Last week I arrived in Malaga airport only to have my hand luggage stolen in the car rental car park - Unfortunately along with all of my money, passports, driving license, ipod, ipad, camera, tomtom, villa keys, baby's change bag, the list goes on....were the keys to my Octavia vRS.

I return to the UK on Sunday and will have my spare key brought to me at EMA, however I am now worried that as someone has my car keys and address, if they have posted those keys to anyone they know in UK, then it would be easy for them just to take the car from my driveway.

So I have 2 questions:

1) Is it possible to get the car and the existing key 'remapped' so that the stolen one no longer works? (not sure if remapped is the word I'm looking for but you know what I mean)...

2) How much does it cost to get a replacement key?

Replacement key will be between £100 and £150 and take your existing keys along with you.

When you code they new keys, you can wipe all keys and add only the new ones to the immobiliser, so they can't just drive it off.

Great thanks, damn expensive holiday this has been :-(

But they can open it with the key blade and get the ignition on.

In the case of stolen or lost keys the car is provided with a new identity if a lock set is ordered from the part dept. the new numbers are recorded by factory so th old keys won't even open the car.

And how much is the lock set on top of the price of the new keys?

I'm hoping these thieves were just chancers and nothing else will come of it, but can't be too careful...

Edited 2 August, 201213 yr by Mash

Not sure on the price of a lock set, best call and ask. But you need a set for a new identity not a lock set to your key number. Make sure that is clear. No good cutting keys to your existing number.

Check with your insurance some include or add key cover think I pay an extra fiver a year for it and it is separate from the car insurance so won't affect no claims etc

Sent from my Galaxy S2 not a Crapple!

What Ross said is correct, they'd still be able to do that, so a new lock set with a new identity is the correct thing to do, bearing in mind it's with your address. That or move house

If you're worried, short term just find somebody with VCDS in your area (assuming you have your immo code) who can programme the old key out.

I had to get the lock set replaced on my vRS a few years ago when the keys of mine were stolen,

I was dreading the cost, but my local Skoda dealer here in Dublin did the whole job of supplying, replacing the lot and recoding for €350,

I was expecting a bill of around €1k tbh, not nice having to spend money for something you shouldn't have had to pay for in the first place due to this scum, but worth it for the peace of mind imo.

Edited 2 August, 201213 yr by mark_eire

So let me get this straight - you said "When you code they new keys, you can wipe all keys and add only the new ones to the immobiliser, so they can't just drive it off", yet they can still get in and turn the ignition on - but I assume they can't start the engine because of the immobiliser right? Or have I misunderstood? So they can get in the car but they can't start it....

Yes that's correct.

I was expecting a bill of around €1k tbh, not nice having to spend money for something you shouldn't have had to pay for in the first place due to this scum, but worth it for the peace of mind imo.

I've just had to pay out 496 Euros for emergency passports just to get the 4 of us home so the least I can pay the better! (not to mention replacing everything that went missing, changing locks on house etc). Just hope the holiday/home insurance covers some of it...

Do you have credit card insurance? We have sentinal and this covers car keys and locks. Worth checking if you have cover via this route too. Just a thought.

Sorry for the right royal PITA that you are suffering too. A bummer for you hols. Hope you get it sorted without too much grief.

Nick

Will be checking all of our insurances to see what cover we've got - All in all this theft has probably cost us a couple of grand so anything that we can recoup will be be good!

I would think most things will be covered under your travel insurance.

Whereabouts are you located?

Might be worth checking if there's someone local to you who can programme out the old key for you. They would probably do it FOC for you given your predicament. That would in the least stop them from being able to start and drive the car straight off.

Really feel bad for you. Such a horrible thing to happen on your holiday. These sumbags don't realise the knock-on effect it has and don't care of the expense they cause people.

Hope they get what they deserve at some point in life.

Phil

Or one of those steering wheel locks - may just deterr the TS-B should they be part of an international crime ring.

When this happened to a customer, they were advised by their insurance to have a friend/relative move the car and replace the house locks.

A dealer will code out a key for a non-owner, but won't put in a new lock set or code a new key.

In addition, to what Techie said, having a key also gives the thief access to the engine compartment.

I would think most things will be covered under your travel insurance.

Whereabouts are you located?

Might be worth checking if there's someone local to you who can programme out the old key for you. They would probably do it FOC for you given your predicament. That would in the least stop them from being able to start and drive the car straight off.

I live in Northampton, so if anyone is able to help with programming the keys I'd be most grateful, will be back on Sunday...

The car is currently at East Midlands Airport and we've been in touch with the car park to ensure that it isn't taken from there (our car park ticket was in the bag also!) - I'm so hoping that our travel insurance covers everything but have a horrible feeling that it doesn't - I think the wife was more concerned with ensuring we had good cover for cancellations/medical and didn't pay much attention to thefts / loss of possessions so the level of cover on those may be quite low. Maybe the home insurance will cover some of it...I really don't know until we get home :-( Have spent the last 2 weeks fretting about this.

As we really don't know how these thieves work, we had the house locks changed straight away (plus the locks to the villa here in Spain), hopefully they were just opportunists, but the way they did it suggested that they do this regularly, and even the police admitted to us that it happens about 3 times a day in that car park! You'd think it would be safe in a car rental car park, but for some unknown reason they don't have any barriers to get in/out so it's an easy escape.

So let me get this straight - you said "When you code they new keys, you can wipe all keys and add only the new ones to the immobiliser, so they can't just drive it off", yet they can still get in and turn the ignition on - but I assume they can't start the engine because of the immobiliser right? Or have I misunderstood? So they can get in the car but they can't start it....

Correct,

The immobiliser will kill the car when they try and start it, so they can't just drive off.

I think most companies cover for lost or stolen goods of a value minimum 300 bucks. People often buy the cheap travel insurance as the premiums are quite high on some however. Lost or stolen bags are still one thing all premiums cover. You may also notice there is cover for electronics goods as well as lost or stolen as well as cover for currency etc. read the policy front to back and back to front there are always ways to claims more.

I have had my bag stolen few years back and now travel with http://www.ninja-tracking-systems.co.uk/trackers/luggage-tracking

Works quite well I must admit.

Oh dear!

Really feel for you that it's ruined your holiday. I think I would probably feel the same way too.

I hope they catch a nasty rare disease that causes their balls to drop off!

Phil

Replacement house locks will be covered on your house insurance

Contact your local police station, explain you are away & whats been taken, the local plod may well do the odd drive by of your house, if you have a neighbour you get on with let them know. Its extreemly unlikely keys will get back from abroad, probably just opertunist thievers but you never know.

At least it wasnt a physical robbery, you are all safe & its hard but its only money & insurance will cough for some of it

FWIW, if you have not had all your house locks changed yet, if the keys are euro-cylinders, they are a single screw to remove and you might well save yourself a lot of cost by doing so.

Contact your local police station, explain you are away & whats been taken, the local plod may well do the odd drive by of your house, if you have a neighbour you get on with let them know. Its extreemly unlikely keys will get back from abroad, probably just opertunist thievers but you never know.

You can ask. Few years ago ,my dad had a stroke and my sister & I spelled out the first few weeks . She left after me and local police said OK. Next visit, I imformed them that I was visiting .When I left, I called in to let them know house would be empty. Not interested said they.If we take any responsibility etc, we can be held liable. Fortunately he had decent neighbours.

Yeah, was thinking you could get a neighbour to move your car: I have one with a house key for emergencies and could tell them where the master car key is hidden; but if it's not at home and in a airport car park and no ticket, that might make it tricky for them!

Not wishing to pry, but how did they get the bag? Might help others for something to watch out for if you and the local plod are suggesting it's a regular thing: I know i'm a little blase when i'm out & about.