Car Theft

Tfp

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They must love it, they sell more cars.

I know two people who've had their cars stolen.

Both were Bmw's.

One was a brand new M3 that was taken off his drive a few days after collecting it from the dealership.
 

Redline

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It’s clear they haven’t given their designs to security consultants to do independent penetration testing. The dishonest scum out there will find the holes before too long.
Having got to market the marketing people try and keep a lid on the problem. They just don’t learn that it ends up being both expensive to rectify and also permanently damages their brand.

A few years later a new far more secure solution gets put in to new models that shout about from the hill tops but still deny the original problem was a real one. How does that work?

Do they think we’re stupid? :mad:
 

Tfp

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Do they think we’re stupid? :mad:
We are really because we don't do anything about it.

My mate who had his M3 taken just claimed on his insurance, now he'll pay a higher premium for a few years.

I'd have stormed into the Bmw dealership and demanded a full refund as the car's not fit for purpose. Why fit door locks and have a personal key if it can be taken so easily by a thief who can bypass both?

I'd have took that to court to try.

But no, he just claimed on the insurance.
 

Redline

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He would never win.
They have very deep pockets for spending on lawyers.

They will claim the system didn’t malfunction.
You will have to prove they have been negligent in the design. To do that you will need proof that they were aware of the weakness, didn’t declare it and they still sold you the car.

The way to get attention would be do the same (but temporary) removal of the dealer principal’s car and hold it to ransom :D

Technically you are not stealing because you are not trying to permanently remove the owner of their property.

Invite the press to take an interest if the dealer and BMW won’t play ball.

A new M3 will have connected drive on it. BMW should be able to locate the car as soon as it goes on network unless of course that’s disabled by the thieves.
 

mrscalex

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mrscalex

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It’s clear they haven’t given their designs to security consultants to do independent penetration testing. The dishonest scum out there will find the holes before too long.
I agree. But...

Proper penetration testing (done by an independent specialist) is extremely violent and done to known weakest points. No car would withstand even the first blow.
 

Redline

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I agree. But...

Proper penetration testing (done by an independent specialist) is extremely violent and done to known weakest points. No car would withstand even the first blow.
I mean penetration testing of the locking system itself - basically hacking the system or fooling it in to operating outside of its design parameters - that is basically what the thieves are exploiting

Give it a go and let us know how you get on. That's what TWOC was invited for - Taking Without Owner's Consent ;)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_without_owner's_consent
Don't need to do that - Get in, add a new key and delete the existing ones from the system. You've prevented access but not moved the car so haven't taken it.
 

Tfp

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They have very deep pockets for spending on lawyers.

Invite the press to take an interest if the dealer and BMW won’t play ball.
I know I'd never win in court against a manufacturer but I'd certainly invite the press.

It'd be the complete underdog going up against the arrogant car company that has known about the problem and done nothing about it.

I can't believe no one has done it.

And back to my friend who lost his car, the Police just gave him a crime number over the phone, no investigation whatsoever, that makes me so mad.

The criminals are laughing, and getting wealthy at the same time.

Why aren't the insurance companies going after the manufacturers?

Or are they just happy balancing their books?
 

Redline

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.....the Police just gave him a crime number over the phone, no investigation whatsoever, that makes me so mad.
I'd be rather annoyed too. A colleague also has his M3 stolen. The police were straight on to BMW in Germany for help. Sadly it didn't do any good. Suspect the car was soon in a container or in bits.

I don't understand the insurers either. I guess they're just happy to adjust the premium to take account of the risk.

The problem is that usually the car is long gone by the time you find the space where it was parked. Trackers don't necessarily do any good, although many thieves park the car up for several days just to see if it has a device attached.

I have an idea that will let you know very soon (within a couple of minutes) if you're car is taken. I just need a developer to look at the idea. Not going to post details though - it is too simple to be true and easily available to many.
 

Tfp

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I've seen systems on cars that text you if the car moves without the keys being in the car, or it may be a card or something that has to be in the car, I've seen many on Landrover Defenders.

What would be really good is a hidden camera to photograph the driver.
 

Redline

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I've seen systems on cars that text you if the car moves without the keys being in the car, or it may be a card or something that has to be in the car, I've seen many on Landrover Defenders.

What would be really good is a hidden camera to photograph the driver.
Lots of GPS systems out there. My idea is far more simple elegant than that though and is independent of keys and cards and is also hands off.
 

Redline

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8A2E9F87-FBA8-46DB-9FDB-6EA82DB078D8.jpeg


:D
 
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