BMW keyless thefts - warning

jimpix12

Just a warning to anyone as I cannot see this posted on the MSE site anywhere, there seems to be a recent wave of BMWs and Audis being taken without the keys through some sort of gadget that plugs into your car's OBD port.

http://www.bmwland.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=135599

Videos:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=688307

Just thought I'd give everyone a head's up, a steering wheel lock seems to be the way forward, or a tracker.

colino

This is a huge talking point on BMW forums, but I'm still one of the cynics. You have to get into the car to get to the data port to use your key cloning tricks and with all beemers having good immobilisers as standard, including anti-jacking, I really don't know how this can be done the way owners say, i.e., keys not present, no broken glass around or low-loaders involved.

marlot

The other way of stealing cars is to block the signal from the remote, so that the driver leaves the car unlocked.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9369783/Thieves-placed-bugs-and-hacked-onboard-computers-of-luxury-cars.html

jimpix12

Drilling of keybarrel seems to be the modus operandi, although some people have demonstrated on youtube how it's done via smashing glass with a small hammer, or jammer also.

I'm surprised by the number of people with new BMWs that don't invest £300 in a tracker, I had one on my M3 before, first thing I did!

cardinalbiggles

The ultimate driving machine eh? Just not you that will be driving it.

Why don't BMW deal with this issue and get it resolved...

colino

I'm guessing all the youtube confirmations are produced by the same people who will swear they can unlock a car with a cut up tennis ball too.

Strider590

I have strong doubts about this whole thing, the ODBII port is a connection to the ECU, it only gives you sensor information and engine fault codes......

Paperbird

It gives access to much more than that. Anything from how many wipes when you use the washers to how the car locks and unlocks with the remote and of course coding a key to the car.

Strider590 wrote: »

I have strong doubts about this whole thing, the ODBII port is a connection to the ECU, it only gives you sensor information and engine fault codes......

vikingaero

colino wrote: »

This is a huge talking point on BMW forums, but I'm still one of the cynics. You have to get into the car to get to the data port to use your key cloning tricks and with all beemers having good immobilisers as standard, including anti-jacking, I really don't know how this can be done the way owners say, i.e., keys not present, no broken glass around or low-loaders involved.

Easy. How many Beemers do you see at hand car washes? I see loads. Leave your keys, do your shopping, have your port probed, lose your car at night.

Strider590

Paperbird wrote: »

It gives access to much more than that. Anything from how many wipes when you use the washers to how the car locks and unlocks with the remote and of course coding a key to the car.

That depends on what the ECU logs and doesn't log....

The key coding for the immobilizer shouldn't be handled by the ECU, there are a number of high profile makes where the transponder is read and decoded by a small unit in the steering column. In Honda's the remote reciever handles all the decoding and simply sends an "ok" or "not ok" signal to the ECU via the CAN bus.

There's no reason why the ECU should even know the key codes.

colino

The data port is the access point for all of the functions of the beemer, with the proper equipment you can even switch on functions that the car, by price sold at, shouldn't have!
My sole dig at all of this is the presumption that they can easily be got into in the first place.