Van theft has become epidemic

[Motorwerx]

Re: the Cyclops and my limited experience with it:

I had installed the Cyclops in our 7.3 a month or so ago as I thought it was a great compromise between price and security. On our first trip with it installed, the vacuum pump went out and we had to drop it off at a shop in order to get back on the road. I informed them of the Cyclops, how it worked, and that if they didn't unarm it, the van would just turn over endlessly without firing. They called later saying they couldn't get the van started and that they had tracked it down to a burnt out relay and they had replaced it with a new one. I reminded them of the fact that that was the security system I had told them about and they said they would look back into it. They called back later and said that they had disarmed the system before attempting to start it, but I have no way of knowing if this is actually true.
Did they just sit there trying to crank it forever because they ignored my instructions and ended up eventually putting enough heat through the Cyclops relay to toast it? Is the Cyclops relay just more prone to failure? I guess I'll never know, but I would keep a spare somewhere secure in the van just in case. It had only been installed for a couple days and a couple short day trips before it failed. Before installing the relay, I checked to make sure it was rated to the same voltages as the OEM one and it all checked out, however there is a missing prong on the Cyclops version, but I don't know if that made the difference.
I haven't reached out to them to see if they sell just a replacement relay, but just wanted to share my experience with the product.

[marret]

Originally Posted by Motorwerx

Re: the Cyclops and my limited experience with it:

I had installed the Cyclops in our 7.3 a month or so ago as I thought it was a great compromise between price and security. On our first trip with it installed, the vacuum pump went out and we had to drop it off at a shop in order to get back on the road. I informed them of the Cyclops, how it worked, and that if they didn't unarm it, the van would just turn over endlessly without firing. They called later saying they couldn't get the van started and that they had tracked it down to a burnt out relay and they had replaced it with a new one. I reminded them of the fact that that was the security system I had told them about and they said they would look back into it. They called back later and said that they had disarmed the system before attempting to start it, but I have no way of knowing if this is actually true.
Did they just sit there trying to crank it forever because they ignored my instructions and ended up eventually putting enough heat through the Cyclops relay to toast it? Is the Cyclops relay just more prone to failure? I guess I'll never know, but I would keep a spare somewhere secure in the van just in case. It had only been installed for a couple days and a couple short day trips before it failed. Before installing the relay, I checked to make sure it was rated to the same voltages as the OEM one and it all checked out, however there is a missing prong on the Cyclops version, but I don't know if that made the difference.
I haven't reached out to them to see if they sell just a replacement relay, but just wanted to share my experience with the product.

Have you gotten the van back along with the Cyclops relay to test yourself?

Thanks for posting.

I received my Cyclops, but it will be a week or so before I can install because I just dropped the van for service. I will post after installation. I do plan to carry the removed relay in the van. After your experience, I will think about swapping out before service.

[Motorwerx]

Originally Posted by marret

Have you gotten the van back along with the Cyclops relay to test yourself?

Thanks for posting.

I received my Cyclops, but it will be a week or so before I can install because I just dropped the van for service. I will post after installation. I do plan to carry the removed relay in the van. After your experience, I will think about swapping out before service.

I had to pick the van up over a weekend, and had forgotten to request that they keep the Cyclops relay for me to inspect by the time I did, so unfortunately I never saw what actually happened to it.
For all I know, there may not have even been anything wrong with the relay and they just assumed it was burnt out because that's the condition the system presents when it's armed. They didn't charge me for the new relay or for the work to replace it, so I've leaned towards that being a small admission of guilt.
I would definitely recommend removing it for any service work to avoid confusion. I dropped the van off with the owner of the shop (which came highly recommended and specialized in diesel trucks, lots of 7.3s sitting in the lot), commented on the security system several times, made sure it was in the service notes, left the fob on the keyring, and I haven't seen anyone else post about this online, so I'm fairly certain it was the shop's fault and not Cyclops.

I may reach out to Cyclops to see if I can't purchase just the relay from them and just keep an extra OEM one in the van now that I know what I know, but I'm also leaning towards saving up and getting a Ravelco installed down the line instead.
I wouldn't let my experience taint your purchase, I really liked how the system worked for the week that I had it, but keep us updated on your experience!

[BroncoHauler]

The cyclops sounds interesting, though I'd certainly keep the relay that it replaces hidden away somewhere in the van, just in case.


Herb

[marret]

Originally Posted by Motorwerx

I had to pick the van up over a weekend, and had forgotten to request that they keep the Cyclops relay for me to inspect by the time I did, so unfortunately I never saw what actually happened to it.
For all I know, there may not have even been anything wrong with the relay and they just assumed it was burnt out because that's the condition the system presents when it's armed. They didn't charge me for the new relay or for the work to replace it, so I've leaned towards that being a small admission of guilt.
I would definitely recommend removing it for any service work to avoid confusion. I dropped the van off with the owner of the shop (which came highly recommended and specialized in diesel trucks, lots of 7.3s sitting in the lot), commented on the security system several times, made sure it was in the service notes, left the fob on the keyring, and I haven't seen anyone else post about this online, so I'm fairly certain it was the shop's fault and not Cyclops.

I may reach out to Cyclops to see if I can't purchase just the relay from them and just keep an extra OEM one in the van now that I know what I know, but I'm also leaning towards saving up and getting a Ravelco installed down the line instead.
I wouldn't let my experience taint your purchase, I really liked how the system worked for the week that I had it, but keep us updated on your experience!

Thanks. Already purchased, but yet to use. I will just remove for service. I have had some bad experiences with shops and alarms too. Hope Cyclops will provide a new relay only.

I will absolutely keep the original relay hidden in the van.

[owlicks]

Originally Posted by Scalf77

We finally got the new hard top for my son's Jeep (14 weeks on order), so it is now has moved back to the streets of Portland. I believe there were 900 cars stolen last month, and 800 the month before. The only good news is that 80% are usually recovered in a month. This should be a good test for the newly installed Ravelco.



-greg

Out of curiosity, where did he get it installed? Ravelco doesn't have any dealers in Washington or Oregon

Edit: I now see that at the beginning of the thread you mentioned installing it yourself!

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by owlicks

Out of curiosity, where did he get it installed? Ravelco doesn't have any dealers in Washington or Oregon

Wow, That sounds like a business opportunity for someone

The guy that installed ours drove almost 2hrs from PA to Maryland - Gave him a $200 tip for the effort...and yes, it was worth it to me.

[Scalf77]

Originally Posted by owlicks

Out of curiosity, where did he get it installed? Ravelco doesn't have any dealers in Washington or Oregon

Edit: I now see that at the beginning of the thread you mentioned installing it yourself!

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

Wow, That sounds like a business opportunity for someone

The guy that installed ours drove almost 2hrs from PA to Maryland - Gave him a $200 tip for the effort...and yes, it was worth it to me.

I am definitely not getting into the Ravelco installation business. Certainly willing to help out if needed. Although my availability could be limited due to some family health issues.

-greg

[Railvan]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

Wow, That sounds like a business opportunity for someone

Yes, it does. I live in NW Washington and there are no install options without driving a very long ways.

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by Railvan

Yes, it does. I live in NW Washington and there are no install options without driving a very long ways.

I could help you if you want, it’s not that hard.