Tips and Tricks for Preventing Vehicle Theft
Tue Oct 31, 2017

What can you do to protect yourself against targeted theft?

As scary as the thought may seem it's believed that vehicle theft is just as feasible now as it's ever been, even with todays advancements with security. A recent report by Rip Off Britain (BBC One) highlighted some of the ways criminals are fooling security technology - and how you can prevent the theft of your vehicle by such methods.

Remote Central Locking 

Almost every car on the road today comes equipped with remote central locking as standard, but like most technology it isn't without it's vulnerabilities. The victim might believe their vehicle and valuables to be secured after pressing the 'lock' button but thieves are able to jam the signal to the vehicle and gain entry to the vehicle after the driver has left the scene.

The driver should therefore check that the doors have been secured by the locking mechanism before leaving the vehicle unattended.

Keyless Entry 

The Keyless Entry system was developed to improve the user's ease of entering the vehicle, but has this luxury benefit now become a security weakness? Rip Off Britain reported that thieves are now using devices that amplify the signal from the key fob to unlock vehicles while the owners keys are in the house.

The programme advised owners to place their vehicle keys inside a container which blocks the signal. They suggest storing car keys in the fridge, or lining a storage tin with aluminium foil to block the signal.

Onboard Diagnostics Port

This port is usually used by engineers or mechanics to access vehicle diagnostics, however it can also be used to programme keys. Criminals take advantage of this port by using it to program a blank key to allow them to drive the vehicle away within a matter of minutes/seconds. 

Prevention Advice

General advice: Park in well lit areas and don't leave valuables on display.

The Metropolitan Police advise drivers to use a steering wheel lock to secure their vehicle.   

Regular hirers will notice that the majority of our fleet is currently from Mercedes Benz. Mercedes advise that you can deactivate the radio signal from the vehicle with 2 clicks of the key.