Grand Theft Mopar: Why Do Thieves Target Challengers & Chargers So Much?
Why Thieves Love Them
There are a few reasons why thieves love to steal the Dodge Challenger and Charger. Most notably, they lack a key-controlled steering locking system, but more importantly, there are many high-priced components on these cars. This is particularly true of the Hellcat models.
For instance, the supercharged Hemi is among the most expensive production engines in the U.S. market, making a high dollar piece in the used-engines-for-sale community. That engine is paired to a very strong transmission, intended to handle the Hellcat power, so people buying stolen engines are prone to also want the transmission.
There is also the expensive Brembo braking package, the premium interior bits such as the seats, infotainment system and steering wheel, and even the exterior parts can be quickly sold online. Even with the Scat Pack models, you have a popular, powerful 392-cubic inch Hemi, another strong transmission, similar interior bits and sportier body bits.
Social media alone is packed with random Dodge Challenger and Charger parts for sale. Many of these parts are being offered by owners who have upgrades or people selling parts from wrecked vehicles, but some of these parts come from stolen cars. Of course, there are also channels through which things like stolen engines are sold that are organized out of the public eye.
For those wondering, the UConnect tracking system is often disabled when the vehicles are stolen in the middle of the night. There have been some instances where a Challenger was stolen in broad daylight and the owners knew right away, allowing them to call the police and track the car with UConnect until it was recovered.
Sadly, most cars stolen in the middle of the night turn up, stripped bare, before the authorities can even start looking for it.
How to Help Prevent Theft
In the long run, if a thief wants your car badly enough, there isn’t much that you can do about it. I read about a Challenger SRT Demon that was stolen recently out of a locked garage, without keys to the car. However, you can take some measures to make your car more difficult to steal.
Most importantly, block the Challenger or Charger in place. In some of the security video footage, the thieves are able to push a modern Dodge around another vehicle in the driveway to get it out to the road, where it was then pushed away by an SUV.
That shows that when you block your car with another vehicle, you need to make sure that there isn’t room to maneuver around that other vehicle. Even if the thieves have a key simulator, having the car tightly sandwiched between other vehicles makes it less attractive.
If you have your Challenger or Charger in a garage, lock the garage door when you aren’t at home. Don’t just use the standard latch system, that is too easy to defeat from the inside. You can actually place padlocks on the tracks to prevent the door from going up.
It seems that a Faraday box is the best option for protecting against high tech theft, but with so many Challengers and Chargers literally being pushed away, there is no replacement for making sure that the car cannot be moved without first moving other vehicles.
Photos: FCA
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