I think they work similarly to AirTags, i.e. they rely on another device with Bluetooth for location & internet connectivity. Some of my gripes with these types of devices are that they are not true GPS trackers and the privacy protections kind of work against you as the vehicle owner, i.e. if the thief has a smartphone, they will get a notification that there is a device following them.

Then again, it's definitely better than nothing-- I'd much prefer knowing the last known location if I can.

 

Ah, beat me to it! Nice!

 

thats kinda what i was figured after the bit of research ive read... ultimately sounds like the proper solutions still favor igla/kill switch/GPS tracker.

would be real nice if lexus/toyota had some type of software update/internal device to eliminate this from being a theft factor on the models that are impacted. I'd even be willing to pay for it if it was factory backed

 

Agreed! While I have some reservations about the degree of control Toyota/Lexus would have and the malincentives tied to that, if the owners are ultimately the only ones in control I'm all for it.

I can even see some benefit in temporarily bricking and "branding" each of the car's ECUs upon marking the car as stolen. That way, these computers can't be sold on the secondhand market as easily and may even help with recovery, which reduces the incentive for these carjackers.

 

If I recall the last time I dropped off my car for service, the app notified me when the doors were unlocked and when the car was moving like it knew my phone and I weren't with the car. I wonder if we can shut down the engine while someone else is driving it .

 

There has to be a way, there is just no willingness IMO - I find it hard to accept that some of the smartest engineers can be outsmarted by a bunch of parasites/scum of the earth.

 

I really hope you can get your car back with minimal damage... after reading these forums/FB communities this is the first car Ive owned that had to atleast consider the possibility of "theft" based on the documented cases (obviously its a small percentage in the grand scheme of things, but it certainly doesnt sit well with me). it really sucks for those that have to go through this & I'm at a point where I strategically drive/park my car to places im familiar with when i leave my garage & use my winter beater for any other questionable areas. it may be a bit extreme on my part, but i'm close enough to a populated area that I'd rather not take the chance given the issues my region has had with other brand theft (cough kia/hyundai cough)

 

unfortunately, welcome to the modern world of tech related scams/thefts... theres big money in that industry otherwise they wouldnt be wasting there time trying to convince grandma to send amazon gift cards to some "tech support" or stealing cars to put them on shipping containers across the world

the scum has to be 1 step ahead otherwise theres no profit to be made. Manufacturers just need to be more diligent as they continue incorporate more tech in there product or they could suffer in sales. its a vicious cycle

 

Lexus vehicle tracking is mostly useless as one of the first steps these scumbags do when stealing your car is to cut off the GPS antenna.

 

Dammit man, my heart honestly aches for you! 💙😞 I have 3 1/2 years of memories with mine too and it incenses me that someone did this. I hope they’re caught!

Yeah I bought a club (yep the old 90’s contraption) about 2 months ago. Nothing is fool proof, but hopefully no hacksaws are in their bag o’tricks. Or at least it’ll slow them down enough for me to catch

 

It seems all modern Lexus's are being targeted. In the last month, two of my friends had their cars stolen (2017 RC350 and a 2021 IS350). I have heard of 2016+ RX350s and 2013+ GS's getting stolen in the last couple of years also. This is all in Chicago.

In the case of my friends, the one with the RC350, his car was stolen at while he was at work (works at McGrath Lexus btw). He usually parks in the same area everyday and one day it was gone when he got off work. My friend with the 2021 IS350, she was out of town and her car was street parked in the same spot for about a week. It seems thieves are targeting cars that are routinely parked in the same spots.

Something to keep in mind for everyone.

 

I think tech as a whole is just broken at this point. Adding gimmicks to wow buyers usually takes priority to fixing things-- combine that with fewer employees that actually engineer and you have another vicious cycle.

Thanks man! Beautiful spec btw-- I would have loved a USB or Vector IS 500, but my dealer didn't have an allocation when we bought our one.

 

This is a really, really good point. I just moved into my house and without the backyard ready for the car, I would sometimes have to park on the street since we share a driveway with our neighbors. I usually do a good job moving it around from time to time even if I don't go anywhere, so it looks like the thieves are keeping pretty detailed tabs of what's going on in the neighborhood.

 

I park my car on the street in Chicago (Lakeview) and about a year ago I found my car with the back passenger side window broken out. There was nothing of value in the car and nothing was taken, but the glovebox was open and the contents strewn about. I could never figure out why they broke in but I guess now I know.

Is it possible the thieves couldn't find the OBDII port? I find that hard to believe but I guess it's possible. Maybe they found the port but the software didn't work? It seems to me they were trying to steal my car.

 

^^ Maybe someone came by as they were in the car and they ran away.