Keyless Entry Theft

[whitenemesis]

Here is the other discussion thread on this subject in 2015.

AMG theft - recent rise in keyless theft around the UK - Page 2 - MBClub UK - Bringing together Mercedes Enthusiasts

As i said I have an open compliant with MB Retail Group and I am going to raise my concerns about selling practices to the motoring ombudsman. Mercedes have been aware of this problem for a while now.

At the end of day the manaufacturer is interested in selling as many cars as possible. When a customer has a concern about security of a premium vehicle and the selling practises we are not taken seriously.

They don't care about customers.

Good luck with all that

The only recurse customers have and the only thing manufacturers, of any product, take note of, is when people stop buying their products.

You don't like MB's selling practices? Then go elsewhere. Good luck in finding another car manufacturer with different practices though.

 

[PenelopePitstop]

What frustrates me is that I went back to Brooklands to see if i could order another car and was told that my case is very rare and they haven't seen it before.

I would not bother ordering another car from Brooklands, they rarely give discounts since they don't have to. Get the car through one of the brokers or discount websites or Carwow, it will save you quite a lot. I'm not sure I would order another Mercedes after such experience.

I got new car with Keyless Go without option to deactivate it, so bought Faraday Pouch mentioned earlier. I put my key in it after locking the car. I did extensive research on the subject before car delivery, after reading reports how easy it is to open the car or steal it.

Regarding GAP insurance, it can be bought for specified number of years for new and used cars. Best to buy online to save a few hundreds comparing to dealer prices.

 

[grober]

There are other safety aspects to keyless go which is the subject of a class action in the USA.
Keyless Automobile Ignition Systems Are Fatally Flawed, Critics Say - NBC News

 

[rf065]

There are other safety aspects to keyless go which is the subject of a class action in the USA.
Keyless Automobile Ignition Systems Are Fatally Flawed, Critics Say - NBC News

I read that a few years ago, Americans pull into garage attached to house, get out of car and leave it running, go to bed and die of carbon monoxide poisoning. Supposedly thinking the car switches itself off, I would say these people are fatally flawed, not the keyless go system.

Russ

 

[219]

Hello Everyone,

I am new toi this forum and wanted to talk about my horrible experience.

I purchased a C200 brand new from Mercedes Benz Brooklands and collected the car in January 2016.

In May of this year the car was stolen from my drive without the thieves getting into my house and taking the keys.

Looking online and speaking to the police it appears these cars have a security weakness and it can be exploited with some simple electronic equipment. This means thieves can get into the car and drive it off without you knowing,

i have spoken to the dealership where i bought the car from and they are claiming that this is a very rare ocurrance. Looking online indicates this is happening quite a lot.

The car cost me £35000 and my insurance only paid me £23000. As i didn't have gap insurance i have lost £12000.


i wanted to hear of similar experiences from other owners.

Regards

Kyri

While you have my sympathies and I hope the criminals are caught , it is a sad fact that your 18 month old car would no longer be worth the price you paid for it new .

Your insurers are obliged to put you back in the position you were in before the loss - that is in another similar car , of similar age , mileage and condition ; NOT a brand new car worth more than your old one was .

 

[219]

There are a few different types of gap insurance, the best one is "back to invoice value". I have this version on a 3 year policy.

Getting a new car in place of a used one amounts to 'betterment' which in a repair situation is always chargeable to customers .

Why should other customers pay increased premiums for loss sufferers to be given better/newer cars than they lost , when they would have had to pay handsomely if they wanted to make the same change by trading in ?

 

[219]

They don't care about customers.

That last bit is right : they are in business to make profits , not friends .

They might as well be Ferengi .

 

[grober]

I just see it as technology merely for the sake of it. And ill thought out technology at that.

 

[kianok]

Interesting read.

Two weeks ago I had a knock on the door in the early hours to be met by the police who had been called by one of our neighbors.

Someone had somehow manged to open the door and was seen sat in the drivers seat.

Im 100% certain the car was locked and there was no damage so no idea how they got in.

Thanks to someone on here who described how to disable keyless go using the fob (sorry, can't remember the poster) I now disable keyless go before going to bed.

 

[AMGeed]

Get Autowatch Ghost fitted. Nobody will be driving it away then, keys or no keys.

 

[whitenemesis]

As suggested in post #6 did the OP even read the link?

 

[190]

The bottom line is that regardless of the fact "a thief will get your car if they want it" keyless go is a stupid marketing gimmick that threatens to be standard fitment in all new cars. If only the manufacturers would realise that sensible people who can still manage to turn a key don't want it.

Perhaps if enough cars get stolen they will see sense but probably not.

 

[kianok]

Whilst I agree there is also the option to simply remove the button.

 

[whitenemesis]

I'd love to know the percentage of cars sold with keyless entry that get stolen by hacking the keyless go system? How many remote locking cars get stolen?

As already posted, if they want the car, they will take it. Put a steering wheel Disc lock on an X5 they'll just breaking into the house for the keys..

 

[Deleted member 113659]

The bottom line is that regardless of the fact "a thief will get your car if they want it" keyless go is a stupid marketing gimmick that threatens to be standard fitment in all new cars. If only the manufacturers would realise that sensible people who can still manage to turn a key don't want it.

Perhaps if enough cars get stolen they will see sense but probably not.

Although I totally understand & agree KG has had bad press, I think IF the manufacturers could solve the issue and reduce the risk then it's a great system to have. What's so bad about not having to get your key out.

Risk aside I think if you asked KG owners about the feature (across all marques) I think that most if not all would say they liked/enjoyed having it.

Keyless entry & stop/start button makes life easier IMO.

 

[tangey]

I read that a few years ago, Americans pull into garage attached to house, get out of car and leave it running, go to bed and die of carbon monoxide poisoning. Supposedly thinking the car switches itself off, I would say these people are fatally flawed, not the keyless go system.

Russ

It might not be quite so stupid as you think. On more than one occasion, I've pull into my drive, pressed the start button to turn off the car, got out, and then wondered why I couldn't lock it.

What had happened is that the stop-go technology had kicked in, stopped the engine, either I didn't pressed the start button, or I did it too quickly, so I hadn't actually turned off the car.

I could see a situation where someone could do the same, but in a garage, not bother to lock the car (thus not noticing it wouldn't lock), and then leave the keys in the kitchen close enough to still be in communication with the car. Eventually the start-stop would restart the engine if it thought the battery was getting too low, maybe some hours later, leaving the car running indefinitely.

On the general point of Keyless go, I like it. I had it on my previous car, and was glad that the Merc came with it.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

It might not be quite so stupid as you think. On more than one occasion, I've pull into my drive, pressed the start button to turn off the car, got out, and then wondered why I couldn't lock it.

What had happened is that the stop-go technology had kicked in, stopped the engine, either I didn't pressed the start button, or I did it too quickly, so I hadn't actually turned off the car.

I could see a situation where someone could do the same, but in a garage, not bother to lock the car (thus not noticing it wouldn't lock), and then leave the keys in the kitchen close enough to still be in communication with the car. Eventually the start-stop would restart the engine if it thought the battery was getting too low, maybe some hours later, leaving the car running indefinitely.

On the general point of Keyless go, I like it. I had it on my previous car, and was glad that the Merc came with it.

I thought the stop-Go feature disarms as soon as the driver removes his seat belt and the engine starts right away.

 

[PenelopePitstop]

Although I totally understand & agree KG has had bad press, I think IF the manufacturers could solve the issue and reduce the risk then it's a great system to have. What's so bad about not having to get your key out.

Risk aside I think if you asked KG owners about the feature (across all marques) I think that most if not all would say they liked/enjoyed having it.

Keyless entry & stop/start button makes life easier IMO.

I only like kicking under the boot to open it, otherwise I'm quite happy with using the key for everything and would choose a car without keyless if possible. Unfortunately it's standard on a lot of models now.

I left once car with KG open overnight because I forgot to touch the handle to lock it. I also left the key in the other car during the day and left it open because I got used to using KG in other car. The latter could have been painful if car was stolen.

I do enjoy using the key, turning it and starting the car. More fun than pressing the button.

I thought the stop-Go feature disarms as soon as the driver removes his seat belt and the engine starts right away.

Audi would tell you that you left the engine running with loud beeping. It does it every time you open the door when engine is on.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Audi would tell you that you left the engine running with loud beeping. It does it every time you open the door when engine is on.

Our car and van have stop/go. If you come to a standstill and the engine cuts out. As soon as you un lip your belt the engine fires up again. So I don't know how you could exit the vehicle with the stop function armed.

Doesn't your SLK do the same?

 

[RedFormula1Fan]

Here is an earlier email response from Mercedes Benz Brooklands.

As you you can see they have made mofications to newer cars. I have asked them repeatidly if my car had this functionality and i haven't received a response yet.

i am very frustrated and disappointed. Looking at other posts on this foum i have found evidence going back to Jan 2015 where Mercedes were contacted about keyless theft and nothing was done.

The sales people should at least communicate the risks of leaving keys exposed to radio abuse. This is very frustrating.

i can't belive a premium product costing £35,000 can be driven off so easily.

For example, on our latest cars we now offer our customers the option of deactivating the radio signal with two clicks of the key in order to prevent abuse.


Dear Mr XXXXXX

It was nice to talk to you today reference your concerns about Keyless Go security systems, and have enclosed a statement from Mercedes Benz.

As a business, Mercedes-Benz Cars UK are of course disappointed to learn about customer experiences resulting in theft in relation to keyless entry/start systems.

I am sorry you are unhappy with the comments and explanations provided from our Customer Assistance Centre. I can confirm however, that the information they have provided to you is correct; we are not aware of any of these examples that have been caused as a result of a manufacturing defect.

All Mercedes-Benz Cars have extensive security and anti-theft protection systems in place. Data security, data protection and anti-theft protection are important elements in our research and development activities. The development of protection and safety mechanisms is continued over the entire life cycle of our cars. When enhancing our protective mechanisms, I can assure you that we take into account the latest knowledge about criminal methods and attacks on security systems. To offer further assurances, all our cars undergo strict development and investigation to ensure they meet the relevant insurance requirements and EU Regulations. Preventative actions are now available, For example, on our latest cars we now offer our customers the option of deactivating the radio signal with two clicks of the key in order to prevent abuse.

As I am sure you can appreciate, this technology is available throughout the motor industry and we cannot guarantee that criminals may try to gain entry and therefore cannot be held responsible for the actions of criminals. Please rest assured, we are continuing to work with the relevant authorities to continue to improve the security and safety of our customers.


Kind Regards

Joe Reeves

General Sales Manager
Mercedes Benz Brooklands
Brooklands Drive
Weybridge
Surrey
KT13 0SL

Tel: 01932 373000
Mobile:07766696980

No need to wait for a response, just try deactivating your key and see if it'll still allow keyless entry or not.

Deactivating and activating
If you do not intend to use a key for an extended period of time, you can deactivate the KEYLESS-GO function of the key. The key will then use very little power, thereby conserving battery power. For the purposes of activation or deactivation, the vehicle does not have to be nearby.
To deactivate: press the button on the key twice in rapid succession.
The battery check lamp more of the key flashes twice briefly and lights up once, then KEYLESS-GO is deactivated.
To activate: press any button on the key.