One wonders how much of a problem the theft of 30-year-old inexpensive
sports cars is. Good luck keeping one going in the Russian Republic (or
whatever it's called). I can see some crook trying to pawn off a Triumph
Herald or a Hillman Imp on his gangster buddies in Moscow... "You idiot!
We want Mercedes-Benz! Maybe Jaguar, OK, but bring us one more Wolseley
and it's curtains!"...
(Sorry, getting a little silly...)
>Europe has a tremendous car theft problem. When cars over there get stolen
>and go east (into the old Soviet Union) they are gone and not to be
>returned.
> The theft problem got so bad that insurance Co. told car makers that they
>would not write theft insurance on new cars unless they became more theft
>proof. Immo is a result of that. On the cars that I teach on (Volvo) there
>is a chip in the key and a transponder (antenna) around the key hole. When
>the key is inserted and turned a magnetic field is created by the
>transponder
>and modified by the chip. This is very similar to the technology used in
>store anti-theft systems that have the wands at the doors that pick up the
>tags that the clerk left on you new purchases. If the chip modifies the
>magnetic field in a way that the Immo unit recognizes, then the Immo and
>Engine Control Module compare passwords (Immo has to give a proper password
>to ECM and ECM has to give the proper code word back) if all is OK car
>starts, if wrong pass words given, no start.
>Bottom line, I could give you a key that fits a brand new Volvo, and you
>would be able to turn the key in the lock but the car would not start.
>(Unless I had done the programing to "Marry" the key to the car)
>How you would apply this system to a 30 year old car with no electronics is
>beyond me. After all my B can be hot wired with a nickel.........
>
>Rick
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
|