Polo Gti security

[steeve]

Might be worth making this a sticky?

Recently two new Polo Gti's have been been stolen fairly locally. It would seem that both cars were keyless and this is the way they were taken.

I know there's the Autowatch Ghost, which I wouldnt consider but is there any way of turning off the keyless function? I know on some makes of keyless cars this is possible.

I do have a Disklok which we intend to use when the new car arrives.

It would also seem to be worth getting a good quality Faraday pouch to keep your keys in. But some of these are way better than others, I had one when I had my Focus RS, and it's worth checking it still works every now and then, the first one lasted but a few months so I bought a UK made item and that was still fine when I sold the car.

Don't forget you need to protect the spare keyfob too. This can be done by wrapping it in 'several' layers of cooking foil, one just isnt enough. You can always test it by holding the keyfob next to the car door handle and see if works or doesnt work.

[Cadwest]

When you exit the car and press the keyfob to lock it you have about 5 seconds to press your thumb against a notch on the door handle which disables the keyless function. To unlock the car you have to press the keyfob, it will not unlock by just pulling the handle.

[Dreamscape]

It applies to every car with keyless entry. There are tests which show that 98% of cars are pretty easy to steal if you have them parked outdoor and keep keys close to front doors. Thiefs have these signal amplifiers that allow them to unlock the car and just drive away. It's best to disable keyless access or keep your keys in a led box.

[S_94]

I'm planning to buy two Faraday pouches. One for the spare key which can stay in the pouch in a drawer somewhere and I'll put my everyday key in the other one when I get home. It's a bit of a pain but it'll give me some peace of mind.

Would definitely consider the Autowatch immobiliser if they add support for the new Polo.

[steeve]

When you exit the car and press the keyfob to lock it you have about 5 seconds to press your thumb against a notch on the door handle which disables the keyless function. To unlock the car you have to press the keyfob, it will not unlock by just pulling the handle.

That's good, many thanks for that... The Disklabs ones are good, UK company.

[Dan34]

When you exit the car and press the keyfob to lock it you have about 5 seconds to press your thumb against a notch on the door handle which disables the keyless function. To unlock the car you have to press the keyfob, it will not unlock by just pulling the handle.

I've done this every night when I park mine on my drive, so easy to do and seems a no brainer.

[SRGTD]

OP; if you’ve got a garage that might be full of unwanted items, then it might be worth considering clearing it out so you can garage your car when you get it. The current Polo will fit a small ‘standard’ sized garage (I tried the Polo courtesy car I had recently when my car was at the dealers for its service).

I know that cars have ‘grown’ in size over the years, but where I live, even if people could get their £20k - £25k cars in the garage, they choose to leave them parked on the driveway, and use the garage for their £200 lawn mower!

I think taking a few sensible precautions might help minimise the risk of theft;

- ensure your home security is up to scratch.
- if you’ve got a garage, put your car in it. If that’s not possible, fit a good physical security device such as a Disklok.
- consider buying GAP insurance that’s on a ‘new vehicle replacement’ basis of cover. Don’t buy VW’s own GAP product though, as it’s horrendously expensive. There are cheaper alternatives out there.
- if you’ve got keyless entry and it can be disabled, then disable it. Keep the keys in a Faraday pouch or similar, to block signal amplification equipment picking up the key fob’s signal remotely.

Unfortunately, if someone’s determined enough to steal your car even taking sensible precautions probably won’t stop them. But hopefully, they’ll move onto easier pickings.

[S_94]

When you exit the car and press the keyfob to lock it you have about 5 seconds to press your thumb against a notch on the door handle which disables the keyless function. To unlock the car you have to press the keyfob, it will not unlock by just pulling the handle.

Does that mean the signal could not be boosted once you've pushed that notch on the door?

[MattHGR]

When you exit the car and press the keyfob to lock it you have about 5 seconds to press your thumb against a notch on the door handle which disables the keyless function. To unlock the car you have to press the keyfob, it will not unlock by just pulling the handle.

Does that mean the signal could not be boosted once you've pushed that notch on the door?

When you follow the instructions above, the key is still working as a keyless system, but the car no longer listens for it.
You can only click the buttons on the fob to unlock the car.
So it doesn't matter if someone tried to boost your car key signal and steal the car, because the car isn't listening for it anyway.
Hope that clears things up [emoji4]

[Andy Beats]

I'm wary of those faraday pouches.
It relies on the thieves giving up with their scanner and walking away.
This might happen right now, but the more people get faraday pouches the more they will be forced to use different tactics, and those different tactics are to knock on your door and demand the keys, or break in.
Where does car security stop, how far do you take it?
Do you literally give determined thieves no choice but to break into your house and rummage for keys, or (worse) demand by menace if they can't find them?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying make it easy for thieves, but I'm wary of the potential consequences for making it hard too.
I'd much rather wake up to my car gone than my house broken into, or someone with a mask and a bat demanding the keys.

[Andy Beats]

- if you’ve got a garage, put your car in it.

Do you know declaring you garage your car at night can actually increase your premium?
The insurance company reasoning is that it gives more time for thieves to work on getting into your car and get it started without being seen.
Out on your drive is often cheaper, really.

[Cadwest]

I'm wary of those faraday pouches.
It relies on the thieves giving up with their scanner and walking away.
This might happen right now, but the more people get faraday pouches the more they will be forced to use different tactics, and those different tactics are to knock on your door and demand the keys, or break in.
Where does car security stop, how far do you take it?
Do you literally give determined thieves no choice but to break into your house and rummage for keys, or (worse) demand by menace if they can't find them?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying make it easy for thieves, but I'm wary of the potential consequences for making it hard too.
I'd much rather wake up to my car gone than my house broken into, or someone with a mask and a bat demanding the keys.

I agree Andy that’s why I’m fitting a Trunk Monkey system in my car.

https://youtu.be/AidAXgq9dWc

[Andy Beats]

I agree Andy that’s why I’m fitting a Trunk Monkey system in my car.

https://youtu.be/AidAXgq9dWc

That's ace.

[johnpolo2]

I agree Andy that’s why I’m fitting a Trunk Monkey system in my car.

https://youtu.be/AidAXgq9dWc

That's ace.

Yes..loving the ad. [emoji3]

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk

[SRGTD]

- if you’ve got a garage, put your car in it.

Do you know declaring you garage your car at night can actually increase your premium?
The insurance company reasoning is that it gives more time for thieves to work on getting into your car and get it started without being seen.
Out on your drive is often cheaper, really.

Yes, I’m aware of this. Parking in the street is probably cheaper still, as any would-be opportunist thief wouldn’t know for certain which house the car’s owner (and keys) are in, making it more difficult to get the keys or (with keyless) know which house to stand near to amplify the key fob signal.

I’d still rather garage my car so any opportunist thieves can’t see it:- out of sight is out of mind. With my car being a previous model Polo GTI, it’s more likely to appeal to the joyrider than the ‘professional’ car thief who steals to order. If the joyrider can’t see it, the chances are they’ll move on to a car they can see.