Poor security on keyless entry - Please be careful!

[flowrider]

I just do not believe me in real life

Its all over the internet, there have been numerous reports of keyless go cars being stolen without the thieves having the actual keys.

 

[television]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....-car-models-open-unlocking-ignition-hack/amp/

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.mi...s/thieves-use-laptop-hack-estate-10247459.amp

http://conference.hitb.org/hitbsecconf2017ams/materials/D2T2 - Yingtao Zeng, Qing Yang and Jun Li - Car Keyless Entry System Attacks.pdf

No Mercedes in the first link.
Is it all people have been trying since 2001.

Not in the last link, but in Sweden a salesman would often get a replacement key and wait a few years, then trace the car ad he has a spare. He did this for 14 years

 

[flowrider]

There are loads more videos on this subject.

 

[om613]

What a nasty thing to happen, and on your wife's Birthday too.

Mercedes should be held liable for this development oversight.

40 years on, it seems cars are easier to steal than those fitted with Willmot-Breedon locks.
They had the key number stamped on the ignition barrel. When worn, other keys would fit.

My 123 has a 'period' 80's immobilizer fitted, a secret switch that interrupts the starter's earth.

 

[Wolverine]

So the stuff has been around for quite a while now and MB have done nothing about it... splendid.

Think I may need to get the ugly Q7 when the insurance money comes in now...

 

[LostKiwi]

So the stuff has been around for quite a while now and MB have done nothing about it... splendid.

Think I may need to get the ugly Q7 when the insurance money comes in now...

Audi have the same issues.

 

[Wolverine]

What a nasty thing to happen, and on your wife's Birthday too.

Mercedes should be held liable for this development oversight.

40 years on, it seems cars are easier to steal than those fitted with Willmot-Breedon locks.
They had the key number stamped on the ignition barrel. When worn, other keys would fit.

My 123 has a 'period' 80's immobilizer fitted, a secret switch that interrupts the starter's earth.

Next car definitely getting some sort of extra immobiliser fitted. My old A8 had a fingerprint sensor on it! I wonder why they stopped doing those.

According to confused.com the car should still be worth £47k - I'll see how Churchill will try and rip me off.

 

[Wolverine]

Audi have the same issues.

Did I say Audi? I mean Kia. Or Daewoo. Or maybe a Lada.

 

[LostKiwi]

Theres a product called Ghost which can be fitted to Mercedes which prevents this.

 

[Wabby]

Pretty sure that pressing lock on the fob twice when you walk away from the car disables keyless entry until you unlock from fob again.

I tried and cant get the keyless entry to work once I have done this.

Also, our lass was driving the car the other night and pulled over for me to take a leak ... and the car stated whinging that the key wasnt present ..... It was in my pocket.

Wonder how long the car would have driven without me in it? (2017 C BTW .. incase that makes a difference?)

 

[umblecumbuz]

Wonder how many Krookloks will be fished out, dusted off and put back into use?

Old tech rules, OK!

Umble

 

[Yugguy]

Keyless, yet another solution for which there was never a problem. Cos pressing a button was so onerous.

 

[Stonie]

While I admit i've not read through the whole post but there is a way to disable the keyless entry on Mercedes models if you double press the lock button it disables the keyless entry feature of that key this is in the owners manual

hopefully this will prevent further incidents and keep your pride joy on your drives


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[turbopete]

Keyless, yet another solution for which there was never a problem. Cos pressing a button was so onerous.

exactly. and because you had the key out, putting it into the ignition barrel was such hard work too. this at least bypassed the 'remote' effect of starting so the keys had to be physically in someones possession to start the car!

someone mentioned the 'Ghost' anti-theft system. ive no experience of it, ive seen a video of it somewhere i think, it does look brilliant BUT when we are looking at cars like MB, BMW, and the likes, which can quite easily with some models, cost over £100k, then this, or something similar should be STANDARD!!! i mean think about it. you may be in a position to own, say, a 17 or 18 year old 210 with the plastic 'key' (metal blade for emergencies only) worth £7-800 for example, and a BRAND NEW E class (213?) with keyless go etc and a few other options which might be worth £50-60k or more depending on the model. now, wouldnt you like to be SURE that the factory fitted stuff on your brand new £60k car was BETTER (from an anti theft point of view) than youer old beater worth a few hundred quid?

now im sure someone like Craig will be along saying 'manufacturers do surveys and its what the customers want' etc. BUT in the real world WHO ACTUALLY WANTS OR NEEDS THIS TECH?????? i have yet to meet ANYONE who has said 'you know what, i wish i could get into and start my car without having to press a button on a fob, coz getting a fob out of my pocket and pressing a button is SUCH hard work'

Personally I think its past time we took the 'mad scientists' out of the design and tech area of the cars (ALL cars not just MB) and get them concentrating on what customers REALLY want like more reliable electronics controlling the engines, much improved MPG and performance (both can be done and they do it in concept vehicles so why cant they apply the techniques to real world) better security, and so on. but no, they would rather dazzle buyers with pointless, useless gimmicks that are unusable in the real world (night vision cameras being 1 such example)

 

[flowrider]

There should be a warning sticker attached to the dash on all new keyless go cars, something like........" Warning! Your vehicle has been setup by default to be easily stolen, if you do not wish your vehicle to be stolen please disable the keyless feature every time you leave the vehicle."

 

[LostKiwi]

My other halfs Mini is keyless go as I've mentioned (but not keyless entry) and not having an ignition lock where you insert the key means we invariably have to find somewhere to put the key - usually in one of the cupholders where if we stop for a coffee its in the way!
I fitted keyless start to my Smart as well and have the same issue. You need the fob to get in but then it becomes a nuisance...

 

[umblecumbuz]

Exactly as TurboPete says!

When you watch the ads for new cars - any make and model - they concentrate on gimmicks, like contact charging of your iPhone, immediate phonebook recognition, wi fi hotspot, electric boot opening, larger and larger info screens, heads-up displays, etc.

And now - keyless going, going, GONE!

Umble

 

[John Laidlaw]

As I've mentioned I have the Autowatch Ghost fitted and I've tested it also and it absolutely works. Even with the actual key on your person or inside the car, unless you press your preset dash/steering wheel sequence you cannot drive the car. It will start up, but as soon as you select a gear it stalls and will not restart until you have the correct sequence.
Only I and the installer know my sequence and even then I can change it so even he won't know
The installed part is completely undetectable and small and in my case has original MB loom tape to cover it. Invisible.
In daily use it's no different, its a product you spend £399 on (Comand are offering a discount, I think to £375? Installed), which has no visible benefit, but a huge mental relief.
OK, downsides are that it wont stop someone getting into your car, but that's a given- you could get a brick through the window on any car almost- but as the OP has experienced, these are not random thieves, these are 'professional' thieves with professional tools who target vehicles. So they are aiming to be stealthy. They won't risk being caught by doing something stupid to mine whilst trying to continually restart, so they'll move on. That's my thoughts anyway
Best £399 I've spent on my car so far....

 

[Yugguy]

This Ghost thing is great but it is just a throwback to 30 years back - I remember my dad wiring a physical switch into the ignition wiring, and hiding the switch under the dash.

Like Umble says, 99% of new stuff on cars these days is just gimmicks and while I have no objection to internal computerisation in cars, I do not want mine connected, open, online.

 

[John Laidlaw]

^ indeed, but of course if you tried such a thing today it would be detected and quickly!
As you say, too many gimmicks these days- connectivity etc
To a great extent this is driven by the lease/PCP market where people are looking to change cars more quickly, in turn driven by marketing departments of vehicles coming up with the next 'must have', effectively in peoples minds rendering the 2 year old model 'obsolete'
Or it may be the other way round...?
Anyway, these technology additions will continue and in the case of keyless go/entry present challenges to the consumer