Warren803

First off, I'd like to say I hate thieves. They cause more hassle than harm. So I get home and realize my entry gate remote is missing. Pull into my garage and start looking around the car for it. Realize something was odd when the cables to my PS2 in my glove box were unhooked. Open up glovebox and realize someone broke into my car. Bastards took my PS2 and my gate remote for no good reason.

My question is how in the hell did they get into my locked car? I looked around the doors and window and nothing seems broken. There might be a little scratch in the driver side key hole, but not sure if that was there before. Has anyone else ever had their car broken into without signs of forced entry?

philly fresh

slim jim maybe. sounds like a smash and grab to me. but without the smash thieves need to die

KB1Spec

iTrader: (4)

Could be a scanner to scan your remote transmitter. Some audio shop that do alarm have a scanner transmitter to duplicate the remotes. I could be wrong but my friend had his car broken in and no force entry and my friend owns an audio shop say it could be a scanner since they have one too.

dampfnudel

The scratch was probably there before so like ua6spec said, it could be the scumbags used a scanner.

01tl4tl

Or the 1 time you didnt set the alarm....
And the gate remote was either to have easy access again or just to piss you off

virtualxjk

I got my airbags stolen on my 06 TL a month after I bought it. There were no signs of forced entry but they unhooked the battery on mine. I guess it was to disable the alarm system. I still don't know how they got my hood open...

MWalsh9152

I could gain entry into your car in approximatly 15 seconds with the proper door tools, the alarm should go off.....but how often do people even pay attention to them? Virtualvjk they had to disconnect your battery to kill the power to the airbags so they dont go off in their face during removal, they probably unlocked it first, then popped the hood

Atrain

MWalsh9152,

Listen I've changed airbags on a few cars before and they do not go off by themselves. Why would you even think that?

Airbags work on a rate of deceleration or acceleration (depending on the impact). They must be triggered by the impact sensor before they deploy. Then in a fraction of a fraction of a second...the airbags are commanded to deploy based on the severity of the impact (based on the rate of deceleration of acceleration).

They DO NOT pop open when you touch them. They do not pop open when you unplug them.

Disconnecting the battery was for some other reason. While the service manual states to disconnect the battery before removing a airbag it doesn't mean it will go off. Think about it, you have a chaffed wire to the airbag and lose power to it. BOOM it goes off in the drivers face. Please...get real.

A-Train

CAB NY

how does the scanner actually work

chfields

More likely than not they used slim jim or other door opening tools. I used to drive a tow truck and used them all the time. Doesn't take more than about 10 seconds to get in car that way....

KJSmitty

Whether they will go off or not by themselves isn't the argument. Every manufacturer states to remove power prior to working on any airbag. Even the police/EMTs do the same. If you know anything about maintenance manuals - any "note, caution, or warning" is in there for a reason. Primarily, because it has caused an issue of whatever severity in the past.

The acronym RTFM applies here as well......



Kudos to the airbag thieves for being smart.......

jay0k

I would think a car like the TL would be immune to something rudimentary as a slim jim. It's not a 1988 Honda Civic.

avs007

I'd be pretty dissappointed in Acura (or any manufacturer really), if you can use a simple scanner/repeater to defeat their keyless entry. Even a 1st year intern can design a wireless system that is not vunlerable to replay attacks.

That's why I bought a 139 decible air horn. It's so loud, you can hear it within a 3-5 block radius.

If I get too bored, maybe I'll digitize my wife screaming, "Help, RAPE!" at the top of her lungs, and wire it into the alarm.

TL_Captain

I can't believe thieves are still stealing airbags these days. Car makers should make the bags deploy when someone tries to steal the car. I'd love to see some airbag thieves get killed while stealing.

avs007

When my friend had her civic broken into, they stole everything... Even the flippin' seat-belts...

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

That's awesome, never thought of doing that! lol! Maybe I'll try that.

But that sucks warren how they got into your car. The only thing I can say is it could be far worse. There are many people who can tell you that someone broke into their car and annihilated it smashing windows scratching dashes, seats etc. Or sometimes they atttempt to break-in or steal and don't know what they're doing and stick things into your lock cylinders, smash up your navi, or totally screw up your sound system in the trunk. Punks!

I'm not trying to minimize your troubles to nothing, it's still a big deal. I'm just hoping you aren't taking it too hard. If they just left quietly with your PS2, and your remote, that means you can recover from this in time buddy. See what deterrents you can make use of so it doesn't happen again. Good luck.

darksom1

The scanner thing is creepy. No defense to that as far as I am concerned. Well, except to manually lock the doors with the inside lock switch.

Warren, if I were you I would be more concerned about that gate remote in the hands of the "bad guy". They probably thought it was a remote for the PS2 of some sort, but better to be safe than sorry right?

If someone were to break into my car, they are only going to get minimum dollar value stuff (cleaning supplies, cds, etc). In the future, try not to leave things of value in your car, and if so, not in plain sight. Thieves are smarter because they have to be. WE take stuff for granted. A wire leading to the glovebox means something is in there of value to a thief (radar detector or whatever). Sometimes it's not always the "enemy" who breaks into your car or house...sometimes it's someone you know, who KNOWS what you have. So protect yourself at all times. At least they didn't do any major damage. Good luck in the future Warren!

darksom1

That is a monster...but what if that thing false alarms in the middle of the night? The neighbors are coming after your ass with pitchforks and torches!

ballinfizzle89

iTrader: (6)

hahaha hilarious.

Xpditor

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132358

avs007

lol.....

Thankfully I haven't had any falses yet. (knocking on wood)...

I suppose if that happens, I can swap out my "Ferarri" sounding horn, with one that sounds like a train horn (HornBlasters)... That way they'll think there's a train coming

94eg!

Are you guys aware that it's threads like this that thieves use to learn how to break into cars?

darksom1

The only way to learn is to communicate. Can't live in fear. If someone wants to break into it, they are going to do it. Not talking about it online is the equivalent of not posting Amber Alerts so the bad guys won't know you are looking for the kid.

avs007

Besides, thieves were stealing cars long before Al Gore invented the internet.... I'm sure they already knew how to break into cars, before we started chatting about it online. Thieves learn from each other, not from some online car-enthusiast forum.

case31

True, but with our current legal system, I could easily see the family of the deceased car thief suing for $10 million dollars either the manufacturer and/or the car owner and winning.

darksom1

Hahahaha...That's reminiscent of the lady who sued McDonald's for making her fat!

philly fresh

those warnings are there to cover thier asses in case something does go wrong. like the caution hot coffee on the cups. people are so quick to sue companyies due to thier own ignorance

JD TL-S

iTrader: (1)

LOCKS are for HONEST people. If somebody wants something, there GONNA GET IT.

avs007

Just because you have a sign, doesn't mean you are no longer liable....
For example, at a Valet garage, they have signs, and even print on the ticket, that they are not liable for damages to your car, when actually they are 100% liable, because they take possesion of your car.

Grocery stores have signs saying they are not responsible for damage caused by their carts, when they actually are 100% liable, because the carts are property of the store. (Similar to you not being able to hang a sign on your kid, as he walks into the store, saying you aren't responsible for any damages caused by kid)

And about that Hot Coffee.... In that case, the lady that sued Mc Donalds was not ignorant. I studied that case in college. She sued, because she suffered 3rd degree burns on her body as a result of the coffee, and required surgery. Most all restaurants serve coffee at 160 degrees F, McDonalds served coffee at 190+ degrees F, because they wanted to save money by not having to brew coffee as often, and wanted it to stay fresher longer. If you consult a burn-clinic, most all burns from liquid spills are 1st degree burns, or 2nd degree tops. 3rd degree burns are usually more common with open flame burns and oil submersion.

avs007

Unfortunately that is true. I've studied many cases like that in college....
Lady kept getting harrassed by a motorycycle gang who kept trespessing on her property. (Secluded house, with a mile long private driveway). So she hung piano wire, in front of her house (which is behind a gate, and 1 miles inside her property). She was found guilty of murder, when the gang trespessed, injured themselves on the wire.

Numerous cases of people burglarizing a house, and slipping on assorted things, and falling down the stairs....

The funniest (to me anyways), was my professors advice about protecting your home.... He said that in most states you can protect your home with deadly force. But only when threatened.... (including texas). So he said if you are being burglarized, and own a gun, do not shoot the burglar in the back... Instead, yell at them to get them to turn around, and shoot them between the eyes.

black label

We have an airbag at the dealership[, it looks very similar to what they use to check your blood pressure. Essentially, you slide it in the door jam, pump it up a bit (which opens the door a bit), then you slide a second airbag in pump that up and use a hook or bar to push the unlock button.

If they used a slim jim (which I don't think is possible on a TL) they probably would do substanial damage to the wiring inside your door. The airbag system doesn't leave a mark unless you pump the door so far open that you bend the frame.

darksom1

DAYUUUMMM!!! WTF??? Mofo thieves!!!

This war is a losing war just like piracy! If they want it they are definitely gonna get it eventually!!