sgaar

Somthing to keep in mind with the keyless-go system: http://www.forbesautos.com/news/feat...ess_theft.html. It's a pretty cool feature but it might cost you your ride.

lkchris

Insurance companies will be right on it.

They'll either talk to auto makers or just charge customers more.

Barry45RPM

So you get a new car... how's that bad? I don't even install alarms in my lesser cars. Nowadays when a car theif takes your car its NOT a teen delinquent going for a joyride. Its going to the chop shop or to the docks and into a container ship... Bye bye for ever! If a car IS found, it is usually so damaged that it is totaled by the insurance company. (Witness how many times we've seen pix here and the insurance company totaled out an apparently salvageable car.)

I love my car dispite its many flaws... but if its taken, its gonna be gone for good... and then I'll place my order for a new one, which are kinda nice except fpr the tail lights.

cyclerider

I'm sure you could remove the LED tail lights from a new 2007 and find someone with a 2003-2006 who would be delighted to trade their old ones for your new ones.

WEBSRFR

Seems most of the codes are cracked with a brute force approach where it floods the authentication system with all possible authentication codes. Seems like having the system validate maybe no more than 5 such requests a minute would address the brute force approach. Anyone knows the specifics of this and more importantly what is being done to address this?

Alan Smithee

Another flaw in the Keyless Go-type systems...

I was at a gas station the other day, and some people were pushing a Prius away from the pumps. Apparently the driver dropped somebody off and they took her keys (and attached transmitter), and she then drove from San Diego to Los Angeles. Wasn't until she refueled 120 miles away that she realized she was a victim of technology.

Barry45RPM

But its really a such a nice feature that the car unlocks at your fingertip touch of the door handle, and you drive off with just a touch of the shift lever! Too cool!

sgaar

LMAOROTF

Talbot

Well, who do you think PAYS for that?

Barry45RPM

Hey, once the car is stolen, its gone. I didn't HAVE it stolen, and it needs to be replaced. Ya picks yourself up, dust yourself off & go on. The car's insured, all you end up paying for is the part of the car your have used up. Yeah, its cheaper in the long run if the car isn't stolen, but if it is... you move on. Who pays for it? We all do. That's life in the Big City. Its just not worth worrying about. (If my car's alarm sounded at 2 A.M & I woke up and looked out my window & saw 2 guys breaking into it to steal it, do you really think I'd go outside in my underwear & explain to them that car car belongs to me and they shouldn't be trying to drive it away? Or should I try to beat them up in my boxer shorts and bare feet?)

The odds of a Keyless Go car being stolen instead of a Key Start car being stolen are the same unless you're carrying out the percentage to the 3rd or 4th decimal point... As I said, not worth worrying about. If your car were not stolen would you pay any less for your 4 years of insurance? Your car's being stolen or totaled has already been figured into your insurance rates.

Talbot

I wasn't arguing against Keyless Go. I'm a big fan. You asked the question 'how's that bad', and I simply responded with a quesiton meant to illustrate one thing that IS bad about vehicle theft - we all pay for it.

MB-BOB

I don't see the hubbub... As we speak, I'm sure the software developers are encoding keyless go systems to block the car from starting if more than 10-20 random attempts are made to access the car in a 5-second period. (Just like when you can't remember a password at the bank... after three attempts it locks you out.)

Pick the parameters, as mine are just examples. The software can also be set to block the ignition for only 5 minutes (or whatever), then reset to allow the car to start by the owner.

I'm not a software designer, but this is a no-brainer for me.

vinceC

My local dealer hates Keyless Go. The reason? 5 times out of ten the owner leaves the dealership with the fob in his pocket. Meanwhile, the car is dead in the Service Entrance. There was a SL500 stuck there last week when I was in for service and the dealership had to dispatch someone to fetch the fob.

vraa

What a ****ty reason to hate a great technology.
Incompetence of the dealer shouldn't hinder the advancement of what to me should be an essential feature on a vehicle.

cyclerider

vinceC, how is it any harder for the dealer to ask for the keys for a Keyless Go vehicle than any other vehicle? The keys even look identical. If you left your car in the service entrance and then put the key in your pocket, the same thing would happen. Are you sure your dealership is really that stupid? 5 times out of 10????

vinceC

cyclerider - Of all the M-B dealers I have dealers I have worked with for forty years, these guys are near the top. They have an active "early bird" system and many of the cars get parked in the service aisle over night and, as you say, the dealer is so stupid that the owner forgets to leave the fob in the night envelope. Perhaps they should get "smart" and put someone at the night drop off box 24/7. Stupid? Give me a break. Anyway, I am passing along a statistic they gave me.

cyclerider

Sorry, vinceC, I guess your dealership isn't stupid after all. Apparently it's just 5 out of 10 of their customers who are.

cyclerider

Turns out it's not the dealer's fault at all. It's a "night envelope" problem.

vinceC

I don't think it is a mater of stupidity. I think it is a matter of carelessness, much like failing to use turn signals or plan ahead for lane changes. We all see this sort of carelessness several times in a day. I personally have trouble finding this feature essential. Is it really that hard to insert and turn a key? The random codes of the smart key are just as effective against theft. Maybe if you are in a rough neighborhood and don't want any delay getting away from the scene, I suppose. Just my opinion, of course.

vinceC

Interesting link about car thefts and "theft proof" key systems form wired magazine:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.08/carkey.html

Check out the bottom of page two for some interesting M-B stuff.

Barry45RPM

Its really not that hard to shift thru gears and use a clutch (as much of Europe does) but we like our automatic transmissions even though they are not essential in a luxury car either. Keyless go is not an "essential" item in ANY car... Its just nice for the family to approach the locked car in any kind weather, pull the handle & get in without waiting for the driver to get the key. (The driver or someone with the key in their pocket must of course be near some part of the car for the key to communicate).

Its just an extra luxury feature, that's all.