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This is a long shot, but I figure it won't hurt.
My truck was stolen from my hotel in Irving Texas early this morning. I have filed a police report and talked to the hotel employees. All the information I have I have given to the police.
Truck:
2004 Dodge 2500 diesel
Quad cab/ long bed
Maroon
Very large black "RKI" tool box. (30" wide)
The bed has a bunch of red netting in the back, and the bed is rino lined.
Tinted windows

I doubt it is still on the road, but stranger things have happened.

If anybody in the Grapevine/Irving (really all of DFW) area happens to spot it, please IM me after reporting it to the police.
Thank you.

Plate number might narrow the long shot.

Although, a vehicle like that is probably already in Mexico by now.

Very sorry. I also have doubts, but you never know. I'll keep my eye's open. I travel by Irving and through Grapevine to get to work in Bedford.

I wish I had my plate memorized. I have the VIN number from the insurance card, but all of the other information is filed away at home in Bryan. I have failed miserably in that regard. In the future, I think I will log all important data on my computer as well as save a coded copy to my gmail account.
I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try anyway. A BIG thank you to all who have/are keeping their eyes open on the roads. I can't thank yall enough, even though our efforts may be futile. At least the truck is covered by my insurance. The tools aren't, but I'll make out ok.

The license plate isn't on the insurance card? I vaguely remember my vehicle's number on the card carried in the glove box from my Texas days. Good luck recovering it. I had a motorcycle lifted from my apartment's parking lot 3 miles from the border in El Paso. I imagine it was in Mexico in 10 minutes. :(

Kind of after-the-fact, but if any of you have truck worth stealing in Texas (i.e., pretty much all of them), this works wonders: http://www.ravelco.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

OldCannon wrote:Kind of after-the-fact, but if any of you have truck worth stealing in Texas (i.e., pretty much all of them), this works wonders: http://www.ravelco.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've got a friend — one of those "can do anything" handyman types — who swears by those, and has put them in all his work and (I think) personal vehicles.

Dave2 wrote:

OldCannon wrote:Kind of after-the-fact, but if any of you have truck worth stealing in Texas (i.e., pretty much all of them), this works wonders: http://www.ravelco.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've got a friend — one of those "can do anything" handyman types — who swears by those, and has put them in all his work and (I think) personal vehicles.

I've never heard of a car being stolen that had a Ravelco defeated. I have one. It's MUCH cheaper than a LoJack too (which is pretty useless, IMHO).

OldCannon wrote:Kind of after-the-fact, but if any of you have truck worth stealing in Texas (i.e., pretty much all of them), this works wonders: http://www.ravelco.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting product. I when I read the customer review that said the thieves pushed her car to another location to try to hot-wire it there.

"A RAVELCO customer is assured that their plug is unique"
"There are more than 100,000 different electronic combinations"
"Over 4 MILLION Installations Worldwide"

They can only "assure" not "guarantee" that each plug is unique. If they make that kind of statement, I wonder what else is misrepresented.

However, I can say that this product is probably very good to have based on what I've read.

"a properly-installed RAVELCO is virtually impossible to detect" yet "Comes with two window stickers"

Give me access to a vehicle with one of these, I could probably figure out a simple way to quickly bypass the system on other vehicles. What can I say? I'm an engineer that loves challenges, and I'm intrigued with Locksport.

Thomas wrote: Give me access to a vehicle with one of these, I could probably figure out a simple way to quickly bypass the system on other vehicles. What can I say? I'm an engineer that loves challenges, and I'm intrigued with Locksport.

I doubt it. If you're in Austin, come to my place and try. I'll give you 10 minutes. That's well outside the "quickly" timeframe. I'd be intrigued if you could succeed.

OldCannon wrote:Kind of after-the-fact, but if any of you have truck worth stealing in Texas (i.e., pretty much all of them), this works wonders: http://www.ravelco.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I will DEFINITELY be looking into this when I get a new truck. Especially since I travel a lot for work in the winter.

nakedbike wrote:The license plate isn't on the insurance card? I vaguely remember my vehicle's number on the card carried in the glove box from my Texas days. Good luck recovering it. I had a motorcycle lifted from my apartment's parking lot 3 miles from the border in El Paso. I imagine it was in Mexico in 10 minutes. :(

All my insurance card list is the VIN. I'll write the plate number on there as well in the future. As they say, "hindsight is always 20/20". I've learned quite a bit through this little ordeal. If nothing else, it's been a learning experience.

OldCannon wrote:

Thomas wrote: Give me access to a vehicle with one of these, I could probably figure out a simple way to quickly bypass the system on other vehicles. What can I say? I'm an engineer that loves challenges, and I'm intrigued with Locksport.

I doubt it. If you're in Austin, come to my place and try. I'll give you 10 minutes. That's well outside the "quickly" timeframe. I'd be intrigued if you could succeed.

"on other vehicles" because I'll need the first one to study for awhile. Studying includes understanding the limitations and potential uses for the device so that I can quickly assess in any vehicle how it would be used. In addition to some screwdrivers and Allen wrenches, I would need a multimeter to check continuity in the electrical systems of the vehicle to quickly figure out what has been bypassed with the Ravelco. Perhaps some extra wires with alligator clips would be helpful in case I needed it to quickly bypass the Ravelco.

Thomas wrote:

OldCannon wrote:

Thomas wrote: Give me access to a vehicle with one of these, I could probably figure out a simple way to quickly bypass the system on other vehicles. What can I say? I'm an engineer that loves challenges, and I'm intrigued with Locksport.

I doubt it. If you're in Austin, come to my place and try. I'll give you 10 minutes. That's well outside the "quickly" timeframe. I'd be intrigued if you could succeed.

"on other vehicles" because I'll need the first one to study for awhile. Studying includes understanding the limitations and potential uses for the device so that I can quickly assess in any vehicle how it would be used. In addition to some screwdrivers and Allen wrenches, I would need a multimeter to check continuity in the electrical systems of the vehicle to quickly figure out what has been bypassed with the Ravelco. Perhaps some extra wires with alligator clips would be helpful in case I needed it to quickly bypass the Ravelco.

Each Ravelco is wired differently. Seriously. Both the physical wiring and the computer chip sequencing. Studying one only teaches you how to defeat THAT vehicle, not another Ravelco-equipped vehicle.

Thieves aren't going to bother with a system like that. There's LOTS of people that think LoJack or a car alarm or a Club will do the job, and those are all easily defeated. Thieves are opportunistic, and a Ravelco removes the opportunity.

I was reading a recent article (and I'm sorry I can't find the link, I tried) where there was a specific vehicle in 2009 that was one of the most-stolen, then in 2010 it went to one of the least stolen. The reason: Ignition interlock system. I'm not talking a simple hidden on/off switch (although that can work wonders as well if you hide it right), but a real, complicated, chip-controlled system. I'll have to try digging that information up (I think it was a eurocar of some sort).

As to not hijack the thread further, I am replying by PM. Good luck CaptWoodrow10, I hope you find your truck soon, and in one piece.