I have a 2003 RSX Type-S. I live in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State></st1:place>.

I was shocked in March of 2006 to find that the engine control module (ECM) was stolen out of my RSX. The car was parked in my driveway. What was confusing was that the alarm of the car never alerted me to the theft and there were no visible signs of break in or damage to the exterior of the car. I did not understand how the thieves were able to bypass the alarm system of the RSX. I called Acura Customer Care to express my concern about this apparent vulnerability. There was nothing that they could offer me to assist me in preventing this type of theft from happening again.

I forgot about this incident until the morning of December 1, 2006 when I discovered that once again the ECM had been stolen from my car while it was parked in my driveway (I have no garage). Once again I turned to Acura Customer Care to try and help me prevent this from happening a third time. And once again I was left with no confidence that this type of theft can be prevented.

This type of theft has become so common in the San Francisco bay area that the parts department at Acura of Serramonte has now started to stock the ECM. So this problem is not mine alone to bear.

I have done some research on this problem and I have my hypothesis on how the thieves might be gaining access to the interior of my RSX.

I believe that the thieves could have a "jiggle" key which allows them to open the car door and bypass the alarm. Alternatively, they could have a master key or perhaps they are able to pick the door lock of the car.

Lastly, it is conceivable (but less likely to me) that they have intercepted and stolen the RF code from my keyless entry fob and then programmed this code into a fob of their own.

I am unable to come up with any plausible strategies to counter any of the above methods for bypassing the RSX alarm system.

So my question to the forum users are this:

1) Have any of you experienced a similar kind of break in to your RSX?

2) What are your thoughts on how these thieves may be bypassing the RSX alarm system?

3) What ideas do you have to prevent this from happening again?

While I love this car, if this should happen to me a third time I will have no choice but to sell it and get a car that would be less likely to suffer this kind of unwanted attention.

Thank you for any assistance or expertise you can provide on this most upsetting subject.

Sincerely,

Chip Isaac

damn guy


thats sucks balls


get some servallience or however u spell it.

The ECU for your car is OBD-II which is more sought after than OBD-I bythieves because they can tweak them and change how it manages their car, or sell them. Don't sell your car! get a better security system.

There's no way they can record the code to your keyless entry.. the code is different every time. How the immobilizer and the key know what the next code is going to be is a mystery to me.Edited by: RSXcess201

Will the alarm stop going off if the battery is disconnected? That can be done in under 5 seconds. Can someonethat works at Acuraverify that?

Hi, I have a 2003 Acura and have been looking for a Standard Engine Control Module rebuilt/remanufactured unit. Thank you in advance.