Beware of keyless theft of your i3

[highgater63]

BMW have kept very quiet about how easy it is to steal the i3 without a key. Or any of their keyless cars, apparently.

Our i3 was stolen from our drive this Sunday, CCTV footage show it took about 2 and a half minutes. Hard to see exactly what happened, but the cars lights flashed on and off a few times and then they were driving off...

Now I've done a bit of research online and discovered keyless cars are easy to steal with equipment bought online to re-programme blank keys, by hacking into the on-board diagnostic (OBD) computer port. Apparently 17 cars a day are stolen like this in London alone. 6,283 cars and vans were stolen in London last year by keyless theft, according to the Met.

Thanks, BMW. They think we'll just keep coming back for more?!

So, if you want to keep your car, don't rely on BMW's systems. Lock the car up in a garage or behind a driveway gate, fit a mechanical steering lock and apparently you can also get an on-board diagnostics lock fitted. Also consider Tracker, to find the car via GPS. If you want to risk it and the aggravation involved.

 

[i3an]

Ask BMW if they can tap into the car's GPS. They get an alert if an air bag goes off and such like, or when you hit the God button, so surely Big Bruder is keeping an eye on you.

 

[Schnort]

I suppose looking at your iRemote map doesn't help?

 

[highgater63]

Update on car theft: I phoned BMW customer service and asked if they could trace the car via the iRemote app. They said no, it only has a radius of 1 mile. However, when I checked the app, it was showing the car's location, over 6 miles away. I took a cab to the address shown, and there was my car! I've driven it straight to the dealership because I'm worried if I take it home they'll be back tonight to steal it again.

I need to speak to the insurers, but BMW are saying all the locks will need to be changed and it will be expensive. I'm not sure how that will help if it was so easy to steal in the first place. But I'm getting a gate for the drive, a mechanical steering lock and anything else I can think of.

I honestly thought I'd never see it again. What a relief.

 

[I33t]

Update on car theft: I phoned BMW customer service and asked if they could trace the car via the iRemote app. They said no, it only has a radius of 1 mile. However, when I checked the app, it was showing the car's location, over 6 miles away.

At this point, I think it would be best to tell us which BMW customer service you rang, dealer or national customer service.

There is no way the remote app only has a mile range, what a load of claptrap! The GPS transmits location to BMW servers via the onboard sim comms system.

Congratulations on getting your car back!

 

[cmj912]

Or any of their keyless cars, apparently.

Er...rather, anyone's keyless car.

Glad you got it back.

 

[jadnashuanh]

It's my understanding that they first need to get into the car to access the OBD port. Another reason to ensure you lock it every time, and the alarm may or may not be standard in your market, but might be a good idea (but it only works if it is locked).

 

[alohart]

I guess this is another advantage of the BEV over the REx. If it's stolen, it won't get very far very fast, so it's more likely to be found.

 

[I33t]

Interesting.

There are ways to foil thieves. Mainly, the most effective way is to make the theft difficult so they decide to move on.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12273437

 

[i3green]

Interesting.

There are ways to foil thieves. Mainly, the most effective way is to make the theft difficult so they decide to move on.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12273437

for the time i had my motorbike in SF parked outside i just wired a rocker switch between crankshaft position sensor and control unit. No way that a bike theft would spend time to look for a switch.

a guy told me if they can't steel the bike within 90-120 seconds or less they'll just leave it. it worked for my second bike after my first bike was stolen within a few weeks living there. i didn't have any security on my Duc. stupid on my part, SF hast the higher motorbike theft rate in any major city. also true is proper motorcycle thefts never load a bike, they only drive it off the scene.

just don't use any mechanical looks, low life gang banger without experience try to remove the locks and destroy your car in that process. if you have a professional car theft they don't even sweat encountering a steering lock. takes them probably 10 seconds to break it.

 

[muddtt]

why can't someone just code a startup screen for the nav that says "This car is protected by Lojack" on start up? :lol:

 

[MikeS]

So someone went to all that trouble to steal your car and only took it 6 miles away? On top of which at no time you involved the police??

 

[psquare]

So someone went to all that trouble to steal your car and only took it 6 miles away? On top of which at no time you involved the police??

As much as I sympathise with anyone who has their vehicle stolen or damaged, I have to agree that this story seems strange - to an extent.

The OP -who as it happens never posted on here before this incident- might have missed out some details on purpose and for personal protection. However he has the rough address and footage of the thief. I know from personal experience that police is very keen on private CCTV to help resolving crime.

 

[stumbledotcom]

In the US, BMW Assist includes stolen vehicle recovery service. The owner packets delivered with both my i3 and 3-series includes certificates with information for the police in the event of theft.

I’m also suspicious that the OP didn’t involve the police and casually mentions a third-party commercial service. Is this thread simply an elaborate social media ad?

 

[imolazhp]

Bogus post, please remove admin's.

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, BMW can disable the car, turn on the alarm, and inform authorized agencies of its location, and, the car reports to the central server, so as long as it has a connection, you can monitor its location with the app. Now, the update rate may not be fantastic, but it's there.

 

[imolazhp]

FWIW, BMW can disable the car, turn on the alarm, and inform authorized agencies of its location, and, the car reports to the central server, so as long as it has a connection, you can monitor its location with the app. Now, the update rate may not be fantastic, but it's there.

Yes, further proof that the OP is bogus. He or she said BMW wasn't of any help.

 

[busaman]

it is possible to steal one that way but i have just moved my obd port out of sight simple solution, or just pull the diags fuse....

 

[highgater63]

I never said I didn't call the police - that was my first call. They were sympathetic but not too helpful. They also said cars are often stolen to commit a crime, so I suppose it's not impossible that the car was parked where I found it waiting to see if it could be traced or until it was needed. It was quite well hidden - on a dead end road in a collective parking space on an estate in Tottenham. But I find the whole thing strange, too - it's an orange i3 and there were about 25 miles left on the battery when it was stolen. Although if you're smart enough to steal a car you can probably work out how to recharge it.

It would be a good idea to move or somehow disable the OBD port (although I don't even know where that is or what it looks like!)

When I phoned the (London Metropolitan) police to say I thought I knew where the car was, they told me to make my way there and they would meet me. When I got there, I phoned again and was told they hadn't sent anyone, they had been waiting to see if it was really there. Then they called back and said if I wanted them to attend, they would need to take the car to the police pound for forensics and I would have to pay for the transfer and each day's storage. Given that I had found the car, not them, asking me to pay for the pleasure of them investigating further seemed a bit rich. The way they put it was that they would need to move the car to do forensics, and I would have to pay for them to move it. I was sitting in a cab on an estate in Tottenham, London, worried that the thieves might appear and get narked I was taking my car back. My key still worked - so it hadn't been reprogrammed. I took the car and drove it straight to the BMW dealership. So I don't rate the police effort that highly. Their response was more along the lines of, oh, here comes another one, can't be bothered.

I phoned BMW UK customer service to say it was stolen, and the only advice I got was how to reset the password for the iRemote app, and the (incorrect) information it had a 1 mile radius. They specifically said it wasn't a tracker. They did say BMW had a police liaison officer, but they don't deal with the car owner directly. I wasn't offered anything like locating or disabling the car.

My car is still at the dealership, as if I park it outside the house they'll be able to come back for it as things stand. BMW said all the locks will need replacing, but I don't see how that will prevent the same thing happening again. I also found this info on the security flaws, but most of it is over my head. What I do take from it is that the security is woefully inadequate. I'll take it out, do your own research!

I find it funny you think I'm bogus! Conspiracy theorists everywhere... Anyway, I'm signing off now as I don't intend to make this my life's work. I'm not an habitual blogger or poster, I came upon this site while looking for info on BMWs and keyless car theft. Thank you for all your comments, especially the constructive ones, and I hope you hold on to your cars.

 

[psquare]

Now I get it. This is an ad for Clifford.

Not saying this hasn't happened, but maybe not to an i3!

Where I live in the UK the police are very interested in car crime like this. I don't believe the claim about paid forensics either.

This is my last post on this bogus thread.