Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.ħOYS's consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. And the product? It's still selling on many websites - and the price went up by a buck. Amazon thanked us for reporting this problem but said it would not have any statement. Steele wanted Amazon to pay her mechanic's bills, which ran hundreds of dollars, but the company did not respond. She noted that most every car built in the past two decades has an anti-theft device, so the decal is likely to interfere. "What's the point, just don't sell it," Steele said. It says: "Please do not apply to car ignition if your car has anti-theft alarm. None of the other bling in her car had ever caused a problem.Īmazon does have a warning on the website about the Bling Ring, but it's buried in small print. "I was without a car for 12 days, my car was towed twice, I had to get a ride to the Ukiah dealer." she said. ![]() MORE: StubHub seller won't give girls Taylor Swift tickets purchased 6 months ago. She wishes she'd known about this flaw before spending hundreds of dollars on mechanics and tow trucks. "It's ridiculous, who would think that?" Steele said. "Someone will say, 'Oh it's just a sticker, just a decorative thing just a few jewels - it's just not a good thing to put on your car. Sacco, the Arizona locksmith, said he hears from many customers who spend days trying to diagnose their car's malfunction, and are stunned to find out the little sticker is the culprit. "It starts, kinda sorta, then it dies," Finney said. The car engine starts to turn, but shuts down. Then Finney stuck the bling right over the ignition. Let's apply this," Finney said, holding the decal. MORE: Consumers cry 'emotional blackmail' as self-checkout screens ask for tips "So, can this little piece of bling actually disable a car?" Finney asked.įirst, he started our car without the bling ring. (RFID) The anti-theft system determines someone is stealing the car, and it shuts down the engine.ħ On Your Side's Michael Finney tried it out himself. If you put the sticker over the ignition, the metal blocks the radio signal. However, the "bling ring" has a metal backing. If it's the correct key, the system lets the car stars and you drive off. The car key in most of today's cars contains a transponder that sends a radio signal to the car's anti-theft system. He says it's all because of the anti-theft system in most of today's cars. "If the bling ring is around the ignition, guess what? The signal can't get past that ring. "Certain members of our society like to decorate their vehicles," Sacco said. Steve Sacco is a locksmith in Arizona who sees this happen often, and wrote articles about why a little sticker can disable a big car. MORE: Insurance companies can get your mileage without your knowledge. Then recently, she found a new type of decoration on Amazon called a "bling ring." "Steering wheel cover, iPhone mount, little clips," Steele said.Įven her license plate is wrapped in rhinestones. Shiffra Steele's old SUV has a lot of bling inside. 7 On Your Side had to find out what's going on. And yet, that's exactly what happened - not only to this viewer, but to possibly thousands of other drivers who bought one. You would never think a sticker just larger than a quarter could have any effect on a car's engine. One viewer has been decorating her car with rhinestones for years - until one small decal brought everything to a screeching halt. ![]() The old days of fuzzy dice on your rear view mirror are giving way to a growing fad - sparkling decals to decorate a steering wheel, cup holder, armrest - anything inside a car. ![]() You wouldn't think a small jeweled sticker could have any effect on a car's engine - but it brought one Lake County woman's car to a screeching halt.
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