How (rich) Torontonians are protecting their cars from theft

Frank’s normally alert Australian Shepherd-doodle wasn’t any help — Expo slept right through the crime.

As it turned out, Frank was lucky; the high-performance EV was tracked down. But the Toronto lawyer (who didn’t want his full name used for fear of attracting more thieves) didn’t want to lose his car again.

And that’s why he recently paid civil engineer Joshua Abush some $21,000 to install the pop-up bollards that now protect his driveway. Investing in these retractable, metal posts, more commonly used in high-security spots like embassies and palaces to ward off dangerous aggressors, is just one of the ways that Torontonians are spending their time — and sometimes serious money — to protect their vehicles from the GTA’s auto-theft crisis.

An overall surge in the sale of anti-auto-theft devices doesn’t startle Bryan Gast, vice-president of Investigative Services at Équité Association, an insurance industry group that works closely with police.

“People are definitely getting creative in the lengths they will go to protect their investment,” says Gast, a former OPP anti-rackets investigator, who notes that it can be a plus to combine more than one system.

While some drivers are sticking with low-tech, low-price solutions like steering-wheel and brake-pedal clubs, which can be purchased on the internet or at a hardware store for well under $100, others are making a serious investment in vehicle security.

Here’s how some Torontonians are spending their money to keep their vehicles safe — if they can afford it:

When Abush installed the bollards in Frank’s driveway, he believed they were a first for the GTA, if not Canada.

“We literally got the first three residential bollards that hit Canada,” Abush said. “I think they’re serial Nos. 1, 2 and 3.”

They certainly weren’t the last. Now firms across the GTA are getting into the business. One of them, Johnston Fence Contracting, offers a variety of bollard types, from removable to retractable. The company also offers maintenance services, like “inspections, lubrication and occasional repairs.”

They even offer to make your bollards visually appealing, with a variety of designs, colours and finishes “to complement your driveway’s esthetics.”

Installation is no easy task. Before the bollards went in, Abush had to get approvals to dig and ensure he avoided water, power and gas lines.

Abush also required the installation of a heated underground pipe to house cables and wires, hooked up to a central controller and receiver unit.

Abush says his bollards are designed for sub-zero Canadian winters and shouldn’t be subject to corrosion either.

“I guess I’m going to be a bollard installer now,” says Abush, whose regular business involves designing home spaces — “I never thought I would.”

Gast says it’s a shame that automakers haven’t done more to fix the auto-theft problem themselves. 

That said, bollards offer hope for those who can afford them, Gast said. “I have seen them and it does look like a good added layer of protection if you are willing to make the investment,” Gast said.

The theft has Frank thinking about far more than his car.

“The car can be replaced,” he said. “What happens if someone breaks in and I happen to stumble upon them? Then we have a catastrophic situation.”

He hopes the sight of the bollards in his laneway will make potential thieves drive by his home next time. He reasons he just needs to make his Taycan more difficult to steal than other nearby vehicles.

“It’s a sad state,” Frank said. “It’s every man for himself.”

If you’re a CEO or celebrity, you might opt to let an organization like Avante Security do the worrying.

Avante uses a form of Artificial Intelligence called HALO to analyze and act upon video images of any intruder approaching your vehicle or home, says company founder and CEO Manny Mounouchos.

“We detect and then we dispatch our vehicles,” says Mounouchos, adding vehicles arrive in six minutes or less. (That’s faster than Toronto police’s average response time to even the most serious 911 calls, which a standard auto theft call is not.)

Fees run from as low as $4,000 a year for basic coverage to $500,000 annually for services that might include live-in security guards, selected from the company’s roster of retired police and ex-military officers that service high-income neighbourhoods like Forest Hill, Rosedale, the Bridle Path and Lawrence Park, Mounouchos says.

Avante’s services also include the use of private drivers in unmarked, black high-end vehicles for times when clients don’t want the stress of driving, Mounouchos says

At the high end of the GPS world is Cellutrak, a Montreal-based company that’s a subsidiary of the Israeli company, Ituran Location and Control Ltd., which specializes in stolen vehicle recovery and GPS wireless communications.

Cellutrak’s motto is “Made for families, built for fleets, trusted by the armed forces” and the company promises something much more heavy-duty than a simple GPS service. It offers two units in your vehicle, and can alert you if your vehicle is turned on or off and track the motion of your vehicle.

The hardware is $700, plus $144 a year in membership fees and an installation fee that’s $150 or more, depending on your location and vehicle.

You may be able to recover some of the money you invest in a system from your insurer.

A key Cellutrak feature is that it allows you to remotely shut off your vehicle’s starter after it’s stolen.

“Once the vehicle comes to a stop, you disable it,” says Corrine Fetter, Cellutrak vice-president in a telephone interview from Montreal.

The Cellutrak system also allows you to create a virtual fence around your vehicle, so you can keep an eye on your precious ride, even when you’re on holiday.

“If it left that fence, you would be notified,” Fetter said.

Fetter boasts that Cellutrak has helped authorities make quick arrests and recoveries, even inside the notoriously porous Port of Montreal.

Fetter adds that Cellutrak’s successes include tracking down a 2020 Lamborghini Urus valued at more than a quarter of a million dollars that was scammed from a North York car dealership and leasing company in October, before it was tracked to JFK airport in New York.

Not every solution to the threat of auto theft needs to break the bank, however.

Many drivers are turning to Apple AirTags and other lower-cost GPS devices. Insurance companies like them, as they can help their investigation divisions, border officials or the police track down stolen vehicles.

Unfortunately, in the ever-escalating auto-theft arms race, criminals like AirTags, too; so much that they sometimes put them on desirable vehicles they see in public spaces like parking lots so they can steal them at a more convenient time.

One former auto thief, who the Star is not naming as he is a co-operating witness in organized crime cases, says that GPS devices are unobtrusive and easy for criminals to attach.

“Timing is everything,” he said, saying they were often attached in parking lots. “You would park in front of the vehicle, your hood up like you’re adding washer fluid. And you get down and clip it on. No one blinks an eye.”

There are cellphone apps from companies including Brickhouse Security and Trackhawk Wired promise to help you determine if your vehicle has a GPS attached.

Another option is a “kill switch.”

That’s what Supt. Steve Watts of the Toronto police organized crime enforcement unit uses to protect his Dodge Durango SUV, a popular target for thieves.

“It directly renders your vehicle inoperable,” Watts said. “It can’t be started and it can’t be overridden.”

He added: “You’d need a flatbed truck to steal it.”

There are several kill switch options, which variously block things like the ignition or battery and mean that your vehicle won’t immediately start when you put your key in the ignition.

You can spend less than $10 for install-it-yourself hardware to upwards of $400 for a ready-to-go system, depending on your mechanical skill and tolerance for risk.

Whatever kill switch system you might choose, you should think twice about trying to install it yourself, Gast says. “Be very cautious doing the work yourself so you don’t void a warranty.”

Kill switches are already battle-tested. They are at the centre of a nasty lawsuit launched in Chicago in 2022, when car buyers sued a loan company because their vehicles were deactivated by a remote “kill switch” when they became late on payments.

At the high end is the Ghost Autowatch II, which has a customer base across Europe and Canada and sells for around $1,250 to $1,350.

The Ghost II promises to render your ride impossible to start without your personal PIN or app authorization. That means that even if thieves steal your keys or use wireless technology to enter your vehicle, they won’t be driving off in it.

The device asks owners to create their own unique PIN of up to 20 digits, using buttons on the vehicle’s dashboard and steering wheel which must be entered before the engine can start. Owners also have the alternative of a smartphone app. The system also comes with a reset code, for drivers who forget their elaborate passwords or who feel the need to constantly change them.

Amidst all the talk of systems and technology, Fetter notes there’s a strong emotional component to the conversation on keeping vehicles safe.

She said her Cellutrak system also offers something psychological to clients, in the face of the ongoing, organized attack on car owners.

“We give them a little power back,” Fetter said.

There are plenty of variations for “kill switches,” which promise to render your ride motionless if a thief tries to drive it away.

Whichever you might choose, you’re wise to let a professional install it, so that you don’t void your vehicle’s warranty.

A remote car battery switch can be activated when you’re not even in the car. That means you could flip the switch from afar if you see someone in a parking lot tampering with your vehicle.

An ignition wire switch is typically hidden in a secret spot in your vehicle. It blocks the ignition wire, meaning the car won’t start.

A fuse box switch cuts power at the fuse box until you reactivate it.

A fuel system relay switch cuts fuel to the engine and gives the impression your car is having trouble starting. (It might also let your car run for a short distance with what fuel remains in the gas line. That might let the thief get at least a little distance away.)

A battery disconnect switch mimics what happens when the battery is dead.