*This article was originally created by Andrew Skemp. All photos and content are authorized by Andrew. We were very pleased to have Andrew as our customer representative to test our upgraded hood lock system version 2.0, he is an IT and technical support manager at a local manufacturing facility with a background in Mechanical/Mechatronic Engineering.
He is so professional, careful, and detailed to share his installation process and tips on our Jeep Hood Lock System (2.0) with more people. Thanks so much Andrew for sharing such great content with us! 👏👏👏
Overview
I’ve been interested in the Hood Lock system from Lasfit for quite some time now. When I heard that they were releasing a new version 2, I had to check it out! Both their first version and 2nd version have a lot of similarities in function and design, the new one just adds to it.
Other competitor’s systems I’ve seen up this point require keyed replacement latches or (in the case of the gladiator) cutting into honeycomb grill to install a lock in the center. I personally didn’t want to carry around an extra key and the system that used the OEM key wasn’t compatible with the Jeep’s OEM Trail Cam. This is why I’m so excited to try out Lasfit’s solution which requires neither cutting OEM parts nor an additional key.
Lasfit’s system is 100% automatic. Once installed, locking with the key fob (or a button press of the door) automatically locks the hood. You can then unlock the hood by pressing the unlock button on the key fob. Really can’t get simpler than that!
The version 2 system adds some nice improvements over the first. This biggest change is the manual release option. While the system has always had an electronic unlock button, my biggest concern with version 1 was that most unlocking solutions required power. While they provided a cable to pull power from a secondary vehicle to get under your hood in an emergency, a second vehicle isn’t always available. While “possible” to manually unlock the hood, there wasn’t an intuitive way to do it. This wasn’t just a concern for me, but a concern for many others when I scoured forums for input on Lasfit’s system.
With version 2, there is now a cable in the cab that can be pulled to manually release in the event of no vehicle power. For me, this makes the system a much more appealing since I now don’t have to worry about being both stranded and unable to get under my hood. Installation remains the same, although they now include a grommet for routing the hose and manual release cables through the firewall instead of having to drill through the factory grommet.
Items Included
Everything included in the packaging is shown above.
Tools for Installation
Pretty simple list of tools needed for the job.
• 8mm crescent wrench
• 10mm crescent wrench
• 13mm crescent or socket wrench
• Torx crescent or socket wrench (only socket shown above)
• Philips screwdriver
• Wire Cutters (or scissors/knife in a pinch)
• Electrical Tape (optional)
• Plastic Trim tool (optional)
• Clip Removal tool (optional)
• Something to fish the wiring in the interior cabin (not shown, I used a metal coat hanger)
Installation
First, open the hood.
You will notice 6 clips you will need to remove. I used the clip removal tool but a flathead also works.
Once all 6 clips are removed, you can pull the grill straight back away from the vehicle to remove. Typically, for ease of installation you may want to completely remove the grill. In my case, my winch obstructs the bottom clips so I just did the installation with the grill pulled slightly back.
If you would like to remove the grill, continue to pull back to unseat the clips on the bottom.
NOTE:
If you have the Jeep Trail Cam (like I do), you will need to disconnect 2 items before fully removing the grill.
The water line can be disconnected directly behind the camera.
The electrical/wiring is below the driver side headlight.
Next, remove the T30 bolts in the front center of the grill below the hole for the latch.
The bracket for the automatic locking latch now will slide straight on, sandwiched between the arms the T30 bolts were holding. Once you have got it in place, tighten the T30 bolts back down.
Next, you will need to route the air lines. These are marked for ease of installation so you can match the lines when they plug into the controller. The way I handled this was by pressing the line with the white stripe into the side with the blue dot, and the solid black line into the red dot. I found this the easiest since on the controller side the blue air line has a white connector on it and the red air line has a black connector. In actuality, the air lines are exactly the same so as long as you match them on both sides it doesn’t matter.
The connectors lock in place by removing the nut, sliding it onto the air line, press fitting the air line to the 90 degree connector, then locking them in place with the 10 mm crescent wrench.
Next, you will want to route the air lines and manual release cable underneath the drivers side headlight and back towards the firewall. This is where the optional electrical tape is handy to keep all 3 items together. Zip ties are also provided to secure everything in place.
Once you have the cable and air lines up to the firewall, you will remove the old plastic grommet. This can easily be done by locating it under the hood and then going in the vehicle and pushing on it with your fingers to pop it out.
Once you have gotten it out, slide all 3 cables/lines onto the included blue grommet and press it into place.
Now that everything is in place and the cable is routed into the cabin, use more of the included zip ties to keep it secure.
Next, mount the control box to the included plate. Make sure to orient it as shown. Use the included mounting hardware in the order shown (screw, washer, control box, plate, washer, nut). You may need some basic pliers to hold down the nut while you tighten the screw.
Once the plate has been mounted, remove the plastic trim under the steering wheel. You can use a trim removal tool or a firm pull with your hands to remove it. You will see an open location for the included square nut and bolt. There is another smaller bolt you will need to loosen (not remove) with an 8mm crescent wrench to slide the plate on. Additionally, I found it easier to disconnect the connectors in the photo when mounting.
The square nut has double sided tape so that you can place it behind the hole, and then use the included bolt and a 13mm socket/wrench to tighten down the plate.
Once you have slid the control box into place tighten down ONLY the larger bolt. You can now grab the button and slide the manual release cable into its housing as shown.
Note: Although possible to slide the control box in without doing this, I found it easier to unplug the OEM connectors in the image below and move these cables temporarily out of the way before doing so.
The button will then slide over the smaller (still loosened) bolt. Once you have slid it into place grab the 8mm crescent wrench to tighten it down. There is not a lot of space, but with patience and a small crescent wrench you should be able to tighten it down. Both the plate and button should now be fully secured.
Now, move on to the quick disconnect air lines coming out of the side of the control box. Connect the air lines you routed from the engine bay and press fit them into these connectors. The line with the white strip will go to the white connector/blue air line; the solid black air line will to go the solid black connector/red air line.
Once that is complete, you can now plug in the OBDII harness into the OBDII connector (seen below the air lines in the photo above). Route the wires up and away from the pedals and plug in the large white connector to the control box, one of the smaller connectors to the button (they should be color coded) and then plug the cables back in you previously disconnected for the control box installation.
You should have one cable left. This will need to be routed to the passenger side behind the glove box. I used a metal coat hanger that I straightened out. You can see below where I fished the wire through. In my vehicle if you feel around that area there should be a harness that follows that same path. Once the coat hanger/stick/whatever you have is fished through you can tape the connector to the wire and pull it to the other side.
Once the wire is on the other side, remove the glove compartment to expose sockets to connect to the canbus. You can then pull the wire up and plug it into an open socket.
Installation is now complete!
The next step is to make sure the system is properly communicating with the vehicle. In order to do that follow the below steps:
1. Start vehicle with engine running
2. Wait 60 seconds
3. Turn vehicle off
4. Place the vehicle in the run position (without starting engine)
5. Turn vehicle back on.
Below shows the position of the Lasfit locking arm/lever when in both positions:
Locked
Unlocked
Summary
I’ve now been using the system for the last few weeks. Overall, I am very extremely with this product. The best thing I can say about it is that it does exactly what it supposed to do without any effort on my part. I’ve randomly tried to open the hood when I expected it to be locked and it was. I’ve done the same thing randomly when it was supposed to be unlocked and it was.
If I had to nitpick one thing, it is worth mentioning that you can hear the pump activate for a few seconds while inside the vehicle when unlocking/locking. This noise is VERY minor, and I would never have even come across it if I wasn’t spending time thoroughly testing the system. With the windows up and my ear pressed against the vehicle I can’t hear it at all from the outside; that’s how quiet it is.
Overall, everything is seamless and I don’t have any extra keys or locks I need to adjust every time I get under the hood which is why I wanted this product in the first place. With the improvements of the manual release cable, there really isn’t anything more I could ask of this lock system and I would definitely install it again if I trade in this vehicle or had another Jeep that needed one.
*Hopefully, this helps you out if you're in the market for some new hood locks/latches and/or are curious about the LASFIT Stealth Anti-Theft Hood Lock. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.
💭Questions or Comments? Leave them below!
