Anyone had a Ravelco installed in their C8? I was thinking of getting one, but not sure how effective they are.
i live in a guarded/gated military community so I wouldn’t get it stolen there, but I thought it’d be useful on road trips/visit my hometown, or when I PCS (military move) to another state where I wont live in a gated military community.

I bought those RFID pouch/boxes as well.

anyone had any experience with the Ravelco?

cost isn’t an issue, but I want my $ to go a long way and get good value out of a product.

 

I have it in a Dodge Ram. It works well but had issues with it in the beginning due to the installer. Installer came to my house and installed it and it didn't occur to me to tip him. I found several buttsplice crimps that were lightly crimped and it caused issues with the starter and fuel pump working. I suspect if I tipped him he would have completed the crimps.

 

You wouldn't normally tip until the installation was finished, would you? So how would he know you weren't going to tip him? Sounds like just an not very competent installer who didn't deserve a tip.

 

I wired my Street Rod from Scratch. Made wiring diagrams and had power boards front and rear. Found with the many hundreds of connectors used, SMART to buy a quality Crimper. The cheap ones that come with fittings are not very good.


When I wired my street rod from scratch, made wiring diagrams and had hundreds of crimp connections. For the rear battery, sound system, remote door/window controls, remoter starter in rear, made several power boards. One in rear is always "hot" and the other rear only powered when ignition was on. Used relays so low power circuits could control high current requirements.
I'm still surprised it started 1st time I tried and have not had a connector come lose in 25 years!


With 8.2 Liter BB set back in chassis, the front bucket seats are set back as well. Combined with the "Tubbed Rear" to fit two 16.5 section width Mickey Thompson tires no room for rear seat. So made what I called a "Sound Wall." Filled with CD player, amps, receiver, subwoofer, tweeters an mis range speakers. Interior "artist' and his two employees made what I delivered into a Show Winner.

 

So do you generally tip service people before they complete the job?

 

The device looks too wonky for me to install in today's electronic vehicles,if for no other reason questionable installers. This thread is hardly unique for that aspect of the install. Just sayin'; to each his/her own.

 

Too many things of consequence to worry about. Getting your C8 stolen is not one of them. C8 has keyless ignition, entry door alarm, intrusion alarm, incline alarm. You've already bought Faraday pouches. When is one more one more too many? And if mine is stolen, USAA will buy me a new one.

 

Why not just buy a Soler Throttle Controller? Problem solved.

 

Searching the forum, I found the following:

Anybody have a Ravelco?

and this:

 

I started looking into putting one in my C7 until I saw videos how easy it is to bypass.

I went with the Soler Throttle Controller. Not only a great mod but the Lock feature is great! Disables your gas pedal.

 

Problem is thieves are smart. Anyone steeling a Vette knows all the tricks. Recall at the Run For The Sun Car Show in Myrtle Beach how thieves easily circumvented what owner's thought were foolproof ways to protect their cars and motorcycles. One from a hotel where 8 motorcycles were chained together with a very heavy chain. At night thieves pulled up in a large truck, used a ramp and a powered winched and dragged them all, while chained together into the Truck.. Another very expensive fully restored older car was dragged using ramps and a power winch into a large truck the same way!

I traveled by air about once a week. Left my 1988 Vette at our local airport parking lot. I installed a motion alarm. Then saw that thieves are steeling C4's by simply punching a screwdriver thru the composite panel into the battery and waiting for the acid to drain! I installed steel plate in the gap to prevent penetration in to the battery.

I recall with my 1st new car, a 1967 Chevy, i also parked at an airport as I traveled for business. That was "Up North" in a not as safe airport as the small local one in our SC town. One trick some used as "theft protection' was to remove the distributor rotor! Problem was if the thieves were targeting your model car, they just brought a rotor for that model! I installed a toggle switch in the '67 glove compartment that opened the distributor power wire by blowing and inline fuse if they tried to start the car. Had to detect the issue. I kept extra fuses just in case I forgot it was set. Had to install a new fuse a few times because I did!


I installed a motion alarm in my 1988 Vette I parked at our local airport when I traveled, which was often. Then read thieves were disabling the battery by punching a hole at near the battery bottom with a screwdriver thru the composted panel and just letting in drain! I installed a steel plate to stop that simple method of cutting all power.

 

and to that, the CEO responded.

 

OK, if you believe him, go get one installed. Thieves can just drag it onto a flatbed and be gone in a flash.

 

true, but the chances of someone bringing a flatbed in public is very small. At that point there’s no deterrent. Especially if you’re at a hotel or something.

 

It's more common than you think. Most people won't second guess seeing a tow truck/flat bed truck take a vehicle. They think it is legitimate. Google it.

 

Yep when I parked my Vettes (starting with a 1988) at our local airport when I traveled for business about every week I talked with the folks staffing the Parking Lot Pay Booth. Told them if anyone is either messing with my Vette or IF a flatbed comes and says I asked for it to be brought to the dealer, smile and call 911! Parked 4 Vettes for several days at a time and never had an issue.

SIDEBAR
If I still lived in CT where I traveled often would never leave my Datsun 260Z at LaGuardia. Bought the 260Z when I lived in NE OH and traveled out of the Cleveland Airport. Always drove my ragtop CJ5 Jeep. But even that I would not park in the several level parking garage where you could walk to the terminal. I would bring it to a private Airport Offsite Lot and told the folks who managed and drove you to the airport in a small buss about the alarm I made and installed attached to the canvas doors. So if one door was opened more that ~6 inches the two D Cell battery powered alarm loud high pitch oscillating buzzer would sound and now to shut it off. Had to reach in to unhook the clip on a thin cable on the door frame before opening past ~6 inches. No door locks or would they be useful with large plastic windows!

Recall once when I was the only one on the small buss going from the Offsite Lot to the Airport with the driver I mentioned why I did not feel safe parking in the covered multilevel garage where you could walk to the terminal. She said Smart there were some insiders who would target cars where they bought a wreck at a junk yard, steel that same model and switch with the wrecked VIN!

 

The Soler makes it a little harder to steal la car, but it's not even remotely going to prevent it. With the throttle locked, you can still start the car, put it in neutral, and tow it away. You can even put it in gear and drive it away (albeit very slowly). Locking the throttle makes it less convenient for a thief, but it's far from the final answer to preventing a theft.

 

My point was to provide a better option, not to prevent it from being stolen.

 

From the user manual:

Inclination Sensor and Intrusion Sensor In addition to the standard theft-deterrent system features, this system may also have an inclination sensor and intrusion sensor.

The inclination sensor can activate the alarm if it senses movement of the vehicle, such as a change in vehicle orientation. I.e. a rollback is not going to boost your car without an alarm sounding. Its a guaranteed TILT.

The intrusion sensor monitors the vehicle interior, and can activate the alarm if it senses unauthorized entry into the vehicle’s interior.

Early model year 1LTs did not have the inclination sensor. Maybe still don't?

 

Plus, couldn’t a thief just reinstall the original connector back into the gas pedal in like 5min?