Kessy

[Karman]

While I wait in anticipation for my skoda to arrive I was wondering how secure kessy is now which is fitted to the edition.

Do I get those key pouches to stop the hackers or is it more secure now? What are others thoughts on this?

[nicknorman]

Probably not very secure if you are targeted with a range extender. You can either put your keys in a metal box /shielded pouch, or keep the key away from the area where the car is parked - eg if the car is parked at the front of the house, put the key at the back of the house. Or get an old fashioned steering lock!

 

I don’t know if the shape of the keys has changed at all, but be careful with it as I and lots of other people have found it’s easy to open the boot when eg bending over with the key in a pocket - the boot button seems to protrude a bit and generally squishing the key can operate the button. I have a powered tailgate and found the boot open (in the pouring rain in one case) when I went out to the car. I now keep it in a leather key holder which has eliminated the problem, and isn’t an inconvenience because you don’t actually need to use the key fob, you just need to have it on your person

[Rifleman]

I have fitted a small key-safe in our utility cupboard and always keep the keys in there when not in use at home. At work it’s not a problem as the office is a fair distance from the car park. When on holiday with car parked close by I use one of the pouches you mentioned. You can never be too careful with wireless devices...

[Karman]

Thanks I appreciate your advice, I will definitely get those pouches now. So I take it kessy most vulnerable to range extenders so what do you do at public car parking in town etc?

[Rifleman]

A range extender works by sitting between your car and your keys re-transmitting the signals that get passed to and from each other. When at home, car on drive, keys in house, both stationary, range short so the range extender works a treat. With your car in a public car park, you a fair distance away from it and in and out of shops etc the would be thief has a much harder job to get in the sweet-spot for the range extender to work. 

You can never be 100% secure but you can at least minimise the risks. You could put the key into a pouch as soon as you have locked the car and put it in your pocket I guess, can’t see much more you could do...

[Karman]

Rifleman,

Thanks for that, I knew cars are being stolen with the kessy system, not sure how to be honest, not having the system before I never paid much attention to it.

[Janner74]

I see from the manual that you can disable kessy. I'm going to do that while I'm at home. Currently the technology used by thieves has a range of a metre or two but experts are warning that that will rise as technology advances. 

[Karman]

Makes you wonder why manufacturers persists with it when they know it’s so vulnerable, or at least improve the technology.

[Nicky_P]

9 minutes ago, Karman said:

Makes you wonder why manufacturers persists with it when they know it’s so vulnerable, or at least improve the technology.

 

I like it the convienence if offers, much prefer it to faffing about with keys and life is too short to worry about the rare chance somebody will target my car.

There are lads always banging on about it on a Golf R forum I'm a member of and of all the thefts reported on there, all have been via key theft, not by hacking the keyless system.

 

 

[Janner74]

25 minutes ago, Nicky_P said:

 

I like it the convienence if offers, much prefer it to faffing about with keys and life is too short to worry about the rare chance somebody will target my car.

There are lads always banging on about it on a Golf R forum I'm a member of and of all the thefts reported on there, all have been via key theft, not by hacking the keyless system.

 

 

Me too. I've wanted KESSY for ages. I don't mind disabling mine at home as I tend to have the key in my hand as I walk out the door. 

[nicknorman]

It is very convenient. I just keep the key in my pocket and never need to get it out.

 

I had to hire a car recently, it had a funny key thing that you had to press buttons on, unfurl an actual key and poke it into a hole. What a pain! Ridiculous!

[Bowdie]

If you're a pouch person, you can keep the key in the pouch permanently as you don't need it to lock the car

[eribaMotters]

Must say I don't like the idea of Kessy. When away on holiday with the caravan the car is obviously parked close by. We take both sets of keys with us so that is two sets of keys to shield.

 

Colin

[Rifleman]

2 hours ago, eribaMotters said:

Must say I don't like the idea of Kessy. When away on holiday with the caravan the car is obviously parked close by. We take both sets of keys with us so that is two sets of keys to shield.

 

Colin

You could buy a small lockable "cash tin" and take that with you. As long as it's a good quality metal one it should provide enough shielding...

[Englando]

25 minutes ago, Rifleman said:

You could buy a small lockable "cash tin" and take that with you. As long as it's a good quality metal one it should provide enough shielding...

 

Or turn it off and use the button on the fob instead?  Think this is what I'll do, although it depends if you still have the same issue with the keyless ignition.  I saw somewhere that the key has to be inside the vehicle for the ignition to work, does anyone know if this is the case?  I assume a signal amplifier will still be a risk, if a thief can get the door open another way?

[Kenny R]

3 hours ago, eribaMotters said:

Must say I don't like the idea of Kessy. When away on holiday with the caravan the car is obviously parked close by. We take both sets of keys with us so that is two sets of keys to shield.

 

Colin

It’s only around £8 for a pack of 2 highly rated Faraday cage shielded  pouches from Amazon.

[Karman]

I have bought 2 pouches ready for when I get the car, cost me around 8 quid for 2.

At least it gives me a little piece of mind.

[penguin17]

1 hour ago, Karman said:

I have bought 2 pouches ready for when I get the car, cost me around 8 quid for 2.

At least it gives me a little piece of mind.

I store mine in one but forgot about the spare so will be putting that in too. 

 

I also bought myself a small leather pouch which the fob is permanently stored in.   It stops me from accidentally opening the boot which is VERY easily done. 

 

The one saving grace is that if some scrote does use a range extender or similar then they can get access to the car without having to get into the house.  They can have my car if they want it that badly but the things that I treasure the most will be tucked up in bed and I'd rather not have them put in harms way. 

[Bowdie]

We're fortunate to have a rare commodity called a garage that we can actually get both cars into so they're always locked away when we're not using them. I never realised that Kessy was such a problem and if it really is then I'm surprised that Insurance company's haven't flagged it as an issue. I guess when we're shopping we're normally too far from the car. We have Comprehensive Insurance and 5 year replacement vehicle Gap Insurance so I'm going along the lines of Penguin17, if they want the car that badly they can have it as long as they leave the missus and me alone.,

[Arkaig]

This German product - the SecuKey 3.0 Pro - might well be the answer, albeit at a cost from £250 upwards: http://bundpol.de/schliesstechnik/secukey.htm

Edited 21 February, 2018 by Arkaig

[Karman]

So it’s not just in this country that’s got the problem.

[Arkaig]

3 minutes ago, Karman said:

So it’s not just in this country that’s got the problem.

 

I'm not certain it is actually a problem in this country yet, but it is probably coming and will likely be directed towards rather more expensive cars than Karocs.

[Karman]

I did read a article the other day and most of the manufacturers recognises that they have a problem with keyless entry and thefts and are working on it to stay ahead of thieves,  but obviously they are not saying what that is and for what ever reason it is to be believed.

[Macdemon]

56 minutes ago, Arkaig said:

This German product - the SecuKey 3.0 Pro - might well be the answer, albeit at a cost from £250 upwards: http://bundpol.de/schliesstechnik/secukey.htm

 

A MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper alternative...........

[vadimo]

is it just me but this system works only half way as in, i can unlock and enter without using remote control but to leave and lock i still need to press remote control