Autowatch Ghost III: everything you need to know

The Ghost gets asked about more than anything else we fit, usually because somebody has heard it mentioned and wants to know whether it lives up to it. Here is the full picture.

What it actually is

The Autowatch Ghost is an immobiliser that hides inside your car’s existing wiring. It works through the vehicle’s own data networks rather than sitting as an obvious box somewhere.

Until a code you chose is entered, the engine will not start.

What is new in Ghost III

Ghost III is the latest generation. Autowatch now supply only Ghost III, so Ghost II is no longer available and every Ghost we fit is a Ghost III. The idea is unchanged, but the hardware has moved on with the cars:

• CAN-FD support. Newer vehicle platforms are moving to CAN-FD, a faster version of the data network cars use internally. Ghost III is built for it, as well as for the conventional CAN networks in most cars on the road.
• A new processor. All-new, faster, and designed to draw less power.
• Digital blocking over CAN and LIN. It stops the car being driven through the vehicle’s own networks, adding a traditional circuit cut only where a particular vehicle needs one.
• More ways to unlock. Your button code, an authorised key-tag, or your smartphone.
• Your car’s own app keeps working. Remote heating and cooling through a manufacturer’s app, such as JLR InControl or the Ford app, still works with Ghost III fitted.

It can also be paired with an anti-tamper siren, and with Autowatch’s new CANBOT locator. Ask us about CANBOT availability.

How you use it day to day

You get in as you always do. Before the car will start, you tap your code using buttons the vehicle already has — steering wheel controls, window switches, door buttons, whatever suits that model. If you would rather, Ghost III will accept an authorised key-tag or your phone instead.

Enter it correctly and the car starts as normal. Skip it, or get it wrong, and nothing happens. The car does not fight you, argue, or make a noise. It simply does nothing.

The sequence is yours, you choose it, and you can change it.

Why it beats relay theft

Relay attacks work by copying the conversation between your key and your car. The thief never needs the physical key, only its signal.

The Ghost does not care about that conversation at all. It is waiting for a code that exists only in your head. Relay the key all you like — the engine still will not turn over.

The same applies if somebody steals your actual key from the house. They have the key and they still cannot drive the car.

The questions we get asked most

Can a thief find it? There is no LED, no keypad and no obvious unit. Because it works through the car’s own networks, there is nothing sitting in an obvious place to cut out. A determined professional with unlimited time is a different conversation, but thieves work to the clock, and this puts your car well outside the time they have.

What if I forget the code? We set it up with you on the day and make sure you are comfortable before we leave. There is a recovery process if you genuinely forget, which we will walk you through. In practice, the sequence becomes muscle memory within about a week.

Is there a subscription? No. No monthly fee, nothing to renew, nothing to lapse. Once it is in, it is in.

Will it drain my battery? Very little, and Ghost III’s new processor is designed for lower power consumption. If the car is going to sit unused for weeks, tell us and we will set it up with that in mind.

Will it work on my car? Ghost III covers the newer CAN-FD platforms as well as the conventional CAN networks in most cars. Coverage changes as manufacturers change their electronics, so tell us the make, model and year and we will confirm before anything is booked.

Does it affect my warranty? It is designed to sit alongside the car’s own electronics and we do not cut into things we should not. Manufacturers word warranties differently though, so a quick check with your dealer is worth doing. We are happy to discuss it.

What about valet parking or the garage? There is a service mode so somebody can move the car without your code. We show you how on the day.

Can I take it to my next car? Often yes. Ask us before you sell and we will tell you whether moving it makes sense for that particular vehicle.

Who it suits

It suits you if you have a keyless car, your main fear is waking up to an empty driveway, and you want protection that a thief cannot see or work around.

It suits you less if you are mainly worried about wheels, catalytic converters or things being taken from inside the car. The Ghost does not notice any of that, because the car was never going to be driven away. For those, you want an alarm, which is a separate system doing a separate job.

The part that matters most

A Ghost fitted carelessly is worth considerably less than a Ghost fitted properly. Where it goes, how it is wired, and how well it disappears into the car is the actual product.

That is why we fit on your driveway ourselves rather than posting kit out, and it is most of what you are paying for.

Tell us the make, model and year and we will confirm it fits before you commit to anything.