I post this information for those who may be considering the
Ravelco anti-theft device. Not all installers are created equally. I recommend using an installer close to where you are and ask the installer if they follow the same installation procedures as California Ravelco. The regional installers are licensed by, but otherwise independent of the Ravelco company.
When my Powertrain Control Module failed in Death Valley, the Ford service department recommended that I have the Ravelco anti-theft device inspected to be sure it was not the cause. I live in Los Angeles, but I had the Ravelco installed while the van was at Quadvan in Portland, OR since there was some downtime before I could pick it up. I called the number for California Ravelco and learned that it would cost me $100 for the installer in my area to do the inspection. They said that if they found that the installation was not done correctly, they would bill the Portland installer. I had the inspection done.
What they discovered was the installation was done adequately and not improperly, but certain procedures that California Ravelco has were not followed such as soldering all wires instead of using butt connectors and using shielded conduit from the plug through to the firewall. Their recommendation was to have the Portland installer pay to have the installation redone. I hadn't heard anything for a couple weeks, but yesterday I was informed that the installation would be redone at no cost to me. The re-installation happened today and I am very pleased.
I know that this kind of device introduces an element of risk for the kind of failure I experienced, though Ravelco insists that the device could not have been the cause of my recent unpleasantness. My van lives on the street and knowing how easy it is to gain entry into these vans, I feel better with the Ravelco installed. I hope this information is helpful.
Steve in L.A.