Car got stolen via keyless remote
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Mercedes-Benz E220d AMG Premium Pack
Car got stolen via keyless remote
I have a 2017 Mercedes E220d AMG with the keyless remote on it.
About 3 weeks into owning the car, it got stolen off my driveway but I still have my key. The car thief must’ve hacked the car by getting the remote signal from my key and copying it to their device. This now means that they have a copy of my key as well as now stealing my car.
Good news is that police have found the car undamaged and are now doing forensic tests on it. I am happy to get my car back but not happy that the theives still have a copy of my remote key. They can come back and steal it again whenever they want. The police told me to go to mercedes after I get my car back from forensics to tell them the situation and for them to update my security or at least change my key programming.
Has this happened to anyone else? I really do not know what to do. Mercedes have not helped me at all through this and may have to go through legal procedures just for them to understand and help me out.
About 3 weeks into owning the car, it got stolen off my driveway but I still have my key. The car thief must’ve hacked the car by getting the remote signal from my key and copying it to their device. This now means that they have a copy of my key as well as now stealing my car.
Good news is that police have found the car undamaged and are now doing forensic tests on it. I am happy to get my car back but not happy that the theives still have a copy of my remote key. They can come back and steal it again whenever they want. The police told me to go to mercedes after I get my car back from forensics to tell them the situation and for them to update my security or at least change my key programming.
Has this happened to anyone else? I really do not know what to do. Mercedes have not helped me at all through this and may have to go through legal procedures just for them to understand and help me out.
#2
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Unfortunately it is very easy to intercept a remote signal from a key fob from a distance. That is why I never use it. Instead I rely on the NFC function (keyless go). The NFC signal is very short range, less than a meter.
#3
Pretty sure they don't have a copy of your key. This theft works by repeating/relaying your keys signal far enough for the car to detect it. The car is then driven off but as soon as it's turned off the car won't start again as no key signal is present. The idea is the thieves drive direct to a secure location to either crate the car for export or replace all the electronics/locks to clone/sell the car.
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Pretty sure they don't have a copy of your key. This theft works by repeating/relaying your keys signal far enough for the car to detect it. The car is then driven off but as soon as it's turned off the car won't start again as no key signal is present. The idea is the thieves drive direct to a secure location to either crate the car for export or replace all the electronics/locks to clone/sell the car.
#5
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Pretty sure they don't have a copy of your key. This theft works by repeating/relaying your keys signal far enough for the car to detect it. The car is then driven off but as soon as it's turned off the car won't start again as no key signal is present. The idea is the thieves drive direct to a secure location to either crate the car for export or replace all the electronics/locks to clone/sell the car.
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this has been done already with certain car brands , though not sure if it would work on a benz (I hope not)
Last edited by Egonvdv; 11-21-2017 at 12:48 PM.
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#8
There's various news stories in the UK where home CCTV footage shows a late model Merc being taken in this way. Perhaps, with our tiny houses the keys are never too far from the car so the relay chain is short/quick enough to defeat any timing protection.
The scumbags don't "have" the key, they merely repeated the signal at the time of the theft. You can copy the signal and replay it later but it won't help you as it's rolling code.
The scumbags don't "have" the key, they merely repeated the signal at the time of the theft. You can copy the signal and replay it later but it won't help you as it's rolling code.
#9
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this has been done already with certain car brands , though not sure if it would work on a benz (I hope not)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AHSDy6AiV0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-OPKvGI3Is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AHSDy6AiV0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-OPKvGI3Is
#10
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There's various news stories in the UK where home CCTV footage shows a late model Merc being taken in this way. Perhaps, with our tiny houses the keys are never too far from the car so the relay chain is short/quick enough to defeat any timing protection.
The scumbags don't "have" the key, they merely repeated the signal at the time of the theft. You can copy the signal and replay it later but it won't help you as it's rolling code.
The scumbags don't "have" the key, they merely repeated the signal at the time of the theft. You can copy the signal and replay it later but it won't help you as it's rolling code.
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My car has the keyless go package on it. It’s fully speced out so I would have thought that the security would have be of standard. I’m not too sure about the whole remote signal. But as another person mentioned... Once they’ve stole it, they would surely have a copy of that signal to trick the car into thinking that the key is next to the vehicle when in actual fact, at the time of theft, it was in my house which is 40 metres away from my driveway.
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Pretty sure they don't have a copy of your key. This theft works by repeating/relaying your keys signal far enough for the car to detect it. The car is then driven off but as soon as it's turned off the car won't start again as no key signal is present. The idea is the thieves drive direct to a secure location to either crate the car for export or replace all the electronics/locks to clone/sell the car.
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I researched a bit more into this matter and have a full understanding of the situation. All I ask for now it that Mercedes-Benz should do something about this. Say when I get my car back, the same theives take it again? When I watched that youtube cideo, it just made me realise how easy it is to steal a car worth £40k+ like its a pedal bike. Mercedes refuse to even discuss about my security system. Now I have to go down the road of handling the matter through my solicitor. My car has 3 years warranty and is only 3 months old.
Mercedes are great cars and have always been high in terms of standards for a very long time. Can’t say the same for their customer services though.
Mercedes are great cars and have always been high in terms of standards for a very long time. Can’t say the same for their customer services though.
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As others said, if they just used a signal booster, they just used the signal from your keyless go fob to trick the car into unlocking and starting. It's a rolling code so the way they'd do it again is if your key is still out in the open at home and not in a faraday cage. They sell various faraday cage cases, covers, bags online. Just stick your keys inside one once you get home and they won't be able to steal it in the same manner again. The faraday cage blocks the signal from being sent so they won't be able to find it without taking the key out of the faraday cage.
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why stick it in a bag and not just switch the key off ? - (2 rapid clicks on the close button, then key will flash a few times to confirm)
#16
A side note, on my 2015 ML350 i have a problem where the rear passenger door will open if pulled on the handle 2 times with key no where nar the car. The alarm does sound with the door open. Dealer states it is a problem with door lock. Will be taking in for a replacement.
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That would kinda defeat the purpose of keyless go. I never use the buttons on my key fob. After deactivating it, you have to hit the button again to wake it up. If you just have a container like an ammo can that's a faraday cage, you can just toss your keys inside it, close it and then when you're ready to leave, grab them, stick them in your pocket and your keyless go is ready to go.
#18
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If you are worried about your car being opened or stolen again using that original key or code, the dealership can go into the vehicle's systems and disable specific key tracks so that only the remote you possess and the codes for it work for the vehicle. If you are worried that they have all the current codes for the vehicle, you can disable all the active keys and get new coded remotes to the vehicle. If they are using the blade key to get into the vehicle, there isn't much you can do to safeguard against that aside from replacing the vehicle's physical lock/tumbler set.
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If you are worried about your car being opened or stolen again using that original key or code, the dealership can go into the vehicle's systems and disable specific key tracks so that only the remote you possess and the codes for it work for the vehicle. If you are worried that they have all the current codes for the vehicle, you can disable all the active keys and get new coded remotes to the vehicle. If they are using the blade key to get into the vehicle, there isn't much you can do to safeguard against that aside from replacing the vehicle's physical lock/tumbler set.
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That would kinda defeat the purpose of keyless go. I never use the buttons on my key fob. After deactivating it, you have to hit the button again to wake it up. If you just have a container like an ammo can that's a faraday cage, you can just toss your keys inside it, close it and then when you're ready to leave, grab them, stick them in your pocket and your keyless go is ready to go.
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Looks like some people are vehemently opposed to double clicking. Looks like they're fed up with windows...
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You have to dig the key out and hit it twice. I just keep them in my pocket and use the door sensors to lock and unlock. Then you have to dig the key out to activate it. Like I said, that defeats the whole point of keyless go. It'd be easier to put it in a box that's a faraday cage and close it than to do that every time. Anyway, I'm not worried about it, that's what insurance is for. I'm in a parking lot in a building complex so they'd have to figure out where I live first.
#25
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Would a LoJack with their Early Warning System help in these cases? They supply a second key fob that communicates with the LoJack and if the car is moved without their key fob being in the car, you'll get a phone call and a txt message. At that point you can verify if indeed the car has been taken and call the police to activate the LoJack for tracking.