I was stopped at an intersection in town earlier this week. The light was a long one and I watched the cars go by while I slowly zoned out. I watched a tow truck whiz by carrying on it's bed an Integra with visible mods, and the first thought that came to my head was, "what if they just stole it, and are on their way down to a chop shop somewhere in Newark?" I was reminded of how out of control the theft situation is when it comes to Hondas as I snapped back to reality. I should know, I found out about it the worst way many years ago. And now that I'm back in a Honda I can't visually modify it for fear of attracting the eyes of a thief. How many people have abandoned the Honda scene because of this stigma? How many won't buy a car because they know they won't be able to sleep at night? There are several models I have said "never again" to that meet my needs/demands almost to a tee. I spent the rest of the day ruminating about why it is the way it is, and what could be done to stop it.
The cars are easy to steal, and that avenue has been explored extensively. But if one goes after the why they are stolen; perhaps some progress could be made? You wouldn't steal someone's stuff if it had his name written on it because as soon as someone saw you with it you'd be busted. Cars and parts may not have names, but most have VINs, serial numbers, etc. printed or engraved on them. What if these could be entered into a database which would allow public search of ones that have been stolen? Imagine a site that allows you to log in, and register a car, as well as any number of parts that would be liable to be stolen, by their respective identification numbers. And you can upload pictures displaying the parts and their numbers. Think CarDomain. You have your own profile page which only you can access, and if it so happens that anything you registered gets stolen, you can have those records made public (added to a 'hot list'). Anyone who owns a Honda, or even any other make or parts like wheels or accessories that have any tendency to disappear would be encouraged to register.
Since a major part of selling goes through forums classifieds such as Honda-tech and a handful of others (there's an assumption here), it shouldn't be too difficult to implement the use of this "TheftDomain." So, In a nutshell: Want to sell a part/car online? Sure, just post the VIN/serial. Discourage buying items without VINs/serials, and if you do buy something that matches a stolen part/car, you can flag the seller, spread the word, contact authorities, or start to trace back where the part came from, etc.
I'm not sure how effective this would be, but it could force thieves to resort to selling outside the states, reducing the appeal of stealing. Such a site may pose some legal snags due to it's nature. I'm just throwing it out there - this all might sound paranoid, but for those who have experienced first-hand, you know where I'm coming from.
I remember reading a while back about using microscopic id tags for the same purpose. I think if it was implemented properly it could help discourage theft.
sounds like a pretty good idea to me, if you have the skills to build a website like that, make it free for people to use it and hook it up with some banner ad's you might have a pretty good business there
one potential obstacle is that someone would have to actually take the time to verify the vin, then check with the authorities on it. also it's plenty easy for someone to lie about it and say a stolen part comes from a legit car they may have. about the only parts I can think of that have serials on them are engine blocks and sometimes transmissions. i guess those are the real valuable guts of the car but there is still a lot that is untracable. and there is definitely a market for parts that are known hot, or buyers who don't care enough about it beyond a cheap price.
Usually, but not always, people are aware that the parts they are buying are stolen, like "reputable" low cost spare parts dealers. I would say that most of the parts stripped off stolen vehicles get sold through those same "reputable" low cost spare parts dealers.
Think about it... who has the necessary cash flow to be able to buy hot parts in bulk? How long do you think a thief is gonna sit with stolen parts, trying to flog them on eBay?
I have my own views on the "why" of people stealing cars... but that's a completely different, off topic discussion.
Quote, originally posted by alleghenyman »
Let's just say I like my women like I like my cars - fast, cheap, kinda ugly and beaten up, unreliable, dangerous, unwanted....
Usually, but not always, people are aware that the parts they are buying are stolen, like "reputable" low cost spare parts dealers. I would say that most of the parts stripped off stolen vehicles get sold through those same "reputable" low cost spare parts dealers.
Think about it... who has the necessary cash flow to be able to buy hot parts in bulk? How long do you think a thief is gonna sit with stolen parts, trying to flog them on eBay?
I have my own views on the "why" of people stealing cars... but that's a completely different, off topic discussion.
Used spare parts dealers...like junkyards? If the stuff they buy off thieves is 'branded,' then it would only be a matter of time before someone takes notice and they are found out.
So your saying you would only activate it once it's stolen? I think it's a cool idea, but I am sure the privacy policy laws would over ride this. Also if someone hacks this it would be easier to find you and your car. Garage is my anti-theft.
"F**k off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may."
gives me an idea. Since so much of the modern world is computer/electrically controlled, if your car is missing, you throw a signal from satellite to something like OnStar that scrambles all electrical signals. Or maybe even any car that has satellite radio could be ready to use some signal from satellite. If they try to pull the radio, instant scramble Thus, nothing will work that needs electric power.
It awaits you to throw the signal to unscramble, should you get your car back
the manual trans and other "hardware" would still function independently, of course, but it might cut down on the "value" of stealing Hondas.
so you basically want me to attach a cd key to all of my car parts which i'll have to activate over steam. if the car parts are stolen then steam will tell me that my cd key has already been used and my car parts won't activate. right?
Quote, originally posted by redsoxreturns »
your post isnt car related. i want you black holed.
Quote, originally posted by kessler »
If I've learned anything from playing Command & Conquer, this will not end well.
gives me an idea. Since so much of the modern world is computer/electrically controlled, if your car is missing, you throw a signal from satellite to something like OnStar that scrambles all electrical signals. Or maybe even any car that has satellite radio could be ready to use some signal from satellite. If they try to pull the radio, instant scramble Thus, nothing will work that needs electric power.
It awaits you to throw the signal to unscramble, should you get your car back
the manual trans and other "hardware" would still function independently, of course, but it might cut down on the "value" of stealing Hondas.
The japanese cars are ludicrously easy to steal.
dude, Lo Jack
Quote, originally posted by FreshBaked 24 7 »
gahhh! way to make a thread give me that weird itchy feeling
Truth. Too much extra cost for a very small benefit. Only a small percent of the thousands of cars sold are stolen. Also car parts usually have just part# on them. Also maintaining that system would be awfully tedious for both the manufacturers of the cars/parts, the company maintaining the data, and the end user. Also lo-jack and insurance. Also those serials can easily be wiped off the part by the thief.
so you basically want me to attach a cd key to all of my car parts which i'll have to activate over steam. if the car parts are stolen then steam will tell me that my cd key has already been used and my car parts won't activate. right?
The cake is a lie.
Quote, originally posted by VarianceVQ »
More and more evidence is piling up that Europeans are nothing more than Americans with more colorful money and funny accents.
One problem is you'd have to get the automakers on board to be able to track all the parts. Most of the smaller stuff isn't stamped with the VIN number on it, but it's almost always serialized and stored in a database that ties it to the VIN number of the vehicle it was installed on.
Larger items like the engine block and maybe the transmission do have the VIN on them, but stuff like brakes and suspension parts won't generally have it.
It's questionable whether the automakers would give you open access to that kind of information because there's the potential for it to be used in lawsuits against them, but it's possible they would provide it for certain VINs that have been stolen and not recovered.
That pretty much sums it up. The Germans seem to do a much better job of this. Anything with a computer on it is serialized to the car. Unless you have access to a factory scan tool with a linkup to the manufacturer (ex: The GeKo system VW/Audi uses), most of the major parts are useless outside of the car they are stolen from without adaptation/re-coding.
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