Technical Issues after Van was stolen :-(

[RS3100]

Glad you have it sorted- must be a big relief for you. Any physical protection (hardened metal casing or such, will be very hard to do, and will never be 100% effective IMHO), so it looks like fancy electronics will ahve to suffice, maybe, perhaps an aftermarket developer taking up the challenge. Unfortunately, the crims are never far behind if there are ill gotten gains to be had.

I recommend one of these.

https://www.protectavan.co.uk/vehic...resent/ducato-2006-present-obd-port-protector

Your OBD socket unclips from the bracket below the fuse box. It's encased in a lockable steel cage and secured to the dashboard support frame with a shear bolt.

Yes, a competent thief with Fiat diagnostics on a laptop and the time to cut and splice into the OBD wiring could still bypass it, but not in seconds or even minutes, and the average thief who has just been provided with a plugin compromise device won't have a clue if he can't plug it in to the port.

The steel cage can't be breached in a hurry and if you combine it with a lot of noise (alarm system) they will almost certainly be looking elsewhere for easier pickings.

Edit: Just to add, go for an aftermarket alarm that operates from a separate fob, not the vehicle fob or door locks, and avoid canbus alarms which are easy for installers but come with their own compromise risks. If your alarm is operated by the vehicle fob or door locks, the very easy lock compromise using a screwdriver or small flat blade will switch off the alarm when the doors are unlocked, making it about as much use as a chocolate fireguard!