Theft Prevention: Ravelco

[Jack K]

Originally Posted by tk3

Just to follow up, I hooked up an IDS and saw that IACKAM0, IACKAM1, IACKAM2, IACKAM3 all went back to zero when the plug was removed and then reinserted...IAC being the idle Air control learning that takes place when your vehicle is in different states such as drive AC off, AC on, etc. So this is not how you want your vehicle to run, basically relearning all these trim values everytime you reinsert your plug. I had the wiring redone to remove the keep alive interrupt and things are working better now, no crank delay anymore either. So, in my opinion, stay away from any Keep Alive Memory (KAM ) circuits. You might be OK with cutting PCM vpower since that the power on/off you get from ignition on/off anyway but I just stayed away from any PCM power altogether to be safe.

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Did you get Ravelco to do the rewiring and reconfiguration of their plug, or did you eliminate their product entirely to get back to zero? Looks like useful info for anyone considering this system. Ravelco claims 100,000 possible rewiring combinations, and it seems they ended up affecting something that should not be messed with, probably easy to do with our current complex computer-controlled vehicles. Congrats on figuring it out.

[tk3]

I had Ravelco redo the wiring under the hood, he was more than willing to do it and was understanding why I didn't like the way it was set up. He did say he would provide this feedback back to the main office.

It didn't require redoing anything with the plug itself it terms of switching pins

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[bigriver]

Can anyone recommend a Revelco installer in the Portland Or. - Vanc WA. area?
Apparently there is no authorized dealer up here and I will need to purchase direct. Thanks - Joe

[Wrinkledpants]

Not sure if this thread is more for the older vans, but when I asked the Sprinter dealership about this, they said it's a bit impossible to drive off in a Sprinter without the key. Break in and steal things? Sure. But, you'd need to physically tow the car without the key because of the IR connection between the key and ignition that's required.

Anyone have any thoughts on that? That's generally been my assumption with the newer key styles, as well.

[Fitz]

Wrinkledpants,

I was told the same thing by Matt at Custom Sounds in Austin. There is a security thread in the Sprinter section with a bit more info, I am looking into a couple of Sprinter OBD "covers" sold in England, will post more on the topic when I learn more.

[Wrinkledpants]

I mean - if someone is smart enough to break in to the car and hack the OBD connection, they're probably smart enough to know that an SMB is a unique vehicle that won't be as easy to sell as say a Ferrari or Porsche. As in - there are better prospects to steal and resell.

We're doing the factory alarm and will have some type of vehicle tracking. I think anything beyond that is at a point of diminishing returns.

If they really want the SMB, they can just tow it.

[Shaggy]

Had mine installed today by the actual owner and his son, great people & awesome customer service, they come to you! They were adamant about one thing, DO NOT INSTALL KEYLESS ENTRY! They said crooks don't open as many vehicles the old fashion way by picking the lock, like with everything millennial they use EASY high tech scanners which defeat the locks for them. Obviously the Ravelco keeps them from taking your ride but having no keyless adds a layer of protection against the interior.

Just a thought..... My van came without keyless so I'm leaving it that way. Oh and the little scanner they showed me will also start your ride if equipped with auto start.

[caideN]

Originally Posted by gcvt

Had the Ravelco installed today. They showed up when they said they would, explained the system to me, installed it in about 1:45:00, and were very reluctant to accept a tip, but I insisted. I tried looking around to see what they did, but you literally can't see anything other than the connection under the dash, which is exactly the point.

He asked if there was a battery disconnect between the house battery and chassis battery but, of course, there is none...just the separator. I went out, after about 20 minutes, to get my iPhone cable out of the van and he had the coolant tank propped up on the engine so he was doing something in the separator area. Maybe just disconnecting the cables for the install.

All in all, good experience. Glad it's in!

Looking to get one installed on my van. Who installed it for you?

[skyrat]

I love my Revelco. My only gripe is that it can be tricky to put the connector together. I wish it were easier to line up the plug and receptical, especially in the dark. Other than that it is just about perfect.

[skyrat]

Originally Posted by caideN

Looking to get one installed on my van. Who installed it for you?

They only install their own device. No independant installers.