Most stolen cars now go without the owner’s keys. Around 60% of London car thefts use electronic methods like relay attacks — thieves boost your key’s signal from your hallway and drive off in under a minute. The law is catching up: under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, simply possessing relay kit can now mean up to 5 years in prison. But the surest fix is making your car impossible to drive away in the first place.
No code, no start — even with a cloned key
An Autowatch Ghost immobiliser hides a PIN code in your car’s own buttons. Without the code, the engine will not start — even if a thief has relayed or cloned your key. It’s silent, invisible, and there’s nothing to jam or detect. Fitted for £499.
Pair it with a tracker and save £49
Prevention stops the drive-away; a tracker gets your car back if the worst happens anyway. Our bundle prices:
All our trackers are 4G, with monitoring at £14.99/month or £155/year.
Fitted at your home or workplace
We’re family-run with over 30 years’ experience, TASSA approved (Member No. 0009) and Thatcham approved. We come to you — mobile fitting at your home or workplace across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London, no garage visit needed.
Summer offer prices apply while our current promotion lasts — call to check today’s pricing before you book.
Since 1993, Autowatch has been at the sharp end of the fight against vehicle theft in the UK. Their Ghost immobiliser — the world’s first aftermarket CAN-bus immobiliser — changed vehicle security forever: no key fobs to clone, no LED to give the game away, no cut wires for a thief to find. Just a hidden device on your car’s own network and a secret PIN sequence that only you know.
But the Ghost you can have fitted today is a very different animal from the original. Car networks have evolved, thieves’ tools have evolved, and Autowatch has kept pace with four generations of the Ghost — with a fifth product on the horizon. As TASSA-approved installers (Member No. 0009) who have fitted every generation across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, here’s our guide to how the range has developed and which Ghost suits your vehicle.
Ghost 1 — the original that started it all
The first Ghost did something nobody had done before: instead of adding an alarm or a visible immobiliser that thieves could hunt down and rip out, it spoke directly to the vehicle’s CAN-bus — the internal network that every modern car’s systems use to talk to each other. The engine simply would not start until a unique PIN sequence was pressed on the car’s own buttons: steering wheel, door panels, centre console.
Because it emitted no radio signals and cut no wires, the original Ghost was invisible to the diagnostic kit and RF scanners thieves rely on. Even with your keys in hand, a thief couldn’t drive the car away. It set the template every later generation has followed.
Ghost-II — TASSA verification and the smartphone era
The Ghost-II took the original concept and made it both more convenient and more credible to insurers. The headline improvements:
TASSA verification — the Ghost-II is verified by TASSA (the Tracker and Aftermarket Security Systems Association), meaning it must be fitted by vetted, DBS-checked installers and is formally recognised by insurers. Every installation is registered and certificated.
Smartphone pairing — the Autowatch Ghost-II app lets you get in and drive without entering your PIN, with the phone acting as your authorisation.
International Security Register — unique vehicle marking linked to the ISR, used by insurers across Europe.
Refined service/valet mode — hand the car to a garage or valet without ever revealing your PIN, plus a secure emergency code if you ever forget your sequence.
The Ghost-II remains the workhorse of the range and is still the right choice for a huge number of vehicles on the road today.
Ghost Pro — dual-CAN hardware and two-stage security
As vehicles grew more complex — often running more than one CAN network — Autowatch answered with the Ghost Pro. Two things set it apart:
Dual-CAN architecture — the Pro can sit across two CAN networks at once, opening up newer and more sophisticated vehicles that a single-channel unit can’t fully protect.
Two-stage driver authorisation — as well as your PIN sequence, the Pro supports a Bluetooth driver tag, so the car demands both the tag’s presence and the correct code. Two locks instead of one.
Add stronger encryption and improved resistance to the diagnostic tools used in modern theft, and the Ghost Pro is the natural choice for late-model vehicles that need more than the standard Ghost-II can offer.
Ghost FD — built for the newest cars on the road
The latest generation exists because the cars themselves have changed. Vehicles arriving from around 2024 onwards increasingly use CAN FD (“Flexible Data-rate”) — a faster evolution of the CAN-bus carrying up to 64 bytes per frame. Earlier Ghost hardware simply cannot speak that language, so Autowatch engineered the Ghost FD to protect these newest platforms.
Native CAN FD support, alongside legacy CAN — so it covers the newest SUVs, EVs and luxury models as well as the outgoing generation.
Digital engine blocking over CAN/LIN — immobilisation woven even deeper into the vehicle’s electronics.
Disarm your way — PIN sequence, Bluetooth tag or smartphone.
Smart immobilisation — factory remote functions such as pre-heating and cooling through apps like JLR InControl still work with the Ghost armed. Security without losing the features you paid for.
If you’re driving a brand-new vehicle and have been told an immobiliser “can’t be fitted,” the Ghost FD is very often the answer — compatibility is expanding constantly, and we can check your exact make, model and year.
Every Ghost generation compared
Generation
Network
Disarm methods
Standout features
Best suited to
Ghost 1
CAN
PIN sequence
World-first aftermarket CAN immobiliser; fully covert
Newer, more complex vehicles wanting maximum security
Ghost FD
CAN FD + legacy CAN, blocking via CAN/LIN
PIN, tag or app
Built for 2024+ platforms; smart immobilisation keeps factory remote apps working
The newest SUVs, EVs and luxury models
And next: the Ghost CANBot
Autowatch isn’t standing still. The next addition to the family — the Ghost CANBot — is coming soon, and the full feature set is under wraps until launch. What we can say is that it carries the Ghost pedigree into a new generation of Autowatch technology, and we’re genuinely excited about it. As an approved Autowatch installer we’ll be among the first fitting it — watch this space, and follow us for the announcement the moment it lands.
Which Ghost is right for your car?
That depends entirely on your vehicle’s age, model and network — and that’s exactly the conversation we have every day. Elite Car Security is a family-run, TASSA-approved installer (Member No. 0009) with over 30 years in vehicle security, fitting every current Ghost generation at your home or workplace across Essex, Hertfordshire and London. We’ll tell you honestly which generation your car needs — and if a Ghost isn’t the right fit, we’ll tell you that too and recommend the alternative that is.
Call 03330 129 028 or message us on WhatsApp for a free compatibility check on your exact make, model and year.
Most vehicle security is a compromise between how well it protects your car and how much of a nuisance it is to live with. The Pandora Microbot is Pandora’s answer to that: an immobiliser small enough to hide almost anywhere in a modern vehicle, which you can operate either without thinking about it at all, or with a code only you know.
Here’s what it actually does, who it suits, and — importantly — what’s involved if you need it to satisfy an insurer.
What the Microbot is
The Microbot is a CAN-bus immobiliser. Rather than being spliced into a load of wiring, it talks to your vehicle’s own data network and prevents the engine from starting unless it recognises an authorised driver.
Pandora describe it as the smallest immobiliser of its type on the market, and that isn’t just a marketing line — physical size genuinely matters. A thief working under time pressure has to find the unit before they can attempt to defeat or remove it. A module about the size of a USB stick, fitted somewhere non-obvious by an installer who does this every day, is a very different proposition to a box sitting where everyone knows to look.
It’s also worth being clear about what it isn’t. The Microbot is an immobiliser, not an alarm and not a tracker. It stops the car being driven away. It won’t sound a siren, and it won’t tell you where the vehicle is. For most of our customers that’s exactly the right starting point — but if you want alerting or recovery as well, that’s a conversation about pairing it with a tracker.
How you operate it
The Microbot doesn’t force you into one way of working, and that flexibility is a big part of its appeal.
A PIN through the car’s own buttons
You can set a personal PIN entered using the steering wheel or dashboard buttons already in the vehicle. Nothing is added to the interior — no keypad, no extra hardware, nothing to give the game away. On its own, this makes for a very effective covert immobiliser: even someone holding your genuine keys can’t drive the car away.
The encrypted Bluetooth tag
The system is supplied with a 128-bit encrypted tag that lives on your keyring or in your pocket. Tag present, the car starts normally — you’d never know the system was fitted. Tag absent, it doesn’t start.
Run together, they close a gap that a lot of immobilisers quietly ignore. If someone takes your keys and your tag — a burglary, a snatched jacket, a stolen handbag — a thief who has everything they think they need still can’t drive the car away without the code.
The smartphone app
Pandora’s app lets you create and change your PIN whenever you like, without a trip back to the installer. If you’ve lent the car out, or you’re just security-minded, you can rotate the code yourself in seconds.
The Thatcham Cat 2e upgrade — and why it matters
This is the part most listings gloss over, so it’s worth being straight about it.
Fitted as a standard CAN-bus install, the Microbot is an excellent immobiliser. It does its job. But for Thatcham Category 2e certification, an additional relay module is installed alongside it — a separate, physical immobilisation circuit rather than data-network blocking alone.
That’s a deliberate design decision, not a shortcoming. Physical relay immobilisation is harder to bypass than a purely digital cut: there’s more for a thief to find, and more to physically defeat. It’s why the certified configuration calls for it.
So there are effectively two ways to have a Microbot fitted:
Standard install
With relay module
Immobilisation
CAN-bus blocking
CAN-bus plus physical relay circuit
Operation
PIN and/or encrypted tag
PIN and/or encrypted tag
Thatcham Cat 2e
No
Yes
Best for
Owners wanting strong covert security
Owners who need certification for insurance
Which do you need? If your insurer has specified a Thatcham Category 2 immobiliser as a condition of cover, you need the relay upgrade — there’s no way around that, and we’d never tell you otherwise to save you a few pounds. If you’re fitting security because you want the car protected and your insurer hasn’t asked for anything specific, the standard install may be all you need.
Ask your insurer first. It’s a two-minute phone call and it determines which quote is the right one.
A word on insurance and installation
Briefly, on what the categories mean: Thatcham is the UK motor insurance industry’s research centre, and their categories are the shorthand insurers use for aftermarket security. Category 2 covers electronic immobilisers; the “e” denotes an electronically operated immobiliser assessed to that standard.
Whether certification earns you a premium reduction depends entirely on your insurer, your vehicle and your postcode. Some reduce, some simply require it before they’ll quote at all on high-theft-risk models, and some do neither. Anyone who promises you a specific saving before you’ve spoken to your insurer is guessing.
One thing that’s often overlooked: insurers and Thatcham both expect professional installation. A certified device fitted badly is not a certified installation. That’s why we register every job through TASSA (we’re TASSA-approved, member no. 0009), which gives you an independent, verifiable record that the system was fitted properly by an approved installer — the paperwork that actually holds up at claim time.
Which vehicles it suits
Because it works over CAN-bus, the Microbot is aimed at reasonably modern vehicles. Fitment is model-dependent, so the honest answer to “will it work on mine?” is that we check your exact make, model and year before quoting rather than guessing.
It tends to make most sense for:
Keyless-entry cars vulnerable to relay attack, where the factory system is the weak point
Owners who want protection that’s invisible day to day, not another routine to remember
Anyone whose insurer has asked for a Thatcham Cat 2 immobiliser as a condition of cover
Drivers who want a code-based backstop in case keys are stolen
How it compares to the alternatives we fit
We’re not tied to one manufacturer, which means we’ll tell you when something else is the better fit.
The Autowatch Ghost II works on a PIN entered through existing vehicle buttons, with no tag at all — some people prefer having nothing extra to carry or lose.
The Nitro Pro CAN-IMMO is our usual recommendation for Toyota and Lexus owners in particular, where it has very strong coverage.
The Microbot sits between the two philosophies: PIN or tag, whichever suits how you use the car, with the relay upgrade available when certification matters.
There’s no universally correct answer. It depends on your vehicle, your insurer’s requirements and, frankly, how you like to live with your car. That’s the conversation we’d rather have with you before you commit to anything.
Fitted at your home or workplace
We’re a family-run business with over 30 years in vehicle security, covering Essex, Hertfordshire and North London from our base in Cheshunt. Everything we fit is installed by us — no subcontractors — at your home or workplace, so you don’t lose a day to a garage visit.
If you’d like to talk through whether the Microbot is right for your vehicle, or you want a straight comparison against the Ghost II or Nitro Pro, give us a call.
Get a Pandora Microbot quote
Call 03330 129 028 or WhatsApp 07506 555 717 for honest advice and a fixed quote. Mobile fitting across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London.
If you’ve recently tried to insure a Toyota or Lexus — or received a renewal letter with new security conditions attached — you may have come across a requirement you’ve never seen before: your insurer wants a TASSA-approved immobiliser fitted before they’ll cover the vehicle.
You’re not alone. This is now one of the most common questions we get asked at Elite Car Security, and in this post we’ll explain exactly what it means, why insurers are asking for it, and which systems tick the box.
Why Are Insurers Asking for TASSA-Approved Immobilisers?
Keyless car theft has soared in recent years, and certain vehicles are targeted far more than others. Toyota and Lexus models — including the RAV4, Land Cruiser, Hilux, C-HR, RX and NX — have been hit particularly hard, with thieves using relay attacks and CAN bus injection to steal them in under a minute, without ever touching your keys.
As a result, many insurers now either refuse cover, charge significantly higher premiums, or make cover conditional on an approved aftermarket immobiliser being professionally fitted. TASSA (the Tracker and Aftermarket Security Systems Association) is the accreditation scheme insurers trust — it verifies both the security product itself and the installer fitting it, with your installation logged on a national register that insurers can check.
If your policy documents mention a “TASSA-verified immobiliser”, “S5-registered installer” or “approved aftermarket immobiliser”, this is what they’re talking about.
The Solution: Two TASSA-Approved Immobilisers, Professionally Fitted
Elite Car Security is a TASSA-approved installer (Member No. 0009) with over 30 years in vehicle security. We fit two of the best immobilisers on the market — both TASSA approved, both insurer recognised:
Autowatch Ghost II Immobiliser
The Ghost II is the UK’s best-known aftermarket immobiliser. It’s completely invisible — no cut wires, no extra fobs, no LED giveaways. The vehicle simply will not start unless your unique PIN sequence is entered using the buttons already in your car. It protects against key cloning, key theft and OBD hacking, and suits a huge range of makes and models.
Nitro Pro CAN-IMMO — Our Recommendation for Toyota & Lexus
If you drive a Toyota or Lexus, the Nitro Pro is the system we recommend. It has been developed specifically with these vehicles in mind and works flawlessly with them, integrating seamlessly with the vehicle’s CAN network to deliver fantastic protection against the theft methods currently targeting these models — including CAN injection attacks through the headlight or bumper wiring, which have become the number one way Toyotas and Lexus are stolen.
We fit a large number of Nitro Pro systems to Toyota and Lexus vehicles every month across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London, and it has proven itself time and again as the right tool for the job.
See the Nitro Pro in Action
The Nitro Pro CAN-IMMO demonstrated on a Toyota by Elite Car Security.
What Happens at Installation?
Mobile fitting at your home or workplace — we come to you anywhere in Essex, Hertfordshire or North London
Discreet, professional installation with no damage to your vehicle and no visible signs a system is fitted
TASSA registration and certification — your installation is logged on the TASSA register, giving your insurer the proof they need
Full handover and demonstration so you know exactly how to use your new system before we leave
Not Sure What Your Policy Requires?
Insurance wording can be confusing. If you’re unsure whether your policy requires a TASSA-approved system — or which immobiliser is right for your vehicle — give us a call and we’ll talk it through with you, no obligation. We’ve been securing vehicles for over 30 years and we’ll give you honest advice on the best option for your car.
Call Elite Car Security on 03330 129 028 or message us on WhatsApp: 07506 555 717 — covering Essex, Hertfordshire and North London with a fully mobile fitting service.
If you’ve just taken delivery of the new Mercedes CLA petrol hybrid and you’ve been told it can’t have a CAN-bus immobiliser fitted — we have good news. It can. In June 2026, Elite Car Security became the first company to secure one of these vehicles with a CAN-bus immobiliser, using the Nitro Pro CAN-IMMO. As far as we’re aware, nobody else had managed it before us — and plenty are still struggling now.
Why the New CLA Is Causing Installers Problems
Every new generation of vehicle brings new electronics, and the latest CLA is no exception. Its CAN-bus architecture doesn’t behave like the cars installers are used to, which is why so many installation companies — and even the immobiliser manufacturers themselves — have been telling CLA owners that there’s no solution yet for the new petrol hybrid.
Here’s the honest truth about how we got there first: it wasn’t the product that cracked it. Off the shelf, no immobiliser was ready for this car. It came down to our skills and expertise — more than 30 years of working inside vehicle electrical systems — and a willingness to work directly with the manufacturers to develop a solution that actually works on this vehicle. Together we got it secured, properly.
How the Finished Install Works
The car itself is awesome, and the install went great. The immobilisation works exactly as it should: the engine will not start until the correct PIN sequence is entered on the car’s own buttons, and the CLA has more than enough buttons to set a long, genuinely secure PIN code. No fob, no tag, nothing for a thief to clone or relay — the same covert protection we fit on Toyota and Lexus vehicles with the Nitro Pro every week.
Being honest, as we always are: on the current version, the disarm notification is done with a buzzer, and we think that deserves improving. We’d like to see digital indication on this vehicle, and we’re continuing to work with the manufacturers on a new file to make that happen. In the meantime, there’s a working fix in place — the protection itself is rock solid, and the buzzer does its job.
Been Told Your CLA Can’t Be Done?
If you’re looking to protect your new Mercedes CLA petrol hybrid and you’ve been told it’s not compatible — it is. We’ve done it, and we can do yours. We fit at your home or workplace across Essex, Hertfordshire and London. Call 03330 129 028 or get in touch and we’ll get you sorted.
Watch the Full Installation
See exactly how the UK’s first PIN code immobiliser on the new Mercedes CLA petrol hybrid works:
