CruelNewb

Im thingking of getting a kill switch, I'm sure the vast knowledge of this forum knows where i can get the best and the cheapest?
Any ideas people?

wakeech

an ignition kill switch?? why??

the best and cheapest way to do it would probably be to build one yourself.

mikeb

I wanted one also for theft protection-but I got lojack and then added early warning with is a remote I keep on my keychain and if the car moves with remote lojack calls me

jmanolov

is this remote warning part of the lo jack? or a standalone device one can buy?

mikeb

you must have lojack and then you can add early warning
I added early warning for 400 bucks

CruelNewb

Would it be possible to install the lojack first then early warning later? I dont think i can fork out that much cash just yet. thanks for all your efforts.

mikeb

yes, you can add lo jack early warning later on

mmjames

I have the lo jack and have been thinking about adding the early warning feature. Do you know how much that one is?

mikeb

go to lojack.com but mine was 400 bucks

zoom44

um doesn't the car have an immobilizer so that a kill switch is sorta redundant?

CruelNewb

I think the immobalizer is when you catch the crook in real time. Then you can immobalize the vehicle, but what if your not there u can use the kill switch to stop the car from turning on. Im not too sure but thats what I understand it from.

poison123

If the system is like another car now a days, its basically a system that will kill the starter if you don't have the EXACT key to turn the car on. Basically you can't hot wire any new decent car now a days because of this system.

IWANTMYRX8

Um.....Engine immobilizer is standard on the car...It includes a chip in the ignition key so that only that key w/the same chip can start the vehicle. Almost all new vehicles have them. A kill switch is an auxillary switch hidden somewhere in the vehicle that cuts off your battery power, ignition power, or whatever you choose.

(At least that's how I think it is...If not, oops) :D

mikeb

either way I'd rather be safe than sorry

CruelNewb

I guess its the same as my 2001 Ford Taurus, duplicating the keys is very expensive and only available by the dealer because of that chip inside the key. Very nice to know this.

Doctorr

FYI... I just ordered a duplicate key, mit der chip - $31, and I had to get it cut myself.....(then they program it to match the existing keys)
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doc

carbonRX8

iTrader: (1)

So, if you wanted to install an external kill switch (as required by multiple sanctioning bodies and tracks when the battery has been moved from its original position) to shut off the car while the car is running, would simply installing a switch on the battery ground lead prior to the chassis ground point be sufficient?

In my experiments WITH OTHER CARS, pulling the ground lead from the battery WILL NOT shut off the car. The alternater provides the electrcal power while the car is running. Not the battery. I have not actually tried this with my RX8, but might tonight.

So, something is needed to pop a relay to the alternater. BUt what??? Obviously, it would need be triggered by the external switch going from closed to open.

Flashwing

A kill switch in the RX8 is completely unnecessary.

The engine immobilizer is more than capable of preventing the theft of your car. There are two basic situations to be aware of here:

First, if the car thief is capable of bypassing your immobilizer then they are probably capable of defeating a kill switch.

Second, assuming you have a manual RX8, the thief would more likely roll in a flat bed trailer and simply put the car on it instead. Half the time the cars are stolen in this fashion and then stripped for parts. I have heard of 1 RX8 being stolen here in Phoenix and it was taken on a flat bed.

So, provided your RX8 has lojack then that's honestly the best countermeasure you can have. These cars are not a common theft item because the parts are specialized and hard to move quickly and the car itself is unique and easy to spot and track. Things like wheels or bolt on parts would be the most common stuff to take because it would be the easiest to move and safest to sell.

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Not necessarily true... what if someone steals your key or breaks into your house and takes one of the spares?
People who have had their cars stolen tend to feel more comfortable having that extra security measure in place.
One of the locals here is a good example... had a car stolen (not the 8), watched it drive off, and asked me to wire in a kill switch because he didn't want the same thing to occur again.

Thats when I made this DIY:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-kill-switch-166365/
I installed this in my car just to prove the concept, but never use it.
The guy I did this for still uses it... I guess that shows the psychological impact having a car stolen can make.
Anyway... its an option if you choose to do so.

Flashwing

We can play the "what if" game with plenty of aspects and honestly I'm a pretty hypothetical person. I tend to plan around the unexpected but in this case I see this as adding complexity to a system that doesn't need it.

It might come down to personal preference. Maybe I am forgetting that I have the anti-theft capability of the accessPORT which I have used about a dozen times since I bought the AP a couple years ago. That method is probably the most effective of all kill switches because it's not a physical device that can be found and defeated.

carbonRX8

iTrader: (1)

Uh. Guys. That original discussion happened nearly 7 years ago. I greatly appreciate your response, but maybe you could just focus on my, much more recent, post.

Flashwing

If you're idling and you pull the ground to the battery I can tell you from experience the alternator won't keep the car running.

The other option (in theory) would be to cut power directly to the main fuse.