Had my VW Touran broken into for the second time in as many weeks. Nothing unusual I suppose? BUT! Both times no sign of forced entry, nothing taken and no damage other than things emptied everywhere. Scene of Crime Officer suggesting that hacked key fob used. Search online reveals new threat and security problem with VW. Add this to the Emission scandal which also affects my car, and I am quickly loosing confidence in what is a good towing car. Anyone else had problems with these type of break ins, and anyone have suggestions as to make car more secure? Feedback, as always appreciated. Wilbur
Ive a Tiguan great car and has been in to get the emission done.I wouldnt worry about the emissions as it can be sorted however,years ago i had a vauxhall viva gt and i had a lot of stuff stolen out of it about once a month it was happening.I was so fed up with it getting broke into that i got a board and hammered some nails through it and put it on the drivers seat under`the seat cover.
One morning i went out to it and sure enough it had been broken into but,nothing as taken as who ever done it got a sair ass when they sat on the drivers seat.
Thanks for those taking time to post. Not sure about the humour though. Obviously few have seen articles in the Guardian recently which reveals huge security risk to VW cars. Might seem funny to some but I for one are fed up of it finding my car having all the storage areas emptied and scattered with boxing of forced entry and no alarm sounded. Not just me either two other VW in street also entered with no sign of entry. Hope it never happens to you.
Wilbur, apocryphal stories are all over t'internet. And if the stories were all 100% true, it's be all over the evening news every night. I'm not saying it doesn't happen. But a key press requires an intercept. And the code generated changes each time. I hope it never happens to me. In 15 years of VAG ownership, it never has.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
A vw lock pick is available but requires practice and skill to use. There are also various electronic options in the underworld.
I know an auto locksmith who bought one of these electronic tools at a foreign electronics fair. Apparently the rolling code tech is based on 20 year old military technology and only has 4 algorithms worldwide which have been reverse engineered. Basically they have cracked it. His tool can predict the next code and open the car.
No main dealer is going to admit a security flaw in their products.
Anything that becomes mainstream eventually gets overcome.
Must say that I am surprised by the apparent dismissal that problems with VW security is not a concern for some. Yes. The internet does have many websites highlighting the issue. Many of them from very reputable sources including BBC. Don't take my word for it though, check it out yourself. Simply google "VW car security issues" and see what comes up. I have found in the past in doing research that if only one or two authors raise the same subject, you could still be sceptical, but when many sources come up with the same thing, you need to "wake up and smell the coffee." Anyway, I have tried to let others in this site know that there are problems and shall leave them to come to their own conclusions, though would pose a final thought .... how are people going to manage an insurance claim when entry can be gained to a locked car without force or damage? I now leave this debate for others.
If your car has been opened twice when parked in same area it does suggest it may be the same person using same hacked fob. So at very least get your key reprogrammed if you have not done so already.
No-one's "dismissing" the issue. And you do the community a service by raising it here.
I'm perfectly aware that after the report was released there's thousands of pages on the topic, most dated 11th or 12th August, with not a lot since then. And most of those pages report the research, rather than actual examples out in the real world. I appreciate something has happened to you.
I don't know about VW recalls. I do know my neighbour's Golf shares a lot of the same stuff as my car, and I know that Skoda have not issued a recall for mine.
I posted the link above for balance. You cite the BBC. It's worth bearing in mind that this is research work and even the BBC quote "You'd need some academic-level knowledge of cryptography to be able to do this" and "there are at least ten more, very widespread hacking schemes affecting various other car brands" and that "starting the car's engine with this attack was not possible".
As I said facetiously at the start, the best security my car has is the badge.
I'm not concerned. You clearly are, and have done a service by highlighting it.
The best course of action remains:
1. Leave nothing of value in the car, and certainly not in view.
2. Choose a parking spot with care.
3. Check the car has actually locked before walking away.
4. Have your keys re-done, whatever that is, if that's feasible.
5. Monitor VW's recall page.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
Someone walked right up to our Ford Transit and opened the back door and had a look in.It was parked on a supermarket car park at the time about 5 o clock pm.Someone did take the reg of the car the lads were in and we did report it.That was 5 weeks ago.Heard nothing off cctv in store or the police.
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Topic: VW Break Ins
