Theft Update from Comfort Insurance,scary stuff!

[Dorwyn]

Ha!, just found the email. In the spam folder. That's what my security software thinks of Comfort!

 

[Deneb]

I think I have read on here of 1 stolen motorhome being recovered. Is it not about time the police set up a pro-activ operation concentrating specifically on m/home thefts or indeed recoveries? It's ridiculous how easy it seems to be to help yourself to a 20k+ vehicle and make it your own.

With high value cars and vans also being stolen daily by similar methods, the number of motorhome thefts sadly are in a minority in comparison.

Contrary to what you might perceive, a lot of police time and manpower is spent on vehicle thefts by dedicated teams. I was involved in a national operation recovering stolen motorhomes several years ago now. One of my last jobs before I retired involved the theft of several hundred cars, some sold on as clones, many broken and sold as parts. Thousands of hours of dedicated investigative work by numerous officers involved in that, but the jury god bless them thought that one of the accused looked too nice to do anything like he had been accused of, and another got what I would consider a short term of incarceration in comparison to what he was found guilty of.

It is very frustrating for everyone involved at times

 

[Mikey RV]

An excuse to put your premium up every year.

 

[Gizmouk]

Renewed our insurance with Comfort lsat week. We live in the CM postal code area, but have had no email.

Can't say I'm surprised at the A127 corridor being highlighted. Pi-key central !!

 

[Gizmouk]

An excuse to put your premium up every year.

Ours went up £1.32 this year .. robbin' gits

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[Madcaravanner]

This is one of the reasons that we have always advocated keeping your alarm system separate from your central locking system.

Alarm system manufacturers, want to make life easier for their customers, the installers, the quicker the installation, the quicker they get paid and move onto the next job. An alarm that plugs into the OBDP, turns on and off with the central locking and has a couple of wireless sensors is very quick to install, but pretty useless for the end user.

If the alarm is turned off with the original central locking key, and you suffer electronic (key clone) attack you may as well not have an alarm fitted.

Hard wired and using its own radio key to turn it On and Off the thief has to overcome the alarm system and well as carry out an electronic attack.

Yet this is what insurance companies are demanding by wanting a Thatcham system

When will they learn

 

[Fontie]

Yes. The OBD plug situated below the fuse box/body computer can be pushed out backwards through the bracket after depressing a lug on one side of the socket that releases it. Drop it down into the footwell and fit some protective tubing around the wiring loom (depending where you bought the lock, it may be included with it). Enclose the socket in the lockable casing and bolt it all together. Undo the bolt attaching the dashboard frame to the bulkhead above the throttle pedal, position the mounting for the OBD box over the bolt hole and secure it with the new shear bolt that should also be in the kit.

I also got another OBD socket and loom from a scrap van, and fitted that into the original mounting bracket, running the wiring back behind the fuse box and taping it to the loom, just to confuse anyone accessing it and delay them further.

Thanks....think even I can manage to do this I was a bit worried that the wires wouldn't be long enough to reach above the throttle to secure.

 

[Teuchter]

I may be (probably am) a bit thick - but - why are companies legally allowed to sell devices for breaking into cars/vans as in shown below???





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[Silver-Fox]

Can’t put it on here you don’t know whose reading but let me assure you if they enter the vechile they will have to change their underpants !!

I thought you had to have a license for poisonous snakes

 

[Fontie]

I may be (probably am) a bit thick - but - why are companies legally allowed to sell devices for breaking into cars/vans as in shown below???





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Probably one of those stupid laws legal to sell, illegal to use.

Is used to lock the OBD port to make life harder for thief's not easier.

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[Deneb]

Yes, no law to prevent it, and the distributors can claim legitimate uses for them, such as large fleets that need to move vehicles around in storage but don't want to have to keep finding or fetching keys, locksmiths etc.

Being found in possession of them though may well be a different matter. Not so much in the yard of a large fleet owner if you are an employee, but in the street, with keys, loose key transponders, gloves and various other implements it would be extremely difficult to claim a legitimate possession.

I don't necessarily agree, but no-one has made me King and Protector of the United Kingdom, so not much I can do about it

As said above, the OBD port protector is an ANTI-theft device, not an ENABLING tool!

 

[Two on Tour]

I may be (probably am) a bit thick - but - why are companies legally allowed to sell devices for breaking into cars/vans as in shown below???





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They are designed for legit locksmiths to be able to read the lock tumblers to get the key code that the devices give a readout of so they can cut new keys if originals have been lost or locked in the vehicle so avoiding the costly process of replacing vehicle locks, but as usual some see it as just making a quick buck by selling them to any Tom Dick, Harry or toe rag. Even if they legislate to stop the sale of them to Joe public then as with illegal gun will they be obtainable.

 

[Larby]

STOP PRESS

Just received this from Comfort, bet the 'phones had been busy !

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Probably on the Pi-key routes.

It runs right near the biggest camp in the country.

 

[tonyidle]

I may be (probably am) a bit thick - but - why are companies legally allowed to sell devices for breaking into cars/vans as in shown below???





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Devices of this kind are legitimately used by the Trade - in particular they would be of use to small independants. If similar devices are produced for the Trade then it takes very little time for the principles of operation to be adapted for less honest use.

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[Basildog]

I’d like to know what has changed to make Fiat Ducatos more vulnerable

Time of year !
More owners realise they have thousands of pounds tied up in something they don’t want to use until next summer

 

[TheBig1]

i know i keep saying about it, fitting a kill switch to interrupt the diesel pump relay or ecu supply prevents drive away thefts.

cutting the signal wire to the obd2 port some distance from the port and splicing in a micro fuse holder, which you can conceal elsewhere allows use of the port only when authorised (by fitting the fuse)

both very cheap and effective for theft prevention

 

[TheBig1]

I also got another OBD socket and loom from a scrap van, and fitted that into the original mounting bracket, running the wiring back behind the fuse box and taping it to the loom, just to confuse anyone accessing it and delay them further.

wire up the fake obd port and wire a decent size capacitor and charge circuit to the signal wires. that way you will spike the equipment being used to attack the obd port

 

[Larby]

wire up the fake obd port and wire a decent size capacitor and charge circuit to the signal wires. that way you will spike the equipment being used to attack the obd port

But remember to tell the garage when you take it in for service etc

 

[Two on Tour]

I have been toying with the idea of fitting one of these OBD port locks, looks simple and effective.

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[Sidney]

Sidney what is it? do we need more physical locks or electronic stuff?

Sad to say that for 500 Euros you get a handy toolbox with a comprehensive set of tumblers that will open a very long list of cars and vans (including a number of prestige brands) and slecetion of ODB plug-ins that reprogram the vehicle to accept a new transponder and switch off the immobiliser so the vehicle starts. Fiat/Citroen/Peugeot/Iveco/Mercedes are now wide open to thievery

 

[peterc10]

An excuse to put your premium up every year.

I chose Comfort because they were almost half the price of the next lowest quote (from my existing insurer) for the same cover. They insisted on a Cat 5 or 6 tracker because of the value of the moho, , but they were still cheaper even taking into account the cost of that.

This year on renewal the premium decreased by about 10%.

I am happy with their service and their price.

 

[Sandancers]

So how much is a Cat 5 or 6 tracker to get fitted (unless your allowed to fit your own) as against a higher insurance quote ? In other words is it cost effective to fit a tracker ?

 

[peterc10]

So how much is a Cat 5 or 6 tracker to get fitted (unless your allowed to fit your own) as against a higher insurance quote ? In other words is it cost effective to fit a tracker ?

No, you can't fit it yourself as both Categories require fitting by an approved fitter. I had a Cat 6 fitted because it was cheaper. £190 to fit plus £168 to monitor for the year. Comfort was more than £400 cheaper than Safeguard last year. This year they reduced their price by a further £50.

 

[Spanner]

Ours went up £1.32 this year .. robbin' gits

Yes same here, the renewal from Comfort arrived today, just £1.32 increase from last years premium

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[PeteH]

What Happened to the old tried and tested Hidden switch? to cut off the fuel pump Mine was disguised as a radio changover switch.? But even just hidden under the dash costs the perp; extra time at the very least doesent have to even BE a switch, Just a 10A fuse, take it out and fit a "blown" fuse when stored.

 

[Aly1]

They have made changes to new vehicles coming into production. The way things are these days though, expect it to be about 6 months or so before its reverse engineered and cracked.

Good luck with getting Ford to change anything on Fiats though!

I am picking up my new Ford Transit conversion at the end of the month. Have these changes been made already?

 

[eddie]

I am picking up my new Ford Transit conversion at the end of the month. Have these changes been made already?

Sadly no. However, you can take sensible security steps yourself, look at your motorhome security options, consider tracking if indeed it is an option?

Many if not most insurers now insist on a Thatcham approved tracking system as a condition of insurance. Now, many people on Social Media believe that tracking systems don't work or can be easily jammed, and consequently give advice suggesting that your wasting your money. This is fine if you have an older motorhome or one where the value is considered low enough not to be a risk, however, the fact of the matter is that if the installation of a Thatcham approved tracking system is a condition of insurance you have little option despite what some say.

Of course the reality is that the luddites are wrong

Tens of Millions of pounds worth of vehicles are stolen and recovered using GSM/GPS tracking systems, which is why the insurance companies insist on them in certain cases.

Currently there are three tracking categories Cat 5 Cat 6 and VTS (Vehicle Tracking System) All Cat 5 and Cat 6 systems are delisted at the end of 2018 so if you have one fitted prior to this it will remain acceptable to insurers in the future, but any tracking system (Insurance approved) installed in 2019 must be VTS

You should be able to get a VTS installed in your local area easily, or speak to the converters and ask what security system they are fitting and can a VTS be installed simultaneously

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Sadly no. However, you can take sensible security steps yourself, look at your motorhome security options, consider tracking if indeed it is an option?

Many if not most insurers now insist on a Thatcham approved tracking system as a condition of insurance. Now, many people on Social Media believe that tracking systems don't work or can be easily jammed, and consequently give advice suggesting that your wasting your money. This is fine if you have an older motorhome or one where the value is considered low enough not to be a risk, however, the fact of the matter is that if the installation of a Thatcham approved tracking system is a condition of insurance you have little option despite what some say.

Of course the reality is that the luddites are wrong

Tens of Millions of pounds worth of vehicles are stolen and recovered using GSM/GPS tracking systems, which is why the insurance companies insist on them in certain cases.

Currently there are three tracking categories Cat 5 Cat 6 and VTS (Vehicle Tracking System) All Cat 5 and Cat 6 systems are delisted at the end of 2018 so if you have one fitted prior to this it will remain acceptable to insurers in the future, but any tracking system (Insurance approved) installed in 2019 must be VTS

You should be able to get a VTS installed in your local area easily, or speak to the converters and ask what security system they are fitting and can a VTS be installed simultaneously

Thanks Eddie - obvious question time....... I have a Cat 5 system in the Le Voyageur (which I like only slightly better than the alarm system) but what is the difference between that and VTS? Is it simply a type approval issues? Thanks, David.

 

[eddie]

Thanks Eddie - obvious question time....... I have a Cat 5 system in the Le Voyageur (which I like only slightly better than the alarm system) but what is the difference between that and VTS? Is it simply a type approval issues? Thanks, David.

Hi the Thatcham Category Five has driver identification and the vehicle can be immobilised by the monitoring centre at the request of the Police. The new VTS systems are much cheaper to install as the remote immobilisation function (rarely used by the Police) is an option.

In essence speed is everything and so long as the driver ID tags are used correctly it will alert the control centre immediately that the vehicle has been started with a set of "cloned" keys or, in the case of a keyless entry "relay theft" allowing the Police to be involved as the crime is taking place.

So those with Cat Five systems still have the better system, although the VTS "mirrors" the driver ID function

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