This allows the OBD port to still be accessed for servicing, but will hopefully confuse criminals long enough for them to give up. It’s as simple as it sounds. Move the OBD from its most common position in the driver’s footwell to another location in the car. Not everyone has the wherewithal to try to fix their own vehicle or upgrade their performance. Recently, companies have tried to exploit OBD II for more mainstream applications in the form of “dongles”— devices that plug directly into the OBD II port and connect wirelessly to a network. NOTE: All sales on OBDsaver products are FINAL. This item cannot be returned under any circumstances. No vehicle is completely safe. If thieves want it badly enough, they will get it. However, by extending their potential exposure time from a 6–8-minute window to the 12–15, the risk of getting caught goes up dramatically and they will usually move on to an easier target.

I am also conscious that I am substantially more at risk of a burglary in the great scheme of things and take appropriate actions to lessen or mitigate losses. The rules around OBD ports mean that car manufacturers cannot restrict their access, or make them hard to locate inside a car. For professional car thieves, this delivers a potentially efficient way to steal a vehicle. A: The OBDS has been successfully tested and validated by several vehicle manufacturers. No manufacturer raised concerns about the warranty. You can see an example from a well-known manufacturer under this LINK . An On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) is a system inside the vehicle that provides a diagnosis. It is beneficial in monitoring the condition of your vehicle, especially if it is experiencing problems. The system works by getting the data from the car’s components.

An On-Board Diagnostics port is a standard connector used to access information from the various sensors and components in a car.

The earliest OBD ports were introduced in the 1970s, and they became more prevalent on American cars in the 1980s. Californian legislation introduced in 1988 meant new cars sold there had to have basic OBD compliance. No software or coded equipment involved, therefore there is no possibility of thieves overcoming the system. Once thieves break into your car, they can easily access the OBD II port. Then, through an advanced reader, they can get information about the vehicle. The data obtained will be used to get the unique car key code and clone a key. Car theft happens more often than many people realize. There are more than 600,000 vehicles stolen each year in the United States alone. By understanding more about how thieves work and the techniques and tactics they use, it becomes possible to learn how you can better protect your vehicle. Just because you feel that you live in a safe neighborhood, or that you are in a location where car theft is not common doesn’t mean that it can’t happen to you. Instead of becoming a victim, it is time that you started to take action to give your car the added protections that it needs. There is no such thing as being too prepared. Ways to Keep Your OBD2 Anti-Theft Device and Port SaferOBD has existed in various forms long before anyone ever uttered the words “infotainment” or “connected car.” It came about primarily because of two factors: The need to regulate emissions, and the mass adoption of electronic fuel injection by automakers beginning in the 1980s. In 2015 it was estimated that 6000 vehicles were stolen just in London by Gangs using “Keyless” Techniques. It affects mainly vehicles with the Keyless Entry system as seen in BMW, VW, Audi and Ford but can also affect regular “key ignition” vehicles too. So How are they doing it? There are other ways to stay safe and there are many videos online on these so I will move on to my main topic. The problem has made headlines, typically with attention-grabbing videos of how easy the process can be.

Some of the components of OBD are electronic control unit (ECU), sensors, diagnostic trouble code (DTC), and malfunction indicator lights (MILs). The EUC collects the DTC code and data. It can be accessed through the diagnostic link connector (DLC). https://www.protectavan.co.uk/vehicles/fiat/ducato-2006-present/ducato-2006-present-obd-port-protector That’s not to say that vehicles aren’t stolen by other means. Key FOB relaying and amplification is another method of vehicle theft that is also in practice, however the above method is the most common. What can you do to prevent your vehicle from being stolen?A lot of these thefts involve mostly luxury cars and SUV's most of them you see on the news/TV are Lexus's and Toyotas. No doubt thieves are aware of such moves so I might consider fitting one of the screw covers to the dummy port to draw their attention to the decoy rather than have them rip the dash to bits looking for the relocated port. The OBD port was removed from the footwell, extended using a High Quality OBD Extension of ours and then relocated into the Glovebox! A simple but effective way of protecting your vehicle’s computer system. Remember the glove-box is just an example of a new location. The extension is 2m long so plenty of different locations around the vehicle that it can go.

Diagnostics may be the most important function of OBD equipment, but these tools can also be used to make yourcar go faster. The OBD-Saver Basic involves coded (approx. 300 different variants) and countersunk special screws, which are freely accessible.

VEHICLE THEFT WARNING AND PREVENTION TIPS

Tech-savvy criminals can use the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port fitted to modern cars to start the car and drive it away. This allows a thief to steal the vehicle without needing the original keys. The whole process can take just a few minutes. How common is OBD car theft?