How did the b**tards get into my car?

[elton121272]

Just came back from a few days business and was really pushed for time and shattered - no excuse I know - anyway locked the car as always and went inside and went to bed.

As per my usual ritual I vividely remember doing the OCD double check on the fob remote from upstairs and saw the lights flash orange.....it was definitely lock.

I then get up this morning and find the car unloocked but worse that someone has been in...rummaged through the whole car and taken some very valuable contents - which I know is my own fault....police, forensics all been round and have said that the perpetrator(s) had been wearing gloves and more than likely used a "scanner" to gain entry?

My question is does anyone know what the hell these are and how they work?

Also has anyone ever came across this before - first I have really heard. When I told my neighbour he said a few had been done recently in the estate through a similar description and its only applicable to certain new spec cars? My wife's Quasqui was fine and locked!?!?

Any help would be appreciated?

Cheers,

PS I would add that there was no damage what so over to the car which going by some stories is a complete blessing.

 

[ja3mie]

no idea what that "scanner" is, but sorry to hear mate!

at least the car is there untouched!

hope the fu**ers get caught!

 

[elton121272]

Thanks Mate.

What do you recon?

snopes.com: Code Grabbers and Remote Keyless Entry

Anyone heard of this?

 

[jasonallen]

I hate hearing stuff like this man, why do people have to tamper with other people's stuff gets me so ****** angry

Hope all is well though buddy

 

[Ads]

Happened to someone else on here, they posted a thread about it a few weeks ago. Exactly the same thing.
Happened to his next door neighbour's Focus on the same night too.

 

[Lings]

There was a thread recently ,I wonder if its the same area? People can scan your fob frequencies and gain entry to your car ,Its probably some one close to you .the only way to stop these people getting into your car is not to own a car .sadly this is the world we live in .Some people go to work in a proper job ,And earn an honest crust ,some people go to work when they need cash ie thieves .dole cheating lazy good for nothing thieving scum bags .When they need a bag of green/bottle of grog they pop out to pop a window or pop into your car ,
The best thing to do is not leave any valuables what so ever in your motor and leave glove box open so they see its empty .or lock the car up in a garage .Other than that nothing is sacred in this day and age .

 

[pluves1]

Sorry to hear about this.

The simple solution (and I know you're going to hate me for saying this) is not to leave any valuables in your car. Then the thief has no excuse to either break in or use a 'grabber'.

Just be thankful that they weren't after your car which happened to us recently. Broke into house and took keys and car. Determined theives will usually get what they want so we just have to try and take all precautions we can to make it more difficult for them. Sadly filling your car with tempting goodies isnt one of them.

 

[simes1]

people have been doing this for years, they stand outside your house and copy the frequency that comes off your fob, one way around it is to lock the car using your key

 

[asasprey]

I have to disagree with the police there. At work we have a couple devices that tell you if the key is sending out a signal, but you have to put the key right next to the device and even then it doesn't tell you the code. A lot of them work on different frequencies anyway, so for the thief it would have to be a lucky guess as to whAt frequency to use. As far as I know there is no machine that can do what you said as I looked into my work buying a key code machine and even then you have to plug it into the obd port, with ignition on and you have to pay with credits too. I think the police were clueless and just told you that so they didn't have to look into it :/

 

[NHN]

If you check on the key, it advises the frequency used, usually 433 mhz, the issue here is how they are copying the rolling auth code which up until now has been almost impossible, seems they've got round it, which tbh given a human created the system, it was inevitable a human would crack it, this does create a slight conundrum for vag & other manufacturers as if this is becoming more often an issue, then they will have to come up with something to counter.

 

[elton121272]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Yes of course I totally accept my responsibility is to leave nothing in the car of value - my usual stereotype comment to everyone else - and on this occassion I got complacent and have paid big time....value of contents was a few k!! Anyway only bricks and mortar and all that and it could have been another scenario so i should be grateful to an extent and more importantly wiser.

Does anyone have the link to the thread mentioned above? I'm keen to know more about these gadgets and how they work. Can you get your own alarm a plug in that sends a text message for example to your phoine when the doors are unlocked..I have heard tabout these alarms systems?!? Apparently the scanner has to catch the signal being sent from the keyfob to the car - which is then replicated afterwards by the perpetrator. I know I locked the car at 1.30am on Friday.

Knowing some of the contents was in a rucksac and a sports bag which isn;t exactly inconspicious in a new built estae in the early hours - I thought I would become a thief to catch one and went out in a wet morning on foot patrol looking for the best route I would take if I didn't want to get caught. About 30mins later, a few inquisitive neighbours that were curious to my antics and scratched and scrapped and going trhough the bushes and undergrowth and I found the b**tards makeshift area for reckying through their finds - at least I did for their evenings takings....with my rucsac showing up soaking wet amongst various non valuable contents - although many were to me...and also many which weren't mine. They even tossed out a pair of G-star jeans I had in my sports bag but took my belt from them to keep - insane!!

The police said it was a pro job but they definitely left of foot so not that much of a pro and either one or two which I would hazzard a guess at being shady wee scumbags from a neighbouring 3rd world estate!

I have way too much to risk hunting down these meaningless scumbags but the thought of becoming "Paul Kersey" for a week is sorely tempting.....any takers!!

Cheers.

 

[RallyX]

Last week in deepest rural Essex where I live there were 41 cars turned over in 3 villages by way of one of these frequency things. They ranged from Merc, Honda, Ford, Vw, Audi, Vauxhall and Bmw. Police said they were using scanners, but this was in the dark of night and not when people had just left their vehicles. They were simply walking up roads and picking on anything they managed to open. Good nights work for the low life scum by all accounts. Also took spare keys from my mates Merc and went off with his wifes Saab Aero Conv.

 

[DaveyB]

It has happened around my area in Bucks also, in fact it has happened in the same car park where I keep the S3. I would also suggest locking it on the key.
No damage is always a good thing, nothing to stop these pathetic excuses of an existence taking a knife to your seats when they don't get what they are after..

 

[Sim]

I had this happen to my mkiv golf as well, it also had no signs of damage.It left me thinking i must have left in unlocked so I spoke to a few other people and they all said have you tried your key in lock since it happend i said no but when i got home to try it i couldnt actually use the lock and there wasnt even a scratch on it .The police said there was four volkswagens done the same night and all the same way , god knows what they put in the lock to open it..

 

[BigBird]

Useful to know about locking it on the key - thanks guys.

However, I've got a question. Having locked it on the key last night, how come the remote keyfob unlocked it okay this morning?

I thought that the idea was that the code betwen the car & the remote keyfob changes every time the car is locked using the keyfob. If the keyfob knows the right code to unlock the car when I've locked it on the physical key rather than the remote keyfob, surely the car can still be scanned / opened up in the same way by some tealeaf?

 

[Ash187]

locking it with the key doesnt activate the alarm does it?
and when you lock it with the fob and open it with the key does the alarm not go off?

 

[DaveyB]

If you lock it on the key and then on the fob(even though it's locked already) does that not activate the alarm?

 

[elton121272]

A few good points and Q's there Big Bird; itwasntme & DaveyB.

I've put a call into the dealership I purchased the car from and will update on their response. Like you I am keen to know what all our best alternative options are here to stop potentially this happening anytime, anywhere - as for most (if not all of us) we do leave something in the car of value at some point whether it nipping out to get fuel, bank, tesco, whatever..... and having a threat like this is enough to put me off owning a car that is a high or probable target.

A question I had was apparently the "scanner" has to pick up on the keyfob code when the doors are locked. If you then hit the keyfob lock again later say that eveing before a potential "unlock scan" is used does this overwrite the original code and result in no unlock or does the original stay in place.

Cheers - providing to be a very interesting thread....

 

[tsporta4]

Ok everyone is going from an electronic perspective i am no expert at vag or any other car. Could it not be a simple case of getting a key cut to open it by getting the lock code ie for example kinda like plastiguage in the lock get the combination cut a key come back the next night.

 

[BigBird]

locking it with the key doesnt activate the alarm does it?
and when you lock it with the fob and open it with the key does the alarm not go off?

No dude - when I lock it on the key, the hazards flash, the red light in the middle of the dash flashes loads and the VAGCOM enabled blip sounds, so I know the alarm is on when I lock it on the physical key.

I have no idea about when you lock it on the fob and open it on the key, coz I'm only doing it the other way around ie locking it on the kay then opening it on the fob.

If you lock it on the key and then on the fob(even though it's locked already) does that not activate the alarm?

No mate - locking with the physical key, then unlocking with the remote leyfob does not sound the alarm.

My query was more about how does the remote keyfob know what the code was when the code is supposed to change each time the car is locked using the leyfob.
Maybe the code hasn't changed since the keyfob was last used, as I'm locking the car on the physical key.

Still no answer though - where's Nige?

 

[Ads]

locking it with the key doesnt activate the alarm does it?
and when you lock it with the fob and open it with the key does the alarm not go off?

Using VCDS you can set certain behaviours for alarm activation/deactivation with fob/key etc.
What your car does depends on how it has been coded in the past, but afaik alarm activation/deactivation is possible for fob and key use.

Sorry if that's providing useless info, I've only skim read this thread.

 

[Ash187]

thanks for that info guys, i thought it was set one way... will need to plug in my VCDS and have a look through at some of the other options. (silent lock on key with alarm enabled - bleep on fob)