Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

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john896
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Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by john896 »

A recent number of thefts of keyless cars in my area has left me a little concerned about my new Polo GTI+ security. I was wondering if anyone has had one of the Ghost 2 immobilisers installed on their 2019 Polo successfully. I have had it in my local auto electrics place and they claimed they could do it but after a day of messing with it they eventually gave up and claimed it was not possible due to some changes VW have made to the CAN system meaning they need to get access to the starter circuit or starter motor to make it work.

Any recommended installers would certainly be appreciated if any of you have had this done successfully.
SRGTD
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by SRGTD »

In the meantime, if you’re concerned about theft of your car, you could always minimise the risk or impacts of theft;
  • Temporarily disable keyless when you lock your car, which should stop the key fob transmitting the signal / stop the signal being intercepted by perpetrators with signal relay equipment.
  • When at home, keep your keys in a Faraday pouch or metal container.
  • Fit a physical deterrent to your car, such as a disklok.
  • If you have a garage, put your car in the garage overnight.
  • Ensure your home security is up to scratch to make it harder for perpetrators to breaking and steal the keys.
  • Get GAP insurance cover.
Interestingly, over on VWROC.com forum, pretty much all members who’ve been unfortunate enough to have had their Golf R’s stolen have had cars without keyless entry / keyless start fitted. The perpetrators have broken into the owners’ homes and stolen the keys.
john896
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by john896 »

This is what makes the Ghost the desirable option for me as even with the keys the car remains unstartable unless you have the desired combination of buttons prior to pressing the start button.
SRGTD
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by SRGTD »

I appreciate that where a person lives can influence their decision on car security measures. I would be prepared to (and do) take reasonable precautions to try and minimise the risk of my car being taken, but personally don’t know if I’d invest in an Autowatch Ghost immobiliser that renders the car unstartable without the correct combination of button presses.

I’m fortunate to live in a relatively low risk crime area - if I lived in an area where car crime is more prevalent, I may well feel differently about the measures I’d take to protect my car. However, I’d not want to be faced with being woken up during the night / early hours by a would-be perpetrator threatening violence (or worse) to me or my family, demanding the Autowatch Ghost combination because they were unable to start the car.

If my car’s stolen, I’d not want it back. If it was stolen and not recovered I have insurance and GAP cover. Admittedly, if it is stolen, there’s the hassle of getting the insurance claim sorted but a car can be replaced; it’s not so easy to replace a family member or loved one though.
john896
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by john896 »

i appreciate what you are saying but for someone who is a criminal stealing cars i would hardly believe they would be prepared to break into a home and kill someone to steal a £25k car. If someone wants to break in and get the keys then it gives time to call the police while they try starting it. They will be able to get in the car with keys or scanner and try and start it as any criminal would who was trying to take the car but it will not start which delays the process and gives the ability to contact the police. If they want to try and get past the dog, security camera and house alarm then they are pretty desperate for the car but as it is not the only one in the area then i would imagine they would take the easy option and target a different one.

It is insured and also has GAP insurance but would i want a car back thats been driven to an inch of its life? No i would not. Would i have a choice if recovered? No i would not. Would i prefer to have them struggle to take it a deter them because its taking too long? Of course i would i just makes sense to me. It's not a ferrari and its not worth £50k+ so would be stolen to order or an opportune thief so i think it may be doubtful for it to be targeted but a local 2019 Golf TSI (not even a GTI or 'R') being stolen in seconds has given me something to think about to try and protect something that is mine paid for with my own hard earned cash. The equipment to take the car is in the area so why not protect your assets if you can for a small fee.
silverhairs
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by silverhairs »

How much does an "Autowatch Ghost immobiliser" cost? Not as though I would go to that expense. Where as a steering wheel disc that's a visible deterrent if it's just sitting on the drive, when the car next door has no has no visible deterrent fitted, I very much doubt they would even smash a side window.
Trouble is when you have a "Ghost" immobiliser fitted and your out shopping, arms full of boxes and things it's raining hard and your trying to punch in four digits on a pad, would really put me off.
john896
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by john896 »

silverhairs wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 6:07 pm How much does an "Autowatch Ghost immobiliser" cost? Not as though I would go to that expense. Where as a steering wheel disc that's a visible deterrent if it's just sitting on the drive, when the car next door has no has no visible deterrent fitted, I very much doubt they would even smash a side window.
Trouble is when you have a "Ghost" immobiliser fitted and your out shopping, arms full of boxes and things it's raining hard and your trying to punch in four digits on a pad, would really put me off.
The Ghost costs £399 including fitting. The thing is the modern day car thief are not interested in removing anything too time consuming so a mechanical level of protection such as a steering lock is a good idea. The downside is that they are bulky and require keys to install and remove so if someone steals your keys then you will likely have the key for it with it too. As for smashing a window thats the whole point with keyless entry the modern day car thief intercepts the signal from your keys and uses it to take the car with no need to break anything so its a lot easier than the old ways of the criminals and no signs of damage or requirement to repair anything when they try to sell it.
Not sure you understand the Ghost system with your last comment as the car entry works exactly the same way as it would if it was without the ghost installed. It is the starting up of the car that is different in that it wont start until you enter a combination of the buttons already installed on the cars dash/steering wheel.
SRGTD
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by SRGTD »

john896 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 11:53 am As for smashing a window thats the whole point with keyless entry the modern day car thief intercepts the signal from your keys and uses it to take the car with no need to break anything so its a lot easier than the old ways of the criminals and no signs of damage or requirement to repair anything when they try to sell it.
You can temporarily disable the keyless functionality so a would be thief wont be able to intercept the signal with signal boosting relay equipment. From the owners manual;

Temporarily deactivating Keyless Access
Keyless Access can be deactivated temporarily as described below so that the vehicle cannot be unlocked and started due to misuse by unauthorised third parties.
Lock the vehicle with the ‘lock’ button in the vehicle key.
In addition, touch the sensor on the outside of the door handle once within five seconds . Do not reach into the door handle.
Keyless Access is now temporarily deactivated.
Check deactivation by waiting for at least ten seconds and then pull the door handle again. It should not be possible to open the door.

When the vehicle is next unlocked, it can be unlocked only using the vehicle key. The keyless locking and starting system Keyless Access is reactivated the next time the vehicle is unlocked.


You can test that the temporary deactivation of Keyless Access has worked by trying to open the driver’s door with the key fob in your pocket so it’s within range of the car. The door should remain locked unless you use the unlock button on the key fob.
john896
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by john896 »

SRGTD wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 12:41 pm
john896 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 11:53 am As for smashing a window thats the whole point with keyless entry the modern day car thief intercepts the signal from your keys and uses it to take the car with no need to break anything so its a lot easier than the old ways of the criminals and no signs of damage or requirement to repair anything when they try to sell it.
You can temporarily disable the keyless functionality so a would be thief wont be able to intercept the signal with signal boosting relay equipment. From the owners manual;

Temporarily deactivating Keyless Access
Keyless Access can be deactivated temporarily as described below so that the vehicle cannot be unlocked and started due to misuse by unauthorised third parties.
Lock the vehicle with the ‘lock’ button in the vehicle key.
In addition, touch the sensor on the outside of the door handle once within five seconds . Do not reach into the door handle.
Keyless Access is now temporarily deactivated.
Check deactivation by waiting for at least ten seconds and then pull the door handle again. It should not be possible to open the door.

When the vehicle is next unlocked, it can be unlocked only using the vehicle key. The keyless locking and starting system Keyless Access is reactivated the next time the vehicle is unlocked.


You can test that the temporary deactivation of Keyless Access has worked by trying to open the driver’s door with the key fob in your pocket so it’s within range of the car. The door should remain locked unless you use the unlock button on the key fob.
Why are you trying to convince me of going down a different route? Remembering to deactivate the keyless entry is something you need to do to try and secure the car rather than having it secure all the time. If i forget to do it on leaving the car or if someone gains access through the breaking of a window and uses the OBD port to steal the car i will have either a broken window to repair or worse a car thats been stolen. Rather than messing with that i would be better off with a RFID blocking pouch for the key to be stored in when in my pocket of the missus bag. The Ghost works all the time until its put into service mode to allow a garage to carry out a service or repair if needed. It also has an app which is only allowed on 2 devices which if you choose to will remove the need to enter a code and will recognise you although i am a bit sceptical about that as i think its probably more secure to use the button combination but it gives you more options.

I am thankful for your attempts to give me alternative solutions but i am simply asking if anyone has had it done successfully and if so do you have any recommended supplier and installer.
SRGTD
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by SRGTD »

john896 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 1:01 pm Why are you trying to convince me of going down a different route?
Not trying to convince you to go down a different route; it’s your car and you should do what you feel is best for you to keep it secure and give you peace of mind. As per my first post in this discussion thread - I was just pointing out the alternative options that you could use until until you find someone who can fit Autowatch Ghost, and temporarily deactivating keyless entry is one such option.
steeve
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by steeve »

Be wary of who fits a Ghost. There have been a number of Golf R and GTi owners that have had problems. They have not been able to start their cars. The installer has claimed it's a car problem but the Dealer won't touch it as it's been modified.

It's also easy to forget the sequence of button/switch actions to enable the car to start.

It's apparently a great system but neds a good fitter.
Falconmick
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by Falconmick »

I’ve had several Ghosts on numerous VAG cars without any problems. If I’m allowed to name the fitter (apologies to mods if not) I use Mark who owns Safe & Sound at Leeds but is willing to travel within reason. I’ve used him for about 4yrs and no hesitation in recommending him.
fazzy
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by fazzy »

I knew I was right by not ticking that keyless option on the option list :)
Apart from tinted rear windows, that was the only option I skipped... :)
Normal key, no hassles :)
john896
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by john896 »

Falconmick wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 2:05 pm I’ve had several Ghosts on numerous VAG cars without any problems. If I’m allowed to name the fitter (apologies to mods if not) I use Mark who owns Safe & Sound at Leeds but is willing to travel within reason. I’ve used him for about 4yrs and no hesitation in recommending him.
Falconmick, yeah I spoke to mark as I had read many good reviews about him online but he had a bad experience with a customer who had a polo GTI while trying to get it to work and basically didn’t want to spend the time trying to get it to work as it’s the same price if it’s 1hr or 4hrs to install. He also said he wouldn’t be willing to travel to my area and I suggested going to him but no such luck. I just got the impression he didn’t want to get involved from his experience previously. Don’t think it would put me off using him in future though as everywhere I searched he came up with good reviews.
john896
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Re: Ghost 2 immobiliser 2019 GTI+

Post by john896 »

fazzy wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:11 pm I knew I was right by not ticking that keyless option on the option list :)
Apart from tinted rear windows, that was the only option I skipped... :)
Normal key, no hassles :)
Fazzy keyless is standard on the GTI+ as far as I am aware as I didn’t select keyless either. It’s not a hassle it’s quite a good idea and if someone wants in the car they will get in so if it’s keyless and they have a scanner then they get in but no starting, if they don’t have a scanner they get in by breaking something. Your car only has 1 option and that’s breaking something and causing damage at your cost. If they break into your home then steal your keys your car goes and you probably never see it again with any look, if they break in and steal a cars keys with a ghost fitted then they don’t get the car to start so it’s still on your drive in the morning.

Each to their own I guess and I suppose it’s just a matter of how much and how far someone wants to go to protect the things they work hard to pay for.
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