Any Canadian owners (Ideally in Ontario / Toronto area) can chime in on break-ins?

[jpto]

We live in the 905 and always park in the garage. We have an immobilizer, TAG, OBD port lock and steering wheel lock but I still wouldn't feel comfortable parking outside at night, that's where/when most people get their cars stolen.

Any new SUV Is a big theft risk these days except for Teslas. RR/LR's are the most stolen in my neighbourhood, which aligns to an article I saw on CBC (chart below). I'd say buy the LC if you have secure overnight parking and get TAG & IGLA installed at the time of purchase from your dealer so you CYA in case there's a wiring issue with IGLA. If you're willing to buy a new SUV from any brand there's risk of theft in the city.

Anecdotally I haven't heard of a car being stolen that's had both TAG and IGLA installed. I don't know how true this is but I've been told TAG has detection equipment setup at Port of Montreal entrances so the pros avoid Tag and amateurs can't defeat IGLA.

 

[rjmh]

10 days ago I woke up at 5:30 AM Dog went crazy at 5:33 went and looked out the front door window. Perp was halfway into the back seat having smashed the rear passenger window. I yelled charged and got hands on but he went out the driver door and into the waiting accomplice car which almost left without him. Car was parked on the street where it have been for exactly 1 year. Yup attempted theft was a year to the day of taking delivery.

I realize what I did was stupid, but I guess there is something about a naked old man charging at you that is pretty scary at 5:30 in the morning.

Anyways what I want to know is:

Why did the car alarm go off when he exited the vehicle!

This was in Calgary. Waiting for a rear window from the US which is supposed to arrive today or tomorrow.

 

[basicxj]

10 days ago I woke up at 5:30 AM Dog went crazy at 5:33 went and looked out the front door window. Perp was halfway into the back seat having smashed the rear passenger window. I yelled charged and got hands on but he went out the driver door and into the waiting accomplice car which almost left without him. Car was parked on the street where it have been for exactly 1 year. Yup attempted theft was a year to the day of taking delivery.

I realize what I did was stupid, but I guess there is something about a naked old man charging at you that is pretty scary at 5:30 in the morning.

Anyways what I want to know is:

Why did the car alarm go off when he exited the vehicle!

This was in Calgary. Waiting for a rear window from the US which is supposed to arrive today or tomorrow.

I am sorry that happened to you.

The would-be thief went in a window and did not trigger the alarm. He was going to compromise the vehicle via CanBus to simulate an authorized key being present so he could start your car and drive away. Because he did not get that far when he was interrupted, the alarm was triggered when he opened a door to escape.

There are layers of security you can add to prevent the vehicle from running when a thief puts it in gear, or prevent the accelerator pedal from working, or prevent the push to start button from working using different immobilizer and/or alarm products.

This is true for the Land Cruiser and pretty much any other modern vehicle using keyless entry and push to start technology. The hacks thieves use to take any of these vehicles uses similar concepts and tools. For every convenience there is a corresponding vulnerability.

 

[ultane]

This is interesting, 2024 stolen cars in Toronto by the month. View attachment 48732View attachment 48732

Sorry. I don’t believe that propaganda…

 

[toretto]

Get the IGLA system, it’s not going anywhere.

which ilga system specifically? they have a few

 

[naanpizza]

Anecdotally I haven't heard of a car being stolen that's had both TAG and IGLA installed. I don't know how true this is but I've been told TAG has detection equipment setup at Port of Montreal entrances so the pros avoid Tag and amateurs can't defeat IGLA.

@jpto would you mind sharing:

1. What was the cost for you to install both these systems into your vehicle?
2. Are you worried still that thieves will break into the car (break a window or something), and then be thwarted by the system, and then you're still out $1000 to replace the window? If it happens once, sure, but I'm worried about this happening again and again, each time $1000...

 

[gsolo]

My friend had his Tundra stolen from a hotel near Pearson. Turned up weeks later in a shipping container in Vancouver. Trashed. Thieves walked on the roof, broke the dash to get at the GPS, ripped the bumper off to get at Canbus. Insurance wanted to use used parts because the wait on new would be 1.5 years. Ended up writing it off.

I live in London. Not as bad as Toronto, but I still park it inside my garage blocked by another vehicle outside the garage door. I have a steering wheel lock. I considered Tag and IGLA, but thought I’d find the start up annoying. I won’t drive it to Toronto.

@jpto would you mind sharing:

1. What was the cost for you to install both these systems into your vehicle?
2. Are you worried still that thieves will break into the car (break a window or something), and then be thwarted by the system, and then you're still out $1000 to replace the window? If it happens once, sure, but I'm worried about this happening again and again, each time $1000...

Get the most recent model as they constantly update with features. There is also Starline (it has an alarm integrated with various sensors). Many claim that it’s superior to IGLA. Time will tell. Price varies from$600 to $1200.

Someone also mentioned some inconvenience at startups. There is none, unless you don’t want to carry a tag and key a PIN at each start. Even though it’s still seamless and probably more secure than carrying a tag.

 

[naanpizza]

Honestly i don't care about any inconveniences as long as the car runs and isn't stolen haha

@gsolo have you had any attempted break-in fears? It's just, I'd have to park it on my driveway (garage is full), I'm just worried about shattered windows etc

 

[gsolo]

Honestly i don't care about any inconveniences as long as the car runs and isn't stolen haha

@gsolo have you had any attempted break-in fears? It's just, I'd have to park it on my driveway (garage is full), I'm just worried about shattered windows etc

IGLA saved my RX350 twice. I haven't noticed any attempts on my LC (crossing fingers). Of course, I’m worried about broken windows and parts…that would suck!!! but it won’t stop me from parking the car in the city. I don’t want to live with fear.

Also, don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad, but Starline blinks blue and it’s pretty noticeable at night. So, either it will deter the thief, or make it more cautious and play carefully , don’t know....

Enjoy your ride!

 

[FNP90]

I went on vacation last February and flew out of Toronto. Got back after a week in the Rockies and found that my Landcruiser was stolen about 1.5 hours after I parked it.

I won’t even drive my vehicle in Canada again. Which is a something because I live in NY about an hour away from the border.

It’s a huge problem up there and the police couldn’t have cared less. To be fair to them, they said that there is no backing from the govt to address it.

Fuck trudeau.

 

[Chris_lc]

I live North of Toronto and had my Landcruiser trim 250 stolen out my driveway at 4:30am Sunday morning a couple of weeks back. The 2 oxygen thieves arrived at 4:19, checked it out, broke the passenger rear window for lowlife no. 2 to climb through into the drivers seat with an electronic device, break something open on the drivers side, connect the electronics and 30 seconds later car flashed hazards twice honked twice and was gone. I saw it happening called 911 and they arrived at 6:30 that morning. I had it about a month and best vehicle I’ve ever owned and I e had a number of different types of SUVs over the years.

@jtrick see what happens when you don’t head the authorities advice to leave cookies and milk with the keys at your front porch for the oxygen thieves … tooo bad .. they didn’t have have a choice but to break the rear window and interrupt your night sleep…

Loooooooool you’ll need some scare tactics … from experience I can tell you the oxygen thieves don’t like the growling of a cane corso - the smarty went sprinting back with his cables and scanning gear, almost tripping with the wires, to the getaway almost running out of oxygen when he heard that growl the funny part it was just an audio playback on a loud speaker …

 

[cvx5832LC]

The sound of a shotgun running a round home would probably have the same effect. That said I'd probably move before I ever found myself in that scenario.

 

[jpto]

@jpto would you mind sharing:

1. What was the cost for you to install both these systems into your vehicle?
2. Are you worried still that thieves will break into the car (break a window or something), and then be thwarted by the system, and then you're still out $1000 to replace the window? If it happens once, sure, but I'm worried about this happening again and again, each time $1000...

I think it was about $2K total for both, my memory is a little foggy.

I park in my garage at night and when I park it outside I use a steering wheel lock, by itself it won’t due much but I feel like it’s a visual deterrent since IMO most thieves are looking for a quick computer based theft.

 

[Winchester44]

Thieves attempted to steal a brand new zo6 corvette delivered that day from a neighbor about a year ago. He had some sort of immobilization device they were struggling with hanging through the window when owner ran out with a 12 guage and told him to freeze. His accomplice charged the homeowner. The first shot missed but second round of birdshot hit him right in the butt. He’ll live. No auto theft since.

 

[jpto]

I went on vacation last February and flew out of Toronto. Got back after a week in the Rockies and found that my Landcruiser was stolen about 1.5 hours after I parked it.

I won’t even drive my vehicle in Canada again. Which is a something because I live in NY about an hour away from the border.

It’s a huge problem up there and the police couldn’t have cared less. To be fair to them, they said that there is no backing from the govt to address it.

Fuck trudeau.

Trudeau is an attractive man … not my cup of tea but I can see why you would want to fuck him … but he’s no longer our Prime Minister, you’ll need to get in line to try and fuck Carney these days.

I’m sorry you got your car stolen, unfortunately yyz is pretty known place for car theft.

Both the Federal and Provincial government need to do better around car theft but I do think manufacturers need to do better as well. It’s pretty crazy how easy any car is to steal nowadays. Manufacturers could copy Teslas pin to drive system and that alone would cut down on a huge amount of theft.

They also need to harden their in car systems, it’s ridiculously easy to reprogram keys using cheap technology, easier than jailbreaking a phone.

 

[basicxj]

Let's say (for the sake of argument) that Canadian police don't like or approve of car theft. I have known some personally that would go on record as being against it. Let's take that a step further and say the courts and by logical extension the government are against it too. Hard to believe, but let's just say that is the case.

Here is the problem- two thieving bastards case out your new Land Cruiser in another stolen car. They make notes and return around 04:00 a.m. when you happen to be asleep, with the getaway vehicle standing by idling. They then bypass the manufacturer's alarm and immobilizer functions, fire that Land Cruiser up and drive away in under six minutes. Even the most diligent police officer who happens to see someone driving down the road in that vehicle at 04:15 and pulls in behind and runs the license plates has those plates come back 10-10 aka "not on file." The reason for this? The vehicle hasn't been reported stolen (yet). They follow the vehicle, see the driver obeying traffic laws and behaving in a normal fashion. That amounts to no probable cause to initiate a traffic stop, even if they pull up alongside to eyeball the thief and don't think he necessarily "fits" the vehicle. Sooner or later, the police move on to another project during their shift, and the thief parks somewhere semi public and leaves the vehicle to cool off. They come back for it a short time later after verifying there is no-one around to notice, disable GPS and drive to a pre-appointed location for payment and the Land Cruiser is then loaded into a container, locked away and destined for somewhere far away.

The most likely scenario leaves two points for police contact- during the theft/initial get away, and while parked/on route to the container. If the thieves haven't attracted any kind of attention and all of this happens in a relatively short time frame, the police, the courts and the government don't have a lot of say in the matter.

Back when Canada had its previous big peak in car theft statistics, the majority of thieves weren't organized or professional- many vehicles were stolen for joy riding or convenience, and many were stolen to commit other crimes with. Many of the people doing the car thefts weren't even old enough to drive or were drugged out and tended to attract attention when eyeballed by police on the road, even when the vehicle had not yet been reported stolen. The price of admission to car thief ranks was a screwdriver, pliers and maybe a hacksaw, a relatively low outlay that could have you driving down the road in someone else's car in a couple of minutes. The Bait Car program put a pretty big dent in that activity, especially where non-professional thieves were concerned. Early immobilizers further dented those statistics, and it took a while for thieves to catch up with technology.

Today's thieves tend to work in pairs, dress and drive in a manner that doesn't attract police attention, and spend a lot less time in a vehicle while acting in a very focused manner as they are looking to be discrete, be fast and get paid by the people organizing the thefts away from centre stage. Vehicles are stolen to order. Ring and security camera footage all over YouTube seems to back that up- they don't have the typical look of a thieving bastard to advertise while out doing their business, don't attract a lot of attention and are gone quickly with their prize. As people in Canada and the UK can attest, that can happen anywhere. The price of admission to be a car thief today? Less than $1000 worth of tech, a buddy and some online tutorials.

 

[Sparkie567]

The new 2026 model has added a "Motion Sensor Alarm". I wonder if that might help deter theft? I tried looking for information about this feature in the 2026 owners manual but could not find anything.
Although I am far from Toronto, I am considering having the TAG system installed and plan to purchase a steering wheel club for my Land Cruiser when it arrives.

 

[jtrick]

I agree on @basicxj points above, but what I find hard to understand is why does Toyota allow such easy access to the OBD port - no PIN code or multi factor authentication via a mobile. The banking and SaaS services industry solved this problem, so why can’t Toyota. I realize physical access to the electronics makes it more difficult, but If they want to make everything digital then build security into that. The common response from Team Toyota is “well If they really want the car they will get it” imagine if your bank told
you that.. the banking system would collapse. I call BS on they can’t do anything. They just need motivation to do so - just like a barking dog, shotgun or naked guy running out his house at the crack of dawn, motivates loser1 and loser2 moving onto something else.

 

[Winchester44]

The new 2026 model has added a "Motion Sensor Alarm". I wonder if that might help deter theft? I tried looking for information about this feature in the 2026 owners manual but could not find anything.
Although I am far from Toronto, I am considering having the TAG system installed and plan to purchase a steering wheel club for my Land Cruiser when it arrives.

I think it helps with the quiet “punch” glass breaks that most ultrasonic sensors don’t catch—especially in cases where someone’s trying to steal items from inside the car rather than the vehicle itself. My PD friends tell me many of today’s more sophisticated thieves bypass alarms entirely by defeating the keyless entry system with a relay or emulator device that tricks the car into thinking the real key fob is nearby. That allows them to unlock the doors without setting off the alarm. Once inside, they tap into the CAN bus or OBD-II port behind the dash and use a plug-in programmer or spoofing tool to inject a valid start command or reprogram a blank key, letting them drive off as if they had the genuine fob—all without breaking glass or triggering motion sensors. New tech cuts both ways though—they’re caught red-handed all the time thanks to AirTags, GPS trackers, and similar tools. Unfortunately, there’s often little appetite to prosecute. They’re still viewed as low-level, non-violent offenders, so even when detectives know who did it and where the car is, they often won’t make the arrest—seeing it as a poor use of resources when jails are overcrowded and the owner will be made whole by insurance and is unlikely to push the issue compared to a violent crime.

 

[Winchester44]

I agree on @basicxj points above, but what I find hard to understand is why does Toyota allow such easy access to the OBD port - no PIN code or multi factor authentication via a mobile. The banking and SaaS services industry solved this problem, so why can’t Toyota. I realize physical access to the electronics makes it more difficult, but If they want to make everything digital then build security into that. The common response from Team Toyota is “well If they really want the car they will get it” imagine if your bank told
you that.. the banking system would collapse. I call BS on they can’t do anything. They just need motivation to do so - just like a barking dog, shotgun or naked guy running out his house at the crack of dawn, motivates loser1 and loser2 moving onto something else.

My PD friends also said the good old-fashioned Club (steering wheel lock) still works well—it’s simple, visible, and adds just enough hassle to make most thieves move on to easier targets.