How much car immobiliser is reliable for your car security?
What is a car immobiliser? It is basically an anti-theft device that is installed in most of the latest cars. Recently, the UK has also made it compulsory to install immobilisers in their cars for added security. This device was invented with the sole purpose of deterring the thieves from hot-wiring the car. It works automatically and does not require the car owner to activate it, and this makes them be the most effective anti-theft devices.
How does an immobilizer work?
Immobilizer functions in a way that disables the system of the car that starts the engine. In short, it stops the fuel supply or the ignition from starting. There are basically two sections involved, one is the transponder in the ignition key, and the other is radio frequency reader. The latter is found in the steering wheel of the car. When you put in the ignition key, it will quickly send the unique identification code to the frequency reader. It will identify the code, and if found correct, it will allow the fuel to flow, and the ignition will start. On the other hand, if the code is incorrect, then the computer control of the car disables the ignition and stops the fuel flow, and it won’t start until the right key is used.
The most common way that the thief use in stealing the car is by hot wiring it. This hot-wiring will damage the steering column and the other connected wires of the ignition of the car. If the immobilizer is installed, it won’t let the cat start even if the wires are connected as the system deactivates the ignition. This makes them very effective and has become a standard in the latest cars. You can have it installed in the older cars as well.
Moreover, there are three basic options for immobiliser systems. All of these 3 immobilisers will immobilise the car within the 40 seconds time, and the engine will turn off.
Transponder Immobiliser
The first one we are going to discuss is the transponder immobiliser. It will only let the vehicle start if the tag or chip of the transponder is located near the ignition barrel. The tag is usually attached to the car key ring.
Touch Key Immobiliser.
This system uses the touch key that makes contact with the receiver pad before it allows the car to start.
Remote Immobiliser
This type of immobiliser comes with the remote control and quickly disarmed the system as soon as the remote is pressed. This is the most common type, and it comes as a part of the car alarm system.
How good is it for your car?
One of the main benefits of the immobiliser is that it does not ask the car owner to get it activated. It works on its own, automatically. The car computer control detects any wrong code and the absence of the key. However, there are some vulnerabilities of this system as well. Manu cars have the immobilisers installed that are known as Megamos-chip, and these are easily crackable. It is easier to program a new key than try to make an attempt of making a duplicate one of the existing keys.
Immobilisers are vital, and it is mandatory for the car to have it installed at any cost. A recent study conducted on it also shows that immobilisers have reduced the overall rate of car theft worldwide. The recent study results have shown that car thefts have been reduced by 40% between 1995 and 2019.
This is in the human nature that we search for the cheap price immobilisers, and this will lead to the system installed in the car in the shortest possible time. As a result, shortcuts are taken, and the installation does not prove to be very effective.
