Is your car now safe?

[david123]

Yes they can open cars by cloning, best thing to do in public places is to central lock your car with the key, that way you don't transmit the code.

 

[RogerP]

Yes they can open cars by cloning, best thing to do in public places is to central lock your car with the key, that way you don't transmit the code.

.. apparently

Early electronic immobilisers had a fixed code that could be copied, but more modern examples have a rotating code, or a calculus based code that has made copying virtually impossible.

.. so if your car is less than about 5 years old it's much more secure from cloners.

 

[chippy1970]

From what I've read it's cars with push to start keyless that are the problem. The manufacturers made it easier to get another key programmed from the car. This is so if you lost your key someone can come along and get the code for the new one from your car. Scumbags have taken advantage of this to steal cars.

Normal remote keys are ok as far as I know

 

[graduate_owner]

So could you get a ham radio transmitter and adjust the frequency until you find the right one to open car doors? That would be very scary.

K

 

[John Brown]

So could you get a ham radio transmitter and adjust the frequency until you find the right one to open car doors? That would be very scary.

K

No. As has been mentioned, car remotes use rolling codes. Transmitting the same one again will not open the car. You can demonstrate this to yourself: Go somewhere a long way away from your car, and then operate the remote fob one hundred times(ball park figure...). When you go back to your car, the chances are that your remote won't work anymore, as the car and the remote are "out of synch". You will then have to open the doors manually, put the key in the ignition and go through some sort of ritual to get them back "in synch". Most systems allow keyfobs to be out by (guessing here) 16 or 64 codes, to allow for accidental pocket presses etc.

The only thing you might be able to do with amateur radio equipment(or unilecensed, illegal kit) is to effectively jam someones remote locking, so that they believe that they have locked the car, but actually they haven't. If they don't notice the lack of beeps/flashes etc. Then you might be able to gain access, although you still have the problem of starting the car and disabling the immobilizer.

 

[RogerS]

Interesting thread. I've found that the renewal price on our cars has remained almost the same for the last few years and so never bother to use a comparison site as the premiums I already pay are pretty competitive whenever I have tried a comparison. For a laugh though I sometimes get a quote from Direct..."we don't go on comparison sites"....Line. Always twice what I am paying. Now I know why they don't go on comparison sites!

My only gripe is the windscreen excesses which seem a bit high TBH. Oh yes...we don't have theft cover on out elderly 2000 Honda S2000 (and still less than 20k on the clock!) as the insurance company want us to put a Tacker on the car. Cost of the Tracker is more than the insurance! I'll take the risk...