How thieves steal a car and what stops each way
Thieves choose a car without modern protection, parked where they can work undisturbed. Each way of theft is stopped by its own protection:
Key left in the carAccording to the Ministry of the Interior, more than half of the cars stolen in Belgrade from January to August 2023 were stolen because the key was left in the ignition. So always take the key with you. If the engine is off and the immobiliser fob is with you, the thief cannot start the car even with that key.
New key through the OBD portThe thief gets into the car, connects a device to the diagnostic port under the steering wheel and makes a new key in a few minutes. OBD port relocation and an electronic OBD blocker stop it.
Keyless theftA keyless key unlocks and starts the car from your pocket. One thief picks up the signal of your key, another relays it to the car, and the car unlocks and starts without a break-in. An immobiliser and a key pouch, while the key is in it, stop it.
Headlight attackThe thief removes part of the bumper at the headlight and connects to the wiring. Through it he sends the car a fake message that the key is present, and the car unlocks and starts. He does not need the OBD port. An immobiliser or an alarm that blocks starting stops it.- Stolen or copied keyThe thief steals the real key from a flat, a house or a pocket, or copies it while the car is with someone else. This is how cars are stolen even from garages. An immobiliser stops it, if you do not keep the fob with the key.
Car taken by a tow truckThe thief does not start the engine but lifts the car and takes it away. No engine blocker helps then. GPS tracking alerts you as soon as someone moves the parked car and shows where it is.
The immobiliser stops most of these ways. Still, it does not stop the thief from making a new key, makes no noise and does not show where the car is. That is why OBD port protection goes with it, and GPS for a more expensive car. More about theft protection
What each protection does
The police advise protecting your car with mechanical or electronic protection. This is what each of them does:
- OBD port relocationWe fit a new socket in a hidden place. The factory port stays intact, but without your adapter it does not work, so the thief cannot make a new key. More about OBD port relocation
- Electronic OBD blockerThe blocker switches off the OBD port under the steering wheel. The port stays where it is, but the thief cannot make a new key through it. More about the OBD blocker
- ImmobiliserIt works alongside the factory one. The engine starts only with the right key and your confirmation: a fob, a code or a phone. More about the immobiliser
- AlarmAn alarm sounds the siren when someone opens a door, hits or moves the car. More expensive alarms also tell you on your phone, and the engine does not start without your fob. More about alarm installation
- GPS trackingA hidden device sends the location of the car to your phone. It does not prevent theft, but you see where the car is and where it has been. The police do not find every stolen car, and with GPS you tell them where to look. More about GPS tracking
- Key pouchA pouch with a metal layer does not let the signal of a keyless key through, so the thief has nothing to relay to the car. It works only when the whole key is inside and the pouch is closed properly. More about the key pouch
- Steering wheel lockIt is a lock on the steering shaft, under the dashboard. Neither a new key nor the key signal opens it, so it costs the thief time even when he tricks the electronics. Still, it does not stop him, because with a powerful angle grinder and time a thief beats the lock too. More about the steering wheel lock
You lock a mechanical lock yourself, every time you leave the car. An immobiliser works by itself, every time the engine is started. More about mechanical protection · More about electronic protection
A car with a regular key: OBD protection and an immobiliser
Get OBD port relocation or an OBD blocker, and an immobiliser with it. The first measure stops the thief from making a new key. The second stops the engine from starting without your fob or code, even when the thief has your key or a copy of it.
If the car stands in front of the house, add an alarm with a siren, because you hear it from the house. An alarm that alerts you on your phone tells you even when you are not at home.
A car with a keyless key: an immobiliser, a key pouch and OBD protection
You have a keyless car if it unlocks when you grab the handle while the key is in your pocket. The same goes if the car starts with a button, without putting the key into the lock.
A thief steals such a car both with the signal of your key and with a new key made through the OBD port. So get an immobiliser and a key pouch, and against a new key OBD port relocation or an OBD blocker.
A pouch protects only while the key is in it.
The immobiliser protects even when the key stays outside the pouch, because the engine still asks for your fob or code. If you get an alarm, get one with an engine block and a fob: the engine does not start without the fob, even when the thief unlocks the car with the signal of your key. More about keyless theft
Toyota, Lexus and more expensive cars: an immobiliser, OBD protection and GPS
Thieves also steal Toyotas and Lexuses through the wiring at the headlight. The device for this theft is made for the Lexus ES, LC, LS, NX and RX and for the Toyota GR Supra, Prius, Highlander, Land Cruiser and RAV4. The thief does not touch the OBD port then, so OBD protection does not help. An immobiliser or an alarm that blocks starting helps. More about the headlight attack
For a more expensive car, get OBD protection, an immobiliser and GPS. The first two measures stop the thief from driving the car away. GPS alerts you as soon as someone moves the parked car and shows where it is, even when it is taken by a tow truck. If the key is keyless, add a pouch too.
The price depends on which measures you take and on the make, model and year of the car. More about the cost of car protection
Habits that keep the protection working
Protection works as long as the thief does not have what unlocks it. So do this:
- Do not keep the immobiliser fob with the car key, and do not leave it in the car.
- Do not keep the adapter for a relocated OBD port in the car.
- Keep the spare key at home, never in the car.
- After locking, pull the handle. A thief can jam the remote signal, so the car stays unlocked.
- Keep a keyless key in a pouch and test it from time to time: with the key in the pouch, walk up to the car and grab the handle. If the car unlocks, the pouch does not block the signal and you need a new one.
- After a service, leave the fob outside the car and try to drive off. If the car cannot be driven, the immobiliser is protecting it again.
- Park where there is light and people, and leave nothing in sight in the car.
After a service, switch off service mode, because while it is on, the immobiliser does not protect the car.
More about habits against theft
What you will hear, and what is true
- “This protection gives 99% security.”Nobody has measured that. Each measure closes its own ways of theft and costs the thief time. 2 different measures are worth more than one “perfect” one.
- “The car has a factory alarm and immobiliser, that is enough.”A factory alarm is switched off with the key, and a factory immobiliser only checks whether the key is known. A thief who makes a new key or relays the signal of your key unlocks and starts the car like the owner.
- “OBD protection also protects against keyless theft.”It does not. Keyless theft goes through the signal of your key, not through the port. A key pouch and an immobiliser help against it.
- “GPS prevents theft.”It does not prevent it, it helps find a stolen car. That is why it goes with a measure that stops the thief from driving the car away.
