How to hotwire an old car (and steal a modern one)

you know what’s awesome? In crime movies, someone jumps behind the steering wheel of a car, kicks off the cover of his steering column, and crushes two wires together to peel them off. Hotwiring cars is action-oriented, badass, and seems like anyone could pull it off. But what about real life? I’m looking into it because I’m interested in the realism of the upcoming feature film (not because I want to steal cars). It turns out that car theft isn’t as easy as Hollywood might make you believe.It’s not impossibly difficult either.

Cars that can and cannot be heat-wired

If you’re hot-wiring your car, you’ll need to opt for the old hoop tee/beater/bucket.The cut end of the live wire is around the middle to the latter half 90’s.Alarms and immobilizers were pretty standard on late cars, and on modern cars Various anti-theft technologies have been implemented (see below for details).

A step-by-step guide to car hotwiring

Let’s start with the disclaimer. These are the hotwiring steps to start your car without a key.Not for stealing cars. There is a different process for unlocking the steering that applies to most cars built in the last 50 years or so. Also, messing around with your car’s wiring is potentially dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. This is for informational purposes only.

The process of starting a car without a physical key is easy To It’s understandable (in theory) and requires only a few simple tools, but it’s nowhere near the 20-second manipulation you see in the movies.

Required tools:

• driver
• wire stripper or knife
• wire clip
• Insulated gloves (for safety)

And here’s how it goes down:

After throwing a spark plug through a window or using a coat hanger to unlock a door, remove the steering column panel (on most cars) with a screwdriver. This should reveal a spaghetti-like bundle of wires. Basically, you’re bypassing the key job of completing the circuit between the battery, ignition, and starter motor, so you’ll need to find those three wires.

According to our sister site Yalopnik, the battery wire is most often red and the starter wire is often yellow. The ignition wire can be any color. But. To find it, you can test each wire individually, but it’s better to refer to your car’s service manual. It should be on the internet, in the library, or locally on his AutoZ.1.

Once you have identified the correct three wires, strip enough insulation to attach the clip. Attach a clip to each wire. (You can cut wires, but why damage them?) Clip the battery wires to the ignition wires. Instrument lights and other dashboard lights should come on like you turned the ignition key but weren’t far enough away to activate the starter.

Finally, connect the third wire to clip (don’t clip), And your engine should roar lively. However, you probably can’t drive it because you haven’t unlocked the steering. Remove all clips to stop the motor.

steal a modern car

Starting a car with alarm systems, key fobs, and other modern gimmicks is more complicated than stealing an old car, but it’s possible. Like hotwiring, there is no universal way to hack starters/locks/alarms in all kinds of cars, but I believe that with enough effort, you can break any car’s security system.

The main weakness of automated security is the fact that drivers need a solution if they lose their keys. So locksmiths and dealers usually have access to tools that make keys easy, but I don’t like that. This skill and knowledge would be impossible for the enterprising mediocrity.

On many types of vehicles, the key fob contains the physical key, often connected to a cord that allows the new key to be disconnected. The code may be connected to the vehicle’s VIN. So if you have the VIN and have access to the car manufacturer,With ‘s database, you could theoretically cut a new physical key to unlock the door and start the car. But you may not be able to drive away. If you opened the car door without the fob, it would probably set off the alarm, but when you got inside the car, it would (in theory) connect to the car’s computer, turn off the alarm system, and put the new fob in the car. . (It belongs to a real hacker, right?)

Thieves are also reported to be using repeaters. Leaving your keyless entry fob near your door can cause the device to send signals to nearby vehicles, allowing thieves to break in. Unlock the door, get in, and drive. They can’t start the car again, but when they park it far away, You can create duplicate keys.

In summary, if someone is seriously trying to steal your car (or if you are trying to steal someone else’s)of the car is bad enough), there it is Almost certainly a way to do it. But in reality, many car thefts resemble crimes of opportunity. You leave your keys in an unlocked car and someone takes it away. This kind of theft Acar theft rateso locking and retrieving the key is probably enough to worry about. Life is short, that’s why we have insurance.