One of the other forums I'm on is the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forum. Somebody there just posted his experiences with having his truck stolen, and I found it very interesting, so I thought I would cross-post it here.
*2016 F-250 STOLEN (... and recovered)*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This post is for the special attention of heavy duty or super duty
pickup truck owners.
On August 30, at around 3:15 AM, my like new 2016 Ford F-250 (my TV) was
stolen from my driveway. I reported the theft to the police immediately.
The truck was recovered about 16 hours later in Miami, about 30 miles
from where I live. Vehicle condition overall was actually pretty good,
save for the significant electronics damage discussed below and damage
to locks/ignition.
All of the contents were missing, of course, as was the spare tire and
the tire jack. This included much RV equipment (power, towing, etc.) and
about 10K in photography gear. They also took the heavy duty "weather
beater" floor mats. I won't ever know why the truck wasn't stripped
further for part-out.
Missing too were the two sets of keys for my brand-new Airstream travel
trailer, and the keys for every padlock I own, including the one use to
secure the Airstream in place in its storage lot.
The detective said that Ford Super Duty diesels are highly targeted as
they are used in other crimes, primarily as tow-vehicles to facilitate
the theft of large trailered boats and RVs. Interestingly, the receiver
pin lock I use was still in place. The key for THAT stays with my
vehicle key. So, my truck had not been used to trailer or tow anything
on the hitch while it was gone.
The doors were locked. The means of entry was "brute force." They used a
screwdriver or similar tool to punch the door lock cylinder out. Same
was then used to open the door. Once inside, they removed the "kick
panel" on the passenger side and pulled out some of the wiring. They
knew which cable bundle to disconnect to disable the alarm (horn). Then
the popped the hood.
They disconnected the three cable bundles leading to the ECM (electronic
control module). I reckon they used another ECM, a “clone,” which they
had a key FOB matched to. They bridged the connections with the clone.
They were then able to pop out the ignition cylinder assembly and start
the truck with a screwdriver.
This all took them very little time.
While my comprehensive insurance is awesome covered the truck repairs,
the contents are another story. High deductibles on both home owners and
business insurance, and caps on payouts. Sucks. This is a very, very
expensive incident. The feeling of vulnerability and sense of
frustration are a real cost, too.
After three weeks, the repair facility still didn’t have my truck
running. I was running out of coverage for the rental vehicle (capped at
$500) and sick of driving a Nissan Sentra. So, I traded the dead truck
for a new F-350. The dealership allowed me to remove the Titan 50 gallon
after market fuel tank and the awesome roll top cover I had on the
F-250. Both of those items are now for sale as they don't fit the new rig.
The difficult lessons I've learned and am sharing are: 1.) the factory
anti-theft mechanisms (PATS) are completely insufficient to prevent a
skilled thief from stealing your big truck. Something else is needed.
Please be aware and act to get a secondary protection layer in place if
you don't already have one. 2.) Your truck is highly valued by thieves
and is one of the most stolen vehicles in the U.S. 3.) Talk to your
insurance agent about beefing up your rental car provision in the event
of a loss. A Sentra ain’t pulling ****.
Regards to all,
David
