A famous YouTuber shows how it can be done, and what to do about it…
You likely already know the C8 Corvette is one of the hottest cars around these days. It seems like everyone wants to get their hands on the mid-engine Chevy sports car, and that does unfortunately include thieves. The sad reality is these days car theft is an exploding problem which seems to be spreading from high-crime areas to even quiet rural communities.
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Rick Conti, perhaps the most well-known Corvette YouTuber out there, recently showed how easy it is to steal a C8. In a video which we’ve included, he leaves his Corvette running while he walks far enough away that the key shouldn’t be communicating with the vehicle. Then his son climbs inside and drives off.
Even worse, Conti’s son is able to turn the C8 Corvette off, then start it again without the key anywhere nearby. The display says there is one restart allowed without the key present, something which should be concerning to every C8 owner out there.
What Conti shows as a solution to this potential ‘Vette theft problem is simple: you lock the doors. That sounds idiotic since everyone knows you should lock the doors of a running vehicle if you’re not sitting in it. The problem is if you open the driver’s door and then hit the door lock button, it doesn’t keep the doors locked. That measure is something you find on other vehicles as a way to prevent unintentional lockouts, but it means some people think they’re locking their ride when it’s really just a sitting duck.
Instead, C8 Corvette owners need to close the doors and then hit the lock button on the key fob. Then and only then will the doors lock and stay that way. Sure, someone could break the glass and get inside the car, but that can attract attention when just opening the door doesn’t.
There are legitimate reasons to leave your vehicle running while you go inside somewhere. Short trips where the engine doesn’t reach normal operating temperature can lead to carbon buildup in the engine, which later can cause all kinds of problems. You also might not want to climb inside a freezing cold cabin or you need to defog/defrost the windows, which takes time when the car is cold. Just remember, when you do leave the engine running, lock the doors using the fob instead of using the door lock switch on the door.
