“It’s just wires,” she muttered, unfolding a dog-eared, coffee-stained sheet of paper: .

In the back room of “Retro Auto Security,” a 1987 BMW 325i sat half-disassembled. Its owner, Lena, had just installed a Cobra 4160 alarm system—a classic, no-nonsense unit from the early 2000s. The problem? The siren was silent, the indicators wouldn’t flash, and the central locking was dead.

Chirp. The indicators flashed once. The doors locked. The red LED on the dashboard began its steady, menacing blink.