TRD Pro Stolen

[Jeremy556]

[MENTION=78273]Jeremy556[/MENTION] [MENTION=104049]marshal[/MENTION] its not that hard if you know what you're doing. We can all be conspiracy theorists here but there was no damage, no noise, and no suspicious activity. Something on this level is possible... not likely but possible. Maybe my terminology was off :/

https://youtu.be/3jstaBeXgAs

I only watched the first 90 seconds and read the description, but that is an incredibly contrived, over-hyped bunch of bullshit. Important part here: "he was able to do so by implementing some off-the-shelf chips, a third party telematic control unit, a GSM-powered wireless transmitter/receiver setup, and a significant amount of know-how he's accrued over the years." They installed a bunch of stuff to be able to remote control the car.

Let me know when they can do that to an unmodified vehicle.

 

[Jetboy]

If a thief is doing this to you - it's unlikely they're only doing it once.

Our Lexus was stripped in the parking lot of the Lexus dealer almost certainly by Lexus mechanics. They left it parked outside the building and outside the fence overnight in one area of the parking long that doesn't have great video coverage. Police didn't do a damned thing. Lexus didn't care. Lexus dealership didn't care. Larry H. Miller Lexus in Salt Lake City. The thieves walked straight to the car - didn't need to look in the windows - they knew exactly which car they were going for. Stole all of the nav unit and center console along with the wood trim and switches from the doors - so it all matches. Every plug was unplugged not cut. Pretty obvious what happened.

I feel bad for you dude. It sucks. Hopefully insurance will just replace with a new one. Police are not much help. Too busy writing speeding tickets to solve real crimes.

 

[marshal]

[MENTION=78273]Jeremy556[/MENTION] [MENTION=104049]marshal[/MENTION] its not that hard if you know what you're doing. We can all be conspiracy theorists here but there was no damage, no noise, and no suspicious activity. Something on this level is possible... not likely but possible. Maybe my terminology was off :/

https://youtu.be/3jstaBeXgAs

Of course you can control the vehicle through a direct connection, but wirelessly accessing the 4Runner to operate it? Even like the video said, the skills required to access all of the computers needed is massive, not to mention the languages are not publically known. Beyond that, Toyota ha the canbus pretty well locked down. Is it impenetrable? No, of course not - but there are a lot of people on the open market that would stand to make a profit from knowing how to crack toyotas ECU for performance upgrades. If there was an easy way to hack through it it would have been made publically available already.

I'm sure some clever tech punk could create some way of unlocking the doors and getting access through the radio transever, but we're talking about a Southern California suburb and a 40,000 truck. Not a tesla or a Ferrari.

What high school tech nerd that is trying out his new idea is going to be smart enough to resist the temptation of getting into a mclaren instead of a 4Runner?

I'm not saying you're flat out wrong, but I'd say the chances of this guy winning the power ball are better than his truck getting stolen by a computer wiz who also holds the secrets to the aftermarket supercharger market

 

[DesertCanyons]

Police Response and Prevention

With all we expect from our local police departments in preventing crime, I am surprised to hear so many people complain about them not allocating their best detectives to go find your car.

By reporting the theft you give the entire police network your license plate number and contact info. If the car gets left somewhere and people notice it, if gang-banger-criminal-types are seen driving it :bat:, if anyone suspects it's stolen or abandoned, the police will run the plates and find out it's stolen immediately. That greatly increases the chance that your car will be recovered.

Here in Pasadena we really appreciate the job our PD does. They are responsive and always show up. We're most concerned about personal safety and preventing burglaries. I would not expect them to drop what they're doing and go looking for my car, like a needle in a haystack.

One or two people sort of answered this question but I'll throw it out there again:

"Other than the LoJack or GPS, is there a way to disable the car? Short of disconnecting the battery and taking the hot cable with you, is there something we can take with us that makes it impossible to drive? ...

What ideas do you have for disabling the vehicle?"

Thanks.

 

[JeremyB]

I highly recommend Lojack and think it works incredibly well. There's no yearly fee with the basic Lojack but they do have higher end systems with extra features that would have a monthly fee. It is expensive up front but it's a one time purchase and will always be there if you need it.

LoJack operates on 173.015 Mhz.

For the system to function, there must be a LoJack base station (radio transmitter on a tall antenna), police vehicles with a LoJack direction finder, and the LoJack unit in the stolen vehicle.

When you report a car to the police as stolen, the data is entered into the NCIC database. The LoJack base station sees this entry and once a minute, transmits a signal on 173.015 Mhz that activates the LoJack unit in the stolen vehicle. The base station is basically saying "Unit 1234, you're stolen, turn on your radio and begin transmitting!"

Once the unit in the vehicle is activated, it begins transmitting, also on 173.015 Mhz (at a much lower power than the base station), every second.

Any police vehicles with a LoJack direction finder (directional antenna array + head unit with visual indicator) near enough to 'hear' the stolen LoJack signal can see what direction the stolen car is and go find it.

The biggest issue with LoJack is coverage. The nearest covered areas to me are 1.5 hours North (Nashville, TN), 3.5 hrs SE (Atlanta GA), and 4 hrs West (Memphis, TN). So, useless to me.

The alternative would be a GPS-based system, but that has its own faults. First and foremost, GPS requires a generally direct line-of-sight to at least a handful of satellites to appropriately triangulate its position.

Another downside to GPS-based systems is a monthly fee since GPS systems will be cell-tower based.

 

[Mgyver1]

I could be wrong, but back in the day when I though Low Jack was a good system, my thoughts of Low Jack went down the drain when I realized that the local police had to be equipped with the Low Jack location system and if they didn't have it, you were screwed.

I heard about Low Jack going GPS, but haven't looked into it, and do you know what happens to GPS when in a brick building or under a bridge?

I see police cars in my area all the time with the Lojack antennas, even the helicopter has it. If you see 4 of the same antennas in a square then that's it has the Lojack receiver.

 

[Jetboy]

With all we expect from our local police departments in preventing crime, I am surprised to hear so many people complain about them not allocating their best detectives to go find your car.

By reporting the theft you give the entire police network your license plate number and contact info. If the car gets left somewhere and people notice it, if gang-banger-criminal-types are seen driving it :bat:, if anyone suspects it's stolen or abandoned, the police will run the plates and find out it's stolen immediately. That greatly increases the chance that your car will be recovered.

Here in Pasadena we really appreciate the job our PD does. They are responsive and always show up. We're most concerned about personal safety and preventing burglaries. I would not expect them to drop what they're doing and go looking for my car, like a needle in a haystack.

One or two people sort of answered this question but I'll throw it out there again:

"Other than the LoJack or GPS, is there a way to disable the car? Short of disconnecting the battery and taking the hot cable with you, is there something we can take with us that makes it impossible to drive? ...

What ideas do you have for disabling the vehicle?"

Thanks.

My detached garage was broken into a year ago. The getaway driver had a change of heart ??? and actually came to my door to return one of my saws that was stolen. They literally gave me the name, phone number, and address of the guy who did it. Went to the pawn shop nearest his house - my $4,000 bicycle was there. IT'S STILL ****ING THERE!!!! The district attorney has a warrant issued, but the detective hasn't done a damned thing as far as I can tell to actually go arrest the guy. Just call his phone number might be a good start...

I can't get the bike back until it's deemed no longer necessary for evidence, and so it sits on hold in the back of the pawn shop.

They've done nothing to investigate my Lexus that was stripped either.

So - at least as to my situation. The local police are doing nothing for real crime. It's only when we get something on the news that they'll make a meaningful attempt to solve theft crimes.

 

[4RnR Grl]

What ideas do you have for disabling the vehicle?"

THIS^

I park inside my attached garage at night. I make my husband park his sports car outside (not kidding). I have big dogs that bark when it's warranted (I ALWAYS check). I work on a military installation during the day. I'd like to think that my vehicle is safe... but... I work in the security field and have a Security Forces background. Where there's a will, there's a way. I am also aware of many technological advances used by our adversaries that would make your head spin. It would be too easy to steal one of our trucks.

My mother typically parks her vehicles in her garage (almost unheard of in this day and age with all the "crap" Americans have). She left her 2003 Escape parked in the driveway one night. Someone broke into the vehicle (somehow unlocking it) and opened her garage using the opener. They walked through her unlocked door into the kitchen and stole her purse off the table. Someone was in their house while they were SLEEPING!!! This is not a bad neighborhood and police figured the intruder(s) were looking for drug money.

Scary.

To the OP.... I am truly sorry your vehicle was stolen and can only hope the PD finds the low-life scum that stole your truck. :rant:

 

[Sunriser]

Of course you can control the vehicle through a direct connection, but wirelessly accessing the 4Runner to operate it?

Timely and interesting Article in Wired about hacking a Jeep wirelessly : Hackers Remotely Kill a Jeep on the Highway - With Me in It | WIRED

Basically, they exploit the ability to flash upgrade some of the chips, inserting their own malware.

I'm not saying this bug is repeatable with Toyota, and I don't know if the ignition system is available to said hack, but I wouldn't be so blasé about what can be done wirelessly.

 

[<<<<]

Antitheft Device:

 

[Cheers!]

I wouldn't be upset if my new car got stolen. It's not like a 4runner is collector or out of production car that can't be easily replaced.

Given the high residual value of 4runners. You would probably be able to come out even and have insurance money to buy you a brand new 4runner Pro.

If it was say a 1971 Porsche 911 long hood or a 1992 NSX I'd be super upset.

 

[confuzshuz]

Just wanted to provide an update. It's been well over 72 hours and the vehicle is still missing. Got a hold of the detective handling the case. I'm brining the compressor to check for prints. I told him that officer who did my report didn't list my personal items in the vehicle. He said he's gonna do an addendum to the report. I also spoke to the insurance company and gave my statements yesterday.

The dealership is Frontier Toyota in Santa Clarita (It's just speculation, I'm not accusing them; could have been someone in my neighborhood).

I think I'm gonna have to investigate this myself.

Thank you for the support.

 

[bloodninja]

My detached garage was broken into a year ago. The getaway driver had a change of heart ??? and actually came to my door to return one of my saws that was stolen. They literally gave me the name, phone number, and address of the guy who did it. Went to the pawn shop nearest his house - my $4,000 bicycle was there. IT'S STILL ****ING THERE!!!! The district attorney has a warrant issued, but the detective hasn't done a damned thing as far as I can tell to actually go arrest the guy. Just call his phone number might be a good start...

I can't get the bike back until it's deemed no longer necessary for evidence, and so it sits on hold in the back of the pawn shop.

They've done nothing to investigate my Lexus that was stripped either.

So - at least as to my situation. The local police are doing nothing for real crime. It's only when we get something on the news that they'll make a meaningful attempt to solve theft crimes.

To be honest, you shouldn't be relying solely on the police in this matter. You should be contacting a private attorney to recover lost time and wages for not having your primary mode of transportation, as well as the emotional distress you've gone through because of the negligence on the part of the dealer.

Source: I stay at a Holiday Inn Express most nights.

 

[Jeremy556]

To be honest, you shouldn't be relying solely on the police in this matter. You should be contacting a private attorney to recover lost time and wages for not having your primary mode of transportation, as well as the emotional distress you've gone through because of the negligence on the part of the dealer.

Source: I stay at a Holiday Inn Express most nights.

:lmao::bravo::snacker:

I'm not an attorney, or play one on TV, but my 1st order of business would be to read the insurance declarations and advise my client that they are wasting their retainer

 

[Tyota89]

Sorry to hear, honestly hope you find it soon. What did your insurance company say about the situation.

 

[4RunnerAU]

To be honest, you shouldn't be relying solely on the police in this matter. You should be contacting a private attorney to recover lost time and wages for not having your primary mode of transportation, as well as the emotional distress you've gone through because of the negligence on the part of the dealer.

Source: I stay at a Holiday Inn Express most nights.

I'll be honest - I am not a fan of the litigious nature of our society (i'm biased - long story involving a bumper tap at 3mph) but I think a lawsuit would be merited here IF you can prove that your 4runner was stolen with a duplicate key. You need it in the police report and probably have to prove somehow that your SUV was driven away and not towed.


I would sue the dealership for negligence on their part. In tort law, I believe that the courts will take a "guilty until proven innocent" approach, which means that the dealership will have to prove that they weren't negligent, which is going to be difficult for them. They would have to prove that they have very strong processes in place to prevent employees from duplicating keys - restricting access to spare key inventory to certain employees, restricting access to the machine, requiring approvals, reconciling ending inventory against receipts on a periodic basis etc. and that this employee somehow circumvented these processes or colluded with another employee to perpetrate the crime. Even if they do have a process, you can easily argue that it was ineffective since you lost your car to employee theft.


Most dealerships probably won't have the evidence they need to prove that they weren't negligent in that regard and even if they could, their insurance company's lawyers would probably prefer to settle with you instead of going to court to prove their innocence. If I were you, I would ask them to pay your lawyer's legal fees, any costs you incurred by having to transport yourself (not covered by insurance) and allow you to trade in the 4runner that got stolen (if it's recovered) for a brand new one due to diminished value.

 

[Jetboy]

To be honest, you shouldn't be relying solely on the police in this matter. You should be contacting a private attorney to recover lost time and wages for not having your primary mode of transportation, as well as the emotional distress you've gone through because of the negligence on the part of the dealer.

Source: I stay at a Holiday Inn Express most nights.

I actually am an attorney, but this isn't really what I do. My biggest mistake was letting Lexus try to fix my car. I was assured that they would totally fix it and since it was basically just navigation/radio things not mechanical I was OK with letting Lexus do the repairs. HUGE mistake on my part thinking Lexus would do a quality repair.

First attempt they put used parts in and didn't fix the dash board panel or the door. Second attempt they still failed to fit the dash properly and didn't fix the door again. Third try they replaced the dash panel and fixed the door panel, but didn't tint the window and the gps module wasn't replaced and it was damaged. The fourth attempt they kinda sorta got close. Fifth try they went through again to fix rattles and electrical issues. This was over the course of about 8 -10 weeks. I never accepted it back until it was finished.

They provided a loaner car the entire time. Our neighbors thought we had just bought a new ES350... but we're not 100, so they were kinda confused.

The first time was so bad I laughed and told my service guy to have the service manager and mechanic come out and I told them together that it wasn't even close and they needed to try again, but make a serious attempt at fixing it next time. It was really bad. They never did it right in the end. Lexus wood panels are cut from a single piece so the grain of the wood flows through the center stack. They put in new pieces, but not from a single wood cut - so it was never put back to the way it was originally. And they never were able to fit the dash correctly. It takes more skill to do the fine adjustments than anyone at a Lexus dealer has apparently. In the end I think their mechanics simply aren't skilled enough to do a quality interior fit.

The total for the parts list that ended up being replaced was $22,000 if I use msrp prices from Lexus. They then proceeded to offer $13k to buy it. Everyone lost. I traded it for $16k a few months later to a dealer that does it carmax style - they'll buy it whether you buy a car or not. So the $16k was a legitimate trade in value. $13k was way low.

So, the biggest mistake I made was letting the hacks at Lexus in Salt Lake try to fix it. Should have just demanded it be totaled and then gone the legal route. Lexus should have totaled it, given me about $17-19k dealer book value, and sold me a new IS350 at the dealer's actual cost.

 

[Jetboy]

What are people's thoughts on tossing an old cell phone in somewhere and wiring it so it constantly charges? Might be one of the cheapest options for tracking. We've probably all got an old smart phone laying around that wouldn't cost much to add to our account.

 

[FordyceCreek]

Cell phones are great, someone did that here awhile back. Thats got to surprise a thief. "That car is stolen" , "how do you know that"? ....

 

[cd121082]

In March, I purchased the TRD Pro. I've been a lurker on here since then. I've enjoyed the 4Runner more than all the vehicles I have had in the past.

This is actually my first post. I wish it could be more pleasant. However, it's not.

I got home on Friday night around 9:30 PM. On Saturday morning, around 9:00 AM, I look out the window to find an empty space. I immediately call the community security, local tow companies, and finally local PD. Sadly, the TRD Pro was taken right in front my house. Local PD told me to go to the station to file the report.

It has been more than 24 hours and I have not heard anything. The vehicle was stolen in Sylmar, California between 9:30 PM on 07/17/15 and 9:00 AM 07/18/15. License # 7LAB981. Please keep an eye out. Thank you in advance.

heard anything back from the police yet?