Same thing happened to my buddy who posts in here some time. His got stolen a month or two ago, found it wrecked in Carrizo after a chase with DPS. Just got it back from getting it fixed. He was headed South a couple of weeks ago to trade it in for a newer truck and had three cops pull him over. Was still reported stolen. He didn't get detained long, but still pretty crazy.

Car alarm systems and kill switches were common in the 90s.
I would think a loud siren would deter a criminal in a public parking lot. The kill switch could be very effective depending on installation. Costs would be minimal.

The Apple air tag would also work.

Would they not get a message that a device is following them, or is that not an issue? I see random news stories about it. I think this could be a good tracker for trailers.

Every now and then I get a pop up about a new device following me, but I think it's usually my wife or daughter's air pods or something.

toolshed said:

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Would they not get a message that a device is following them, or is that not an issue? I see random news stories about it. I think this could be a good tracker for trailers.

Every now and then I get a pop up about a new device following me, but I think it's usually my wife or daughter's air pods or something.

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It might ping them, but there are literally endless possibilities of places on a vehicle that would be very very hard to find quickly. At minimum it would slow them down trying to find it.

I won't take my f250 to SA for this reason. Is Houston just as bad? I've got a conference starting this weekend downtown at the Marriott Marquis and I plan on doing valet in hopes it'll be better.

I hate taking my truck to the city.

As someone who goes to the livestock show in SA it's a known fact to never use your key fob. Everyone talks about at move in with our livestock. I now use the club on my steering wheel as backup.

As I lay my head on a hotel pillow in dirty SA tonight I'm thankful that the whip in the parking lot is a rental!

Here's my experience at on another work trip to SA:
https://texags.com/forums/46/topics/3253930/replies/60904564

No stolen truck but I hope the ****bird that broke in to my F150 has caught some lead during one of his adventures.

Sorry to hear that for your buddy, but this tracks with what an offender told me back when I was in corrections. Dude was from SA & they would go steal a high end pick up, I specifically remember him talking about F-350s, at Rodeos/Concerts etc.

Most of them would go to a chop shop right away and get parted out. In those days (this was the late 90s) he said he could start most trucks with a screw driver. Some manufacturers have take steps to correct this, but thieves are always looking for a work-around, to defeat the deterrents.

I've also heard that the Cabelas in Buda is bad for this as well. Just an FYI.

The Apple Airtags are good, but if they are smart they can be detected on your phone. (ask your teenager how)

I like using an old Iphone and then adding the Track my Phone thing to it. Adds a line to your bill but it works.

It's bad everywhere, even smaller towns have the whole cat converter theft thing going on, so there is no "better" place than another.

I know it sucks, but if you are traveling with someone and just running into Cabela's/Bass Pro/Boot Barn or whatever, someone may have to stay with the truck......Armed.

toolshed said:

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Would they not get a message that a device is following them, or is that not an issue? I see random news stories about it. I think this could be a good tracker for trailers.

Every now and then I get a pop up about a new device following me, but I think it's usually my wife or daughter's air pods or something.

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See my response just above this post. It isn't a problem. The notice is very delayed and you can remove the speaker so that it cannot be pinged.

Apparently, after checking their website, Jimmi Jammer doesn't make a kit for RAM trucks. Is that because the RAM door handles are more secure than Ford/GM?

fullback44 said:

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River Bass said:

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Car alarm systems and kill switches were common in the 90s.
I would think a loud siren would deter a criminal in a public parking lot. The kill switch could be very effective depending on installation. Costs would be minimal.

The Apple air tag would also work.

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I used to put on the simple kill switch .. I may go back to doing that .. they are stealing stuff like crazy

Illegals are thieves

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How accessible are the fuses in Ford trucks? Pull the right fuse or two and the truck's not going anywhere.

Very accessible. Passenger floorboard, kick panel, pull a fuse, done. Good thought.

I have one and love the piece of mind. Discovered it on a Ram TRX forum while I was waiting for my TRX to be built. I had the car delivered to my house on a Thursday… I had a Ravelco installer at my house at 6:45 the very next morning. I wasn't about to risk it. (I love that Ravelco comes to you… takes about an hour)

I've gotten into the habit of taking out the plug EVERYWHERE I park the truck, regardless of how long I'll be inside wherever it is I'm going. Now it's second nature and I don't mind it. Sure… You lose remote start when the plug is out, but that's a small trade off.

Also, to address the "ugly" comment… I agree they're ugly but maybe that's by design? If you shined a light in my window you would quickly see that there is in fact a Ravelco installed (not just fake warning stickers) and that I've removed the plug. So the scumbag POS would-be thief moves on.

I have a 2021 Ram 2500. I had an aftermarket DroneMobile device installed right after I bought it. It has tracking software, kill switch and a geofence and it sends a notification to my key fob and phone when the vehicle starts up. Definitely not as cheap as an AirTag but I'd like to be able to disable the vehicle if I notice it gets stolen.

We were told the criminals sit in or near the lot and have equipment that can grab the frequency. Like programming your car to your garage door opener. So if you manually lock or use the key inside your fob they can't get your frequency.

My new dodge has Uconnect. It tells me exactly where my truck is in real time with diagnostics.

I don't know if it's still a thing amongst the criminal set, but a year or two ago. certain turd crews would steal 250/2500 and up type trucks to use them to jack free standing, outdoor ATMs. Occasionally indoor ones, if they were right by the door to whatever business had it.

I remember there was an F-250 stolen from A&M campus, located a day or two later in an apartment complex a mile or so from campus (Spring Loop and Tarrow) with some heavy chains and hooks in the back that didn't belong to the owner.

Aggieangler93 said:

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What does a Ravelco run price-wise? I'm extra leery of sleezy folks that won't post a price on their website.

ETA: Looks like the Austin site I was looking at doesn't have prices but the Houston one does. Thanks for the links everyone.

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I have a Ravelco on all of my trucks. You will find that their folks are the opposite of sleezy. They are very nice, helpful people. The owner cam out for the first install and he was salt of the earth, funny guy.

The only thing that rubs some people wrong, but I can appreciate, is that they are very regimented on getting the install scheduled. From what I can tell, they are extremely busy and can't afford to have people cancel the day of or not reply.

f burg ag said:

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Aggieangler93 said:

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What does a Ravelco run price-wise? I'm extra leery of sleezy folks that won't post a price on their website.

ETA: Looks like the Austin site I was looking at doesn't have prices but the Houston one does. Thanks for the links everyone.

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I have a Ravelco on all of my trucks. You will find that their folks are the opposite of sleezy. They are very nice, helpful people. The owner cam out for the first install and he was salt of the earth, funny guy.

The only thing that rubs some people wrong, but I can appreciate, is that they are very regimented on getting the install scheduled. From what I can tell, they are extremely busy and can't afford to have people cancel the day of or not reply.

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Thanks. I appreciate the vote of confidence in their product. I am considering one and thankful I don't live in SA, or would have probably already lost a truck.

Sgt. Hartman said:

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This is why I drive a high mileage POS. Nobody wants to steal it!

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Not always the case. On Labor Day in 2017, they stole my 04 Ram 2500 when it had 297,000 miles. Luckily SAPD found it that night stashed in a neighborhood

I wonder if theft is up this time of year due to the likelihood of there being goodies inside like hunting equipment, Christmas gifts, luggage for holiday travel, etc…

DriftwoodAg said:

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Sgt. Hartman said:

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This is why I drive a high mileage POS. Nobody wants to steal it!

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Not always the case. On Labor Day in 2017, they stole my 04 Ram 2500 when it had 297,000 miles. Luckily SAPD found it that night stashed in a neighborhood

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January 2014. 01 Ram 1500 4x4 with 209K. Stolen in the middle of the afternoon south of downtown SA from a covered parking lot attached to the back of an office building, about 100 yards from another back lot where SAPD would park for lunch breaks. They skipped over a brand new Big Horn Ram, a 2500 Denali, a 2yo BMW, a new Mustang, etc. Cop who responded, as well as everyone in our office, was surprised because those lots are tucked away from the street, get little to no foot traffic, and SAPD is back there all the time. It's all about opportunity. Trashed the interior to steal it, ditched it in a crappy apartment parking lot, and made off with the battery, two jackets, the radio, a golf club, and about $20 of small hand tools. I thought for sure it was headed to the border. They just wanted what was in it.

There was a lady in a golf cart at the impound yard who drove another dude and I out to see our trucks and grab whatever we needed out of them. She said an amateur got mine because you could see tool marks on the door. When a pro does it, you have to look harder to see the busted lock cylinder. The other dude's truck had a bunch of tools and pry bars in it. He said this isn't mine. Lady said it's yours now considering you lost your truck over it.

Neighbor has a brand new F150 King Ranch. He made it about six months before it was broken into in the driveway.

Buddy of mine had his month old F-250 stolen about ten years ago. It was recovered the next night with two dudes and a bunch of pry bars and straps in the back. In 24 hours they put 15 years of damage and stank into the cab.

I ain't saying SA is not the Ford stolen vehicle wasteland, but I stayed at a decent hotel in San Diego a couple, three years ago. They had a big sign at the front doors and desk noting "Please let us know if you drive an F-150." I asked about it and the desk girl said they park them at the drop off canopy area where they can see them otherwise it's about a 75% chance you're going to have a break in.

Where can one get one of these Ravelco's installed?

lazuras_dc said:

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Where can one get one of these Ravelco's installed?

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As long as you are in their service radius, which is large, they come to your house.

I can relate.

There is no way I will be going anywhere in San Antonio in my truck unless I am either parking on a base or in a high rise valet garage. I formerly loved it there and indeed planned to retire in SATX.
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