storage fees. Trust me on this. I’ve had to convince the officer that found my car to please not call a tow truck even though I had no idea on what I was going to do.

I did not have a AAA account, and my insurance didn’t cover any of the towing fees (I used Allstate at the time), that when I called them, they told me that I could add on the service for an additional dollar per month. A freakin’ dollar.

Oh, but the service wouldn’t activate until midnight later that evening.

Eventually I found a family member who had a AAA membership and I got to take it home.

If you cannot make it to your car, the police will have little choice but to do what they have to do in most cases. The police takes a report, calls a tow truck, and they notify you where the car is going.

This can be very costly and can even be considered theft just by itself! These services are taking huge advantage of the misfortune of other people. I’m not sure how anybody running an impound lot or tow service can sleep at night.

Picking Up the Stolen Car From The Yard

After you get the notification from the police, they will give you the name and phone number of the lot where your car is located. There are several things that I’ve learned about getting a car back from the tow yard.

1. Impound lots will not negotiate most of the time
2. The tow fees and storage fees are ridiculously high
3. Bring another driver with you, take a taxi/Uber, or take the bus to the lot so that you can drive the car back
4. Bring your keys or your spare! If you don’t have them, get ready for another tow fee to get your car back home

What you have to do to pick up your stolen car from the impound lot is to show up with your identification that matches the name on the title of the vehicle. If it isn’t you, the tow yard will not accept it and you will have to come back some other time.

The administration office there (usually old/stinky rooms) attended by a rude person will give you your receipt with many fees on it. Expect around $200 for the tow and somewhere around $50 to $200 for storage, plus all of those odd fees like paperwork, etc. I’ve tried negotiating with these guys, but it has worked 0% of the time.

They know that if you leave your car another day in there, the car will keep making them money.

After you pay, you will gain access to your car again. Before you drive it back, be sure that the car will run smoothly and that nothing major is missing. In my case, the thieves took my air conditioning unit and they had left a radiator hose completely off, so I had to check it for antifreeze.

Take photos of the inside of the car in case you need to file any additional damages to your car.

Just thinking about all of the hassle that things involves makes me angry all over again. First, you’re a victim to theft and then a victim to the towing and tow lot companies (they’re usually different companies). I sincerely hope these places fix up their price gouging strategies.

It reminds me of the crazy ambulance fees here in California.

It still remember when the police told me that they had recovered my stolen car (my Dodge Caravan). I was sitting in my front porch with my family when the police stopped in front of my house and two officers got off and asked to talk to me over the gate. They asked me if I knew where the car was, and I said it was parked in Riverside, CA.

When they looked at each other, I knew what had happened and my stomach turned a little bit. My car had been stolen and they were visiting me out of courtesy to let me know.

When I got a call from the police officer on site, he asked me if I wanted to go pick it up because it couldn’t stay on the street. I thought that the car was in good working condition but apparently I did not hear the officer when he told me that it had no tires.

When I pulled up to the street where the car was, I was shocked to see the car on bricks and tipped to the side because a stack of bricks had toppled over. The thieves did not even do a good job on that. That’s when I considered, after my car is recovered, do I have to take it back? What if it’s too beat up?

Can you refuse to take stolen car back?

If you are the owner of the vehicle, you will be held responsible for your car since it cannot be left on the side of a highway or in an alley somewhere. The police will have the car towed to a lot where you will be charged per day it stays in there (up to the maximum timeframe allowed by your state).

Of course, if your insurance company covers total theft, you and your insurer must discuss what will happen to the vehicle, but if it is cheaper to fix the car than to replace the vehicle, the insurer will opt to have it fixed instead.

It really is a big mess when these things happen because you have to pay tow fees, storage fees, repair for the damages, the cost of replacing things that got taken from the car, plus let us not forget about the huge amount of time this takes. You cannot simply tell the lot where your car is that you are not taking the car back, or to have them dispose of it because you are still responsible for it.

What do you do when your car is stolen and recovered?

There are a couple of scenarios where this plays out differently.

1. If your car was recovered in good driveable conditions, you just retrieve it and go back to normal. You simply get to take your car home and call up your insurance to let them know.
2. If your car was recovered but it was towed away to a lot, you will have to pay the tow fees and the storage fees in order to get it back. This is what sucks about recovering the car: it usually stays hostage in the storage lot until you fork up the money to get it back. Don’t want your car anymore? Too bad! The lot still charges you the storage place, and they might even decide to add a disposal fee if they agree to take the car off your hands.
3. What if your car is recovered after receiving your claim money? If you are paying a lease on the car, your insurance already gave you money for your claim, and THEN it was recovered, then you have to speak with your insurance company about what to do next because I’m pretty sure you would be double-dipping into the benefits and you might be committing insurance fraud without knowing it.

Can I buy back my stolen car?

Here is an interesting case that I read regarding buying your stolen car back: so a man got his car stolen from his home and received his claim check three weeks later and purchased a replacement, only to get a notification that the car had been recovered six weeks later. The thing is, he wanted to buy the stolen car back since it had no damage and it was in good working condition.

After calling his insurance company, he found out that the insurance would not allow that to happen through them, but that he could definitely track down the car to find out how it was going to be resold. It turned out that it was going to be auctioned off. I’m not sure if he purchased it or not, but the insurance company was actually able to help out tracking down the place where it would be auctioned.

The recovered car would most likely have a stolen mark on the car’s record though.

How does buying a stolen and recovered affect insurance?

Cars that are recovered are called recovered theft cars, and some states will title them as a salvage car. These cars have typically been stolen, stripped, resold, used to deal drugs in, or found completely fine. The title has won’t differentiate that though, so it can be a bit of a guessing game.

There are several states where your car has to be retitled in order to be able to drive it on the road. There’s a whole process for it that requires an inspection and probably several trips to the DMV in order to get it settled.

Does insurance go up if your car gets jacked? Not all the time, but it is likely through indirect reasons. For example, when you’re getting a quote for insurance, a company might look for the areas where you are typically driving. If those neighborhoods are sketchy, the insurance rates might reflect that or it might affect at how the insurance company views you as a driver.

Cautious drivers might park their cars in locked gates or secure them better, but if you’re on a losing streak quite often, it might show the insurance company that you aren’t very careful about where you leave your car (or how you secure it), and sadly this can affect your rates.

How can you stop a person from stealing your car with a keyless entry? I was surprised to find out how easy it is for criminals to take a car with a system like this!

Are Keyless Cars Easier to Steal?

Keyless cars are not harder to steal than other cars, though the process does require some additional gadgets that not all ‘traditional’ criminals may have in their possession. When you start your car using a keyless system, the device that you’re carrying emits a signal that your car catches and allows for your car to start. This signal can be intercepted by some other gadgets that need to be only a few meters away.

Techniques to steal cars are improving very fast and car manufacturers and police are playing catch-up in order to keep up with the pretty innovative ways thieves are finding to get into your cars. The two main hurdles are getting inside the car and the second one is starting the engine. If both of these mechanisms use a keyless entry system, the way to get inside may be about the same for both.

How Does a Thief Steal a Keyless Entry Car?

I’m not too much of a technology guy, so understanding how the heck a person can electronically steal a car was way beyond my knowledge. Things were a lot better with just a lock, a bar on the steering wheel, and maybe a car alarm. I did end up doing some research though, since obviously knowing these things can save me a ton of time and money.

Passing On the Signal

Systems that are keyless use a very simple technology. The key fob that you carry with you send out a signal that extends a few yards. When your car is nearby, the car catches the signal and the doors unlock. Starting the car engine has a similar process except with a shorter range signal that forces you to actually be inside the car in order for your car to start.

Thieves that catch and pass on the signal (also known as a “relay”) use a transmitter that has to be near your key fob in order to catch the signal from your keys and pass it on to your car. Another person standing close to your car catches that signal and your car unlocks. The same can be done to get your car to start.

Blocking The Signal

Suppose you’re getting out of your car at the store, and press the button on your key fob to lock your car. If you’re close enough, you might get to hear the locks engaging on your car doors and trunk, but most of us just press the button and walk away. Thieves can take advantage of this and can use the same radio frequency from another device to be near your car or parking space that would essentially block the signal from your key fob from getting to your car’s receiver.

If your car doesn’t lock, the thief has an extremely easy job left to do: to open your door and get inside.

Reprogramming Your Key Fob

Have you ever seen the diagnostic port where you plug in the scanner to figure out what’s wrong with your car when the “check engine” light goes on? Computer hackers can get into the car’s software through it. I’m not sure how it works exactly, but from what I’ve researched, all they can do is download the information and make a key fob and then they can start the car if your car starts with a button instead of with a key. It can actually be very simple.

What makes this specially scary is that these devices can cost a few bucks and a thief can get into your car in less than 30 seconds. Yikes!

The Thief Just Opens the Door

If you forget the key fob inside your car, it may be enough for the car to allow someone to open it. It doesn’t sound very smart if you’re inside and you cannot simply lock your car to prevent someone from getting in just because you have the key fob with you, right? But technology can be spotty sometimes. Just please, take the fob with you.

How To Avoid Keyless Car Theft

You won’t have to worry too much about your car disappearing if you follow some common sense rules. Here are a few that I’ve learned over my experiences.

Make Sure Your Car Locks

Even my old Suburban has a loud sound when the locks engage on the doors, and the lights flash. Some newer cars have other indicators like beeps or a special alarm sound to make sure that your car is actually locked. Make sure you watch out for that.

Hide the Fob

Remember that way that thieves sort of pass on the signal to another device to get into your car? This is because they got access to your front door of your house or your purse or someplace where you normally store your keys. It may seem like a bit of an exaggeration, but if I had a keyless entry car (which I do not), I would probably guard that thing just like I do my passport card or payment credit cards with those wireless signals.

Some of the items that help with this is are simply metal tins or cans, metal-lined bags (also called Faraday bags). Please try this on your own since I have not found a friend with a keyless entry car that would let me test this out myself. If you have any solutions, also please let me know.

GPS Tracking Devices

Buy a steering wheel lock, which makes driving away almost impossible and would significantly delay the theft of your car, meaning thieves will be deterred for fear of being caught in the act. You may also be able to fit a lock to your diagnostic port, preventing wired computer hacking.

The Real Odds of Your Car Disappearing

I’m somewhat grateful for the lack of high-technology in my car at times. It has a regular key, a regular old-fashioned alarm, and I use a steering wheel lock when I have to leave it parked in a lot or on the street. This didn’t stop my car from getting stolen this last time, but it did stop the thieves the first time.

Outside of a Food 4 Less grocery store, the thieves managed to get into the car but couldn’t start the car and the radio and the car itself got disconnected due to a security mechanism that I’m still trying to find out about. Apparently, as a security feature, my 2003 Suburban will shut off the computer if something gets abruptly disconnected from the dashboard or entertainment control panel.

However, just like with computers, thieves are always searching for a new way to get in and manufactures will have to keep patching up those flaws and releasing security updates for your car pretty often. I’m not sure if the keyless entry features of today’s cars are worth the risk of it getting stolen. I mean, really, how hard is it to take out a key to open up your car?