[MarioGeo]

Happy New Year everyone!

I am curious to understand the level of X1 security /protection against thefts and if additional measures may be needed (e.g. steering lock, electronic engine codes, wheels locks) .
The reason for this topic is the recent thefts of keyless cars in my area where the cars are accessed with scanners and then stolen .
My car is a 2020 built 18i SDrive.

Therefore I am curious if the X1 security system is vulnerable or it's somehow more advanced than other cars.

Have you guys considered any additional security measures for your car? If yes, what do you recommend?

Thank you in advance.

[BobbyGrant]

My 2016 F48 does not have keyless entry so just has standard "what it came with from the factory"
I really would feel uncomfortable having a keyless entry car nowadays.

[dianebrat]

Originally Posted by BobbyGrant

My 2016 F48 does not have keyless entry so just has standard "what it came with from the factory"
I really would feel uncomfortable having a keyless entry car nowadays.

'tis why there's chocolate and vanilla, i haven't used a key in 9 years and have no desire to give that up at this point, it's the future, especially with some 2021 vehicles even letting you have secure smartphone access.

[SDriver18i]

Originally Posted by MarioGeo

Happy New Year everyone!

Therefore I am curious if the X1 security system is vulnerable or it's somehow more advanced than other cars.

Not a single car is protected from this attack due to it being a simple relay signal hack. I think newer BMW's have it to where the key switches off or stops sending signal after a while.

I did notice that after an update last year, I no longer could unlock my car from a large distance. Seems like they have been slowly sending out tiny updates.

The only thing you can do is get a faraday cage and put your key in it, no signal will ever leave your key and they won't ever be able to get you using this method. Also, don't cheap out on the faraday cage, try getting one that closes well and is portable, therefore you can carry it around and you'll still be protected wherever you are.

Keyblock is a good one or just google faraday cage for car keys.

[Bill_P]

Originally Posted by SDriver18i

Not a single car is protected from this attack due to it being a simple relay signal hack. I think newer BMW's have it to where the key switches off or stops sending signal after a while.

I did notice that after an update last year, I no longer could unlock my car from a large distance. Seems like they have been slowly sending out tiny updates.

The only thing you can do is get a faraday cage and put your key in it, no signal will ever leave your key and they won't ever be able to get you using this method. Also, don't cheap out on the faraday cage, try getting one that closes well and is portable, therefore you can carry it around and you'll still be protected wherever you are.

Keyblock is a good one or just google faraday cage for car keys.

My 2016 X1 has comfort access (and also my wife's Mini) so we have a faraday box at home (even though both cars are always garaged at home). We also have faraday pouches that just take one key for while we are away from home. With either option even if the key is right next to the lock it will not open

[MarioGeo]

Originally Posted by Bill_P

My 2016 X1 has comfort access (and also my wife's Mini) so we have a faraday box at home (even though both cars are always garaged at home). We also have faraday pouches that just take one key for while we are away from home. With either option even if the key is right next to the lock it will not open

Thank you guys.
Apparently on the recent theft on my street - one week ago (Ford Fiesta - 2019 with keyless entry) the lads reprogrammed the car so keeping your fob in a faraday or tin is not enough. I was unaware of this so maybe others are unaware too. The police found the car damaged after few days, however my neighbour is now required to change the locks and reprogram the car with assistance from a Ford specialist 🤔. This is the second time in my area.

Therefore, I am concerned with this unwanted phenomenon and I am looking to understand if BMW security system is somehow more advanced than other car manufacturers.
Nevertheless I am currently considering to buy a faraday pouch and a steering lock as an additional security measure.
The conclusion is: do not overestimate the security/ theft protection of your car. The keyless car theft is real and can happen to everyone.

Not sure why car manufacturers like BMW or Mercedes cannot find more advanced security protocol systems / alternative theft protection systems to give some headaches to these burglars.

[Shagohod]

Originally Posted by MarioGeo

Thank you guys.
Apparently on the recent theft on my street - one week ago (Ford Fiesta - 2019 with keyless entry) the lads reprogrammed the car so keeping your fob in a faraday or tin is not enough. I was unaware of this so maybe others are unaware too. The police found the car damaged after few days, however my neighbour is now required to change the locks and reprogram the car with assistance from a Ford specialist 🤔. This is the second time in my area.

Therefore, I am concerned with this unwanted phenomenon and I am looking to understand if BMW security system is somehow more advanced than other car manufacturers.
Nevertheless I am currently considering to buy a faraday pouch and a steering lock as an additional security measure.
The conclusion is: do not overestimate the security/ theft protection of your car. The keyless car theft is real and can happen to everyone.

Not sure why car manufacturers like BMW or Mercedes cannot find more advanced security protocol systems / alternative theft protection systems to give some headaches to these burglars.

As far as I know there is no special equipment that makes the X1 above and beyond the rest when it comes to anti-theft measures. Unfortunately cases like the one in your neighborhood may just be a consequence of us all moving on to these new keyless cars. I know that the risk does not outweigh the benefit for me, I'm fully enjoying having a keyless car and wouldn't look back.

You are correct about not overestimating your cars security though, or just crossing your fingers and hoping you're not next. For my part I've installed what is basically a Ring camera that turns on and records whoever steps in the vehicle and also alerts my phone. In the case anything were to happen the unwanted intruder can explain his actions to my Heckler and Koch(the OTHER German steel), until the cops arrive. If you are blessed to live in a country that allows it I'd advise you do the same, otherwise I wouldnt interfere in any criminal activity and just hope you get as lucky as your neighbor. Cops here are 30-45 minutes away for even a violent crime call.

[BobbyGrant]

>>. If you are blessed to live in a country that allows it I'd advise you do the same

Thankfully, I am blessed to be in a country that does NOT allow this.

[BobbyGrant]

Originally Posted by dianebrat

'tis why there's chocolate and vanilla, i haven't used a key in 9 years and have no desire to give that up at this point, it's the future, especially with some 2021 vehicles even letting you have secure smartphone access.

Is it really that much effort to press a button on a fob in your pocket?

[Shagohod]

Originally Posted by BobbyGrant

>>. If you are blessed to live in a country that allows it I'd advise you do the same

Thankfully, I am blessed to be in a country that does NOT allow this.

Ah yes, do enjoy the aforementioned 30-45 minute police response time when someone is breaking into your house then. It's like people get off on being entirely helpless

As far as it being too difficult to press a button on the key fob, I don't think anybody would argue that it is simply a convenience issue. Sure is convenient on a modern vehicle to ya know, make things easier. Automatic headlights and a million other features are simply a matter of convenience as well, as technology progresses you're gonna see a lot more of it so might as well embrace it I say.

[dianebrat]

Originally Posted by BobbyGrant

Is it really that much effort to press a button on a fob in your pocket?

I don't carry a FOB in my pocket to press, it lives at the bottom of my handbag and I'm very glad I don't have to fish it out every time I want to use it, I don't use a key for my house anymore either, I have not touched a key for my house or car in at least 5 years.

[Rickardg]

Hi, if you look at the tachnical training document for the LCI it seem like the new key fobs are of the type that "goes to sleep" after 2 minutes. That will probably make the risk of relay attacks small.

[BobbyGrant]

>>Ah yes, do enjoy the aforementioned 30-45 minute police response time when someone is breaking into your house then. It's like people get off on being entirely helpless

so presumably if you have rigt to carry a gun, there is a good chance the guy stealing it also has one. So what happens next?

[Shagohod]

Originally Posted by BobbyGrant

>>Ah yes, do enjoy the aforementioned 30-45 minute police response time when someone is breaking into your house then. It's like people get off on being entirely helpless

so presumably if you have rigt to carry a gun, there is a good chance the guy stealing it also has one. So what happens next?

If someone attempts to deploy deadly force against you, respond in kind. Criminals are the least proficient class of gun owners there are. Listen, the most important thing here is this... God-given, inalienable, human rights shall not be infringed because it makes some people uncomfortable. And frankly an angry man with a gun is probably second only to locking your dang doors and an alarm when it comes to anti-theft measures. Also note that I take my X1 into the mountains or to the range to go shooting very often, it's typical for me to have 3-4 AR type rifles, oodles of handguns, a hunting rifle, AND body armor and more.. I'm not going to just hand my car over to some psycho homeless person at a stoplight who wants to jack me and my colleagues. The damage they could do is insane.

What happens when an angry man with ANY weapon takes your car? Maybe they just get your ride and some groceries. What happens when they decide they want to do violence upon you? Do you have a single avenue of recourse besides waiting as long as it takes the cops to arrive and praying you and your family survive? I'll take the gun, especially since, I reiterate, it is my GOD-GIVEN right.

[Xorbitman]

Luckily car jackings are very very rare in the Montreal, Canada and even less here in the west end of the city where we live. However the thieves are sophisticated and they own laptops and devices that can read your key if it's not in a faraday box and copy it and then start your vehicle all within a minute or so. The cops take too long at night so we have other medieval weapons besides guns to inflict pain and suffering to those who are intent on doing us harm. We've had quite a few upscale vehicles stolen from the driveways here and in some cases the poor people have had it happen more than once. It's so easy to forget a key fob in your purse or coat pocket by the door. Make sure you tuck away your key as soon as you arrive home. We also have security cameras around our house.

[dianebrat]

Originally Posted by Shagohod

If someone attempts to deploy deadly force against you, respond in kind. Criminals are the least proficient class of gun owners there are. Listen, the most important thing here is this... God-given, inalienable, human rights shall not be infringed because it makes some people uncomfortable. And frankly an angry man with a gun is probably second only to locking your dang doors and an alarm when it comes to anti-theft measures. Also note that I take my X1 into the mountains or to the range to go shooting very often, it's typical for me to have 3-4 AR type rifles, oodles of handguns, a hunting rifle, AND body armor and more.. I'm not going to just hand my car over to some psycho homeless person at a stoplight who wants to jack me and my colleagues. The damage they could do is insane.

What happens when an angry man with ANY weapon takes your car? Maybe they just get your ride and some groceries. What happens when they decide they want to do violence upon you? Do you have a single avenue of recourse besides waiting as long as it takes the cops to arrive and praying you and your family survive? I'll take the gun, especially since, I reiterate, it is my GOD-GIVEN right.

Congratulations on showing those users that are not in the US that there's a basis for the gun-toting stereotypes they read about and see in the media.

I just want to assure those of you not in the US that not all of us feel this way, I have lived over a half century in a major US city and never felt a need or desire to have firearms available to me, my friends, or family.

[Shagohod]

Originally Posted by dianebrat

Congratulations on showing those users that are not in the US that there's a basis for the gun-toting stereotypes they read about and see in the media.

I just want to assure those of you not in the US that not all of us feel this way, I have lived over a half century in a major US city and never felt a need or desire to have firearms available to me, my friends, or family.

I think all you're interested in is those media-driven stereotypes. Not everyone lives in major metropolitan areas. There is such a thing as rural living and it's not all tobacco chewing, moonshine drinking nonsense. I've had fowl attacked by coyotes in the middle of a blinding snowstorm in the middle of the day. Im regularly outside in areas with large bear and mountain lion populations. Sometimes we take a deer and the meat will last us MONTHS. Don't be so close-minded as to discount a massive section of the population. If we passed in the grocery store we'd both be normal, polite people, I could even hold the door for you imagine that!

When I lived for 20+ years in Rochester, NY our crime rate was absolutely horrifying, friends and family had been mugged and attacked. Now, in a large midwestern town, at my work two months ago a young girl was beset upon by a car full of teens with baseball bats right outside our leasing office. A resident where I work is 70 years old and was hospitalized because a homeless person didn't like his Vietnam veteran hat. He is bound to a motorized scooter now. The world is a rough place, it's nice you are so privileged as to live in an area that you can feel so comfortable. That is not the case for a large majority of people. All I'm advocating is the normalization of basic and intrinsic human rights. Shame you seem to be so uncomfortable with that.

[BobbyGrant]

Originally Posted by dianebrat

Congratulations on showing those users that are not in the US that there's a basis for the gun-toting stereotypes they read about and see in the media.

I just want to assure those of you not in the US that not all of us feel this way, I have lived over a half century in a major US city and never felt a need or desire to have firearms available to me, my friends, or family.

Cheers for this reassurance!

[MJE60]

Originally Posted by BobbyGrant

Cheers for this reassurance!

We live in an imperfect world, in the U.K, as you probably know, it is now a crime to defend yourself, if police believe excessive force was used, even for home invasion and assault situations. Judging what is appropriate and not excessive when you are terrified is not where anyone wants to be. Every now and then We read of someone in court having to defend themselves from prosecution, including elderly or retired, for “hurting” a burglar (not shooting!). I just wish all fellow forum members, wherever they live, a happy, healthy and trouble free 2021.

With regard to keyless entry and car fobs, I understand the security has improved significantly and newer fobs enter sleep mode until pressed or moved closer to the vehicle. As with many such areas , I suspect it will be a constant race/battle. A few years ago, they used fishing poles and magnets to steal car keys off hallway tables. I do however find the recommendations for faraday boxes very helpful. I am lucky to live in a “safer” area but am not complacent and recognise that if people are having to resort to screening keys in some areas then the thieves will search for softer targets elsewhere.