Drivers can ‘stop any thief’ from stealing their motor with £10 eBay gadget… even if they get inside
A MECHANIC has revealed how drivers can “stop any thief” from stealing their motor using a £10 gadget, even if the crooks get inside.
The handy piece of tech is just as effective against insidious new forms of car crime, including keyless thefts.
Drawing on over 50 years of experience, Scotty Kilmer shared some of the best ways you can protect your vehicle.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he responded to a question from an unfortunate viewer whose car had been stolen recently.
The thieves apparently used a professional scanner device to reprogram a new key fob for the motor.
Since it, like many modern cars, used a keyless ignition system, this allowed them to drive off as if they had the original key without even needing to pinch it.
Scotty explained that, in order to use the scan tool, the criminals would likely have had to intercept and clone the key fob signal to get into the car in the first place.
So-called keyless thefts are on the rise, with thugs using modified devices similar to old-fashioned GameBoys to commit the crimes in seconds.
One shocking video from earlier this year showed a gang using a “master device” to unlock a luxury Bentley, before ramming it through a gated driveway and making their escape.
In order to protect yourself, Scotty advised: “Put yourself a killswitch somewhere in the car.
“You can flip the switch so even they programme a key for the car, it won’t start.
“The killswitch is turned off and it won’t give power to whatever you shut off.
“The ignition system or the fuel injection system or the fuel pump, you could wire it to any one of those.”
A basic killswitch kit can be picked up for as little as £10 and can be installed at home or by a professional for a small fee.
The switch acts as a circuit breaker and prevents power from reaching whichever system it is wired into.
You can then hide the switch out of sight in the car so thieves won’t be able to start the engine even if they manage to break in.
Some more expensive killswitch systems even allow you to deactivate the car remotely.
However, Scotty also shared a completely free hack to immobilise your car if you’re willing to put in a bit of extra effort.
He added: “Find out where your fuel pump relay is in your fuse box.
“Just take it out when you leave the car.
“How many thieves have a spare fuel pump relay on them?”
Without the relay, the fuel pump will not activate and send fuel into the engine, meaning it won’t start.
Then, when you want to drive again, all you have to do is replace the fuse and you can set off.
It only take a few moments to do but obviously you have to remember to do it each and every time.
It comes after Scotty revealed an easy maintenance job you only need to do once every five years that could “make your engine last twice as long”.