Coder rogered
I live in SW London and for the 2nd time in 18 months I have suffered an overnight theft (small, loose items only - sunglasses, parking change etc) from my 2003 BMW 320d saloon (parked on the street). On both occasions my wife and I are virtually 100% certain the car was locked/alarmed, and yet both times there was no sign of forced entry, and the doors have been found unlocked the following morning with the glove box open/items missing. On neither occasion did they gain access to the boot. We reported the matter to Wandsworth police, who told us that it's a common problem with Mercedes, BMW and Audis - somehow thieves have found a way of disabling the alarm/central locking mechanisms to gain entry. Is this something you have heard of before? Are the manufacturers aware of it and, more importantly, doing anything about it? I was under the impression that Audi and BMW were rated very highly in terms of security.
Asked on 19 September 2010 by CJ, Wandsworth
Answered by
Honest John
They probably clone the codes when you are not looking. Or have some other way to get into the cars. The answer is the obvious one not to ever leave anything of value in a car. There has been an EC Directive to manufacturers to release all coding information to independent service and repair specialists, including security codings, something the ACPO vehicle crime unit is well aware of. But it may well be the Directive stops short of releasing immobiliser codings. So they can get in, but can't steal the cars.
Tags:
security
Similar questions
Are trackers worth the money? Do police follow up tracker information?
I saw this posted in a reply by our local police force in response to a query about Faraday pouches. Were you aware they wore out?
Dear Watch Member,
Keyless vehicles are often targeted by criminals...
I own a 2016 Honda CR-V, is this a target car for catalytic converter theft?