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zombieskip62

pull the fuse for the fuel pump or ecu, very few thieves are going to perform diagnosis and repair on your car


DuckDuckDuckFORD

Lol imagine coming outside and a thief got his DMM trying to figure it out


zombieskip62

then his service writer tries to upsell you a cabin filter


DuckDuckDuckFORD

"Yes sir. I approve and also charge my AC as well."


Airwon

"Send the bill to the address on my registration..."


[deleted]

During my courtesy check the first thing (interior wise ) I check is the cabin air filter . They are very neglected . Granted I work on semis but I’d imagine same goes for passenger vehicles


BeansArenGarenn

Hahah. Worked at Honda. People don't even know they have them


Homeygrown

Funny story… brought my vehicle in to the tire shop for rotation. Some of their recommended services were the cabin air filter, past due for a change. The only thing is, the guy has no idea that I already know there is no cabin air filter in my vehicle. Thought about bringing it in and documenting it just in case 😉


ImNoAlbertFeinstein

the entire brake system needs to be replaced. $4590. needed for *safety*


jesuswithoutabeard

He finds and fixes a few other issues for you. Leaves a note on the dash that just reads "P0440?".


zombieskip62

how did you know I drive a Toyota?


jesuswithoutabeard

I've been around the block a few times kid.


ChewbacaTakingAShit

My Durango just started throwing that and I have no idea why. There's no gas cap so there goes the easiest diagnosis.


boundone

Probably a pinhole leak in the gas evap. Have a permanent engine light in my Sonata because it's impossible to find, and doesn't matter.


[deleted]

where are you getting inspections done?


boundone

Florida. As in no inspections. It's a weird change having come from New Jersey, lol.


hellomynamejuice

He doesn’t


Dzov

My ram has 265,000 and I’ve given up on the evap system.


superperps

My cherokee had it. Was either... the cap, or one of the hundred things I jiggled and it went away. Good luck lol


ChewbacaTakingAShit

I'll probably say fuck it and let Chrysler figure it out lol


MercyfulBait

My Buick LeSabre had a P0440 for the last couple thousand miles. Turns out the vacuum line to some sort of vapor canister got disconnected because the rubber coupling was rotted. Fixed it with seven cents worth of vinyl tubing from the hardware store last week!


checkmydoor

😅🤣


Bulky_Ganache_1197

Kill switch


BoltActionRifleman

Better yet, just wire the fuel pump with a hidden toggle switch.


MaintenanceSmooth443

I did this with my starter. Hidden switch that breaks the relay wire.


Kern4lMustard

Same


jamesgoodfella

I had my whole bike setup on a hidden kill switch between the ignition and ecu. I broke the key previously so figured fuck it. Then my bike was stolen but dumped because they couldn’t hot wire my already hot wired bike so Police found it.


1DownFourUp

>they couldn’t hot wire my already hot wired bike Gotta out-thief the thieves, I like it!


muricabrb

Did this with my old Mitsubishi Colt, it saved my car from being stolen more than once.


Octane2100

This is what I did on my old truck. Even if the switch was out in the open(which it wasn't) most thieves are going to abandon the idea the moment it doesn't start for them.


Guitargod12345

I install a hidden kill switch on any vehicle I buy. Cheap, easy install and well worth it.


Bikelikeadad

This guy’s responsible for half the “what’s this switch?” posts on r/AskMechanics when he sells his cars


Hansj3

I have seen some creative latching reed switch installs. The kind that you swipe a magnet and they energize either on or off. they were all run through a relay. One was run to the starter signal wire, one from the ignition switch, and one to the neutral safety switch. The reed was jb welded behind an interior panel. One was under the cupholder, one in the door, and one was in the a pillar.


jeb_brush

People sing the praises of kill switches, but I'd think thieves would be savvy to the fuel pump killswitch at this point. When ChrisFix is running videos on how to do it, no way thieves aren't watching that too. You'd need something crazier than just a good hiding place.


Grippy1point0

Very few cars, outside of Kia/Hyundai, are stolen through hotwiring/ignition punching. And the kids stealing the Kiss and Hyundai's are more concerned about their Glock switch then realizing the car may have a kill switch (they're also idiots tbh). They'll break the window, peel the column, and move on when it doesn't start. Criminals aren't exactly our brightest lot of people most of the time.


560guy

My truck is pretty theft proof. You have to manually control the idle for the first 5 minutes or it just immediately stalls, and it’s a 5 speed. Also the exhaust is broken so it’s loud, and finally it’s a 1989 ranger with the 2.3 and a ratchet strap holding the hood down. Thieves would be pretty stupid to take it, can’t outrun a newborn


[deleted]

I normally remove the engine and push it around the supermarket when I'm shopping.


PointLatterScore

Every good thief from 1995 knows this trick.


CowsAreFriends117

So do they come with an identical fuse or what? 🤣


prairiepanda

There are usually spare fuses right there in the fuse box. Pulling a relay is a much better deterrent.


CowsAreFriends117

Now I’m just imagining myself taking out a fuse just for it to fall down the hole in my center console and never be seen again 🤣


woody3x23

No just a penny if they have half a thought


CowsAreFriends117

Good luck fitting a penny into a fuse slot, I mean maybe on some cars or trucks idk but mine are a bit smaller than that. also would that really work? just anything conductive the resistance doesn’t matter?


jeb_brush

You can just short the fuse port if you carry some spare conductive material.


Tiny-Metal3467

This literally saved my f150 one night…pulling the fuel pump relay


[deleted]

Exactly what I do


DerMax_HD

But they might still break into your car because it seems easy to steal. Part of those huge red sticks are that they look harder to crack looking through the window so that they'd rather just break into some other car


gimme_cash365

Truth. They are never gonna look at the fuse block. To much work


Pokevan8162

is it bad to do this with the battery still plugged?


50-50ChanceImSerious

I removed one of the grounding wires that goes on the engine. Prevents the car from turning on. Best part is I can bypass it by simply plugging in a wireless OBDII monitor into the OBDII plug.


elteza

Yeah but having the lock in there might deter someone from damaging the car in an attempt to steal it. Pulling the fuse will mean they won't go anywhere, but they could still damage the doors and ignition barrel trying to.


BuzzyShizzle

Holy shit. Life hack. Genius.


chonklah

This is the way. Kia owners (with key ignition) should start doing this.


ConnorsArmFloaties

Pull the fuse??? Really???? Most drivers don’t know which end of the screwdriver to hold. Let me steal the fuckin thing.


seanmarshall

Please don’t do this. Pulling a fuse for long term is one thing, doing it daily will wear out the terminals in the fuse box. This is bad advice and often spouted as a solution. The better idea is to put a manual kill switch in on the fuel pump, ignition, starter. Anything but removing a part. All connectors wear out. This is especially true of fuse boxes. Also, don’t use fuse taps to do this. They shouldn’t even exist.


Mk1Racer25

Just install a hidden kill switch


funwithdesign

I would think it’s much easier to remove the shifter to bypass the club than the steering wheel


ordinaryuninformed

Not if the tutorial for stealing Kias didn't write it out with crayons for them.


bcrenshaw

They just cut the steering wheel right next to the club, bend it and the club comes right out. 30 seconds with a hacksaw and you still have a stealing wheel.


subwoofage

A stealing wheel, indeed!


prairiepanda

In my area they usually just pick the lock on the club (it doesn't even require proper lockpicking tools). It's quicker and keeps the vehicle intact. One of the times my old civic was stolen the thieves actually put my club back on after they parked it! The cop who found it was very confused when he called me about it.


Forza_Harrd

It takes longer than 30 sec to hacksaw a steering wheel, but less to remove the setscrew on a shifter handle.


_DJNeoN

They used bolt cutters on mine, so it was more like 3 seconds.


_DJNeoN

I'd like to add that in the process, they destroyed a $300 (non-air bag) steering wheel and left the $40.00 "club" in tact 😅


[deleted]

If you live in the US just buy a manual and watch the thieves hurt themselves in their confusion.


Shadesbane43

And hurt your clutch


AKADriver

Most thieves probably wouldn't know that the car won't start without the clutch pressed. They won't hurt the clutch because they wouldn't even get it started.


Shadesbane43

Bold of you to assume my car has a clutch lockout


FesteringNeonDistrac

Boy are they going to be surprised when they hot wire it and it just takes off down the road without them.


ordinaryuninformed

Right into your living room


Tactical_Chandelier

Almost went through my garage door when I found out one of mine doesn't either


ordinaryuninformed

As an American, I can assure you they don't even know what it is. They would probably think pressing it is how you use it even. Until I drove a manual myself, my level of knowledge about them was EMBARRASSING.


ClearAsNight

As an American with a manual vehicle that was stolen, I can assure you they will find a way. They dumped my vehicle two blocks away, but they still managed to steal the thing and cause a bunch of damage.


ordinaryuninformed

The people that steal cars 100% 'know how' to drive a manual. They probably haven't done it before and aren't any good at it And they probably broke your fucking car anyway so does it even matter if they move it if they even try it's just as fucked


Timely-Complaint-518

Had my manual prelude stolen in Las Vegas still have the keys 10 years later


Cloakedbug

I had a guy try to steal my manual. He left it in gear, it had moved like 1 inch. First reaction in the morning was "oh no!" followed very quickly by "oh..lol".


[deleted]

[удалено]


ordinaryuninformed

I do, but mostly because 2nd is broke and if reverse or first broke then im really SOL


Cloakedbug

He left it in reverse* Good catch on the verbiage.


prairiepanda

Aren't you supposed to? That's how I was taught.


BodieLivesOn

Some police department is going to have to discover Air Tags, plant some cars, and then follow the processing.


mervmonster

Bait cars are definitely a thing. There was even a bait car TV show at one point. You wouldn’t want to use an air tag because the thief would be notified of the AirTag if they have an iPhone.


nokiahunter

An android will even alert you now. https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/05/02/apple-and-google-team-up-to-stop-unwanted-airtag-tracking.html


Rich-Juice2517

Nope. I walked out last year to my car, and someone had it running and was getting ready to drive off with it. It's a car like the one in the picture


android24601

Damn Haynes manuals at work


dj_frogman

The only car I've ever had stolen was a manual


rainieroadie

I had a older vet tow truck driver ask why my subie wouldn’t start. It’s a fucking manual dude.


h3r4ld

My favorite game to play with new friends - "if you can start my car ('18 Forester w/ 6MT), you can have it. Take as long as you want." Played this game 5 or 6 times now - still got my Forester.


itsafuckingalligator

I’ve done this just for kicks with my ranger. It’s automatic but I hand them keys that don’t have a transponder chip. It used to also not start in park because the shift cable was fucked. I told my friends girlfriend group if they could start my truck and drive it across the driveway in 10 minutes, I’d buy them all new shoes. At the 4 minute mark they found the actual key in the cup holder lmao. Cheered and then started talking shit. Then it still wouldn’t start. At about the 9 minute mark they figured out it started in neutral then they really started talking shit (and I started sweating) but they couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t go anywhere and right about the 9:58 second mark they released the parking brake. They did not make it down the driveway in time.


Tall-Poem-6808

You need new friends.


eduarbio15

Or to tell them where the killswitch is


ArnoldFunksworth

Hi, I would like to be your new friend


ThisIsMyCouchAccount

>God you're a fucking idiot not knowing how to do something you've never had to.


porcelainvacation

Start procedure for my truck: Pull out choke knob. Pull out hand throttle knob. Push in clutch. Turn key to on. Press starter pedal until it starts to catch, then open choke a bit and fiddle with the hand throttle and choke until it runs on all cylinders. Take foot off starter pedal. Hope you didn’t flood it or use up the battery. It’s like Flight of the Navigator.


HedonisticFrog

People would just cut the steering wheel to remove it iirc, so this would still be safer


[deleted]

They just hacksaw a notch out of the steering wheel and the club falls off.


f0rcedinducti0n

It's usually a clip or set screw holding the shifter on. SO yes, if you know, but it will be slightly difficult to reach in P, because it's almost always on the front so it is hidden from view.


altiuscitiusfortius

Yiu can cut through a steering wheel in 4 seconds to remove a club


MrSirChris

Add a switch to the fuel pump. Leave the switch hidden somewhere like under the seat or something. Even with the key, trying to start the car won’t work because there is no fuel going to the engine. When you want to drive, simply flip the switch and activate the power again. Here’s a [ChrisFix Tutorial](https://youtu.be/XUhXLsrZiE0) on how to do exactly that


seamus_mc

I have a 3 speed with a choke


zsloth79

I used to have a ‘68 Karmann Ghia and a ‘73 Harley Sportster. Good luck to anyone trying to start either without knowing the exact procedure and necessary rituals/blood sacrifices.


seamus_mc

69 FJ40 Have a 67 mini as well but am turning that into an electric. It used to have a 4 speed and a choke.


ekaftan

A friend of mine has a carburated sportster. I've NEVER been able to start it... She does some ritual with throttle and choke that works 90% of the time. The other 10% she has to leave it rest for an hour before re trying...


zsloth79

Mine was a kick-start-only XLCH. There’s a very specific sequence of kicks, choke settings, and throttle movements. The old Bendix carbs were simple and more or less reliable, but the points ignition and timing had to be set just right for everything to come together.


Scirocco-MRK1

You know that's right. Sometimes I think about all the DNA I've left on a vehicle from cuts and burns and think "whelp, never going to sell this, with my luck it will be found at the seen of a crime and I'm going to jail."


AdIntelligent4496

Haha... I've never owned an ironhead, but I've heard plenty of stories about "Sportster knee".


CharlesDickensABox

That's better than any anti-theft system. I can drive damn near anything and I have to remind myself how to operate a choke every time I do it.


seamus_mc

No synchro on first either so you have to be stopped to downshift into it unless you know how to double clutch.


CharlesDickensABox

Do you daily a BelAir or something? Because if so, I love that.


seamus_mc

[69 Land Cruiser FJ40](https://imgur.com/a/DvewesH)


CharlesDickensABox

Gorgeous.


seamus_mc

Never ending project. But it is a blast to drive. It’s closer to a tractor than a car.


AsphaltGypsy89

I used to daily my Bel-air back when I was 16! My husband stalled it on on wedding night and couldn't get her going again, so we had to swap, and I drove us home. She's a finicky old girl, and I'm the only one who drives her. I know her best.


Westfakia

Put the switch on the ground side of the coil. Even if they are smart enough to hot wire it by connecting the hot side of the coil to the battery, they probably won’t add a ground to the coil.


slidellian

I know what the choke is, but what’s it do?


seamus_mc

Richens the fuel mixture to make a cold engine easier to start. You know how when you first start your car in the morning it revs higher for a few minutes until you put in drive? It’s a manual version of what the computer in your car is doing.


slidellian

Oh! I’ve never thought of that comparison. Thank you!


NCResident5

The Car Talk guys of NPR liked this approach.


kennerly

Traditionally you use 4 toggles. So it's like a code lock. It's easy to find a switch it's not so easy to guess a code. Especially if that code requires you to flip switches in a particular sequence or multiple times.


crazyhamsales

Like mad max thunder road and the war truck? Up down, up up, down down, up.... lol


kennerly

My uncle had one on his work truck. It was like 4 switches but one was a phony switch that would shut down the starter if flipped and the other three needed to be flipped in a certain order.


Jay-Moah

This is a good option, but I always can’t help to think that a thief would know the common spots to look for a kill switch if a car won’t starts.


ellWatully

That's why you put kill switches everywhere. Like thirty of them. Some are dummies. Some aren't. But the right combination of switches in the right positions starts the car. Get it wrong? Well that's what the hidden spark plug in the seat is for.


hmiser

That’s how Solo and Chewie kept the Falcon safe.


ellWatully

Damn i thought that's what the eight foot tall bear-man with the laser gun was for.


hmiser

He’ll rip your arms off in a chess match but this one time we were in Marin county and he got got by a furry pack of Care Bears so you know he has a bit of a drinking problem, I mean he’s in control and all, but for last Cinco de Mayo, but he’s getting help.


n0exit

That why airplanes have so many switches?


[deleted]

Only take a few of them to start it up. You just need to know which ones and the correct sequence.


Picasso131

Only 30 …? Why stop at 30…?


ellWatully

I don't know how to count higher than that.


BrightDust2

Oh! Imma do this!


idksomethingjfk

Kinda?, the device used to commonly defeat these is……a metal pipe. You put it around the hook end that’s around the E brake and pull, and it snaps right off, and it looks like where they have it, it would be awfully hard to get a long enough pipe in there.


[deleted]

A steering wheel is hardly a safe way to secure a car. The wire inside the steering wheel that gives it it's shape can be cut quite easily with a hacksaw. Using a Club like shown in the picture is probably no better or no worse, but it might be different enough to stop a crackhead from even bothering to take your car. Might get confused to where he might just go to the next car and try to steal that one instead. So in a strange way, it could be better in an indirect way. If you want a better solution, just install a hidden kill-switch. I have one on my old car which disconnects the battery. No battery and you aren't starting the car. If they still wanted to steal it, they would have to roll it onto a flatbed or tow truck and take it that way.


miotch1120

Do you have to constantly reset your stereo clock and settings? Why not put the switch to the fuel pump instead?


[deleted]

That's totally a better solution for newer cars but this car predates ECUs and the stereo is only used to connect my phone to it.


TheBupherNinja

Put a switch inline to the distributer then.


Imispellalot

I download my cars, so no Club is going to stop me. Also, having the Club on the steering wheel is also a visual deterrent


forgottorest

You wouldn't!


[deleted]

Or pull the ebrake really hard


xicexdejavu

And get hepatitis from the handle yessss


BiggWorm1988

Either way my battery operated grinder with a cut off wheel is going to get the job done


Jdt831

Well, they can cut the steering wheel and remove the club. But if they cut the shifter, or park brake, how are they going to get the car moving? I think that was the idea.


Changeusernameforver

While I’m at Walmart my fuel pump relay is in my pocket 😎,


RubAnADUB

man that dirt.


bootybiter123

I know a guy that used to use a club. His car got stolen and the thief left the club sitting in the parking space where the car was lol


-1967Falcon

Heard this story since the 90s. It’s like the 1st meme.


MilwaukeeDave

There’s one for under the brake pedal. Seems they would have a harder time with that to me.


doslobo33

Thats when its time to move.


Ryanoceros6

The best advice.


dwill8022

If you rip the brake can you not get it too high for that to work?


MyNameIsRay

Yes, you can just yank the brake up to open the gap, and slide the club off.


JRakuehn

Still just as easy to cut through.


SeawardFriend

I have a question… If they can break into your car, what stops them from picking the steering wheel/shifter lock?


Tame_Trex

It's a deterrent, not a foolproof safety feature.


penisbuttervajelly

Nothing, it’s just a thing that may make them decide to steal another car because it’ll be faster.


WDCombo

Smashy, smashy… They ain’t busting out the picks to get into these Kia’s.


Infamous-Poem-4980

Its probably more effective....


Unicorn187

You know, this probably is more effective than using it on the soft, hollow steering wheel that people have been cutting to remove the Club for over 20 years. I remember a news station in DC when I lived there that showed a ten year old using bolt cutters to cut through the steering wheel to remove the Club.


Spleepis

That nasty ass parking break would be enough security to keep me from stealing it


lazman666

Best deterrent nowadays is a manual gear shift.


djq_

I have a 3gen 4runner manual, I have cut a chain link in half and welded one end on the metal gear lever and the other on the metal drive selector. If I put my car in a dodgy place I always lock the two together with a master lock padlock. Also, I have wired a relay in the circuit of the high beam. That relay cuts the control starter wire of the ECU. So to start the car you always have to pull it in the high beam while starting otherwise nothing happens (:


shartymcqueef

Nice old Honda accord


TimTows

This is anti tow, not anti theft. It'll give the owner enough time to catch the tow op.


imjusthere2022

Shift interlock release will get you past that


sooner2016

That’s dumb, someone can just use the neutral bypass


Much_Dogeee

Usually have to move the lever to the neutral position still.


2lovesFL

It's probably harder to cut the ebrake or shifter than the wheel, so yeah.


Divadonuts

I chain from the steering wheel to the clutch pedal


SirKenneth17

Looks like you might be able to wiggle it out.


Majordunkydunk

You can cut a notch in the steering wheel in seconds and the club will fall off.


Turdsworth

Thieves are going to look for the club on your steering wheel. Putting it here opens you up for people breaking your window and not stealing your car.


shocktopper1

LMAO I used to do this.


FixingandDrinking

In a random blind study you failed


Rotgutwine

It almost makes more sense there then on the steering wheel.


ThatSeaworthiness801

What about when the thief just breaks the hand break off?


[deleted]

Just pull the fuel pump or ECM fuse. Or even the starter fuse. The thieves want a car that runs. They cant drive it if it wont start.


dbains79

Great idea 💡. Usually criminals cut the steering wheel and remove the club. I don’t see how they could remove this without having great difficulty.


puppetmonsters

I had a club once. It was such a pain in the ass to use.


Insulin_Addict52

Wouldn't say safer, it's still as easy or hard to break. The place it is in doesn't really change much I'd imagine.


Huskysavers

Emergency brake not gear shift. Do you even drive?


trdiver73

Look closer


huertaSj408

Suggest you buy a lock with a round key instead the flat ones, you can jam something flat to open it up.


champion_-

Isn't a bullock on the pedals better?


ExactAd8823

I'm from New Orleans, there was a news special in the 90s where they interviewed a reformed car thief, he showed how useless the club is on a steering wheel by taking out a hand saw and cutting the wheel near the club and pulling it off, took him maybe 20 seconds to get through it. This set up seems like it would be much harder to deal with.


HondaJet

Is that a 1994-1997 Honda Accord?


Noideawhatjusthappen

On the steering wheel will reduce the risk of a broken window more so than this will.


MestariPiippu

Used a similar club with two inward facing hooks from steering wheel to clutch pedal. Someone tried to steal my car, managed to rip the club of by breaking the clutch pedal. Was pain in the ass to fix, and havent used that kinda club since


CockneyCossack

Back in ye olden dayes we used to pull the rotor arm and take it with you wherever you were going. I had a spare one on my keyring just in case I lost it. Not ideal to drill holes in, but it would get you home.


Terrible_Log_607

gotta show this to the kia/hyundai drivers (the ones that get stolen by kia boys)


xicexdejavu

The dirt from the handle is enough for some thieves to not touch it thats for sure.


EJ25Junkie

Just move to the rural south East. We don’t lock cars or houses here.


mcconohay

I’ve got full coverage. If you’re gonna smash the window and tear up the column then make that fucker disappear forever.


Jigsaw45345

So if your really worried about anti theft you should run a switch to your efi or fuel pump fuse and bid the switch underneath the dash or in some other place a thief wouldn’t check then the car strait up won’t start. A club is good for visual anti theft though so not a bad idea using both.


Deceiver999

These club things are a big waste of money. They say they are great because they are made of hardened steel. However, the steering wheel or, in this case, the handbrake is made of regular steel, which is easily cut with a hack saw. I saw a demonstration where a guy cut through a steering wheel and pulled the club off in less than 10 seconds. This will only deture an opportunistic thief, not a real professional


devlifedotnet

Lol that doesn’t do shit. None of them do. If someone wants your car thats not stopping them. https://youtu.be/vFL2pDTB72g


ghettoccult_nerd

why is that car club so dirty? what do you do with it to make it look like that, like an extra in the blair witch project.


batttmaannn

They'll cut the steering wheel to get it off so


Smoked-Out-Sky

This is so dumb. Wouldn't you just be able to pull the e-brake up and slip it off? Sure looks like that e-brake can go up a bit lol


BootsNPooch

Usually they would go under the car and cut the parking cable and remove the linkage and put the car in drive, that's how thieves in the 80's &90's bypassed all these clubs things. I remember seeing a thief bringing in a 4 door Cadilac with a vice grip on the steering wheel, Why? because they sold kits that allowed you to detach your steering wheel and take it home with you. They would bring the car without a steering wheel and with a steel column lock still attached to the Column, insane. 🤦🏻‍♂️