Turn Your F-150 Into A Brick Legally: Ford Secure System

Welcome And Guest Introduction

Don Armstrong 0:05

From Texas USA, it's the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Just ahead, we talked to the Ford Motor Company about a thing called Ford Secure. We'll tell you all about it. All right. Jeff has the motor minute. I'll review the all-new Toyota RAV for Howdy, along with Mike out of this world Mars. We always need more Jeff Zeken. Engineer David Ainsley. I'm Dot Armstrong. So glad that you could join us today for the live version of the In Real Time Car Talk Show. If you're listening on a podcast, we thank you very much for doing that as well. All right. We'll assume that uh this is a Detroiter or Detroit area guy. Uh Ford Motor Company, Ian Groton House. Whise? Okay. I know that I'm not the only one that has screwed this up. And we actually had somebody. Huh?

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Definitely not. Definitely not. Sometimes it's tough for me to get it, too.

Don Armstrong 0:57

Yeah, well, and actually I I asked Mars, I said, So how do you pronounce the guy's last name? So late last night, Ford Motor Company sent us a pronouncer, then of course I screwed it up. So why don't you tell us what your last name is?

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Yeah, it's uh Ian Grotenheitz.

Don Armstrong 1:12

Grotenheitz, just like it's spelled. That's it. And uh you're from Argentina?

SPEAKER_01 1:22

No, no, no, I'm not from Argentina. So uh I'm close though. I'm actually was born and raised in Gila, Hawaii, right there.

Don Armstrong 1:29

So Gila, Hawaii, uh-huh with a German name.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Yeah, that that's right. That's right. So, you know, okay.

Don Armstrong 1:36

Well, a world traveler. Welcome to America, it doesn't make any difference. So, do you work for Ford Motor Company?

SPEAKER_01 1:42

I do, I do work for Ford Motor Company, yes.

Don Armstrong 1:45

Well, good for you, and uh, we got some great friends at Ford, and we are we appreciate all of you guys and everything that you do. So the the click here is going to be Ford Secure. So is it a lock? Is it a steering wheel lock? What what what what is it, Ian?

What Ford Secure Actually Does

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Yeah, hey, that's a you know what that that that is a great question. And so for for me and my team, we we launched um something back in 2025 called the Ford Security Package. And so, you know, our team internally at Ford, we kind of call ourselves Ford Secure, but for for customers uh who have purchased a brand new vehicle, like let's say an F-150, I hear those are pretty popular out there. Yeah, so that's uh so uh for customers of a brand new F-150, they get one year included of the Ford Security package. And so it's not a steering wheel lock, but what it is is that it's theft alerts in case something's going wrong on your vehicle, it's access to a 24-7 365 call center that can help you out in case something goes wrong. And then it's a feature called vehicle start inhibit that, I mean, for all intents and purposes, um, just turns your vehicle into a brick. Uh, it locks down your vehicle so that even if someone were to gain access and have a key or an unauthorized key, they would not be able to start that vehicle.

Don Armstrong 3:13

Well, I have to tell you that, and it's no surprise to you, and you probably already know this the F-150 in Texas, uh you can't make enough of them, is the way that that goes because uh it outsells pretty much everything. You see them everywhere, everybody's buying them, but it also uh kind of like a magnet to every theft, car theft in the United States, right here in Texas. And it has been a real problem. And it's not just Ford, but obviously because of the popularity of the F-150, you're on top on that one too.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Yeah, yeah. And I mean, you know, that's we we we we do look at that, right? I mean, we do look at the uh, you know, the the data that NICB publishes and works and work closely with them. And yeah, you know, for for us, it it's a volume problem. I mean, right? Like they're they are the F-150 is everywhere, um, therefore they become a target, right? And so um that is why, though, you know, we we have products and features like the Ford Security Package, because you know, when you just invested in the Ford brand uh or you know, spent spent you know thousands of dollars buying a brand new automobile, we want you to be able to go wherever you want, to park wherever you want, and to walk away from that vehicle having peace of mind, right? So that's really uh my goal, my team's goal is trying to provide that peace of mind that, hey, you know what, my my vehicle won't be able to be stolen even if there's a key present, right? So that's the idea.

Jeff Dziekan 4:45

So Ian, so you put that technology in the four pickup, uh, and you say the the year is free. What is the cost after that? And what happens if someone doesn't want that? I mean, how does that all that all work?

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Yeah, yeah, that's a great question. And so we, you know, uh like for for for me personally, and then you know, how how we're offering the product today, uh, we we are we're not trying to um nickel and dime our our our Ford customers who just paid a lot of money um you know for a brand new truck. Right. So but now again, not not everyone is in a situation where they want to use vehicle start inhibit or where they feel like they need theft alerts, right? Now we we do feel like it it offers immense value. Um and so we want we want those customers to be able to try it for a year. So after a year, um the cost is only $799 a month. Um, it's also available for purchase uh as as a one-time purchase offer. That's like you know, $595 up front, and then it's a minimum of seven years included on on the vehicle, but also the expectations that we'll provide service beyond that as well, sort of with with the lifetime of that vehicle.

Don Armstrong 5:54

Well, I I don't and I trust me, I don't mean to upset you or anything, but is it kind of like onStar? I was thinking the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

Yeah, yeah. So so there's there's a lot of similarities, right? And so for for for us, one of our biggest differentiators is

Pricing Activation And Eligible Fords

SPEAKER_01 6:10

this vehicle start inhibit feature, right? And so I um uh my for for me and my family, I I have a 2024 Model Year F-150 um that I loved so much, I I I bought it, right? And now it's got a rooftop tent on it, okay? So I have to park it in the driveway. And so for me, every night, like before I go to bed, I you know, slide the slider in the Ford app and toggle on vehicle start inhibit. So that for for me, that just gives us the peace of mind that hey, no one's gonna be able to, you know, even if they were to gain access to the vehicle somehow, right? So for Ford as a differentiator, the reason why I use that example is we looked at the market and we saw a lot of reactive features. Um, and and again, you know, I'm like we we have some, so I'm not trying to like, you know, discourage that from happening. But uh, you know, let's say you were to get one of our theft alerts that said, hey, potential intrusion, someone could be in the cabin of your vehicle, and then we didn't give you any action to be able to take after that. Well, that's not really helpful, right? So for us, we wanted those reactive, like, hey, what's happening on my vehicle? But we also want to give you a tool to be able to do something about it, right? And so that's kind of the Ford differentiation when it comes to the Ford security package.

Don Armstrong 7:32

So you mentioned this is a 2024. Well, obviously, not a new vehicle. How far back can you have this installed uh on your Ford truck?

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Yeah, so uh for 2024 model year F-150 and Super Duty was the first vehicle lines that we launched on. Um, so though those are probably the oldest, most capable vehicles of the Ford security package, and then it grows from there. So, like, you know, this year we launched on uh Bronco Sport, and then we're kind of continuing, you know, with the rest of the vehicle lineup. Okay, interesting.

Mike Marrs 8:08

There's obviously some sort of mechanical things you have to do to the vehicle so that whenever you because that was one of my questions. Can you manually if I go, I I remember one time I was in a Memphis and I didn't have any choice of where I was staying, but I wish I'd had something. I'm thinking that something like this would have been great. I'd have felt a whole lot better about my vehicle if I had some way to turn it into a brick.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Yeah, yeah, right, right. So for for actually what's happening on the vehicle, right? Um a a signal is being sent from the mobile app um to the cloud, and then when it hits the vehicle, right, it actually is disabling the powertrain, is what's happening. And so that's where you know the the sort of embedded software on the vehicle works with the off-board software to to create that uh that that feature and that capability, right?

Don Armstrong 9:02

So if I have a 2025 Ford F-150 that doesn't have this on it now, what do I do to have it installed on my vehicle?

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Oh, great question. So so so these are rolling off the line with the capability. So when you go and purchase it from the dealer, they they they'll they'll walk you through what capability exists on the vehicle, and then it's as simple as um you know adding the vehicle to your Ford app, right? And then you get a little prompt within there notifying you hey, Ian, you got one year included of the Ford security package, right? There's obviously some terms and conditions, and once you read through those, then you accept, and then you just activate it via the mobile phone.

Don Armstrong 9:46

So I'm not I I bought my 2025 Ford F-150 a year and a half ago, and now it's got you know 30,000 miles on it. Can I retrofit this on it?

SPEAKER_01 9:58

So the the all of the capability already exists on the vehicle. So the but unfortunately, I mean, it's you know, you're you're saying a year and a half, and so if you didn't get an opportunity to activate the free trial, it would be available for purchase at that $7.99.

Mike Marrs 10:15

So it can be a dealer installed, or I guess what you would call, he could go to the dealership and say, hey, I just heard about this, I want it, I want to add it to my truck, and you can do that.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

So so all of the trucks coming straight out of the factory have the capabilities, so there's actually no need to even go back to the dealer unless you have questions, or if you're interested in retroactively buying the one-time purchase, that is available through our dealers. And then obviously they're they're they're well versed on all the capabilities of the vehicle. But so if you have a a year and a half old F-150 um from that that that's like a 25-mile year, you you can go into the Ford app today and purchase the Ford security package. That will do that will enable the services on the vehicle.

Insurance Privacy Two Factor Safety

Jeff Dziekan 11:06

So, how have you been working with insurance companies to get any discounts because of a theft deterrent on the vehicle?

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Yeah, that's a great question. So we we are exploring that right now, um, only from the side of hey, can we offer some sort of benefit or discount to our customers, right? Um, and we we we have a strict policy in in which we don't share any data with insurance companies from our vehicles or our drivers. And so uh right now we we have a we we have an active partnership with uh USAA uh for the Ford Security Package. That if you show them that it's active on your vehicle, they do provide you a discount. A lot of insurance companies are looking for um you know historical data, years of of offering in the market. So that that's something that we continue to explore as it becomes an added benefit to our customers. Gotcha.

Mike Marrs 12:07

So we could talk to our insurance company and see if they would kind of like driver's ed for you to something like that. Yep, yeah.

Don Armstrong 12:15

And if you don't, then you can change insurance companies and and uh Save Boondale, or you know, they might say, hey, you know, we've never heard of that, and you know, let's get with with uh Ian and we'll figure it out.

Mike Marrs 12:25

For eight dollars a month, if you can get an eight dollar a month discount out of your insurance company, it becomes free. Yeah.

Don Armstrong 12:31

Yeah. Well, there's that. All right. So uh what else okay? This so this has been rolled out for a while.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

Yeah, yeah. And so, you know, what are the I mean, so you know, this some of the fun things that you know you can do is you know, to to to learn more. And and again, I should I should preface this it's not often you're talking about a security feature and and fund, right? But we we had a really fun opportunity uh to to to partner with a bear, right? To demonstrate the capability of was it yogi? It wasn't it wasn't yogi, it wasn't yogi. You know, I'll tell you, but yeah, it was tag the bear. And so that's you know, the like for me, I just go to YouTube to uh watch that commercial and it shows kind of some of the capability, right? So, you know, if your doors are locked, right, and someone were to somehow open that uh even from the inside, right, you would get a potential intrusion notification. Um, one of my favorite things, right, is just because we we take this very seriously, and uh the factory reset in in the vehicle, if you guys are familiar with that capability, well, we put that behind a two-factor authentication, right? Because it can't be so easy for a thief to just gain access to your vehicle and you know go into the uh screens and trigger a factory reset. So that that now sends a notification to you, and you can say, you know what, that I'm not by my vehicle, that's not me, deny, and then call the 247-365 call center to get some help. So um, and again, it just goes back. Oh, yeah, sorry, go ahead.

Mike Marrs 14:08

I I just one one quick question just kind of went through my mind. So if I'm out about and I see my son doing burn offs in my F-150, can I brick that truck immediately? Yeah, that's him.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

That's well, until I can get a hold of him, yeah. Right, right. That's a great question. So um obviously we partner with um, you know, like just like Ford does in all their vehicles and all the various um, you know, like uh areas that that that we have at Ford, we partner with the Automotive Safety Office um to evaluate this. So the um unfortunately for that scenario, the automotive safety office doesn't like us just turning vehicles into bricks while they're driving, right? So um, but in in that use case, um, so so the way it's designed today is you can actually send the command to the vehicle uh at the next ignition off cycle is when that command will apply, right? So um, but yeah, so no, so we and again we take safety very seriously. And so that makes sense.

Don Armstrong 15:15

I just have oh, you guys think of everything. All right. So if a person is looking to this, I assume that the dealer will say to you, hey, this is available, it's going to be on the vehicle when you drive out of the the showroom today. Uh, and these are the implications, and this is how you set it up and that sort of stuff. Where can I find more information about it?

SPEAKER_01 15:37

Yeah, so if you head to um, you know, Ford's Connected Services website, or if you just search the Ford Security package, you'll be redirected to our landing page where you can kind of learn more about all the various features that I talked about uh there.

Don Armstrong 15:52

So not the not the Ian Grotenheis uh uh uh cell phone, personal cell phone.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

You know, it's funny, they uh they they they they had that idea, uh, and then they're like, listen, your last name's too hard to pronounce, okay? So we're just gonna find it.

Don Armstrong 16:08

And now if they were really smart, they had to say we're gonna turn this into a guessing game. How do you pronounce the guy's last name? And and if you guess it, you get a free year's worth of free F-150. A free F-150. That's it.

Jeff Dziekan 16:20

Ian, just what part of Detroit are you in right now, Ian?

SPEAKER_01 16:24

Okay, so so so I heard you guys talking about that, and I visit Detroit quite often. I'm there probably once a month, but I am in Grand Rapids, Michigan right now. Okay, well, that's close enough. Yeah, close enough. Close enough.

Don Armstrong 16:33

Ian, it's great talking to you. And thank you for pronouncing your name.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Hey, no problem. Thank you.

Don Armstrong 16:39

Yeah, you guys have a great time. All right, just ahead, Jeff's motor minute, a review of the redesigned Toyota Rav 4 when the in-wheel time car talk show continues after this 90-second break. Stay with us. The Texas Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef to heaters and frozen margaritas. Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients. That was theory is part of the award-winning experience of Lupi Tortilla. All developed in a little house near Highway 6, everybody location. Find Lupi Tortilla in Houston, College Station, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, Fort Worth. There's a textual location near you. The recipes are authentic and time-tested. The ingredients are always fresh. Loopy tortilla. Apple or Android In Wheel Time podcasts can be found everywhere on the stream and through downloads. Whether you're on the road or at home and searching for a fun car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try. Honest new car reviews, fun informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture, mics driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time. Check us out on SiriusXM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music. Oh, welcome back. Sorry. I got up to check, make sure that the TV wasn't on in some other room. Didn't I?

Mike Marrs 18:30

Were you hearing voices in KVM?

Don Armstrong 18:31

Oh, Jeff was. I was.

Mike Marrs 18:33

I said, Do you have a TV on in the next room?

Don Armstrong 18:35

So Welcome back to the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Time now for the Motor Minute, Jeffrey.

Houston Autorama Ends BMW Cuts Jobs

Jeff Dziekan 18:40

Here's something we've been wanting to talk about for a little bit, but the Houston Autorama closes after a long tradition. Uh the Houston Autorama, a major indoor custom car show held annually at the George R. Brown Convention Center, has officially ended, marking the close of a long-running tradition in Texas automotive culture car shows. While the parent company Championship Auto Shows, or C A S I, has not issued a formal public statement, multiple local automotive organizations and community leaders have confirmed the permanent end of the Houston event car shows. The show's dates have been listed as TBA on all official Autorama tour schedules, and the show chairs have directly verified the closures. Now I did find that out. That is a fact. That's where I got this from. The Houston Autorama was one of the largest, most respected indoor custom car shows in North America, featuring hot rods, muscle cars, trucks, low riders, and concept vehicles. It was part of the Autorama World of Wheels series, which has been running for over 70 years and is known for its focus on custom builds rather than new factory models. Although the Houston leg is gone, the rest of the 2027 Autorama Tour will continue in cities such as and it lists all the cities, just all over.

Don Armstrong 19:49

Dallas is one of them that it's also closed.

Jeff Dziekan 19:51

Right. But that is not in this this is specifically Houston. But also they're carrying on in Canada still going on. Organizers suggest that other events will likely fill the gap for the fans and attendees. So if you're looking forward to the all-houston Autorama, you'll need to plan an alternative show for the Autorama Tour or local custom car custom car events. The closure is a significant change for the Houston Automotive Community and the broader Autorama series. So sad to see it go. It was kind of inevitable. It was kind of drifting in a different direction every year. Well, we were there for how many years, Mike? Five?

Mike Marrs 20:26

Eight or ten. I mean, we were there a long time.

Don Armstrong 20:27

No, not that long. But but we were there for quite some time.

Mike Marrs 20:31

We were pre-COVID, we were out there. Oh, yeah, that's true.

Don Armstrong 20:33

Yeah. So uh sorry to hear about that. That was the that was at the GRB. I know well, I went to the first uh Autorama. It was being held at the Albert Thomas Convention Center, and then it moved to the Astral Hall, and then it moved to the George R. Brown. So uh yeah, it's sad to see it go. Uh what are we gonna do on a Thanksgiving weekend? We're gonna eat turkey. That's exactly what we're talking about. And I'm going to miss my chili dogs that I used to get uh on Thanksgiving Day down there at the GRB. Good deal.

Jeff Dziekan 21:04

One last thing. Uh BMW is cutting 8,000 jobs by 2027. It's 5% of their workforce, and they contribute this to uh 30 30 percent downturn in China's purchases of BMWs. So there you go. Okay.

Don Armstrong 21:18

Time now for this hour's car review. I had a chance to drive the 2026 Toyota Rav 4, built in Aichi, Japan, but not built this week. That's for sure. They're still trying to recover from the earthquake stuff. Here are the trim levels. They are available in uh the SE, the Woodland, the XSE, and the GR

2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug In Review

Don Armstrong 21:38

Sport. Top of the line. I had the GR Sport. This is a plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive that I had. Small SUV seats five. Completely redesigned for 2026 now in its sixth generation. That's how popular it is. It's a good-looking little car. It is. Yeah, and the updates to it, really something. Edgy front. End is a welcome element. A big open mouth lower grille includes faux brake ducting. Black wheel opening accents adds an off-road look to it. Uh the rear lights hug the back glass in a smooth transition with a spoiler sunshade up on top, which is different. Usually it's just a sunshade, but this is a spoiler sunshade. That's pretty cool. What I liked about it, the overall edgier design, I think it really does look good. Interior highlights include, well, our GR anyway, had leather and cloth combo seating with red piping for a nice racy look. Big center infotainment screen as much as a multi-function affair that works very well. The dash design carries through to the door panels. This is a well-screwed together vehicle. The cargo is competitive with others in its class with only two rows of seating. Used to have a third row option. They've done away with that because it's just too cramped back there. It makes absolutely no sense. What could use improvement? Absolutely nothing. Good-looking vehicle all the way around. Engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that, when combined with the electric motor, remember now this is a plug-in hybrid, the one that I had. It gets 324 horsepower combined. Uh runs a CVT transmission. Till rating is only 1,305 pounds. That's not what this is meant for. Miles per gallon, 86 miles per gallon electric. Gas and electric combo gets 37 miles per gallon on the gas only. I got 83.1 miles per gallon electric over 355 miles. But remember, the electric is only good for a very short period of time. It is a plug-in electric hybrid. What I liked about it, it can drive up to 52 miles on a full charge on the electric without the gas kicking in. And what could use improvement? Well, I used 70% of its full charge over 40 miles. That's doing the highway. And I plugged it in at work and I plugged that in at home. And so I basically drove for free. Well, except for the price of the electricity. Riding handling, the GR Sport offers a little more feel to it, but it is still a family SUV. What could use improvement? Nothing. Because of the different trim levels offered. Trim price on this GR plug-in hybrid is $48.5. Price is tested $51,335. That's pretty expensive. Now you can get into one with just a plain gasoline engine four-cylinder for $42,950. I don't want to discourage you from putting it in the mix if you're shopping for an SUV like this. Competitors, Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid. It goes for $40,325 as a starting price. The Kia Sorrento plug-in hybrid starts at $48,290. And the Ford Escape plug-in hybrid starts at $354. $35,400. That's the plug-in hybrid. And those are all are the competitors to it. I think I'd look at that Hyundai, Tucson starts at $43.25. Or just get the non-plug-in hybrid part of it.

Jeff Dziekan 25:31

And aren't they going to discontinue the escape? Is it Ford putting that aside? You're asking me to remember that? Yeah, yeah.

unknown 25:41

No, I don't remember that.

Jeff Dziekan 25:42

Tune in next week for the answer.

Don Armstrong 25:44

Yeah, or not. In the next half hour, I'm going to do another car review, Lexus IS350, which I won't tell you right now, but I will tell you that I liked it. Find out how much I liked it when you tune in for the next car review in the next segment. There's that. But uh this love the redesign on this.

Jeff Dziekan 26:10

Is that the one you showed Kathy? The Lexus?

Don Armstrong 26:13

Last night? Yeah. No. No, the one I no, the Lexus that I'm currently driving is $120,000. And it is the Lexus GX. Mr. Mars?

Mike Marrs 26:25

Yeah.

Don Armstrong 26:26

This thing is a brick with wheels and a motor. A moving brick. And oh my god, the ride on this thing, uh, it is unbelievably good. Like I'll tell you that right up front. And I'll say it in my review, which will be next week?

unknown 26:44

Maybe.

Don Armstrong 26:44

No, a week after next. Or you got one for next week. So anyway. So that's my review of the Toyota new RAV4 plug-in hybrid. Thank you for asking.

Jeff Dziekan 26:59

And again, Laura's looking at one today, as a matter of fact. Not a plug-in, but she's looking at the RAV4.

Don Armstrong 27:03

Yeah, yeah, that's a good one. Because I mean, it is cutting edge design. And she deserves it. She hasn't had a new car in a while. No, she does, yes. Agreed. All right.

Next Reviews Tease And Outro

Don Armstrong 27:14

Um, it's time to take a break. And when we come back, we're gonna do all sorts of wonderful things that you're really gonna like. Am I gonna tell you what they are? It's gonna be a surprise. I gotta tune in because I don't know what he's talking about. Yeah, me either. More coming up after this break. Stay with us. Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy dull appearance. Get rid of those terrible automated car wash scratches. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your Save the Paint Company. John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint. Searching for real experts in window tent or windshield protection, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Dash cams, radar detectors, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Got a new car? Get it protected as soon as you take delivery. If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, John Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't tell you something you don't need. John will help you understand the many options and pricing right on the spot. He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too. See the state-of-the-art shop yourself, free tours anytime. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway. Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshield.com. Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea. A hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists. Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one. Bill Sites will be happy to guide you through the process. No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home. Call Bill today, 832-922-0963. That's 832-922-0963. That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music. Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.