I hate to ask...
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 266
Likes: 0
From: Folsom CA
I hate to ask...
Geez, I hate to ask this question, but when I bought my '05 C6, I vaguely remember the Dealer telling me that the anti theft system was so good, because if the computer "thought" the car was being stolen... the power to the entire system was shut down.
Well, the friggin battery went dead on me last weekend, and after several attempts, the entire system went down... no power what-so-ever.
Can't find any info in the manual, and now Chev "service" says the fuel pump is what shuts down for anti theft.
Just curious... was I on "drugs" when I heard the Dealer say the electrical system shut down, or what?
Any input appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Well, the friggin battery went dead on me last weekend, and after several attempts, the entire system went down... no power what-so-ever.
Can't find any info in the manual, and now Chev "service" says the fuel pump is what shuts down for anti theft.
Just curious... was I on "drugs" when I heard the Dealer say the electrical system shut down, or what?
Any input appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 266
Likes: 0
From: Folsom CA
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,089
Likes: 14
A C6 is very hard to steal in the usual way. If the thief doesn't have the fob, the engine computer will not start the car, and there's no practical way to hot wire around it. Bascially, you need a wrecker to steal a Corvette. You aren't going to be able to take it for a joy ride. About all you can do is strip it back at the chop shop after delivering it there by wrecker. And because it isn't a high production car, the parts aren't in high demand, so it really isn't worth the trouble to a professional thief.
The "anti-theft" system is merely an entry alarm. It sounds the horn if a door or the hatch is forced open without the presence of a fob. It won't alarm if a window is broken, or if the car is jostled or lifted. Pretty useless really.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,185
Likes: 0
From: Rockmart GA
As far as I know the gas gets shut off during a theft detection.
I would think the C6 would be very hard to hotwire since its a push button start and needs to detect a keyfob in close proximity. Thats a plus, because I've had some steel/hotwire my old 2006 Denali and drive away. Finally got the car back, but they broke th ignition column area to hotwire it.
I would think the C6 would be very hard to hotwire since its a push button start and needs to detect a keyfob in close proximity. Thats a plus, because I've had some steel/hotwire my old 2006 Denali and drive away. Finally got the car back, but they broke th ignition column area to hotwire it.
Moderator
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 40,891
Likes: 4,345
From: Lakewood Ranch, FL
Ask yourself a logic question: If the car cannot be started without the fob (or the car thinks there is a fob) then why would a fuel shutoff be incorporated as part of an "anti-theft" system?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,089
Likes: 14
Right. Until the car detects a valid fob, it won't turn on the fuel pump, it won't activate the fuel injectors, it won't fire the ignition, and it won't crank the engine. Not much left for an "anti-theft" system to do except make some noise.
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Race Director
Joined: Dec 2006
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Likes: 2
They won't steal it, so instead they'll probably just slash your tires or keyscratch your nice shiny paint job. Or maybe smash out the window or convertible top to get the stereo but once they realize it's mated to the VIN they'll probably get pi$$ed off more and rip up your interior. 
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,456
Likes: 6
From: Spicewood, Texas, USA TX-Texas
Geez, I hate to ask this question, but when I bought my '05 C6, I vaguely remember the Dealer telling me that the anti theft system was so good, because if the computer "thought" the car was being stolen... the power to the entire system was shut down.
Well, the friggin battery went dead on me last weekend, and after several attempts, the entire system went down... no power what-so-ever.
Can't find any info in the manual, and now Chev "service" says the fuel pump is what shuts down for anti theft.
Just curious... was I on "drugs" when I heard the Dealer say the electrical system shut down, or what?
Any input appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Well, the friggin battery went dead on me last weekend, and after several attempts, the entire system went down... no power what-so-ever.
Can't find any info in the manual, and now Chev "service" says the fuel pump is what shuts down for anti theft.
Just curious... was I on "drugs" when I heard the Dealer say the electrical system shut down, or what?
Any input appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Salesperson misinformation is a common problem...the best course is to educate yourself. The fact that your battery is deader than a doornail has nothing to do with any anti-theft provisions...however, your car will be only slightly harder to steal with a dead battery. Your car may be suffering from DBS, or "Dead Battery Syndrome"...this problem was prevalent on 2005s. Search the archives for LOTS of threads on DBS. The solution for your dead battery may be as simple as shifting a manual transmission car to reverse before shutting down the engine, or it may require the dealer to look up some technical bulletins to fix the problem. It could also be that your battery has just decided to go south; check out the warranty before buying one yourself.
Last edited by JmpnJckFlsh; May 21, 2007 at 06:01 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 848
Likes: 8
From: St. Louis Mo.
I accidently set my alarm off when closing the hatch. didn't close all the way(don't know why the pull down didn't engage), so i pushed down, but it popped back up(the cargo net got in the way, ah ha.. except somehow triggered the alarm. Now fumble for fob while horn blaring in my garage, hit the lock then unlock button..Alarm off. what's this have to do with this thread? Glad you asked... Next day,try to pop the hatch to load golf clubs, no go..hit the unlock, nothin. Try the doors, nope.. I'm thinking DBS..tried the spare key to open hatch, that worked and i guess once inside, fob recognized and then every thing came back to life.. So, I assume the car shuts off the electronics when it thinks being broke into...No, i'm not going to try to make that happen again ( I hate gremlins, never give them a second chance
)
( I hate gremlins, never give them a second chance )
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 32,921
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From: Coppin' a tan from the Messiah's aura
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Technically, in the event of a theft the fuel supply is rerouted to power the ejection seat ...
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,089
Likes: 14
They won't steal it, so instead they'll probably just slash your tires or keyscratch your nice shiny paint job. Or maybe smash out the window or convertible top to get the stereo but once they realize it's mated to the VIN they'll probably get pi$$ed off more and rip up your interior.
I do agree that you're at greater risk from vandals than from car thieves. Corvettes are hard to steal, but easy to mess up. Short of South African flamethrowers triggered by a proximity detector, though, there isn't a lot you can do to protect your car from vandals.
BTW, car covers attract vandals like manure attracts flies. They'll mess with a covered car in a parking lot before they'll even think of messing with an uncovered one. The impact when you uncover the car and find it trashed is just too good for them to pass up.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 10,399
Likes: 26
From: Austin Texas
You CAN start the car when there is "no fob detected". I pulled into the Bank drive thru lane, shut the car off and the DIC stated "no fob detected, do you want to restart the car?" I restarted it (with no FOB detected) drove into the parking lot and shut it off again, got a normal shutdown this time. Restarted it and drove off, no problem since.
If somebody has the time and inclination they could try removing the FOB from the car while it's running, then shut the car off to see what happens. I'm not going to try it and ask for the electronic Gremlins to visit again.
If somebody has the time and inclination they could try removing the FOB from the car while it's running, then shut the car off to see what happens. I'm not going to try it and ask for the electronic Gremlins to visit again.
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 29,775
Likes: 11
You CAN start the car when there is "no fob detected". I pulled into the Bank drive thru lane, shut the car off and the DIC stated "no fob detected, do you want to restart the car?" I restarted it (with no FOB detected) drove into the parking lot and shut it off again, got a normal shutdown this time. Restarted it and drove off, no problem since.
If somebody has the time and inclination they could try removing the FOB from the car while it's running, then shut the car off to see what happens. I'm not going to try it and ask for the electronic Gremlins to visit again.
If somebody has the time and inclination they could try removing the FOB from the car while it's running, then shut the car off to see what happens. I'm not going to try it and ask for the electronic Gremlins to visit again.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,218
Likes: 3
A C6 is very hard to steal in the usual way. If the thief doesn't have the fob, the engine computer will not start the car, and there's no practical way to hot wire around it. Bascially, you need a wrecker to steal a Corvette. You aren't going to be able to take it for a joy ride. About all you can do is strip it back at the chop shop after delivering it there by wrecker. And because it isn't a high production car, the parts aren't in high demand, so it really isn't worth the trouble to a professional thief.
The "anti-theft" system is merely an entry alarm. It sounds the horn if a door or the hatch is forced open without the presence of a fob. It won't alarm if a window is broken, or if the car is jostled or lifted. Pretty useless really.
Nothing stolen, looks like they either wanted the car or the nav screen (it was damaged as if they tried to pry it up).
Wish they knew these cars were hard to exploit or steal before they smashed the glass
Oh, and no alarm went off!!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,492
Likes: 808
From: West coast CA
Geez, I hate to ask this question, but when I bought my '05 C6, I vaguely remember the Dealer telling me that the anti theft system was so good, because if the computer "thought" the car was being stolen... the power to the entire system was shut down.
Well, the friggin battery went dead on me last weekend, and after several attempts, the entire system went down... no power what-so-ever.
Can't find any info in the manual, and now Chev "service" says the fuel pump is what shuts down for anti theft.
Just curious... was I on "drugs" when I heard the Dealer say the electrical system shut down, or what?
Any input appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Well, the friggin battery went dead on me last weekend, and after several attempts, the entire system went down... no power what-so-ever.
Can't find any info in the manual, and now Chev "service" says the fuel pump is what shuts down for anti theft.
Just curious... was I on "drugs" when I heard the Dealer say the electrical system shut down, or what?
Any input appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Note that even if the battery is weak, the various control modules won't operate, and the electrical system will be "shut down," just as if the battery were completely dead. It's not like the old days, when the headlights grew dim and the window motors slowed down -- if their isn't sufficient voltage to keep the computers running, the power relays will stay open, no commands will go across the data bus, and nothing will work.
Last edited by torquetube; May 22, 2007 at 12:34 AM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 266
Likes: 0
From: Folsom CA
Well... thanks for the "input" from everyone.
As it turns out, the battery was so "dead" it was as if a brick was in it's place.
No explanation from the dealer (go figure).
The problem was, that even though I had attempted to jump start from my other car, and tried a "quickstart" jumper as well I was getting nothing at the dash. My biggest mistake was being short on time.
After letting it sit a few days, I tried a "jump" again and with the battery disconnected got it started. Battery simply wouldn't take a charge. Jumped again... took it to service (warranty) and they checked everything out... replaced battery... all is okay so far.
Bottom line is that I had NEVER seen a battery go so dead- so fast- and so freakin completely in all the years I've been driving and wrenching.
At any rate, my impestuous "1st impression" as well as my recollection of "electrical system shut down" had me barking up the wrong tree.
Bad battery... problem solved.
Bad thing is they did another "foam injection" into the roof because of a second repair notice from GM.
I told them if they keep that up... it will look like a VW Beetle.
Thanks all.
