Almost Stolen!

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I went outside about noon to start up the truck to do a couple of errands,when I noticed the all the dash/warning lights were on before I even unlocked the door. I got in and saw plactic chips on the floor and the column covers cracked and scratched and the switch bezel was missing. No forced enrty on my side so I got out and looked at the passenger door,yup that's where they got in.
They mashed in the sheet metal just under the door handle to unlock it. Now the door's gonna need to be repaired and repainted! The moron sure screwed up the ignition switch. Can't start the truck now,that's probably why they never took it. The warning lights stay on with out the key in,and the switch no longer turns far enough to start the truck! I'm waitng for the cop to show up for the report,then it's off to do rounds with the insurance company. I don't understand... There was alot of stuff to steal in the truck but they didn't bother with any of it!

-Mike
99 QC2500 4x4

[This message has been edited by MikeR (edited 11-22-1999). ]

 

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At least you still have your RAM, Mike.
Keep an eye on it now... they might come back. It happened to my neighbor a few years ago. The column was broken and he got it all fixed and 3 days after he got it back from the repair it was GONE!.

Part of BOMBing is to protect the RAM... I am pondering a few anti-BOMB measures.

SCOTT
rammin' on alert

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RAMMIN's best done BOMBed

 

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I'm tellin' you, the dude responsible for that would be much better off if the police caught him than if I caught him if that happened to me. Sorry to hear about this. Seems like a lot of Ram owners have had this problem.

 

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I don't know if they make one for Rams (don't have my Ram yet), but I would highly recommend that you look into a steering column collar lock. These are lockable steel cases that cover the ignition switch. Your thief may have never bothered with your truck if he saw that you had one of these locks. They are very hard to get through - much better than Club-type devices.

I read in a magazine a few years back about a Corvette thief who had stolen thousands of 'vettes before he was caught. As part of his punishment he was required to advise auto manufacturers about how to better design anti-theft systems. Anyway, he said only two things stopped him from stealing his prey: an ignition collar lock and a well-hidden ignition kill switch.

Since reading this, these two items go in all my vehicles.

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2001-03 Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins - I'll get it one of these days! - joined TDR to prepare the way.

 

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Mike, I am so sorry to hear that someone tampered with your baby!!!

But hey, I know it will come back at whoever did it... and I hope it is in the form of a speeding cement truck. I am a firm believer in karma, and it will come back at the jerk or jerks who did it. Keep an eye on the Ram, and invest in some theft-deterrant devices like a shotgun and a temper! LOL Seriously, get The Club or one of those column lock things, they work well. Also, you may want to rig up a switch that disables the injection pump or something so the theives can't start it up.

BOMBING SAD STYLE TODAY #ad


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Evan A. Beck

98. 5 2500, 4x2, RC, ISB, A/T, SLT, 3. 54 LSD, Trailer tow, Aux. suspension, Forest Green/Driftwood, 44,760 miles, 11/21/99

4" Exhaust split into duals, with 4" x 20" chrome tips one on each side after the wheels, Jacobs E-Brake, K&N Filter (Scotty style), Auto-Meter Ultra Lite boost & pyro, turbo silencer ring removed, OEM foglamps, OEM roof marker lights, OEM 1-ton tailgate marker lamps, Sylvania Cool Blue® 9004 headlamp bulbs, Husky diamond plate toolbox, Line-X spray-in bedliner, plus other cosmetic modifications

"I'd Rather be RAMMIN' than STROKIN'"

"Journeyman B. O. M. B. Member"



[This message has been edited by Evan A. Beck (edited 11-23-1999). ]

 

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Some time ago a cop in San Diego told me that the Club was almost worthless. According to him it just takes a few seconds to hack saw the steering wheel rim and yank the Club out. That's why I have two kill switches.

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Joe G.

'95 2500 CC auto 4X4,Combo EGT/boost guage,PacBrake,Torque plate,BD valve body,Automatic motorhome steps on both sides,Foldacover hard bed cover,Cummins chrome kit,Black steel grill guard,Front hitch receiver

 

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Mike, I'm sorry to hear you had your Ram broken into and damaged. The kind of people (SCUM) that perpetrate that sort of activity just infuriate me!!!!

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'98. 5 2500 QC 4x4, (Black) SLT Sport, personalized license plate: BLCKOUT, ISB, LWB, 3. 54 LSD, A/T, 275 hp. injectors, Glasstite Vision II "canopy", Line-X bed liner, 285/75R16 BFG A/Ts on 16x8 M/T Challengers, Warn 4X Boards, Mopar fender flares, front and rear NW Custom stainless steel/rubber mud flaps, Mag-Hytec diff. cover and trans. pan, Edelbrock IAS shocks, VDO Vision gauges, PIAA Dual Sport 900 auxiliary lights and Super White bulbs, BD exhaust brake and TorqLoc, Prime-Loc fuel filter relocation kit, and Banks exhaust.

SVP of BOMB! heh,heh,heh




[This message has been edited by John (edited 11-23-1999). ]

 

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Mike, for many years I've been cutting out magazine ads, "new products" press releases, and articles on installing accessories on project build-up vehicles in Four Wheeler and other magazines. I keep them in a ring binder, pasted to notebook paper (I used to keep the whole magazines, but 16 years of 3 different magazines was taking up too much room!).
Anyway, I have one here that might be worth looking into, maybe someone else on this board has heard of this company. I have never called them.
I don't know when I cut this out of Off-Road magazine, but it couldn't have been before '96, when I bought my first Ram. The caption, under a picture of a Ram interior, says:
"Most vehicles are stolen by popping the ignition. Steadfast's InvisiGuard installs under the column cover and reinforces the ignition-cylinder area. "
Then I have pasted below: "R&S Accessories, PO Box 890305, Houston, Texas, 77289.
(800) 338-3730, (409) 935-2454 fax. Steadfast Pop& Lock, Spare Tire Winchlock, Invisigard. "

Note: since I have never contacted this company, and this information is a few years old, I can't be sure if the phone number, etc. is current. Maybe a search on the internet might find a website.
If anyone out there has installed one of these (or a similar product) or has dealt with this company , post whatever info you can. We need to help each other protect our trucks!
Andy

 

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MikeR... . I am sorry to hear about your Ram... . I have an idea. Since things keep happening to it, and I love that color, and Y2K is coming up soon with all the crazys out there, you should bring your Ram to my house for safe keeping. I would be happy to guard it(with my life and . 44mag, if necessary). I have lots of parking, and I'm a pretty fair shot! You and your Ram are welcome here anytime! Scum is too good of a descriptive for those people. BTW, arrows are silent.

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Rob Hanson
1999 3500 SLT QC 4X4 Cummins
Flame Red, Rhino, 6 spd, 4. 10LSD, FX Running Boards, Cobra CB, Stinger Bug Shields, Mag-Hytec rear cover, Cummins E-Brake, Torklift Super Hitch, BD 4" exhaust, Blue Box, Newest Member of BOMB!

I'd rather be... .
Cummin than Strokin.

 

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Listed below is a web site I found for R & S Accessories.
http://www.autoaccessories.com/r&s.htm

I am new to this forum and the Dodge Turbo Diesel so please bear with me. I had a four banger Isuzu diesel years ago, but there is no comparison. I have fixed the link hopefully.

[This message has been edited by Tinbender (edited 11-24-1999). ]

[This message has been edited by Tinbender (edited 11-24-1999). ]

 

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where do you wire in the kill switch?

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'01 on order (pick it up in may 2000), 2500 QC,SWB, 4x4, auto, SLT, black, camel leather, camper special, snowplow prep, tow package, rear sliding window, trip computer, LSD, 4. 10, will install 35 inch mud tires asap, cost 34k. (if your truck is like mine what MPG's do you get????

 

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One of my kill switches is in the circuit that activates the fuel solenoid. The other is in the circuit that detects that the transmission is in park or neutral. That latter one is well hidden and I use it if I park in some area that has a lot of strangers. For long term parking I have another thing I do. The kill switch for the fuel solenoid is thru a relay since the circuit for the solenoid is pretty high current. If I park for a long time (airport) I open up my relay box and pull the wire off the relay in fuel solenoid circuit.

I hope this helps,

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Joe G.

'95 2500 CC auto 4X4,Combo EGT/boost guage,PacBrake,Torque plate,BD valve body,Automatic motorhome steps on both sides,Foldacover hard bed cover,Cummins chrome kit,Black steel grill guard,Front hitch receiver

 

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Now I'm going to be paranoid and suggest that all anti-theft ideas not be posted here just in case there is a smart thief out there that likes to read posts on how to bypass all these neat ideas. Afterall this is how I learn about the Dodge/Cummins stuff so why can't they? Maybe email to individuals that are interested would be more secure.

 

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I was thinking about that so you will notice that I did NOT indicate the physical location of things. You might get a clue if you consult the splice location part of a service manual.

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Joe G.

'95 2500 CC auto 4X4,Combo EGT/boost guage,PacBrake,Torque plate,BD valve body,Automatic motorhome steps on both sides,Foldacover hard bed cover,Cummins chrome kit,Black steel grill guard,Front hitch receiver

 

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Easy solution and instant justice! Equip you baby with a vehicle recovery system. When an unauthorized user jumps in the seat, fires your baby up, and takes off down the road they have 120 seconds to figure out what to do. After the time is up fuel delivery stops, windows close, and doors lock. Only escape for thugs is through the glass or out the rear slider if available. Sure, sounds like something you saw on TV, that's because it is. The bad boy runs about $1300, and is completely hidden. Two taps on a certain factory switch and it is disabled and available to the rightful owner! What you do with the criminal turned prisoner we won't tell!

 

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Easy solution and instant justice! Equip your baby with a vehicle recovery system. When an unauthorized user jumps in the seat, fires your baby up, and takes off down the road they have 120 seconds to figure out what to do. After the time is up fuel delivery stops, windows close, and doors lock. Only escape for thugs is through the glass or out the rear slider if available. Sure, sounds like something you saw on TV, that's because it is. The bad boy runs about $1300, and is completely hidden. Two taps on a certain factory switch and it is disabled and available to the rightful owner! What you do with the criminal turned prisoner we won't tell!

 

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Any anti-theft ideas are appreciated. I caught a guy stealing my previous rig. He was trying to grab my other half but she made it into the house and locked the door. When he found the door locked, he decided to take the truck from the garage. His reaction to seeing a Remington 870 12 gauge stuck in his face was beyond anything I could ever type... he started crying, begging me not to shoot him. I responded that as long as he didn't move and waited for Five O and DIDN'T TRY AND USE THE KNIFE he would be fine. Alls well that ended well, except for the stains in his shorts.

All joking aside... . unless Mr. Thief presents a death/serious bodily injury situation to you or others, you are asking for trouble dealing with him/them yourself---know I'm stating the obvious, and Rob is frowning cause I'm off subject, but lots of nice folks are in jail for shooting car thiefs. Not saying or advising you let him run off with your beloved Ram, but EVERYONE should simply think about this issue, and run these things through your mind, considering & weighing options, etc etc. Then you'll at least have an idea of what's best for you.

What? Me hypocritical? Sounds kinda like "do as I say, not as I do"??? You wouldn't think so if I said more. So, how's this: "I did it cause you pay me to do it 24/7. " Sorry I digressed. Time for bed.



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Dave B.

 

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Anybody heard of a security system called "The Bolt?" I was at a Dodge dealer the other day and the salesman was showing it to me. A tab that contans a computer chip has to be plugged into an outlet before the vehicle will start. Looks pretty good, as long as the plastic chip doesn't get lost. One thing about 'em, no false alarms in the middle of the night.

Anyone have feedback on these?

Eric

 

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Only thing about thinking about it at the time its happening, is, you get a better decision and the other gets away. On the "chip" side I read in 4Wheeler, I think< about the cost if lost. Gal lost master key to car and was expensive, 2k+ ifn i recall.

I'd rather shoot and then think about the answers for the law. But, depends on the state u in. NM could be bad, depends on area.

\\BF//

 

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Turbo D,
In the current TDR, Issue # 26, there is an article on how to connect anti-theft switches on the Dodge/Cummins Ram. They call it a "Security" switch. The article is on page number 16.


Wayne
amsoilman

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94'SLT 4X4 AT/White in color. Factory Tow Hooks & Running Boards. Amsoil By-Pass filter, Amsoil Air cleaner,and all fluids are Amsoil.
BD exhaust Brake, BD Torque Lock, BD Torque Converter, Dr. Performance Stage II Injection Pump. Mag-Hytec Diff Cover,Isspro Pyro, Boost,Oil temp Gauges mounted in 3 Gauge post mount. One gauge monitors Engine Oil, Trans, Diff. Temps.