Keyless Car Theft Problem

[Jim Koepke]

Not having to take your key out of your pocket may be nice, but it has its downside:


Keyless car entry systems let drivers open and start their cars without taking their key out of their pocket.

Thieves, normally working in pairs, will target a car parked outside a house.

One criminal will hold a device close to the car that boosts the signal meant for the key, while the other thief will stand close to the house with another device that relays that signal to the key, fooling the system.

Once the cars have been stolen, they will be stripped for parts, police say.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47721590

Sometimes all of this high tech stuff doesn't seem to be worth all the extra headaches that come with it.

jtk

[Wade Lippman]

That's why I would never own a car anyone would want to steal.

[Brady Watson]

Keep the insurance topped off and forget about it. They're all going to be trash sooner or later anyway.

The problem here is the fear factor...gotta keep y'all weighed down with CONSTANT worry.

Don't sweat the petty stuff...and don't pet the sweaty stuff :D

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Brady...and Monty Python: "Always look at the bright side of life". :)

And I'd never go back to a "regular key". It drives me bananas when I have to move the vehicle we have our daughter driving because the physical key has to go in the steering column to use the car. Last time I took it for some service, I almost couldn't get the darn key out after I parked in front of the place, which would have been embarrassing. :D

[Ronald Blue]

It would have to be a strong repeater. Ours won't work if you are more than 2-3 feet away. If I forget my key fob and the wife is outside the car I can't start it until she get's in. I think it's hype over nothing. Anything is possible but why sweat it? Brady is correct. Pay your insurance and be happy.

[Doug Garson]

and don't hang your key fob near the front door I agree with Jim after driving a car with keyless ignition I will never go back. Wade and Brady make good points too.

[Frank Pratt]

Having to use a key to get into & start a vehicle is downright uncivilized. My old truck needs a key & that's why I hardly ever drive it anymore. Well, that and the horrible gas mileage.

[Jim Koepke]

Having to use a key to get into & start a vehicle is downright uncivilized.

An old VW bus of mine was easy to get into without a key and a screwdriver would have worked the ignition. That old '57 bus took me, and many others, everywhere.

jtk

[Jim Becker]

My keys hang on a belt loop when I'm dressed and are "just there" so keyless entry and keyless ignition work nicely for me. I only touch the fob when I need to open the back or unlock from a distance. The added benefit is that I am pretty much never at risk of leaving the keys/fob in the vehicle or elsewhere. Professor Dr SWMBO, on the other hand, has a tendency to put hers in seemingly random places which is not a good thing for someone who's at that point in life where minor short term forget-fullness has creeped in. :) Advantage to me for being so anal. LOL

But yea...I have good insurance and like I said previously, I'm not going to worry about this kind of thing. If a thief really is dying for our Subarus...that's their choice.

[Frank Pratt]

An old VW bus of mine was easy to get into without a key and a screwdriver would have worked the ignition. That old '57 bus took me, and many others, everywhere.

jtk

That sounds very civilized. And, no key needed :)

[Matt Day]

But with keyless higher tech cars you can also remotely disable the car. With an app i can turn on my car, disable it, unlock the doors, locate it, set a perimeter the car can go (for monitoring kids) and more. I’m not worried.

[roger wiegand]

I love having keyless ignition, I just use my near-perfect theft preventer:

406779

[Doug Dawson]

and don't hang your key fob near the front door

Keeping your key fob in a metal box (anywhere in the house) will foil some of the schemes. Blocks the signal from the scanners etc.

[Bob Glenn]

BMW motorcycles have this technology. Many riders have walked home when there was a problem with the system. Keep it simple.

[roger wiegand]

BMW motorcycles have this technology. Many riders have walked home when there was a problem with the system. Keep it simple.

I can think of three different occasions when my mechanical key/lock system failed, leaving me unable to use my car. Hasn't happened yet with a keyless system, not to say that it won't. Nothing's perfect, including the tried and true.

[Jerome Stanek]

How long do the batteries last in those keyless fobs. And can someone drive off with your car if you forget to shut it off

[Doug Dawson]

How long do the batteries last in those keyless fobs. And can someone drive off with your car if you forget to shut it off

You'll notice that you have to get closer to the car before you can unlock it. Then you replace the battery.

And if you forget to shut the car off, somebody can drive off with the car, but they won't be able to restart it. But that wouldn't be the main problem. :^)

[Jerome Stanek]

There was an news article about an older couple that came home and left their car running went to bed and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

[Doug Dawson]

There was an news article about an older couple that came home and left their car running went to bed and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Newer cars will beep at you insistently if you exit the car with the key fob, for just this reason.

[Matt Day]

I don’t see how that has to do with the type of key they had. It’s either turn the key to turn off or push a button to turn off. Both those make you do something to turn it off.

[Ronald Blue]

Mine starting giving a message that my key fob battery needed replacing. Ours will only run without the key fob for a preset period of time. I tried leaving it running in cold weather and it shut off. I haven't tried driving without the key fob on my person.

[Dave Cav]

BMW motorcycles have this technology. Many riders have walked home when there was a problem with the system. Keep it simple.

Which is ironic because until the late 60s or early 70s BMW motorcycles could be started with a nail.

[roger wiegand]

How long do the batteries last in those keyless fobs.

I've replaced the battery twice over a 10 year period in my Mini. So, about 4 years in daily use.

[Doug Garson]

I've replaced the battery twice over a 10 year period in my Mini. So, about 4 years in daily use.

Does your Mini have the rechargeable battery in the fob? My wife has a 2013 Countryman JCW with keyless entry and no rechargeable battery in the fob but I recall seeing somewhere that the models without keyless entry recharge the battery when you plug the fob in the dash but the ones with keyless entry don't which I thought odd. Rechargeable batteries would make a lot of sense if you can recharge by plugging in the dash occasionally.

[Jim Becker]

I've found that battery life in fobs varies with the make/model/year and vehicle features for sure. Those that seem to have longer range (like the ones that were associated with my recently sold Grand Cherokee) ate a battery faster than those with seemingly shorter range. That kinda makes sense a little...

[roger wiegand]

Does your Mini have the rechargeable battery in the fob? My wife has a 2013 Countryman JCW with keyless entry and no rechargeable battery in the fob but I recall seeing somewhere that the models without keyless entry recharge the battery when you plug the fob in the dash but the ones with keyless entry don't which I thought odd. Rechargeable batteries would make a lot of sense if you can recharge by plugging in the dash occasionally.

Don't know, I've never plugged it into the slot (that would pretty much defeat the purpose). It uses a medium-size button battery-- can those be recharged? At this point it's not clear whether I'll sell the car before having to buy another two-pack of batteries, so it's not been high on my worry list.

[Ole Anderson]

My 2018 Acadia is my first experience with keyless entry. Took me a while to figure out all of the nuances, but I am really liking it. Now instead of carrying my big ring of keys everywhere, I just keep the fob in my watch pocket. Only annoyance is when I walk away with it running, it honks at me. Probably a good thing.

[Brady Watson]

My 2018 Acadia is my first experience with keyless entry. Took me a while to figure out all of the nuances, but I am really liking it. Now instead of carrying my big ring of keys everywhere, I just keep the fob in my watch pocket. Only annoyance is when I walk away with it running, it honks at me. Probably a good thing.

Same with my little Ford ST 'grocery getter'...At first I was really opposed to the whole push to start ricer 'fan boi' thing...but now, it's pretty darn convenient - especially if you have your hands full of packages.

Now I am finding myself wishing my Duramax had a keyless setup...

[Marshall Harrison]

Keep the insurance topped off and forget about it. They're all going to be trash sooner or later anyway.

The problem here is the fear factor...gotta keep y'all weighed down with CONSTANT worry.

Don't sweat the petty stuff...and don't pet the sweaty stuff :D

I'm with Brady on this. The biggest problem that I have had is that if you push and hold the unlock button on my Lexus fob it will open the sun roof and let the car windows down. This is designed to let the car cool down on hot days. But not a good thing to have happen to you by accident in rainy Florida.

[Doug Garson]

Don't know, I've never plugged it into the slot (that would pretty much defeat the purpose). It uses a medium-size button battery-- can those be recharged? At this point it's not clear whether I'll sell the car before having to buy another two-pack of batteries, so it's not been high on my worry list.
Sounds like they are not rechargeable, with my wife's Mini, the fob records all the vehicle data like any flags set for problems so when it is in for service they just plug the fob into a reader rather than having to plug into the vehicle. This requires plugging the fob in the dash for a short period of time before each service visit to download the data (usually just on the way to the dealer).

[Jim Becker]

I've not seen a fob with rechargeable, yet. They are typically CR2032 or similar button cells, which are inexpensive...especially when you buy a card of them from Amazon or one of the discount box stores.

[Doug Garson]

According to this website, some Minis, BMWs and Range Rovers have rechargeable batteries. https://www.autokeypro.ca/bmwmini-cooperrange-rover-rechargeable-remote-key-fob-service/ There are also rechargeable batteries for fob on Ebay and Amazon.

[Lee DeRaud]

(I'm touching a bunch of topics here, so no quotes.)
On my 2016 Honda, the fob is the transmitter, running constantly at a very low power, just good enough to cover 3-4 feet. It shifts to a higher power when you press a button, letting it work at the 30-40 feet typical of old-style remote fobs. In full-time "pocket" mode, a battery lasts about 18-24 months, but I've heard of people with the same car needing a new battery every year if they use it like a remote instead of leaving it in pocket or purse. You don't need to push a button for the trunk either, as there's a button under the lip with the same 3-4 foot range.
If the battery goes dead, there's an actual key that's part of the fob to unlock the driver's door, and you then start by holding the fob right below the start button. The distance involved points to some kind of RFID reader inside the dash.

And I'm a bit surprised no one has pointed out the single best feature: you simply can not lock the "keys" inside the car. :)