cal1

I am a lazy a$$ today and did not search this topic, but my new neighbor tells me my MBs with keyless go are easy pickings for just about any hoodlum to steal. He says they can duplicate the signal from my keyfob with ease. I am not so sure about that, but don't really know. It seems like the level of security would be pretty good to me.

hcetzneb

Mb are probably one of the hardest to steal with keyless or not.. basiclly the only time i see them stole is when some one steals the key or the key was left in it..

02Drunkenup

Or a clever thief in cahoots with a dealership..

What does your neighbor drive?

cal1

Toyota. Do you think that could be part of his motivation for telling me this?

02Drunkenup

Really depends, I mean you have a AMG and a high end ML. Does he seem jealous? I'm sure MB wouldn't have left any security liabilities in keyless go... I'm positive it isn't as simple as replicating a signal etc.

B16RacerN2NR

It is VERY hard to steal a MB.

We go through all kinds of hoops and paper work when a customer request a new key or additional key. To even order a key, I need to connect the vehicle to the SDS and see what key number it's on and what key track.

So a person in cahoots with a dealership is still damn near impossible.

As far as duplicate signals go, it's still very hard. I believe Nissan and Toyota use a 23 signal code and Mercedes-Benz has already doubled that. So using another key fob is also damn near impossible.

If one does duplicate a signal to unlock the doors, the EIS still has it's own signal to recognize once a key is put in it.

Your neighbor is just trying to scare you. Don't worry so much about your MB getting stolen

cal1

You are probably on to something. We just moved from Indy to Milwaukee as a result of a nice promotion for my wife. I work from home so no big deal for me. The circumstances did not allow us time to buy and we had to rent fast. I have three Greyhounds (x-racers) so we needed a fenced yard. There aren't many people willing to rent to someone with three big dogs. We were forced to move into a neighborhood we would not normally live in.

I don't mean to sound like a pompous dick, but our family income is most likely slightly higher than our neighbors. This could lead to a bit of jealousy.

Thanks for the info. I did not think it could be that easy. I am more concerned about the SL sitting in the hot sun all day. The garage is full of crap that won't fit in the house and I have not gotten it moved to storage yet.

Shadow5501

Google up the term "pseudo-random rolling code" for an explanation on how auto remotes (and garage doors) provide security on the radio link of your remote.

cal1

Thanks. So a typical 40 bit rolling code allows for about 1 trillion different codes. I'm thinking the odds of defeating that are rather slim to say the least.

listerone

When I had my Infiniti M,which had "keyless go",I read a number of stories about how easy it is for computer geeks equipped with a laptop and the right software to "steal" your key's signal which,in turn,makes it very easy to steal the car.In fact,I read that some major English soccer star had more than one expensive car stolen that way.Don't know how much of what I've read is true but,with today's computer technology,it certainly seems plausable (to me,at least).

Sathinas

I agree with most people posting in this thread. It is damned near impossible to steal a Mercedes without the proper key(s). However, the keyless system, ultimately runs on software. And as a dear friend of mine that works for that mom and pop software company in Redmond Washington once told me, "with enough time, hardware and software, you can break any encryption.".

She is right in that aspect. Can someone steal a Mercedes via the keyless system? You bet. But the thief would need some high order hardware and software...

As such, you may tell your neighbor if you were so inclined to please mind his own damned business.

cal1

^^^ Haha I will do that.

xolinlevh

yea with a good RFID type scanner you can record the transitions from the keys and crack the codes, then re-broadcast them so you can access the car. But this requires a lot of skill, time, and equipment, which the normal thief does not have. It happens to celebs more often then regular people i believe because of the attention thats attracted when something is stolen from someone famous.