3rd Gen Wireless Key Fob Hacking

my manual 370z is still push button..

 

This is a real problem, my dad's business partner had his escalade stolen this same way

 

I would guess like others, that these skilled thieves are targeting higher end luxury cars. But supply meets demand, you never know when Isis might need some upgrades.

 

While this was your intent, the "... Hack & Theft Alert **Please Sticky" title implied urgency and widespread importance. At least that's what I sensed when I first saw the thread. Just my thoughts, I'm not intending to debate the point.

This is just one more in an ongoing progression of ways that thieves steal cars. If a sufficiently motivated thief wants your car, he will get it. No anti-theft system in the car will prevent a tow truck / flat bed snatch or simply waiting for you to come out and putting a gun to your head demanding the keys.

That doesn't mean that this isn't good info to pass along. Those in higher risk areas might consider installing a LoJack or other system to locate the vehicle if stolen. Recently here, a stolen tow-truck with LoJack installed led police to a pretty big chop shop. How many people would think twice seeing a tow truck load up a car or truck from a shopping center parking lot?

 

Guess I should have been clearer, it is my understanding that the new Manual Transmission Toyota Tacomas do not use the smart key like the new Automatic Transmission Toyota Tacomas do.

 

Just another reason to love my Base Model SR!

 

What my friend on his Supra does is a fuel pump switch. If they take off they only get a block or so before shutdown. Also useful in a car jacking situation. Youll be away from the threat and the car will be abandoned again. Hide the switch thats somewhere easily accessible though.

Not sure if the pump noise at 30 minutes after shutoff would make this method unuseable though..

 

My question is..how did the theives drive the Audi away? Yeah that device increased the signal but it can't extend it to infinity...once it got out of range the car should say (key not in vehicle.) right?

 

30 min after shutoff? Hell mine has been running 8 hours after shutoff. Usually around 3am or so it comes on

 

Yes, it'd say key not in vehicle, but that doesn't turn the car off. It will keep running until it is shut off or runs out of gas. Probably a safety feature; imagine being in the middle of 7 lanes of Interstate highway at 80mph and your car's remote battery dies... Shutting off would not be a good thing.

Also remember that in some documented cases the thieves register a new fob they brought with them to the vehicle and use that to drive away.

 

This is right. The manuals have a fob with lock, unlock, and panic buttons but it's not a smart key that automatically unlocks the doors as you walk up to it. You have to hit the unlock button on the fob.

Also, for all you that say that you'd be fine with people stealing your truck because you have insurance, remember that you still have a deductible and your insurance company is going to pay you a depreciated value for your truck, not buy you a new one. It'll cost you something out of pocket if it happens and your insurance policy will be more expensive.

As for the freezer blocking the signal transmission, who knows? It might. But I to the guy that posted about not wanting to put the fob in a cold 'wet' place, you shouldn't worry. Freezers have zero humidity because the water vapor freezes. That's how they freeze dry food.

 

Ahh! Very valid point there sir lol

 

No.

Freezers don't have zero humidity. They do have lower humidity though, simply because the dew point is depressed by the lower temperature.

Freeze drying food typically requires putting it under a vacuum in order to sublimate the ice to water vapor, which is then pumped out as the vacuum is maintained. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeze-drying

The issue with storing a key fob in the freezer would be the condensation from the humid room temperature air on the freezing cold fob when you take it out. Walk into a humid kitchen wearing your glasses after being outside on a 10F January day and you'll literally see what I mean...

 

The key just needs to be there to start the car but once running it will continue to run until the next time it's turned off. Even if that wasn't the case they could just drive it onto a flat bed tow truck.

 

I've read about this issue with smart keys. But it wasn't hacking that the crooks were doing, they were boosting the fob's signal to make
the vehicle think that the owner was still there.

 

INSURANCE = new truck

 

How much you paying for that zero deductible, full non-depreciated replacement value (including taxes) policy?

 

A whole lotta overtime

 

Wow.

If you're going to post as a shill, at least try not to use the same name here as your vendor name on Amazon.

How fracking stupid do you think people are?

 

After some research, read in the manual how to go into battery save mode, don't waste your money.