Car Thefts Up 49%

[ben g]

No one joy rides cars anymore, it's all stolen to order stuff and no one is asking for a rusty old banger

I hope you aren't suggesting Rusty has an old banger!

But I know what you mean about what gets targetted - it's usually newish cars, especially ones with keyless entry!

definitely not

Our t keyless fiesta st got stolen from right outside my wife's workplace. Her office window was wide open and the car was parked on the pathway right next to it. She didn't hear a thing

We ended up with 2k in the bank (finance equity), but even so, it was added hassle we didn't need and her insurance premiums are sky high now

[Bing]

So the conclusion is that your car is safest if you live on an island.

Oh wait a minute

[firebobby]

We just bought a new (to us) Fiesta and while looking at different cars, we nearly bought a keyless car. So glad I dodged that bullet.

I think some vehicle manufacturers need a kick up the arse. Ford are terrible for their vehicle locks.
My works Transit and the whole fleet had to have security locks fitted, due to so many of them being broken into. Ford are aware, but do nothing and sit on their hands.

[Nictrix]

Im sure I read something about carly being able to switch off keyless entry.
Would this stop car thieves or are they stealing them another way?
I thought the thieves were just piggy backing off your remote and unlocking using another fob.

[RustyZ4]

I heard on the radio today (yes it was radio 4, I have got to that age) that car thefts in the last few years are up 49%, apparently this is due mainly to keyless entry cars and how easy it is to piggy back the key to open the car.
Having had use of a 2 series recently (bloody awful car) that was keyless, I cant really see why anyone would specify this as an option, im sure has its benefits for some, but with the risk of your car disappearing is it really worth that, I appreciate you can buy protection pouches etc to put the keys in, but the one night you forget is the most like the one night the thieving b***ards are out and about

Being a Radio 4 listener, it won't be long till you hear that 49% figure being analysed on More or Less.

yes my namesake Tim Harford

[Sidewaze Samm]

Think my wife's new Mini has the best compromise - fob operated entry, and keyless start.

[gannet]

Carly can turn it off on the latest MINI - mine has it (came with it I didnt spec it) but I havent disabled it. I do put the keys at night in a metal tin... problem I have with the pouches is - you might as well just not have the feature and the to use the car yourself you have to not only take the pouch out of your pocket, but then um take the key out of the pouch. really handy that one!

[Angie4m]

A mate due to renew his M3 insurance in 5 weeks got an email yesterday telling him they want a tracker on the car or they won’t cover for theft. I spoke to the same insurance company today and although the M4 is 97 out of 100 they don’t require me to have a tracker.....yet!

The guy I spoke with was an absolute bafoon, he firstly told me that they only needed trackers on high performance and high value vehicles (clearly no idea what an M4 was) until he tried to do something to the quote and realised just how high up the scale on theft from 0-100 it was and he needed a supervisor to even try and cancel the policy

He banged on about how cars are stolen due to keyless entry and I said well I don’t have it but you don’t ask me that, the he said but they can use an extender and I then replied but I park away from my property so they couldn’t extend anything and in order to steal it they’d need the key and good luck working out which of the 70 odd properties I live in!

Surprised that insurance companies don’t ask if you have keyless entry or not and what kind of key store you have.

[TitanTim]

Personally there's a lot of internet hysteria over keyless entry, I have it on 140i and just find it convenient hence why I specced it, I would definitely have it again. I just keep the keys in a small signal blocker bag, job done. I would be more worried over car jacking or breaking into the house for the keys, but then I don't really worry about it

Tim.

[Ewazix]

Keyless was one of those technologies that you just knew would end in tears and having to keep keys in a Faraday bag seems to undermine the marginal benefit of not pressing a fob (I think my thumb is up to it ). When I ordered my new Mini I avoided keyless entry and in all honesty don't see a huge benefit even with keyless starting.

The basic transponder key virtually killed off car thefts in the UK which had been rampant and many times above current figures in the 80's and 90's (I had an Astra nicked twice!). The "up 49%" is from a historic low and a success story so manufacturers need to think again.

[djstan]

The main problem I have with keyless entry / keyless start, is where do you put the flipping key? It’s too bulky for my pocket, and there’s no ignition to slot it into so it goes into a storage cubby instead which, on occasion, I’ve forgotten to take it out of when I leave the car, and then can’t find it when I need it!