Security
Thatcham S5 trackers
£549
Vehicle security
Ghost immobiliser
A ghost immobiliser stops the car being driven away without a PIN, and the one we fit is the Scorpion X-Series. There is no fob to clone and no LED to give it away, so a thief with your keys still cannot move it.
Price £549
What a ghost immobiliser is
It is a small unit that talks to the car over its own data network, the CAN bus, and refuses to let the engine drive away until a PIN has been entered. You enter that PIN using buttons the car already has: the steering wheel controls, the window switches, the climate buttons. There is nothing extra to fit to the dashboard.
Because it works over the data network rather than by cutting into wiring, there is nothing obvious for a thief to find and pull out. There is no flashing LED, no aftermarket keypad, and no additional fob. Someone sitting in your car with your key sees a completely standard interior and a car that will not go anywhere.
All of which matters because of how cars get stolen now. Most modern theft does not involve defeating the lock; it involves relaying or cloning the key signal. An immobiliser like this makes the key insufficient on its own.
When you need one
Anyone whose car is on the list thieves actually work through: newer VAG, BMW and Mercedes, performance models, and anything with keyless entry. Keyless theft off a driveway is quick, quiet, and does not require the car to be damaged.
Fit one alongside a tracker rather than instead of one. They solve different halves of the problem: an immobiliser tries to stop the car leaving, a tracker deals with what happens if something does. Fitted together they are the strongest thing we offer, and we sell them as a pair for that reason.
If your insurer has asked for something specific, it is almost certainly a Thatcham-certified tracker rather than an immobiliser. Check the wording, and if it names a category, look at S5 or S7 instead.
How we fit it
The unit is installed covertly and connected to the car's data network. Where it goes is not something we publish, and we will not tell anyone but you.
You choose your own PIN sequence, using buttons you will actually remember. We set it with you, then make you enter it yourself a few times before you leave, because a sequence you cannot reproduce in the dark in the rain is not much use.
There is a service mode for when the car goes to a garage or a valet, which lets someone drive it without knowing your sequence and without disabling the system permanently.
The work is done by an IMI-approved technician trained by The OBD Company, on dealer-level tools rather than a generic cable.
What's included
- Scorpion X-Series immobiliser, fitted covertly
- Your own PIN sequence, set with you and tested
- Service mode set up for garage and valet visits
- No additional fobs, keypads or LEDs anywhere in the car
- Walkthrough before you leave, including what to do if you forget the sequence
Why us for this
We fit the Scorpion X-Series, made by Scorpion Automotive in Chorley. Vehicle security is half of what this workshop does, and the fitting is done by an IMI-approved technician trained by The OBD Company.
The work is done at our own unit at 85 Bogmoor Road in Glasgow, across from the Shieldhall test centre. A covert install means getting properly into a car's interior, and it is not a driveway job.
There is no subscription on an immobiliser. You pay once, it is fitted, and there is nothing to renew. That is a real difference from tracking, where the monitoring has to stay live.
What you pay
£549 fitted, with nothing to pay afterwards.
Fitted together with a Thatcham S7 tracker it comes to less than the two bought separately. That combination is on the security page as Double Defence. Send the registration and we will confirm the price for your car before you book anything.
Common questions
Which immobiliser do you actually fit?
The Scorpion X-Series, made by Scorpion Automotive. "Ghost immobiliser" began as one manufacturer's product name and has since become the general term for this type of system, and we have named the page accordingly. What you get is covert, works over the CAN bus, uses a PIN code, and has no fobs and no LEDs.
What happens if I forget the PIN sequence?
Bring the car back and we will reset it. It is a quick job at the workshop rather than a recovery — and it has to be done in person, because a security system anyone could talk their way past on the phone would not be much of a security system.
Can a thief find it and disconnect it?
It is fitted covertly with nothing visible, and it communicates over the car's own network rather than through a cut wire. There is no keypad, no LED and no fob to point at it.
Does it stop the car while I'm driving?
No, and it is not designed to. It prevents the car being driven away in the first place. Nothing about it interferes with the car once it is moving.
Will my insurer accept it instead of a tracker?
Usually not, and you should not assume it. Insurers that ask for a tracker are naming a Thatcham category, and an immobiliser is a different product. If your policy names S5 or S7, fit that. This sits alongside it rather than replacing it.
Do I need to do anything every time I drive?
You enter the sequence. It takes a couple of seconds once you are used to it, and it is the trade-off for a system a thief cannot see.
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Next step
Let's get you a price
Tell us what you drive and what you want done to it. We will come back with a price for your car, not a range off a chart.