Jetta Anti-theft effectiveness

[CoolAirVw]

Secondly!!!!

I dont see a single volkswagen on the list!


1 1999 Aston Martin DB7 - Mary
2 1962 Aston Martin DB1 - Barbara
3 1999 Bentley Arnage - Lindsey
4 1999 Bentley Azure - Laura
5 1964 Bentley Continental - Alma
6 1959 Cadillac El Dorado - Madeline
7 1958 Cadillac El Dorado Brougham - Patricia
8 1999 Cadillac Escalade - Carol
9 2000 Cadillac El Dorado ETC (El Dorado Touring Coupe) - Daniela
10 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible - Stefanie
11 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 - Erin
12 1953 Chevrolet Corvette - Pamela
13 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Big Block - Stacey
14 2000 Ford F350 4x4 modified pick-up - Anne
15 1971 DeTomaso Pantera - Kate
16 1969 Dodge Daytona - Vanessa
17 1998 Dodge Viper Coupe GTS - Denise
18 1995 Ferrari 355 B - Diane
19 1997 Ferrari 355 F1 - Iris
20 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 - Nadine
21 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello - Angelina
22 1987 Ferrari Testarosa - Rose
23 1956 Ford T-Bird - Susan
24 2000 GMC Yukon - Megan
25 1999 HumVee 2-Door Pickup - Tracy
26 1999 Infiniti Q45 - Rachel
27 1994 Jaguar XJ 220 - Bernadene
28 1999 Jaguar XK8 Coupe - Deborah
29 1990 Lamborghini Diablo - Gina
30 1999 Lexus LS 400 - Hillary
31 1999 Lincoln Navigator - Kimberley
32 1957 Mercedes Benz 300 SL/Gullwing - Dorothy
33 1999 Mercedes Benz CL 500 - Donna
34 1999 Mercedes Benz S 600 - Samantha
35 1998 Mercedes Benz SL 600 - Ellen
36 1950 Mercury Custom - Gabriela
37 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda - Shannon
38 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner - Jessica
39 1965 Pontiac GTO - Sharon
40 1999 Porsche 996 - Tina
41 2000 Porsche Boxster - Marsha
42 1961 Porsche Speedster - Natalie
43 1988 Porsche 959 - Virginia
44 1997 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo - Tanya
45 2000 Rolls Royce Stretch Limousine - Grace
46 1966 Shelby AC Cobra - Ashley
47 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 - Eleanor
48 2000 Toyota Landcruiser - Cathy
49 1998 Toyota Supra Turbo - Lynn
50 2000 Volvo Turbo Wagon R - Lisa

 

[40X40]

Yes, the immobilizer seems pretty effective.

If you know a way around the immobilizer, PLEASE do NOT post it online. All that does it make you feel smarter and my own property (my car) less secure.

Yes a flatbed trumps all security systems... and you don't need to put the car in neutral either, just drag it onboard.

Bill

 

[Joe_Meehan]

Average thief doesn't have a tow truck, nor a dolly. Average thief is a loser, doper, or punk kid...

Most thiefs wouldn't understand the value that we place on our cars. They would steal an acura or a lexus or an audi maybe, but honestly they would be looking for a porsche or a vette or maybe a classic muscle car or something. (Eleanor)
.

There certainly are a large number of thieves who do have professional equipment with them and are looking for surprising cars. They are looking for common cars. They are going after the parts market for those very popular cars. The strip the good parts and dump what is left.

I just did a quick search and it appears that they are not including numbers of older cars any more. For some reason they are only reporting maybe the last four years. Unless you take a look at the methodology they are using, it looks like they are only stealing newer cars.

The TV news just did a bit on car thefts. Of the five most stolen cars, only one was a 2000 or later model and one was from the 1980's.

 

[El Dobro]

Around here, the Club is a joke, it's on the ground in 20 seconds. A lot of the Honda owners have started using boots, but I've seen one of those things sitting on the side of the road already.

A kid that lives four houses up from me has had three Hondas stolen out of his driveway. One day, he drove by in an Audi A3. When he walked by the house with his pitbull, I asked him why the Audi and he said he was just tired of tricking out his Hondas to have them disappear to Newark. He's had it about a year and a half, so either the immobilizer scares them away or the thieves just don't like Audis.

 

[SSO720]

+1 on the Club. It is not worth the price or the effort to install. The factory anti-theft system will only be defeated with a wrecker. If a pro wants your car he will take it and they will never find a piece of it.
The transponder anti-theft system cannot be defeated without a programmed key. You may defeat the mechanical aspect of the lock by picking/raking or forced rotation but unless the passive transponder chip in the key is within .25 inch from the antenna in the column, the fuel injection will not be enabled by the ECM.
This is what I do to pay the bills. I work with the systems almost every day.

 

[compu_85]

...The transponder anti-theft system cannot be defeated without a programmed key...

And you can retrieve the secret key number and program a new key with $60 of equipment and software. The immo system only stops the casual thief.

-Jason

 

[CoolAirVw]

And you can retrieve the secret key number and program a new key with $60 of equipment and software. The immo system only stops the casual thief.

-Jason

If your talking about what I think your talking about that only works on mk4 cars. Plus they would have to have a key that fit the ignition also. Understand that the Vw key is not a normal key. Its cut differently than most so once again you'd have to be a locksmith with some special equipment (which I would argue most locksmiths probably dont have) or you'd have to be a dealer to get the key. Our local dealer wont cut you a key unless you can prove you own the car.

 

[CoolAirVw]

There certainly are a large number of thieves who do have professional equipment with them and are looking for surprising cars. They are looking for common cars. They are going after the parts market for those very popular cars. The strip the good parts and dump what is left.

I'll bet....

Large number of thieves... with a $17,000 tow truck, "special program" to retrive key number, and Vw key cutting equipment, looking for common cars.

..... and the government is covering up the statistics on how many tdi's are stolen!

I searched "stolen" in titles, here on the TDI club. Most, but not all were Mk3 (no immobilizer) or keys left in car. Some were hubcaps or stereo's or non-vw cars.

 

[compu_85]

Its cut differently than most so once again you'd have to be a locksmith with some special equipment

The center cut vw locks are easy to decode if you have the right equipment. You can just stuff it in the lock and it will tell you what the key code is....

-Jason

 

[Kiwi_ME]

MicroDots have been effective deterrent here down-under for newer cars. Subaru apply them as standard since their brand is generally the most stolen. Naturally it relies on "education" amongst thieves and those within the motor trade industry but it renders major parts of the car more or less permanently traceable. Despite there being nowhere to go, car theft here is roughly about 40% higher than the USA, according to nationmaster.com.

 

[PlaneCrazy]

And you can retrieve the secret key number and program a new key with $60 of equipment and software. The immo system only stops the casual thief.

-Jason

Isn't the code continually changing on the keys?

 

[roadhard1960]

I did a quick read of this thread. A friend had mentioned his truck started losing antifreeze in East St. Louis. He kept driving until he got to a safer neighborhood. This was back in the day before cell phones. The engine was glowing red hot but he and the band's audio equipment were safe.

The question is not "What can I do to save my TDI from thieves?" It is "What can I do to save my Jetta, Golf or Passat from thieves?" The first thing I would expect the average thief to look at is the car model, then maybe the engine. Another friend lost his 1984 Rabbit with a 1.7 carburated 4 speed twice in Decatur, Georgia. Well maybe once in Stone Mountain. That would be about 10 miles from downtown Atlanta. He had nice wheels and tinted windows. Basically he lost two set of wheels before he went back to steelies. In some parts of the country Hondas are the car to steal. Not sure where VWs are in Atlanta any more. They used to be popular cars to steal 20 years ago.

I am not so interested in living in a place where I have to remove my keys from the car at night, not that I leave my keys in the car. Never know when someone from the trailer park a 3/4 mile up the road might be looking for crack money. I live in the country where the neighbor across the street is a 200 acre cow pasture that is part of a 2,000 acre ranch. Neighbor every 300 feet though on my side of the road.

 

[agxster]

The Mk5 Golf/Jetta along with many other cars from the same years are incredibly easy to break into. Thieves now know how to crack the encryption codes used between the car and the key transponder.

This happened to me earlier this year and is very common now, at least in the UK. My sat nav and ipod got stolen and I'm now very careful not to leave anything valuable inside if I can help it. The only good thing is that they didn't have to break any windows or locks to get in!! And I only knew about it because someone nearby witnessed it and told me when I got back to my car.

Have a look:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/08/researchers-cra/

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23715085-caught-on-film-car-thieves-who-cloned-electronic-key.do

Theft of keys from an owner's home is also very popular here, check out the sorry story of this guy who didn't have insurance at the time:

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?t=85304

 

[Steve99]

Sniffing/decoding the signal from the remote keyfob will get entry into the car, it still won't let someone drive off with the car.

Maybe the next big thing will be remote keyfobs that only have 2 feet of range...

 

[bluesmoker]

Around here, the Club is a joke, it's on the ground in 20 seconds. A lot of the Honda owners have started using boots, but I've seen one of those things sitting on the side of the road already.

A kid that lives four houses up from me has had three Hondas stolen out of his driveway. One day, he drove by in an Audi A3. When he walked by the house with his pitbull, I asked him why the Audi and he said he was just tired of tricking out his Hondas to have them disappear to Newark. He's had it about a year and a half, so either the immobilizer scares them away or the thieves just don't like Audis.

the club can be made effective if you put a steering wheel shield over it, the thief never actually cuts the club, they cut the steering wheel, this makes it much more difficult and may deter the casual joyrider with a hacksaw

http://carsecuritydevices.blogspot.com/2009/12/check-out-club-shl-704-shield-for-1800.html

 

[CoolAirVw]

The center cut vw locks are easy to decode if you have the right equipment. You can just stuff it in the lock and it will tell you what the key code is....

So now the thieves have invested in even more specialized equipment.

 

[Bob Cratchet]

Just let it get stuck in park.......

_______________________________
2006 vdub Jetta Brick

 

[jrivers804]

If a thief really wants it they'll get it. But, a manual transmission is a great passive security device. There are huge numbers of people young and even some older, that have no clue how to start, much less drive a vehicle with three pedals. So, it may keep away casual street thugs from taking it but not any stuff inside, but IMO, will do nothing about a professional that for some reason wants to steal a sub $30k sub 150 hP car.