Searched but didn't see a thread on this topic.

Taking delivery of a 130 in a couple weeks - theft of any new vehicle is a problem in Toronto (Canada), and I'm looking for ways to deter this from happening to my new Defender. Has anyone looked into pulling fuse(s) to prevent theft?

 

How are they copying the key code that would allow them to start the vehicle? It's not a Kia and I don't believe there's a similar simple solution for starting a Defender. I would think pulling a fuse wouldn't solve the problem, it would probably irritate someone to the point they do even more damage out of frustration.

 

I wish I can have so much faith in any manufacturer's anti theft system. There are so many instances of vehicle thefts on Toronto, with Lexus, Land Rover, Honda, Ford, leading the pack, that you can only imagine there must be some sort of collaboration between organized crime and some inside job at different dealerships.

 

Yes you could pull the starter solenoid fuse. That would surely immobilize it. Then again, a cruel person would put some horrible madness inducing music that looped. Like "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree." This playing as soon as the door opened would cause the thieves to run off in terror holding their hands over their ears. Research in the 80's showed it induced death row inmates to request immediate execution when played for more than 15 minutes while trapped in their cells.

The only problem with pulling fuses, they are not so terribly easy to get at and constant pulling and re-inserting will eventually loosen the grip of the socket. In flying we were always warned off using fuses and circuit breakers as switches due to downstream failure. Of course in our mind, we would be saying, "if the cheap bastards had put a switch to turn it off..."

Really, the security system, presently is pretty good. There was a time when the high end cars had issues with thieves using code grabbers or amps to make it seem like your key was right next to the vehicle. There is always the thief with weapon of some sort that simply requests your key when you walk up. Kind of why we get insurance. Toronto is becoming more and more like Mogadishu every day. Then again, when I lived in Mogadishu, nobody stole my car.

 

Hi there,
Disable keyless entry, that is if you are OK with the inconvenience of pushing the FOB (or activity key) to open your doors. Doing this will also remove any unexpected battery drain issues, particularly when camping near the vehicle / leaving your keys within range of the vehicle or simply unlocked in the garage. Since doing this myself, I haven't had a low battery warning (MY21) even after not starting the vehicle for a month.

 

Thanks! This is exactly the info I was looking for. Cheers!

 

I think keyless entry and push button start are both unnecessary features!

 

install Ghost or Igla system, not worth it to play with fuses.
Toronto thefts are through the roof but the only Rover that's actively stolen is RR Sport due to design flaw (rear trunk area).

 

Have you gotten any push back from dealers on warranty issues with the system installed?

 

the dealer sells Ghost, i didn't buy it due to other projects. They offered it but it was a little overpriced. It doesn't protect from CANbus injection but to get to can bus on defender isn't super easy like Lexus.