348 kill switch

Is there a battery shutoff under the left front?

 

There are "Gate Vaults" that lock the shift lever in reverse.

With any anti-theft system, you always run the risk of having a thwarted thief just take out his knife and do thousands of dollars of damage to your leather upholstery, or your convertible top, or your tires, or whatever.

 

As mentioned by Socal1, battery shutoff under left front on driver hand side has been helpful. Tried that yet?

 

The problem with this is that you have to reeboot your ECU’s before you can drive the car. (About 10 minutes of idling the engine with nothing on, like the hvac fans etc.)
Bertil

 

It's there, but if you use it you'll have to run the engine for 10 minutes at idle every time you you switch it back on, and re-do all radio presets. An easier method would be to put a battery disconnect switch in the engine compartment between the starter and the terminal block by the starboard shock tower.

 

With so many connectors in a 348, isn't there one easily accessible that you could simply disconnect and that would prevent the car from starting or running more than x seconds?

Near the engine there are several connectors: what if I unplug them?

I'm interested too by that topic because the following is very sad (hope the link works: it's a black 348 getting stolen in 90 seconds in Europe, not that long ago I think):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XchydfPA0Lw

I wonder if the "reverse-gear lock" would have worked or not or would at least have make it more difficult for the thieves.

(btw it's a done deal: I signed for a black 348 --not the one from the sad movie above-- and should be able to go fetch it in one month or so, it's in France, about 450 miles from where I live)

 

If you look at the front step pad fusebox in the passenger footwell removing either the fuses or relays for either of the ignition system or fuel pumps will stop th ecar going anywhere under its own steam.

NB Not really practical to do whilst out and about but maybe a good point to tap into the wiring with a switch.

Alternatively if you fit a bosch hard start kit it comes with a fuse and relay which can be easily removed if needed to secure the car.

 

This is exactly what I was thinking. It would be easy to hide a simple toggle switch in the one line going to the relay making it impossible to start and not disturbing anything else.

 

My bosch hard start kit (just below airbox) - would be a synch to remove the fuse although I never have TBH
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What's the role of a hard start kit? Is this something I should have installed on my 348 anyway?

 

It cures the problem of random no start problems

Heres the details from when I fitted mine

hard - Bosch WR-1 Hard Start Relay Fitting

 

Thanks a lot for the link.

Random no start even when the engine is cold or only when the engine is warm?

 

Temp makes no difference.

Just to clarify for googlers there's 2 types of common no start situations.

One where there is absolutely nothing when the key is turned to the start position and there is no response, engine doesnt turn over etc as if am immobiliser ha kicked in. This is where the bosch kit can help.

The other when the car is already warm and engine turns but doens't fire up and thats the flywheel grease problem.

Obviously thers other causes too but those 2 seem the most "popular"!