Stealing a car

Has to be an older-model car. Modern cars have electronics that prevent such easy theft.

I used to be able to break into my old Honda Civic by sliding the cover of a school binder in that crack between the window and the door, if you pull up on the handle at the right moment it's super easy. Anything flat and relatively solid will get you in to most older cars.

As to the ignition, I've never done it, but researched it a few times. You have to know which wires to strip and cross, but once you know that it's pretty easy.

The harder part is that most older cars will have a steering wheel lock as well. If you can break that with a tire iron, then I guess you're good to go, but I'm not sure it will be that easy on all models.

Also, it's a Suzuki Samurai, not a Samurai Suzuki.

If you need to break the car window I have been told that you can do it by chucking a spark plug at it - the 'live end' will cause a charge that cracks the glass. I have no doubt that someone here can put it in techie terms!

Real car thieves have real car thief tools. Back in the day, every car thief had a Slim Jim, a device you could slide down a drivers window and hook the locking mechanism. Then the malefactor simply pulls up or pushes down to unlock the doors. Seconds are required. Next came a wonderful device that a clever but naughty mechanical genius designed and manufactured. This device is about the size of half a baseball bat, the larger half. You simply attach it to the ignition key switch. Give a couple turns or pull a lever and remove the ignition switch from the steering column. Then you insert a standard screw driver and turn it just like you would the key. Again seconds required.

There is also a thing called a speed key. It is made in a pistol-like configuration. I understand that you insert the business end into the lock and later the ignition. Then a slow steady pull of the trigger. I gather it's something like a high speed automated system of lock picks.

Comes now this wonderful digital electronic age. Are you dealing with one of those fancy upscale cars that have remote keyless locks and remote starting so that you can have your flivver all warmed up or cooled off before you get in and go? Not to worry! Some of our more contemporary naughty electrical geniuses have created a black box. just push a button or two. These will open and start the rich guy's car without a bit of trouble. Of course, these devices are pricey.

If you fool around breaking windows, you're running a helluva risk of being caught. The alarms generally go shut off if the car is started through the ignition switch. God save us from the Lojac.

Approach laid out in the original post worked, although not very elegant. Still works with some of the low-end cars.

A car thief with this approach is not going to have a long career.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Shakesbear said:

If you need to break the car window I have been told that you can do it by chucking a spark plug at it - the 'live end' will cause a charge that cracks the glass. I have no doubt that someone here can put it in techie terms!

Click to expand...

I seem to remember them trying and confirming this on Mythbusters, but it wasn't anything to do with a spark - they were using broken bits of ceramic sparkplug. I'd say it was the material rather than anything electric. Mind you, I think a brick would do the job, too.

Tire iron is better then a brick. A brick will spread it's force and car windows are designed to limit them going through it.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Slimjims don't work on most modern cars these days, and it's easy to mess things up if you're not careful - I had to jimmy my own car this past winter, and it was a pain. These days, the easiest way to get into a car is to pry the door out with a puffer - a small air bladder that you slide in past the weather stripping and then inflate - and a metal rod. With a white box van and a pair of overalls, people won't look twice.

Otherwise, you have the gist of the process down; more than enough, with the rest of the thread taken into account, for the observations of an inexperienced onlooker.

Shakesbear said:

If you need to break the car window I have been told that you can do it by chucking a spark plug at it - the 'live end' will cause a charge that cracks the glass. I have no doubt that someone here can put it in techie terms!

Click to expand...

Torgo said:

I seem to remember them trying and confirming this on Mythbusters, but it wasn't anything to do with a spark - they were using broken bits of ceramic sparkplug. I'd say it was the material rather than anything electric. Mind you, I think a brick would do the job, too.

Click to expand...

Yes it's the ceramic from the spark plugs. All substances have a "hardness level" on the Mohs scale. Diamonds being the hardest substance on earth are a 10, not positive but I think ceramic is around 8, glass is 6 and steel is 4ish. The general rule of thumb is you need to be higher on the scale than whatever you're trying to break. That's why you can find videos of people trying to break a car window with the blunt end of a hammer and the hammer just bounces off of the window (the exception is if you use a ton of extra force)

Anyway, with ceramic being well above glass you can throw it through a window pretty easily. Although it needs to be the side windows which are tempered glass. The rear and front windows are laminated safety glass so it won't work(although it will chip it). In NJ you can be arrested for possession of burglars tools if you get caught with a bunch of broken ceramic (sounds stupid but what else are you going to use it for?) Another thing is that it's a silent glass break. You can throw it through a rear glass door on a house and it won't make much noise. That's why the street name for them is Ninja Rocks. A brick will work but it's the excessive force. A 6 year old could do the ceramic glass break but like with a hammer you'd need to throw the brick insanely hard. Plus it's easier to carry around a tiny handful of ceramic shards than it is a brick lol

Hendo, thanks for the explanation. It makes sense to me now

I don't know anything about hotwiring, but I do know how to break car windows. You don't need bricks or spark plugs to do it, if you hit it in the right place (the corners). If you do it right, you can break a window by breaking off the car antenna and snapping it against the glass. Or you can just buy a window punch that's specifically designed for the job. I've got one on my key chain.

Does anyone know if Stumblebum is or isn't a police officer?

stumblebum said:

Confession:
When I was a kid I knew a car thief. He went to school with me. His specialty was the Samurai Suzuki and he could steal one in less than five minutes.

Click to expand...

Holy cow he was slow!

Large flat blade screwdriver. (Slim Jims are burglary tools and will get you more time when caught...) Force the window out enough to reach the lock with a clothes hanger, slip in, jam the screwdriver into the key lock and turn. Without an alarm or an electronic key, you're gone in 60 seconds.

A slap hammer used for body work gets you in quicker and pops the locks in seconds. Many newer top-end vehicles can be opened and started with a RFID reader and chip programmer. Again, in 60 seconds or less.

Using The Club does nothing. A hacksaw cuts it in less than a minute. Ignition switch bypass switches or fuel cut-off switches can be effective. Lowjack works great, except the car is gone. We all know what people do when they hear a car alarm go off.

If all else fails, a portable drill in the battery and a tow truck still work fine.

Look up how to steal a car on YouTube.

Jeff

Hendo said:

That's why the street name for them is Ninja Rocks.

Click to expand...

I love this about this forum. Thanks!

All of the way that have been mention are excellent ways to steal a car. However if it a new car the opening door with a coat hanger will not work as the new lock have nothing to grab on to. I myself use a bump key for the door lock and then a large knife pop the ignition switch cover off and then put your knife into the now exposed ignition switch and work it like a key starting the car and your off usually takes about 45 sec but have been known to take longer hope that helps