Locked car stolen without keys...

[CookieMonster]

I had disabled keyless entry previously and thought that locking via the fob was adequate protection given my experiences with previous vehicles with sensitive alarms/immobilisers.

I'm hopeful my insurance will pay out given the CCTV of me locking it and given that both keys are in my possession.

I was told only about 10% of stolen cars are recovered which is woeful given the amount of CCTV in our big brother society these days.

Thanks all for advice on additional security measures. I will know for next time and be even more paranoid than I already am ("I'd been away for days and they knew exactly when I was back!")

[PhilHornby]

My CCTV shows it being quickly entered and driven away as if the thieves had a key - yet I have both keys in my house and locked it with the main fob about 15 mins before the theft which can be proved as lights flash/mirrors fold.
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I had set up the car on the Bluelink app but now it is not there..

I had been away from home for a few nights in another part of the UK and nobody would have known my arrival time home - unless they could see my Navigation data showing ETA to Home destination...

It does seem very sinister, that they turned up so soon after you arrived home

I wonder if adding a PIN to the Bluelink profile(s) is a sensible extra step (for the rest of us). It's a pain in the neck to have to enter it, but if it stops the system being reset, so there's a chance of locating the car, it might be worthwhile.

I had disabled keyless entry previously and thought that locking via the fob was adequate protection

The Keyless entry re-activates itself, when you "press the door lock or unlock button on the smart key".

How far would someone have to be with whatever device they have?

The Relay equipment - which relays the signal one-way, from the car to the Fob - has a reputed range of up to 8metres. I know from my own experiments, >4m is easily achievable

Relay theft requires 2 persons but such a method demands that the device used to pick up a signal from inside the house can actually find one.

This is the wrong way round!

The Fob (with its battery powered UHF transmitter) is more than capable of talking to the car directly. It's the low powered, low frequency, magnetic/inductive signal from the car that needs relaying.

There is also another way of doing this (and I found this info. on a 5 year old web site), and that is to pre-record the car's signal, for later playback (maybe using one of those 'Flipper-zero' type devices).

There is the question of why the Fob hadn't entered sleep mode.
I have done intensive investigations into the MY22 Fob, but MY21 uses a different Fob. MY22's Fob sleeps after 3 minutes of non-movement (so long as it is not in 'earshot' of the car, which defeats the sleep mechanism).
The MY22 Fob has a bug, whereby this sleep mode doesn't activate (maybe 3 in 10 times) - I don't know about MY21...

[Indalo1]

The Fob (with its battery powered UHF transmitter) is more than capable of talking to the car directly. It's the low powered, low frequency, magnet/inductive signal from the car that needs relaying.

Thanks for that correction, ‘PhilHornby’. I had never considered the matter in that way but it does make sense to me now that you have drawn attention to it.

Every day’s a school day!

[PhilHornby]

Every day’s a school day!

and so it should be - helps keep the mind sharp

[crisagatie]

crisagatie, sorry to hear about your car getting stolen. You can only do so much to protect your car from theft and obviously this is all at additional cost to yourself. We took the decision to purchase a 3 year gap policy that will give us a brand new car back at a total cost of £288 in the event of theft and/or write off. I now go about my life having no concerns whatsoever about our car being stolen, perversely we would be financially better off if this were to happen just before we get to 3 years of ownership.

Thanks for your sympathy, but I was just replying, my car is still fine. I also use a Faraday pouch to keep the fobs, and I have comprehensive insurance, so I'm cool. However, I think carmakers are being sloppy and prioritize convenience and costs over safety. This should not have been possible on a modern car when such attacks have been well documented for years.

[crisagatie]

I wonder if adding a PIN to the Bluelink profile(s) is a sensible extra step (for the rest of us). It's a pain in the neck to have to enter it, but if it stops the system being reset, so there's a chance of locating the car, it might be worthwhile.

I don't think PIN works. You can still use the car without the PIN (as a guest), and once thieves get to a safe place, they have enough time to tinker with the infotainment system to remove the owner or just reset it. By the time this happens, the car is lost, stripped for parts or exported.

[r0n]

Thanks all for advice on additional security measures. I will know for next time and be even more paranoid than I already am ("I'd been away for days and they knew exactly when I was back!")

I'd surmise your car was either followed home as a one off event or the thieves knew where you lived, picked a time of their choice and merely drove past looking for a time when the car was parked up . Being aware of the vehicles behind you is a worthwhile habit to get in to and if you think you're being followed don't drive straight home. Unfortunately I've read of people getting hit again in quick succession as they replace the stolen car with a new one of same make and model which is then also itself stolen

[chrisaaaaa]

A couple of new new cars were lifted near me, a BMW and Merc, I assumed someone had taken note of the VIN and ordered a replacement key with the help of a corrupt garage?

For a few years key fobs have had the simple trick of going to sleep when they are not moving, but modern keys should use ultra wideband technology, that can locate the key fob to within a few cm, and no relay current system is able to defeat it.

I wonder if anyone knows if hyundai use UWB or still rely on sleep?

[PhilHornby]

I wonder if anyone knows if hyundai use UWB or still rely on sleep?

Hyundai might have started using it on the Genesis range.

'Sleep' would be fine, if it was actually working correctly...

There is the question of why the Fob hadn't entered sleep mode.

I have done intensive investigations into the MY22 Fob, but MY21 uses a different Fob. MY22's Fob sleeps after 3 minutes of non-movement (so long as it is not in 'earshot' of the car, which defeats the sleep mechanism).

The MY22 Fob has a bug, whereby this sleep mode doesn't activate (maybe 3 in 10 times) - I don't know about MY21...

Has the Insurance Company (or Police) offered an opinion yet, as to how the car was stolen

[Powlerdad]

Can I ask if you simply locked the car from the fob or whether you utilised the button-press sequence which disables keyless entry?

Hi Indalo1,
I have a 2023 tucson and use a Faraday box.
What is the button press sequence which disables keyless entry?