Posted on 03/18/2016 7:14:32 PM PDT by Olog-hai
The German Automotive Club (ADAC) tested 24 different cars with the new Keyless Go technology for safety. The result: all of the cars could be stolen with one easy trick. […]
In a report released Thursday, the ADAC tested 24 car models from 2015 from 19 different manufacturers, including Audi, BMW, VW, Toyota, Renault, and Ford.
The results were damning. They managed to illegally open every single car and drive it away within a few seconds.
“All you need to do is extend the transmission range of the key from two or three meters to a few hundred meters. The car thinks that the owner is nearby, unlocks the doors and starts its engine — all without any trace of a break-in.” said Arnulf Thiemel, car technician at the ADAC. …
(Excerpt) Read more at thelocal.de ...
I find the keyless systems very convenient.
Ignition system is not required.
I have a 1972 Ford F-250 truck I leave unlocked all the time. I guess car thieves are picky. Thanks for posting the article, because my wife and kids all have cars with key-less entry.
My ‘95 Tbird with the toasty paint is pretty safe too. But my wife’s car is probably a sitting duck with all the latest and greatest Ford updates.
It’s not exactly the same thing as keyless entry. With this sytem, they key fob is detected by the car when you get withing range (normally a few feet), without you having to press any buttons. The thieves extend the range somehow, to 100 meters or so. So while you are far enough away not to notice, but close enough for the car to unlock and start, allowing them to just hop in and drive away.
Convenient for the crooks too, apparently.
Obtaining the right electronic key is still an issue. Or is the keycode reused often enough that a large lot of cars is likely to have a match to your key?
I really miss my 70 F250....Where do you park your 72?
That’s clever, but I wonder how hard is it to restart the car after it has been driven out of the ranges of the owner’s key and the extender.
In a few years, actual metal key style ignition switches will be as big a theft deterrent as a column-shifted manual transmission.
Haven’t seen a “three on the tree” in years.
I believe the systems are fail-safe, meaning that a key that becomes invisible to the car’s sensors while driving doesn’t trigger anything beyond “key not found” messages. You can drive for as long as you leave the engine running, the car will assume that it’s just a dead key battery.
Yeah, the latest one I’ve encountered was a mid-’70s car. Ford Maverick with a straight six.
The thief doesn’t need to obtain any key. He uses some signal booster or passive antenna to boost the reception from YOUR key fob. Once the car starts and a driver sits down, it doesn’t need the connection to your key fob anymore, so he just gets in and drives it to the chop shop or wherever.
After you drive 100 miles and shut the stolen car off, how do you restart it?
Last one I drove was a late 60’s Econoline pickup. Had to be the dumbest looking vehicle ever.
The car I learned on. Old Dodge Dart. Was my grandparents, then my aunts then given to me. The linkage always would jamb at a intersection. I’d hop out, pop up the hood, shake the linkage, pop back in place, close the hood and drive off....good times...good times.
I would assume it would keep running. If someone accidently got out with your key or if you dropped it out the window you don't want your car stopping in the middle of the road. So the car thief can drive it anywhere they like and go from there.
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