Car owners disable cars for various reasons, most of the time it is done as a security measure. You might not feel the need to disable your car but knowing this, might come in handy one day.
Most of the time it is done by opening and corrupting something under the hood although not many people would like to be seen opening the hood in a public parking area.
This begs the question, how to disable a car without opening the hood? We will offer more information regarding this topic to equip you with some car security tips.
The question about disabling a car can be answered by one word, fuse. If you interfere with the ignition or fuel fuses, your car will not function.
It is the most common way to disable your car without opening the hood. All you have to do is to locate the most important fuses in the vehicle and tamper with them just enough to cut the current transmission. If you do this, not you or anyone will be able to start the car.
One thing to note about modern cars is that most of their crucial parts are found under the hood and disabling them without opening up might not be possible. There are however some clever ways to maneuver around this impossibility.
We will strive to digress as much as we can about car disabling. You might never need to do it but this information might help you if you ever fall victim to car disabling.
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How To Disable A Car Without Opening The Hood?
The process is simple but quite painstaking; it needs some level of knowledge on basic car operation. It involves interfering with the car’s wiring and electric configuration.
It is basic knowledge that for the engine to start, an electric charge needs to be delivered from the ignition. What if you stop that electric charge from reaching the engine, the thing won’t start. All you have to do is tamper with the ignition switches and the power source will be dead.
No one will be able to start the car now unless they first fix the ignition. You might be wondering how you would do this, simple, remove the ignition fuse and be done with it. You can also get the fuel fuse out if you can reach it, this will make ignition much harder.
A fuse is an electrical safety device installed to prevent damage to key car parts due to excessive electric current. It works by melting when subjected to an excess power supply and by this, cutting off the supply altogether. If they are not there or they are damaged the car won’t start.
The fuses might be more than one or two since the car has more than one electrical appliance that needs protection. The good thing is that you don’t have to work on all of them, just grab the most crucial ones and rewire them accordingly.
They can be found under the dash and are quite beginner-friendly to work around. Just locate the ignition or fuel fuse; they are well labeled unless the labels are worn-out. Disable them carefully so you can put them back later and be sure no one can touch your car.
How Is It Really Done?
Unlike what many might believe, disabling a car without opening the hood is quite easy. You can just apply basic life skills and destroy an important part of the car like the tires. You can puncture or deflate the tires or even put a liquid in the gas tank.
The common thing about these options is that they can result in expensive repair costs.
There is however another option that is both easy and convenient, disabling the circuit fuse. Interfering with the electric supply system in a car is an easy way to shut down the engine and have the option to turn it back on at will.
The good thing is that every vehicle runs on some sort of electricity supply system. This is one old but very effective trick.
Is Disabling A Car Without Opening The Hood Simple Or Complicated And What Should I Look Out For?
The simplicity or difficulty of an operation depends on among other factors how you approach it. Disabling a car using the above-mentioned techniques is easy but if you are not ready to get under the dash to locate the fuses, it will be hard.
What you should strive to look out for is the possibility of the car getting permanently damaged during the process. As you tamper with the fuse, make sure not to destroy it since you will need to fix it when you need to drive your car.
A scenario where you destroyed the fuse and then need to rush somewhere but the car won’t start can be embarrassing.
Does Disabling A Car In These Ways Damage It?
If you decide to tamper with the electric current delivery route, the damage might or might not happen. If you do it right it will end well but if you destroy the fuses you might need to part with around $130 to replace the fuse.
If you choose a rather hard way and like slashing the tires you might be looking at around $150 in tire costs.
How Can I Tell If My Can Has Been Disabled Without Opening The Hood?
Just as you easily disable your car, someone else can, the question is how you can tell it has been disabled.
The most obvious clue will be physical damage to the car’s body; if they punctured the tires then you can see.
Your car might however misbehave due to a wiring problem created by someone. Unlike others like tire puncturing, detecting malicious damage to the wiring system might need expert intervention.
Bottom Line
If you want to disable the engine without opening the engine compartment you can just locate the crucial fuses in the vehicle and tweak them a little. You can choose between the fuel and ignition fuses, the car won’t start without either.
This is a smart way to disable the car without damaging it. Car disabling is a way to protect the car from theft but car owners can fall victim.
If someone deliberately tampers with your electric wiring system, there are ways you can find out and correct it. If the tampering is serious you might need to call a mechanic.
