Sorry if this is the wrong forum but it seems cars that are not keyless technology can simply be taken from outside the owners house WITHOUT the alarm going off.

 

I heard this is possible in 'keyless' but not the older types?? But this is 2011 Monte MK2 taken from Accrington Area Friday night.

The owner is completely bemused the keys have not been stolen and desperately wants the car back.

 

After a spate of thefts in the North west Area, numerous Seats have also gone missing along with this Skoda MK2.

 

How is this even possible? I know there was a report on Manchester gangs stealing to order 'white german cars' for the middle east, but it seems the problem has spread to Skoda and the organised thieves are targeting the German (VW) range. 

 

The only defence it seems is the old fashioned steering lock!!!

 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/thieves-now-targeting-white-cars-13723825

 

 

 

 

I'd reckon that is correct, I have a machined block locked onto the diagnostic port on my 2011 Audi S4 and also fit a disklok when away from home, now I would have thought that my 2011 car is old enough to be out of danger, but not so it seems, which is a nuisance - that car does not have keyless entry.

 

Only issue I have with the car you have mentioned is, that I think that it has a mechanical steering lock, if that is correct, then connecting via the diagnostic port might let someone bypass the immobiliser, and maybe simulate the start function but they would need to break the steering lock to drive that car away, I think, maybe they are just dragging them onto a trailer.

Seems the steering lock can be bypassed by cutting around the steering wheel although it will slow them down. Below is another VW stolen (they got the car back not sure of model)

Since  i have an old style handbrake is there one of those 'handbrake to gear stick devices'. Only thing is never seen one to fit a DSG.

I suppose even in P a car can be dragged onto a trailer....

 

 

Only thing I'd question is why risk it for a 2011 Monte? what was special about it? Surely there's not a lot of cash value and demand for the risk. I can see the point if it was a top end motor.....Seems a strange case.

 

Not nice either way lets hope it turns up.

If nothing to do with Exporting to Right Hand Drive countries abroad and just those buying 'Insurance Write Offs' and doing 'Ringers' then Solid Colours are handy.

Whites, Reds nice easy touch ups and just run a 'clone plate' about, cloak of invisibility!

 

Or 'taking without owners consent' and breaking for parts to 'export' to continental Europe or further afield or just selling on Gumtree / Ebay etc.

Monte Carlo trim and lights etc are in high enough demand.

2 hours ago, Mickmartin said:

Only thing I'd question is why risk it for a 2011 Monte? what was special about it? Surely there's not a lot of cash value and demand for the risk. I can see the point if it was a top end motor.....Seems a strange case.

 

Not nice either way lets hope it turns up.

The owner only had 1 set of keys and now had to send them to insurance. The crime forum I follow in Lancashire has a hell of a lot of German cars go missing, has the alarm coding been broken in some way with hacked software?How can the thatcham alarm simply not work?  Car was seen speeding away so wasn't towed off onto a lorry

Thousands of stolen cars running around daily on velcro attached disposable number plates, which get binned and swapped after every pump and run. Choose a common colour to avoid detection. White is often the free option so lots around.

 

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15 minutes ago, Kobayashi said:

The owner only had 1 set of keys and now had to send them to insurance. 

 

That's probably how it was stolen. No hi tech involved just the missing key.

 

Also possible very easy to clone your keys by a rogue tech while your car is in for service/repair.

Car washes, airport parking, valet parking, cars in for a MOT, or tyres / exhaust. 

Lots of people in lots of places get access to others keys and a chance to copy  & maybe names and addresses including people at Dealers / Traders. 

Edited 18 December, 20187 yr by Skoffski

45 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

Car washes, airport parking, valet parking, cars in for a MOT, or tyres / exhaust. 

Lots of people in lots of places get access to others keys and a chance to copy  & maybe names and addresses including people at Dealers / Traders. 

 I thought there would be more to it than simply 'key copy'. I thought keys coded to engine. I mean anyone can scan and 3d print a key these days but surely might get in the car but not start it and be able to drive off?

I think i could pinch your car rather easily.  As long as all is well with the car....   

 More chance of flat batteries stopping toe rags getting in and driving away.

Apparently immobiliser can be deactivated via OBD port

 

https://www.advanced-incar.co.uk/2017/03/09/keyless-entry-obd-port-theft-protect/

Get into the habit of putting car keys into Faraday bag.

18 minutes ago, spartacus68 said:

Get into the habit of putting car keys into Faraday bag.

 

That's only for kessy. The OP was referring to a car with conventional key.

I know problem exists on keyless but didn't think it could be done so easy on traditional key though OBD2?  I suppose all it would need is a laptop with pre programmed access codes, thatcham alarm might sound but most people ignore it don't hear 30 secs done and off!

A Monte in my opinion is neither worth much value or makes a good getaway car so I'm still baffled to why it would be stolen to order or why they would risk it for a lower standard of car, Maybe opportunistic?

 

Hope its located or returned either way, As said it only had one set of keys........First place I'd check was the previous owner.

Heres the VIN maybe it will turn up somewhere one day, the owner is still hopefull

 

 

 

The "clever" thing about cars nowadays is that the rules have demanded that the OBD port is easily reached from the driver's seat - so, at least with Audi LRJ and many more including I'd think including all the other VW Group cars is, if the car has a factory fitted alarm and so interior monitoring, if you want to take that car away, you should quietly break the driver's side front window, lean in carefully and plug into the OBD port, it seems that you should be able to do that without disturbing the interior monitoring, then your off, remembering of course to leave the car parked tight up against a hedge for a few days to make sure that it has not got a tracking device fitted. How blinking annoying is that, interior monitoring has blind zones just where you need it to work most!!

 

I can see that moving the OBD port across to the centre of the car would help to force these people into needing to disturb the interior monitoring and so set off the alarm, trouble is they have already broken the window, if you fit a steering wheel cover they should see that right away and move onto the next car, which is as much as you can hope for as they will take it away if they really do want it, the steering wheel cover will just save you from the dummies.

47 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

The "clever" thing about cars nowadays is that the rules have demanded that the OBD port is easily reached from the driver's seat - so, at least with Audi LRJ and many more including I'd think including all the other VW Group cars is, if the car has a factory fitted alarm and so interior monitoring, if you want to take that car away, you should quietly break the driver's side front window, lean in carefully and plug into the OBD port, it seems that you should be able to do that without disturbing the interior monitoring, then your off, remembering of course to leave the car parked tight up against a hedge for a few days to make sure that it has not got a tracking device fitted. How blinking annoying is that, interior monitoring has blind zones just where you need it to work most!!

 

I can see that moving the OBD port across to the centre of the car would help to force these people into needing to disturb the interior monitoring and so set off the alarm, trouble is they have already broken the window, if you fit a steering wheel cover they should see that right away and move onto the next car, which is as much as you can hope for as they will take it away if they really do want it, the steering wheel cover will just save you from the dummies.

I think you are right on with this.

I have to pull the drivers seat right back to access OBD port,  it feels hard to reach when your sat in the drivers seat.

But would definitely be easy from outside the car if breaking window doesnt set alarm off 

Definite design flaw for me OBD PORT being so close and in arms reach to the window.

Even the plastic console flicks down easy (when you know how) to get to the port. 

Some people on other forums, like the Audi one, have suggested just buying an OBD port with wire tails from a scrappy, and move the existing one over a bit, that should work as long as you and anyone else that might use to use this port knows that and how to locate it. I'm not sure if using this port will ever come into play with MOT test stations, but you could move it back into its correct place if that did happen, for the duration of the MOT test. Other ploy is to remove any fuses that provide power to that port - that could work as long as these nasty people do not advance their kit to include a 12V power pack, currently, I think, they expect to be able to use the car's 12V as picked up at this port to power their devices - but as I said a while ago, I'd think that all VW Group cars in this sector are still using the ignition key to release the steering lock, so not quite as simple and clean to drive away as it is with other bigger VW Group and others cars that have a solenoid operated steering lock - all KESSY equipped cars must have a solenoid operated steering lock though even on these smaller models.

 

I think that when asked, Audi were quite calm about this potentially security issue and said that something was being done about it, so it did not exist, sometimes these people talk Sh*te though it has to be remembered.

..If they want it bad enough, they will steal it! From a Lads to a Lambo! How they remove it differs but the owner still loses their car! 

I remember someone once, back in the 70's (No-not the warm summer days, the 1970'S), Saying they had stitched fishing hooks into a seat cover and slipped it on when parked up at night. One day, they found a toe-rag stuck to the seat, all cuts and sores. Pulled him out, duffed him up a little more and went on their merry journey.

 

Only a story, mind! 

P.S. That should read from a Lada to a Lambo but it got typo-auto-corrected! DOH!