Keyless entry

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Jackdoor
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Keyless entry

Post by Jackdoor »

With the increased risk of car theft via keyless entry is anybody using or considering using a steering wheel clamp? If so which do you use?
Cadwest
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by Cadwest »

Nope but I do keep my keys in an old metal biscuit tin which blocks the radio waves, if I stay away from home overnight I just use some tin foil.
SRGTD
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by SRGTD »

Keyless entry and theft of keyless vehicles has been discussed many times on various VW forums. Over on VWROC.com, the general consensus is that those forum members who’ve been unfortunate enough to have their Golf R stolen, pretty much all the cars have been those without keyless entry/keyless start - most commonly as a result of the owner’s house being broken into, and the keys stolen.

If you want to fit a steering wheel lock, in my opinion the Disklok is probably the one to go for, although if you’re concerned about your car being stolen, there are other measures you should consider in addition to fitting a visible anti theft device to your car;
  • ensure you have GAP insurance, but don’t pay for VW’s overpriced GAP policy; there are plenty of alternative, much cheaper GAP products offered by specialist GAP insurers/brokers, so it pays to shop around.
  • upgrade your home security if appropriate, to minimise the risk of break-ins.
  • if you have a garage, use it for garaging your car, rather than your household junk. The Polo should fit most garages, even small ones garages.
  • invest in a couple of Faraday pouches to keep your key fobs in - one of these for the spare - or, as Cadwest has suggested, a metal tin or some tinfoil.
mike sel
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by mike sel »

I love my keyless entry. I have it on all my cars from 2005 and never had one stolen. I keep my keys at home in a black faraday pouch I just got into the habit of dropping them in there when I get home. I also keep one in the office at work and have got used to doing the same there.

I feel its worth the extra cost and effort to have a hands free entry to the car and I get to push a button to start and stop the car...im a big old kid..I know but its such fun...every time..little things and small minds and all that.
monkeyhanger
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by monkeyhanger »

Hands free entry with keyless? Surely the driver's door doesn't open itself (unlike those Ford Galaxy tailgates that you wave a foot under). It's a gimmick for me, not something i'd pay for separately. Not a hardship to turn a key, and the blanking plates used over the would-be keyhole are a fugly afterthought. The batteries don't last 5 mins either.

I've a similar opinion about heated non-leather seats, the auto parallel parking that many VAGs can spec rearview cam (sensors do the job well enough).

Some people like any tech in their car. For ne, auto lights/wipers/dimming rear view mirror are invaluable.
Alan Mc
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by Alan Mc »

I got a pack of 2 faraday pouches off amazon for £7 and just pop the keys in it when I’m at home. Blocked the signal from the key so it can’t be stolen that way. Let’s be honest if they want to steal you car nothing you do to deter them will stop them from doing so. Most decent cars stolen these days are to order and shipped overseas.
SRGTD
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by SRGTD »

monkeyhanger wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:12 pm Hands free entry with keyless? Surely the driver's door doesn't open itself (unlike those Ford Galaxy tailgates that you wave a foot under). It's a gimmick for me, not something i'd pay for separately. Not a hardship to turn a key, and the blanking plates used over the would-be keyhole are a fugly afterthought. The batteries don't last 5 mins either.

I've a similar opinion about heated non-leather seats, the auto parallel parking that many VAGs can spec rearview cam (sensors do the job well enough).

Some people like any tech in their car. For ne, auto lights/wipers/dimming rear view mirror are invaluable.
People are individuals and so place different values on different features / options in a car, and that’s what the manufacturer is hoping, otherwise we wouldn’t pay extra to have those ‘must have’ features that aren’t part of standard spec.

A car is something that most of us will own for 3 years or longer, and adding certain options can add value to person’s ownership experience. They may not add much, if anything, to the car’s value when the time comes to sell the car, as most options retain very little of their initial purchase price. A highly specced, heavily optioned car will probably be more desirable to a would-be used car buyer though.
mike sel
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by mike sel »

monkeyhanger wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:12 pm Hands free entry with keyless? Surely the driver's door doesn't open itself (unlike those Ford Galaxy tailgates that you wave a foot under). It's a gimmick for me, not something i'd pay for separately. Not a hardship to turn a key, and the blanking plates used over the would-be keyhole are a fugly afterthought. The batteries don't last 5 mins either.

I've a similar opinion about heated non-leather seats, the auto parallel parking that many VAGs can spec rearview cam (sensors do the job well enough).

Some people like any tech in their car. For ne, auto lights/wipers/dimming rear view mirror are invaluable.
Ha I respect your opinion Monkeyhanger, its all matter of personal preference is it not in your statement you are saying VW are wrong to offer heated seats in the Polo range, because you don't get 100% real leather seats in a Polo mk 6. For me faux leather is out, there is enough plastic in a car and in a seat it gets "uncomfortable" (Betty Swallocs) on long drives in the hot weather. Real leather is hard to find these days and rightly so for me, I would not want to drive a car with something that evidences animal suffering quite so obviously as leather. That's just me I am sure there are millions like me and I am sure there are at least as many that think that is a cranky idea. Once anyone makes the choice not to sit on animal skin then if you want your ass warm on a cold winters day, you are ticking the heated non leather seat option.

In respect of keyless I refer to the fact that I don't have to look for my keyfob with my arms full, so hands free. Many times during the ownership of a car I have my arms full of stuff (shopping, lecture material and so on) its just so easy to trigger the keyless open, put the stuff on the back seat (having opened the door manually but crucially not having had to search my pockets or the bags for the car fob), and as I said im a big kid I just love pushing the start stop button ( it goes back to the funfair rides where all the fake Chevies in bright metallic green orange and red or purple had a big red button to push that made a horn sound or lights flash) such fun. I seem not to be alone in my love of the keyless system. It was very rare when I had it in 2005 on my Lexus is220 now every car out there seems to have the option. luckily they also cater for individuals such as your self who prefer to have to hunt for the keys then have them hanging there in the ignition for the whole drive. Its just a matter of opinion and choice. Luckily we live in a country where such choices can be made freely and people such as you can comment upon them adversely just as freely.

Just a foot note IF you are going to pick holes in someone's post referring to a comment on "Hands free" then you probably should not be referring to battery life of 5 mins in your reply... We may both assume we are not being literal in our comments. I agree with you, had the batteries run out in 5 minutes that would be a factor that would in all probability sway me away from this option, luckily they last years.
SRGTD
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by SRGTD »

Based on owners experience of key fob battery life on other VW forums, those that have keyless entry / keyless start tend to find the key fob battery life is around 12 months.

In the mk7 / mk7.5 Golf, some owners get a key fob low battery warning displayed in the car’s MFD. However, in later manufactured cars, some owners have said they got no warning, so maybe VW have stopped this message being displayed? If they have, it seems a strange move on their part, but it’s probably worthwhile keeping a couple of spare key fob batteries to hand in your wallet/purse or in the car (the batteries are as cheap as chips, and easy to replace) to avoid being caught out if your key fob battery dies without warning.
monkeyhanger
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by monkeyhanger »

Ok, 5 mins not quite right, but battery replacement from as little as 3 months is mot unheard of, and the shocking security flaws of the system are making some people go out of their way to avoid having it.

If I lived around Coventry/Birmingham, i'd be in constant fear of having my car Twoc'd - the amount of Golf Rs and Audi S3s stolen in those parts is shocking.

Not saying keyless is a bad idea in principle, but benefits are minimal (vs pressing a button on the key fob to unlock the car and stick the key in the ignition when your hands are no longer full) and security flaws are huge. I'm more likely to forget to put my keys in a Faraday pouch than misplace them. It is shocking that this tech is so insecure with no improvements made since the discovery was made about how insecure the tech is.

I'm stuck with it, having an incoming GTI+, I find it hard to believe that it won't have a negative impact on insurance premiums for its inclusion, negating any positive benefits of the ACC.

The Polo GTI+ is unlikeky to be a big target for thieves being determined to batter their way in and raid your house for the keys while you're there, but if it's an easy pinch without the keys then it will still be an opportunistic target.

Not at all bothered by leather (again something i'd never pay for as it is ridiculously expensive for what it is, and mainly pleather) - cold leather feels cold, but cloth seats in a cold car don't feel cold (relatively).
mike sel
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by mike sel »

update on my VW Mk6 polo keyless experience.

I have found that when parking this Polo in an area you are maybe less comfortable with it has a feature to disable keyless easily. all you do is get out of the car shut the doors, push lock on your key fob, within 5 seconds touch the front door keyless lock sensor and hey presto the keyless is disabled. Simple. You can only unlock the car using the unlock button on the key fob.

keyless id so easy for me at secure parking locations eg home in the garage, at work in the staff indoor carpark (no public access) also I live in a nice leafy location where crime is not an issue so keyless is brilliant all those times. so yes If I am in and around a major city for the day I can disable the keyless...brilliant.

This SEL Polo is very impressive.
SRGTD
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by SRGTD »

mike sel wrote: Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:46 am update on my VW Mk6 polo keyless experience.

I have found that when parking this Polo in an area you are maybe less comfortable with it has a feature to disable keyless easily. all you do is get out of the car shut the doors, push lock on your key fob, within 5 seconds touch the front door keyless lock sensor and hey presto the keyless is disabled. Simple. You can only unlock the car using the unlock button on the key fob.
That’s really useful to know Mike. So it is possible to disable the keyless entry function then, which should help to allay the concerns of those who are worried about the potential security issues of keyless entry.
WillWord
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Re: Keyless entry

Post by WillWord »

mike sel wrote: Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:46 am update on my VW Mk6 polo keyless experience.

I have found that when parking this Polo in an area you are maybe less comfortable with it has a feature to disable keyless easily. all you do is get out of the car shut the doors, push lock on your key fob, within 5 seconds touch the front door keyless lock sensor and hey presto the keyless is disabled. Simple. You can only unlock the car using the unlock button on the key fob.

keyless id so easy for me at secure parking locations eg home in the garage, at work in the staff indoor carpark (no public access) also I live in a nice leafy location where crime is not an issue so keyless is brilliant all those times. so yes If I am in and around a major city for the day I can disable the keyless...brilliant.

This SEL Polo is very impressive.
Thanks just tested it, works as advertised.
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