advertisement


Stolen car keys

wylton

wylton

Naim and Mana member
My wife and I went for lunch at a local restaurant on Sunday & I had my shoulder bag stolen. My fault, I was too busy chatting and didn't pay enough attention to my property. That's the trouble with a man bag, everything was in it, wallet, money, bank cards, car & house keys, sunglasses and various knick-knacks that I carry around with me like a tape measure concert ear plugs, etc.

I cancelled the cards immediately & yesterday, I changed the house locks. I was wondering about the car though. It's an Audi A4, 07 plate estate. It's vulnerable, because my driving licence was in the wallet, so the perp has the car keys and an address. Of course, the likelihood is that he went to a convenience store & just bought a few cans of cider & that'll be the end of it, but you can't be sure.

I love the old banger tbh, it's the perfect car for me & I don't particularly want it stolen. It doesn't warrant the expense of changing the locks though, & I'm reluctant to get the insurers involved. I have a spare fob & the spare plastic key, so that's no problem. As I understand it, I can get the fob re-coded, but the physical key will still open the door & start the car. Is there something else I can do to make the car more secure without paying too much money?
 
Stoplock steering wheel lock? About £25 - £40 depending upon the model, wont stop a pro but may prevent a lazy/casual thief/joyrider.
 
When I lost my car keys I had a cursory look around and asked my wife what to do. She said I need to look harder so I shaved my head and had a tattoo. It seemed a big step and I still can’t find them.
 
starbuck said:
Stoplock steering wheel lock? About £25 - £40 depending upon the model, wont stop a pro but may prevent a lazy/casual thief/joyrider.
Click to expand...

Take one or two of the wheels off and leave it on axle stands until new keys & barrel / coding is sorted etc :)
 
The frustrating thing is, that I had one of those TILE tracker devices on the key fob. Although it couldn't find the key in the restaurant, later, when I was home, I got an alert on the phone to say that my keys had been found. This gives a GPS reference, but not an exact location for the house number, so I know the building where the perp lives, but short of doing a door to door, it's no help. Needless to say, the police were no help whatever. I couldn't get any response from 101, and when I popped into the local nick, they couldn't have been less helpful. I filled in the online crime reporting thing, but the trail will be cold before they come back to me.
 
You should get the key/ignition lock recoded so that the old key no longer starts the car. After that it's up to you. For an old car I wouldn't physically change the locks, OK the thief can physically get in, but so can anyone with a hammer. It won't start which is the main thing. The thief has probably dumped the keys by now, this is normal because obviously if the Plod come looking and find a stolen key he is going to prison.
 
I don't know when it came in on Audis but normally the physical key isn't enough to start the engine - the ECU has to talk to the chip in the key as well, so if you get that recoded to a new fob, then that should give you some security?
 
I dont think anyone is going to steal a 15 year old estate car even with the keys. Whats it worth? a grand tops? I highly doubt it would be worth it even if they ran it in for scrap and you're insured if they do.
 
Where are you located? Midland VW in Norton Canes will be able to delete the transponder chip from your immobiliser, the remote from your central locking and code new ones in (a new key fob and key blade shouldn’t be expensive). On a VAG car, if you lock it with a remote key fob and then try and open in with the key blade, it will set the alarm off, so you’ll get an audible alert if he tries to open the car, but he won’t be able to start it, so he’ll get caught trying. I wouldn’t expect more than about £150 all in, well worth it to alleviate the anxiety/risk. If it’s nicked, it will cost you big time.
 
@linnfomaniac83 thanks, that's exactly the info that I was looking for. I rang an auto locksmith yesterday, but I couldn't really understand what he was trying to explain. I just rang him again and he can delete the codes and re-code my spare fob for £75. Cheers!
 
Apparently, the technique used is quite common. The pub had the back door open & employs a one way system for virus issues. A guy walked in through the open door that is marked as exit only, and sat at the adjacent table. The waitress told him that the table was in use & asked him to move. He eventually did move & walked out through the same door as he'd entered, obviously collecting my bag on the way. He was carrying a large blue holdall, that presumably contained other peoples bags/wallets too. He did not order any food or drink. He did me a favour in a round about way, because I'll be more careful from here on in.
 
flutteringwow said:
I dont think anyone is going to steal a 15 year old estate car even with the keys.
Click to expand...
Yes they will. Burglars love them. Fold the seats down, it's a van for the swag.I had this with a company estate car that was stolen, it turned up a week later in a nearby housing estate. Obviously the keys were nowhere to be found, because the thieves hide the keys in a hedge bottom somewhere so they aren't in their possession if they are stopped. The police are only too familiar with this, they told me the tale when I'd woken up to find a kitchen window swinging open and the keys to 2 cars missing. They had a good idea who'd done it too, couldn't prove anything but he was out on licence and the Plod conveniently found 1/8 of hash on him/them. Oh dear, that's an offence, you're out on licence, back inside you go. No court time needed.
 
Woodface said:
Not all insurers are equal & the scrotes could still get in & rob all the tech bits including airbag etc?
Click to expand...
Like I said, any scrote with a hammer or an automatic centre punch (Amazon, £5) can get into any car. The glass goes thud, it wouldn't wake a teething infant. Thieves don't dick about inside a car, too much risk. In the past it was in, stereo, out, remember? Nobody is messing about with a screwdriver waiting for the Plod or an angry owner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top